7 Low-Cost Initiatives Employers Can Incorporate in Their D&I Programs Now

Category: HR Consulting

7 Low-Cost Initiatives Employers Can Incorporate in Their D&I Programs Now

Posted On: June 23, 2022 | Categorized as: Employee Benefits, HR Consulting

Countless studies show that employers who focus on diversity and inclusion policies and practices help increase employee engagement and boost overall happiness in the workplace, thus improving retention. Research shows that companies with diverse, inclusive teams generate 19% more revenue and perform 35% better than their industry average.While integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the workplace might seem expensive, there are actually several ways to efficiently make the workplace more inclusive.Here are 7 techniques companies can consider integrating DEI initiatives without added cost:Tweaking your paid-time-off policies offers multiple opportunities to align DEI initiatives with existing benefits. Consider:Does your parental leave policy include adoptions and new foster children?Is family leave specific only to mothers, or can it include new fathers and/or same-sex new mothers? Is parental leave longer for birth mothers than for others?Is your sick leave policy broad enough to cover a variety of contingencies, such as transition…

Utilizing Pulse Surveys and Stay Interviews for Retention and Culture

Posted On: April 27, 2022 | Categorized as: HR Consulting

Keeping your employees engaged in their work is an ongoing component in the employee life cycle. This directly leads to their retention and success in the organization. Retaining your employees and how that impacts overall culture are important to stay on top of. For many organizations, conducting exit interviews has been a consistent practice in gaining useful knowledge as to why employees chose to leave. While the details obtained in exit interviews can assist in making appropriate adjustments or changes, they are not proactive in retaining top talent. By the time you are conducting an exit interview, it is too late. One important strategy to implement that will assist in collecting valuable information from employees is stay interviews. Stay Interviews Let’s look at the stay interview process in detail. You’ll want to start with a predetermined list of questions. Such as: Job Satisfaction What keeps you working here? What would…

Solutions for Recruiting in a Candidate-Driven Market

Posted On: January 25, 2022 | Categorized as: HR Consulting

Employers recruiting top-quality talent face new challenges as they navigate the current candidate-driven market. During 2020, the pandemic gave us an employer-driven market, where high unemployment rates and reducing hiring meant more candidates competed for fewer openings. By mid-2021, the dynamic shifted to a candidate driven-market, as the economic recovery created job openings that remain unfilled. The effects of the pandemic continue to ripple through the job market, including: Fewer in-person interviews and more virtual interactions; The Great Resignation, in which millions of people change jobs or left the labor force to pursue lifestyle choices; The Great Retirement as Baby Boomers exit long-term positions, accelerated rates, creating a knowledge drain. These factors have helped shift the balance of power to job seekers and current employees. How can employers more effectively recruit and retain talent in a candidate-driven market? Here are several tips to help you fill those openings. Employer Branding…

Communication Tips for Promoting Your Employee Benefits in 2022

Posted On: December 6, 2021 | Categorized as: Employee Benefits, HR Consulting

Our Vice President of Marketing and Engagement, Jamie Bratton, shares eight techniques to help promote your employee benefits in the new year.Effectively communicating your employee benefits to current employees and potential new hires goes a long way towards meeting your retention and recruitment goals. Marketing techniques are designed to motivate and enable people to follow recommendations.  For employee benefits, your goal is to motivate employees to comprehend and access the benefits your organization provides. You want your benefits top of mind and front and center so they see the value you offer, and to encourage them to use what they have available.Promoting your benefits internally and externally brings numerous rewards. If your employees do not understand your benefits package, they will not value those benefits as highly. Robust benefits are also necessary to attract potential new hires. According to recent studies, 60% of candidates surveyed said benefits and perks are…

Important Steps to Approach 2022 Strategic Workforce Planning

Posted On: December 6, 2021 | Categorized as: HR Consulting

More employers are turning to workforce planning to provide the necessary information to better manage their talent pool to meet their organization’s strategic needs. The events of the past two years have encouraged more organizations to pay attention to workforce planning as they prepare for the opportunities and possible disruptions ahead. A 2021 survey by McKinsey & Company found 33 percent of executives planned to spend more resources on workforce planning this year, ranking it as a higher priority than recruiting or training initiatives. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) defines workforce planning as a process for organizations to analyze their current team members and determine what steps are needed to meet current and future staffing needs. The process also seeks the most cost-effective and efficient approaches to recruit new employees and retain existing staff members. Most organizations conduct annual workforce planning as the end of the year draws…

5 Ways to Leverage Benefits to Combat Recruiting Challenges and Boost Retention

Posted On: September 21, 2021 | Categorized as: Employee Benefits, HR Consulting, Workplace Wellness

Employers face the toughest job market in recent years as they struggle to recruit and retain employees. Many are having trouble keeping top performers on board, as well as finding qualified candidates for open positions. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in July that the number of open jobs reached a high of 10.9 million, while the number of people voluntarily leaving their jobs had been climbing sharply since February, totaling four million in April and again in July. Meanwhile, the importance of retaining key employees grows: the Society of Human Sources (SHRM) found the average cost of replacing an employee runs 50% to 60% of their annual salary.The tight labor market underscores the importance of having a solid benefits package to help employers recruit and retain employees. The combination of competitive pay and attractive benefits provides a key advantage when organizations compete for workers.  The current…

Innovative’s 2020 Consulting Highlights

Posted On: April 6, 2021 | Categorized as: Employee Benefits, HR Consulting

Innovative's 2020 Consulting Highlights 2020 was a challenging year for many, but here at Innovative, we were dedicated to delivering the best value and results for our clients. Not only were we successful in reducing costs for our clients, but we were able to provide them with a number of resources to help them navigate through the year. Contact us at info@ibpllc.com.

Innovative Launches Employee Management Training; PeopleForce 2030

Posted On: February 22, 2021 | Categorized as: HR Consulting

Innovative Launches Employee Management Training; PeopleForce 2030 Innovative Benefit Planning, LLC is excited to launch PeopleForce 2030, a three-part employee training series consisting of facilitated and interactive 90-minute sessions that discuss leadership competencies including “Interpersonal Savvy”, “Dealing with Ambiguity”, and “Building Resilience”. Whether your employees are charged with leading and managing people or managing work processes, the skills required to do so in today’s business environments have continued to evolve as quickly as the business itself. These three training sessions are designed to help managers within your organization build meaningful relationships, make collaborative decisions, and show up as authentic leaders.  Each session builds upon the next – and even includes some “homework” that attendees can complete to both prepare for the next session and to engender discussions within their teams. Bring this 3-Part management training series to your organization virtually, coordinated around your organization’s calendar.  Find more details and request…

Fostering Company Culture in a Remote Environment

Posted On: December 3, 2020 | Categorized as: HR Consulting

Fostering Company Culture in a Remote Environment It has been a challenging year for all of us, to say the least. Many businesses were forced to make the move to a remote environment, while others have maintained in-person operations with serious restrictions on gatherings. While business as we know it has changed significantly since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, there is one thing that has not: the human need for social interaction. No matter where your company is in this process, here are some ideas to re-build team engagement while working remotely. Host a Virtual Game Virtual games might feel overdone at this point but there are still plenty of ways to make them feel fresh! If you plan to host the game yourself, take advantage of the features available to you within the virtual meeting software you are using. For example, we’ve found that there is an increase…

Free Child Education Resources

Posted On: November 24, 2020 | Categorized as: HR Consulting

Free Child Education Resources As most children are learning virtually as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are looking to compliment their education with additional resources.  Especially now, there are a great deal of free resources available for all subject matter.  Check out some of the most popular resources here! Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/ Virtual Field Trips and World Tours https://www.tripsavvy.com/best-virtual-vacationsaround-the-world-4799910 https://www.tripsavvy.com/childrens-museums-virtualvisit-4800065 https://www.thoughtco.com/virtual-field-trips-4160925 You don’t have to leave the house to see the world! Take your children through the numerous virtual field trips and tours on these lists. Many of these virtual experiences also offer enhanced learning experiences, such as livestream events and interactive tools. Scholastic Learn at Home https://learnathome.scholastic.com/thanks.html Scholastic is offering a one week free trial of their Learn at Home All-Access subscription which provides children aged 4-10 with fun educational activities. The curriculum includes stories, articles, videos and activities in a variety of subjects such as…

How to Host a Virtual Company Holiday Party

Posted On: November 24, 2020 | Categorized as: HR Consulting

How to Host a Virtual Company Holiday Party This holiday season may be different for many organizations than it has in the past, but that doesn’t mean that the holidays need to be disregarded all together.  One thing is for certain, and that is that your team has worked diligently all year and deserves to be valued and there is no better time to do so than during the holidays. Here are some tips to host a successful virtual holiday party: Pick a theme Create a formal invitation reflecting the theme of your virtual party, which will help your team to get excited.  Additionally, encourage virtual backgrounds to set the mood and be more festive! Make a Holiday Playlist Every great party needs music, including virtual ones! Set the tone for this year’s holiday party by creating a holiday playlist on a platform such as Spotify so that the whole…

Return to Work Training Kit

Posted On: July 29, 2020 | Categorized as: HR Consulting

Return to Work Training Kit Bring your employees back to work safely with our “Return to Work Training Kit.” Innovative has developed two training tools that you can use in conjunction with each other to educate your employees on what you are doing in response to COVID-19, understand what they can do, answer any frequently asked questions, and provide resources and who they should communicate with. In this kit, you will find: Training Video - We have developed an animated safety training video that outlines important behavior modifications such as hand washing, social distancing, symptoms, and more. "Welcome Back" PowerPoint Template - Use this 28-page template as a training guide to educate your employees on new policies and procedures. In this editable document, you can easily customize any copy in red to your specific organization. Innovative Benefit Planning is here to walk alongside you during this time. We hope you…

DOL Launches Online Tool to Help Employees Determine FFCRA Eligibility

Posted On: June 25, 2020 | Categorized as: HR Consulting

man reading families first coronavirus response act

DOL Launches Online Tool to Help Employees Determine FFCRA Eligibility The U.S. Department of Labor launched an interactive online tool to help workers determine if they qualify for paid sick leave or extended family and medical leave to cover time away from work for reasons related to the coronavirus. The tool guides employees through a series of questions to help them determine if the paid leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) apply to their employer. If the provisions do apply, the tool helps them learn whether they qualify for either paid sick leave or extended family and medical leave under that law.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Application

Posted On: May 19, 2020 | Categorized as: HR Consulting, Retirement Plans

paycheck protection program loan application

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Application On Friday, May 15th the SBA has released their forgiveness application with detailed instructions on how to complete the form.   While the release promised further guidance on loan forgiveness, Innovative has received a lot of questions surrounding the calculation of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Employees and payroll costs that employers must report on their application. A few highlights relating to these questions are summarized below: Payroll Cost Calculation The application advised there are options for borrowers to calculate payroll costs using an “alternate payroll covered period” that aligns with a borrower’s regular payroll. cycle. Employers will not have to change payroll dates to obtain maximum forgiveness. There is flexibility for employers to include eligible payroll and non-payroll expenses paid or incurred during the eight week period after receiving their PPP loan. FTE Employee Calculation The Loan Forgiveness Application made clear that FTE employees are…

IRS Releases Two New COVID-19 Notices

Posted On: May 13, 2020 | Categorized as: Employee Benefits, HR Consulting

IRS Releases Two New COVID-19 Notices To provide additional relief to Americans during these challenging times, the IRS released Notice 2020-29 and 2020-33. These notices provided new relaxed rules for 2020 for making elections under Cafeteria plans, using amounts during a grace period or carryover period changes to the method determining the carryover amounts under Health Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)  and clarifying which premiums can be reimbursed under Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs). Notice 2020-29 In Notice 2020-29, the IRS provides for increased flexibility with respect to mid-year elections under a cafeteria plan during calendar year 2020 related to employer sponsored health coverage, Health FSAs and Dependent Care Assistance Plans (DCAPs). This notice also provides increased flexibility with respect to grace periods and carryover periods to apply unused amounts in health FSAs to medical care expenses incurred through December 31, 2020, and unused amounts in dependent care assistance programs…

COVID-19 Employer Considerations Regarding Employment Decisions and Plan Coverage Changes

Posted On: April 7, 2020 | Categorized as: Employee Benefits, HR Consulting

Due to the recent national health crisis in our country, many employers are considering the best way to handle a temporary economic turndown to best position themselves for recovery once the pandemic ceases and businesses can begin to return to some sense of normalcy. In addition, many employers are also navigating the benefit coverage changes being made by their insurance carrier(s) or by state and/or federal mandates which may include cost considerations, plan document revisions and employee notifications. Below are some explanations regarding various workplace employment options and health plan considerations. Employer/Employee Relationship One of the decisions employers are faced with is how to handle their workforce. Employers and insurance companies are using many terms to describe employer/employee relationships such as reduction in hours. furlough, temporary layoff, and permanent layoff. Many employers desire to keep employee benefits intact during this period. It is important to understand the differences and how…

COVID-19: Leave Donation Program

Posted On: March 19, 2020 | Categorized as: Compliance, HR Consulting

Leave donation programs have been considered and implemented by employers for years to allow employees to donate accrued paid time (PTO), vacation or sick leave to a general pool. The time available in this pool serves to be used by fellow employees who have medical emergencies or who are affected by major disasters and have exhausted all paid leave available to them. These programs can provide good-will for employees while serving to fill a need due to unfortunate circumstances. With the advent of the COVID-19 crisis, many employers are considering a Leave Donation Program to lessen the burden of limited Paid Time Off (PTO) available to employees who become ill and to increase camaraderie amongst their employees in the time of a crisis. The rules surrounding a program like this are onerous and can have major tax and compliance implications if not implemented correctly. Here is a summary of rules…

COVID-19: 7 Important Employer Considerations

Posted On: March 16, 2020 | Categorized as: HR Consulting, Workplace Wellness

COVID-19: 7 Important Employer Considerations As employers prepare for COVID-19 accommodations, Innovative has developed a checklist that offers specific considerations for employers in planning for emergencies like COVD-19. Examples include policies to review, communication strategies to consider and benefits that may be impacted. The Innovative team is here to support any organizational policy needs to ensure you and your team are prepared and protected.

COVID-19 Communicating With Employees

Posted On: March 12, 2020 | Categorized as: Compliance, HR Consulting, Workplace Wellness

COVID-19 Communicating with Employees March 12th, 2020 As part of their efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace, employers should implement an employee communication plan about the illness to employees. The CDC, WHO and OSHA have all created informational material on the virus and its symptoms, prevention and treatment that can be helpful for employees. Please see table below for key resources.     World Health Organization (WHO) Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public   U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Get Your Workplace Ready for a Pandemic (flu-specific but can be adapted to Coronavirus) Pandemic Planning Checklists and Guidance (can be adapted to Coronavirus)   U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Safety and Health Topics: COVID-19 How to Protect Yourself in the Workplace During a Pandemic   U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (WHD)   Pandemic Flu and the Fair Labor Standards…

Coronavirus And The Workplace

Posted On: March 12, 2020 | Categorized as: Compliance, HR Consulting

Coronavirus And The Workplace  March 12th, 2020 Dealing with Epidemics and Communicable or Infectious Diseases As the number of reported cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to rise, employers are increasingly confronted with the possibility of an outbreak in the workplace. Employers are obligated to maintain a safe and healthy work environment for their employees, but they are also subject to several legal requirements protecting workers. Compliance issues to consider include: The general duty to provide employees with safe workplace conditions imposed by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act. Protection against disability discrimination (including disability-related inquiries and medical examinations) under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Requirements set by federal and state employee leave laws; and The compensation of individuals who miss work due to COVID-19. Employers can utilize resources to become educated and to educate employees: What is the Coronavirus? How is the virus spread? Disease Prevention in…

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