How Insurers Can Repair Damaged Customer Relationships

Posted on

September 10th, 2018

smart devices Much like any other service-driven industry, insurance companies rely on customer satisfaction to stay in business. If customer satisfaction is low, insurers are at a significant risk to lose their customers to competing companies. Customer loyalty is no longer what it used to be, either. Forty percent of policyholders are unhappy with their current provider and they are considering switching to a new insurer within the year.
This is a significant risk for a few reasons. Insurance companies could see $400 billion in insurance premiums switch hands over the span of one year. That is a significant amount of destabilization in the industry. While some insurers may benefit from the change, many cannot withstand such a significant change in finances. One-fourth of customers are also willing to cancel an existing contract regardless of fees or penalties. Compounding this problem, customers are willing to shop online to purchase insurance rather than using their existing provider.

Stemming the Loss of Customers

Customer satisfaction is the key to loyalty. If customers aren’t happy, they have no incentive to stay with their existing insurance company. The following are several ways insurance companies can increase customer satisfaction:

Offer personalized services. Customers dislike when they call their insurer to discuss policy options and a representative directs them to a website for assistance. Customers want personalized services so they can feel secure in their insurance policy decisions. While insurers may balk at this notion citing additional time and cost, 41% of customers are willing to pay extra for this level of care and service.
Offer affordable solutions. Continuing with the above, just because customers are willing to pay more for personalized services doesn’t mean they are willing to overlook their policy’s price tag completely. Not all customers can afford Cadillac policies with all the bells and whistles. Many need realistic coverage that makes them feel safe in the event of a claim without gouging their checkbook.
Up to date technology. Customers expect to be able to access information about their claim from any device, at any location, anytime they want. This means insurance solutions need to be mobile friendly including an app for ease of access.

If your insurance business is struggling with customer satisfaction or noticing problems with customer retention, Actec can help. Contact us to learn how our innovative FNOL solutions can help your company today.

How to Help Employees Manage Back to School Stress

Posted on

August 20th, 2018

Andrew

education-908512_1920 Summertime is a break for working parents from parent-teacher conferences, after-school activities, and shopping for school clothes and supplies. Now that summer is winding down, employees with children may be showing signs of stress as they try to reengage for the upcoming school season. While it’s not an employer’s job to manage their employees’ personal lives, a good work-life balance is crucial to keeping the workforce happy and productive. The following are several ways employers can help employees ease back into the school season:

Be cognizant of employee needs. Small to mid-size companies have an easier time of it, but all companies, regardless of size, should be aware of their employees’ needs. Learning who has children can help managers and company leadership work with employees to prepare for the back to school season. Team meetings represent a great opportunity to remind staff that it’s time to prepare for the new school year and discuss any challenges this may present. For example, some employees may need more time to complete a project than usual to allow them to make sure their child is ready for the upcoming school season.
Remind staff of their leave. It’s easy for employees to think of paid leave as for vacations or illnesses only. However, many company policies include personal leave or utilize an overall paid time off (PTO) bank that employees can use for any purpose. Some states even provide 24-hours of unpaid leave for qualified employees to address their children’s educational and medical needs. Employers and managers should remind staff members that a positive work-life balance is important and to use their leave if they need to.
Be flexible. Employees often have to arrange childcare for children before and after school. Sometimes these arrangements fall through and the employee must scramble to find proper care. Other times, the cost of childcare is too expensive for employees to manage morning and evening care. One way to help alleviate this issue is to allow for flexible start times. For example, if an employee usually works 7:30-3:30, consider allowing them to work 9-5 instead or vice versa. This can allow them to take their kids to school or pick them up from school depending on which situation works better for them. This can help them solve the problem of short-notice childcare and the related expenses. Another option is to allow employees to work from home for a certain number of hours for the first couple of weeks of school while they establish their new routine.

Employees who struggle with stress at home and at work are more prone to unexpected absence. Employees who feel like their employers care about work-life balances have better attendance records, are more loyal, and have better productivity. Helping employees cope with stressful periods in their life can help them manage their responsibilities at home while keeping up with their work. To learn more about reducing employee absences, contact the experts at Actec.

4 Things You Need to Know to Reduce Workplace Stress

Posted on

August 6th, 2018

Andrew

shutterstock_174875483 Stress is one of the leading causes of employee absenteeism. However, stress is a multipronged issue with several sources. Some of the most common include:

Excessive employee workload
Issues with coworkers
Unengaging or unsatisfying work
Low salaries
Limited opportunities for growth or advancement

With over three-fourths of workers reporting feeling stressed, successful managers need to make themselves aware of the stress points and take steps to mitigate them.

How to Tackle Stress in the Workplace

Identifying problems isn’t enough—great managers will take the initiative to resolve them. The following are several methods that can reduce different types of workplace stressors.

Set clear goals and expectations. If staff members have to sit and wonder what they are supposed to be doing or what the end goal is, they are wasting time. Not only does this stress them out, it also creates delays, which can compound their stress. By providing clear instructions and appropriate details, employees will understand what they should work on and why.
Encourage activity or exercise. Encourage employees to get moving whether they go for a walk during lunch or hit the gym. Moving the body can allow the brain to take a mental break. Staring at a screen for eight hours straight for days on end can stress an employee to the point where they become ill or lose motivation. Encouraging employees to take a 5-minute stretch break or walk every couple of hours can allow them to decompress and improve their focus.
Imbue flexibility into your company culture. Employees have lives outside of the workplace and great managers will recognize this. Employees need flexibility to keep their work and life needs in balance. Allowing for flexible schedules so employees can come in earlier or later will help accommodate parents with children in school or employees who are attending college courses at night. Offering the ability to work an extra hour per day, four days a week so employees can take a half day on Friday can also boost morale. Implementing a work from home policy can reduce employee stress as well as it gives them the ability to work from home if they can’t come in due to caring for a sick child or family member.
Recognize employees’ achievements. Recognizing team members’ efforts makes employees feel appreciated and valued. This can improve their engagement and productivity as well. Acknowledging hard work can be as simple as having a chat about the great work the employee has been doing or as grand as recognizing employees during meetings or events.

Great managers will make sure their employees know they care about reducing their stress. This fosters loyalty, improves workplace productivity, and reduces absenteeism due to stress. To learn more about improving employee attendance, contact the experts at Actec.

How to Help a Sick or Injured Employee Return to Work

Posted on

June 26th, 2018

Andrew

woman in wheelchair When an employee is absent for an extended period due to an illness or injury, how their employer handles their return to work is critical. Mismanagement of an employee’s recovery process can lead to a delayed return and relapses. Employees may be anxious about returning to work or feel worried about falling ill again. How an employer communicates with the employee during an extended absence can make or break the employee’s return to work.

The Employer’s Responsibility to the Employee

Employers may think their job is done when they finish processing a worker’s compensation claim, but that’s not the case. Employers need to work with the employee and the employee’s doctor to develop a successful treatment plan. Part of that plan should include:

An overall assessment of the employee’s work setting
What available support exists for the employee
If transitional work is an option
How to adapt the employee’s job if possible

By addressing the above, employers can know what to expect when the employee returns. The employer can also help facilitate a safe return with a suitable timeframe.

Establish Frequent and Open Lines of Communication

Sick or injured employees are often afraid to return to work full time. If the last time they spoke to their boss was their first day off work, their anxiety will likely be through the roof. Employers should touch base with sick or injured employees often to keep up to date with their progress as well as any setbacks they encountered. Employers should also work with the sick or injured employee’s direct supervisor to make sure he or she understands the employee’s needs when returning to work.

Flexibility is of the Essence

When a sick or injured employee returns to the workplace, they aren’t likely to be at the top of their game. Expecting them to be at 100% of their previous productivity is unrealistic and likely to result in a setback. Some examples of return-to-work flexibility include allowing the employee to return on a reduced schedule, decreasing the employee’s number of duties, or allowing the employee to work from home a certain number of days per week. That being said, while it’s important for employers to support the employee as they return to work, they shouldn’t let the employee walk all over them either. Employees returning to work should be able to make measurable strides toward resuming their original workload.
Establishing a unique return-to-work plan for a sick or injured employee can help set the employee up for success and diminish the likelihood of a relapse. If your company’s return-to-work policy is lacking, Actec can help. Contact us to learn more about managing employee absences.

How to Reduce the Cost of Employee Absences

Posted on

March 26th, 2018

Andrew

shutterstock_252811903 - Copy Employee absences cost businesses money in a number of ways. The company must pay the employee for sick leave, productivity slows down, and other employees may have to take on the burden of additional work if their coworker remains absent for an extended period. The majority of human resources professionals agree that employee absences take a noticeable toll on revenue and productivity, but many employers do not track the effects of employee absence on their bottom line.
While employers cannot change the fact that employee absences come at a cost, they can reduce the overall expense. The following are several suggestions for achieving that goal.

Start tracking attendance. If an employer is not monitoring when employees call out of work, they cannot hope to measure the true costs. Although this seems like common sense, few HR professionals feel their company tracks absences well enough and not many businesses use an integrated system to do so. By keeping track of absences, employers can recognize patterns or growing problems. For example, employers may notice certain employees always call out on Fridays or Mondays. Having reliable data can help employers address such attendance issues before they get out of hand.
Assist employees trying to return to work. If an employee is out of the office for an extended period due to a serious illness or injury, returning to work full time can be daunting. Offering a phased return to allow employees to work up to their full schedule can help minimize their anxiety. Another option is to provide accommodations such as a flexible work schedule or the ability to work from home. These approaches minimize the likelihood of a relapse.
Improve the office atmosphere. Stress is a significant source of employee absences. Stress can make employees more prone to illness and to calling out for mental health reasons. Stress in the workplace is a compounding issue. When stressed employees call out, their absences then adds additional stress to their coworkers. It can begin a vicious cycle of unhappy employees. Improving the workplace environment to reduce stress and improve morale can reduce these issues.

If your company is struggling with absenteeism, Actec can help. Our absence reporting program can help employers keep track of employee attendance, reduce absenteeism, and improve productivity. Contact us today to learn more.

HR & Absence Management: Valuation of Holistic Wellness Programs

Posted on

March 12th, 2018

Andrew

shutterstock_174875483 Employee wellness programs continue to grow in popularity, even as many fail to reach their initial projections. Yet enough successful programs exist for us to conclude that wellness initiatives can be highly effective employee engagement, health, leadership, and recruitment tools when implemented tactically. Bombarding employees with disjointed wellness options has proven one of the most common mistakes in recent years, yielding low participation rates and gross inefficiency.
This is in large part because employees have a wide variety of needs and perceptions regarding wellness programs. Some employees have strong misgivings about wellness programs while others are thriving fitness enthusiasts. Implementing a sustainable wellness program that yields high participation rates is challenging because changing behavior is difficult – even when employees have sufficient motivation.
Rather than focusing on one specific aspect of health, employers need to provide programs that encompass the majority of their staff needs. The following are several methods employers can use to foster an holistic approach to employee wellness.

Offering a variety of different wellness programs is the key to success. A holistic approach means providing more than exercise-based offerings. Take a litmus test of what employees want out of a wellness program. They may value financial advice, exercise and nutrition programs, mental health services, or all of the above. Having several options will appeal to a larger percentage of the workplace, yielding higher participation.
Offer free health screenings. Employees may have a false perception of their health. If they do not know what ails them, they may not take part in wellness offerings that can prevent health-related illnesses and injuries.
Provide incentives and health challenges. Employees like to engage in games and friendly competition. By offering a prize to the employee who best achieves their health goals (i.e. 10,000 steps each day or sticking to their budget for the month), employers are more likely to see participation rates soar. Company leadership may think employees should want to improve their health and wellbeing without an incentive, but prizes (monetary or otherwise) always help with engagement.
Measure the effectiveness. Implementing wellness programs is not enough to improve employees’ health and wellbeing. Businesses need to measure the return on their investment to see what works and what does not. For example, employees may take part in a step challenge to achieve a minimum number of steps each day but neglect company-wide 5K runs. By seeing what employees use and which programs yield results, employers can fine-tune their wellness programs for maximum success.

Wellness programs can be great successes or dismal failures depending on how a company implements them. Effective programs can improve employees’ health and reduce absences. If your business is struggling with employee wellness and absenteeism, Actec can help. Contact us today to learn more.

5 Simple Ways to Boost Employee Morale

Posted on

January 8th, 2018

Andrew

shutterstock_174875483 If you think there isn’t a direct correlation between employee morale and absenteeism, think again. Employees with low morale are also likely to lack motivation, have low job satisfaction, and call out more often. While managers and employers should search for the root cause of the morale issues, there are several easy ways improve the office mood.

Make birthdays a holiday. Most workplaces offer paid leave on government holidays. However, there are certain days no individual wants to work—his or her birthday being a common one. By letting staff take their birthday off (or the Friday before if it falls on a weekend), it signals to employees that their company cares about them. It also serves as a nice gift!
Offer flexible start times. Not everybody’s personal life is well suited to a specific start time. Employees with children may prefer a later start to allow them time to drop kids off at daycare or school. Staff attending college in the evening may prefer to start work earlier to allow more time to relax after work before heading off to class. By offering flexible start times, employees can achieve a better work-life balance.
Allow staff to listen to their own music. While managers may not relish the idea of employees wearing headphones at the office, it has proven benefits. Employees who listen to their own music while working are often happier and more productive. It can foster creativity as well.
Ease up on the dress code. Wearing a suit and tie does not make staff better able to perform their job. In fact, casual clothing tends to make employees feel more comfortable and relaxed. So long as employees are not meeting with clients, allowing them to dress down on Fridays is a simple way to boost their morale. It also can help prevent staff from mentally checking out in preparation for the weekend.
Call it quits early on Fridays. Even if staff members are in street clothes, they may be longing for the workday to end and the weekend to begin. If there are no pressing deadlines and employees are up to date on their work, consider closing the office an hour early on Fridays. If employees know they are getting out of work early, they will have more motivation to focus on the remainder of their day. It is also an easy way to make the entire office happy.

If your staff is struggling with low morale, you may start to notice attendance issues. Employees may start to call out more often, arrive to work late, or leave early. Once absenteeism creeps into the workplace, it can be hard to resolve. Actec can help your business track absences and implement measures to improve attendance. To learn more, contact us today.

Do You Know Which Absences Are Federally Protected?

Posted on

December 26th, 2017

Andrew

fmla Managing employee absenteeism is one of the greatest challenges facing employers. Employees miss work due to illness, vacations, and a variety of other factors, which is why most employers offer several types of paid and unpaid leave. However, a few absences for legitimate reasons are not employers’ main attendance concern. It is when employees begin to abuse their sick leave or paid time off that employers need to step in and address the issue. Even so, employers need to make sure they do not take disciplinary action against employees taking time off for reasons protected by federal and state law.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

FMLA protects employees when they have to take leave due to major life events. However, the employee must provide written notice that he or she will be absent as well as provide proof that their absence qualifies under FMLA (e.g. a doctor’s note). Some examples of life situations covered by FMLA include:

Giving birth and caring for a child during the child’s first year of life
Adopting and caring for a child for the first year
Caring for a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health issue
Taking time off due to a serious health issue
Emergencies relating to a spouse, child, or parent due to the military

American with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Businesses that employ individuals with disabilities have to put accommodations in place to ensure that employee can do his or her job without undue hardship. If an employer neglects to implement reasonable accommodations, that employee may not be able complete his or her job properly, resulting in absences. Employers need to discover the root cause of the absences before taking disciplinary action as the absences may fall under the ADA.

Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)

This act protects military members’ jobs after returning from military service. Some periods of service are short, such as mandatory drill periods for individuals in the reserves. However, some service periods are months long and arise with little notice, such as when a reserve unit activates and deploys. In both of these instances, employers cannot take disciplinary action against the affected employee.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

This act protects employees from discrimination based on their race, sex, color, national origin, and religion. Similar to the ADA, employers should investigate employee absences to determine their cause before disciplining the employee. For example, the employee may be absent due to a religious holiday, which Title VII protects.
In addition to federal laws, many states have laws protecting a variety of absences as well. Some of the most common are workers’ compensation and jury duty laws. Managing absenteeism is a challenging job but investing in absence reporting technology can help. To learn more about how absence reporting programs can help employers improve employee attendance while remaining compliant with federal and state laws, contact Actec today.

Improving Employee Attendance and Engagement

Posted on

December 11th, 2017

Andrew

shutterstock_174875483 A business cannot operate without its employees. When employees call out often or exhibit other attendance issues (i.e. arrive late, leave early, etc.), there is a problem within the company. Left unchecked, staff morale will start to decline and turnover rates will start to increase. There are plenty of businesses waiting to reel in skilled but dissatisfied workers from competing companies, so it behooves employers to ensure their workforce stays motivated.

Professional Development

No employee wants to remain stagnant in his or her position. Professional development opportunities not only expands employees’ skill sets, it also helps them improve their job performance and productivity. Consider cross-training employees in different departments or have them attend seminars.

Incentives

Some workweeks are hectic and every company experiences busy seasons. However, failing to recognize when employees go above and beyond will tank morale. Given enough time and neglect, employees will start to look for other job opportunities. One method to combat this is to provide small bonuses such as free movie tickets for every month of perfect attendance. Rewarding and incentivizing desired behaviors has two benefits. First, the employee experiences a boost in job satisfaction. Second, other employees will take notice and emulate the behaviors to achieve acknowledgment as well.

Flexibility

Millennials value flexibility in the workplace. As the percentage of millennials in the workforce is ever increasing, it behooves business owners to address their needs. Employers can incorporate flexibility in a number of ways:

Offer a once a week telecommute option where applicable
Allow employees to work from home when needed (i.e. when staying home with a sick child or if weather prevents them from reaching the office safely)
Allow flexible start and end times to help employees achieve a better work-life balance

Communicating with employees can provide invaluable insights as well. Employers may think they have a good read on their employees, but, without asking them, it is all speculation. Employers should also discuss attendance expectations with their staff to prevent any confusion.
Managing employee attendance is an important job and one employers should take seriously. Failing to monitor employee attendance can affect productivity and hurt a company’s bottom line. To learn more about absence management, contact the experts at Actec.

The Truth About Employee Wellness Programs and Why They Fail

Posted on

November 28th, 2017

Andrew

fitness imag Employee wellness programs have taken the workplace by storm. Seventy-nine percent of large businesses and 44 percent of mid-sized businesses offer wellness programs. However, no employer can label his or her wellness program a success without measuring its value. While it is great to implement wellness programs, employers need to ensure they are effective to reap any benefits. However, over 60 percent of those that offer such programs fail to track the return on investment (ROI).
While few large-scale studies on the value of employee wellness program exist, some small ones do. A study by the Harvard Business Review found businesses with wellness programs saw a one to two percent increase in healthcare costs compared to the national average of seven percent. Ensuring the success of employee wellness programs is possible if businesses take the following approach.

Viable Wellness Programs Are Top Down

A wellness program will fail to thrive if management at the executive level does not engage. If CEOs host and participate in quarterly health screenings, it will show their employees that they are committed to improving the health of the organization as a whole. Other examples of nurturing long-term health are offering healthy meals at meetings and stocking the vending machines with nutritious snacks. If employers want to improve their employees’ health, it must be a long-term commitment. Holding one health fair per year while continuing to stock the break room with donuts sends a mixed message and will yield poor results.

Simplify Participation

If it is hard to engage or easy to miss the notice, employees will overlook wellness programs. An employer cannot send one reminder email or post one announcement and expect employees to take notice. Employees receive dozens of emails daily and are busier than ever. Employers can utilize several methods of communication (emails, text messages, etc.), but an online portal is the most likely method to succeed. Providing a single location for updates and screening results makes engagement easy for employees.

Seek Professional Support

Wellness Programs often fall under the purview of HR departments, but most HR employees are not equipped to manage the programs. Wellness programs can be complicated and time-consuming so it is best to invest in providers and vendors who are familiar with health screenings, health coaching, and so on. Wellness experts can schedule events, help employees with enrollment, manage communication efforts, and more.
Wellness programs are growing in popularity for obvious reasons: they increase employee engagement, improve morale, address budding employee health issues before they become a significant problem, and reduce absenteeism. Improving employee health has a direct correlation to improving their attendance. This in turn improves a company’s productivity and bottom line. To learn more about how employee wellness programs affect absence management, contact the experts at Actec.