Survey: Demand For Value-Based Health Care Increasing
Willis Towers Watson recently conducted their 2020 Health Care Delivery Survey, in an effort to illuminate the strategies employers are using in their health care benefits and programs. Their research revealed that 73% of employers plan to adopt or expand new types of healthcare delivery models over the next three years, such as high-performance narrow networks and centers of excellence.
Study: Happy Employees Are 13% More Productive
Employers may want to take note of just how important a positive emotional state can work to their advantage when it comes to employee productivity. In a study conducted by the University of Oxford Saïd Business School, researchers found that happy employees are 13% more productive.
Social Distancing Measures Fuel Employee Loneliness
In the wake of COVID-19, social distancing measures taken across the country have created more isolated workers than before. A lonely employee is more likely to perform poorly, switch jobs frequently, earn fewer promotions, and feel less satisfied with their career. For employers, the loss in productivity isn’t the only concern either; healthcare costs are also much higher for these workers.
Skeptical Employees Fail To Use Increased Benefits During COVID-19
Over the last several months, many companies have revamped their employee benefits due to the pandemic. While employers should commend themselves for taking proactive steps to support employee wellness and productivity, they should not overlook how their workers feel about using (or not using) these new and improved benefits.
Survey: 37% Of Employees Highly Resilient
It’s safe to say that this year has been unusually difficult for the average employee, given the complications created by COVID-19. According to the Cigna Resilience Index, these struggles are taking a measurable toll on Americans, as roughly 60% are currently struggling to maintain resilience.
Survey: Quarter Of Women May Scale Back Careers
The 2020 Women in the Workplace report highlights how women, especially women of color, have been disproportionately been impacted by COVID-19. They are more likely to have been laid off as well as three times as likely as working fathers to be handling a majority of housework and childcare responsibilities.
Study: Telehealth Usage Varies By Demographics
The surge in telehealth usage during the pandemic has been applauded by many as a solution to increase access to health care, even in the toughest of situations. Despite overall usage increasing substantially, the headline numbers do not tell the full story, as research shows that usage varies significantly by different social determinant health categories.
Stanford Professor Questions The Future Of Remote Work
Dr. Nicholas Bloom, a professor in the Department of Economics at Stanford University, is famous for his work on remote work. One of his most well-known pieces found that working from home made employees 13% more productive and 50% less likely to quit. Despite the positives of remote work uncovered from the study, he is quick to note the current environment is quite different, especially in four areas: children, space, privacy, and choice.
Microsoft Teams Launches “Virtual Commute”
Without a commute, life can seem like a never-ending conference call. Although organizations cannot force employers to create policies that support work-life balance, they can incorporate features into their products that help facilitate it. That is exactly what Microsoft did with their new 'virtual commute' feature on their communications platform, Teams.