News You Can Use: Is outsourcing out?

The economy has everyone doing more with less, and as far as HR/benefit pros are concerned, they're doing it in-house.

The HR/benefits outsourcing industry has skidded to a near halt, as Helen Neale, an HR outsourcing research manager at NelsonHall, a business process outsourcing market research firm tells EBN this month: "Organizations are actually pulling back from outsourcing initiatives because they've got other things that they need to be worrying about ... The kinds of deals that we're seeing are much smaller in size. Organizations do not want to deal with the amount of investment both in time and money that those huge deals require."

Hear more from Neale on outsourcing trends in a "Five Minutes With ..." podcast. Click here to download the audio.

Tip of the Day: Remember there's strength in numbers

Think your company would benefit from an onsite clinic but can't afford the investment? Trying getting by with a little help from your friends, so to speak.

In a "Five Minutes With ..." podcast this month, Associate Editor Lydell Bridgeford interviews Dr. Bruce Hochstadt, who leads Mercer's worksite clinic consulting group. Hochstadt lets listeners in on new trends in onsite and near-site health clinics, including the growing number of employers banding together to share one clinic to serve all employee populations. Read the accompanying article, “All together, one: Economic woes unite worksite health clinics,” in EBN April 1.

Tip of the Day: Listen to this podcast before you cut employee perks/rewards

I know the economy is brutal, and you are working overtime to keep your CFO at bay regarding staff and benefits cuts. In this environment, cash rewards and other perks may seem like easy cannon fodder.

However, before you make those cuts, listen in to Associate Editor Kathleen Koster's "Five Minutes With ..." podcast with Razor Suleman, CEO of Toronto-based I Love Rewards. Suleman reveals innovative ideas on how to spend little but gain big results in productivity and morale through reward programs. Read more comments from Suleman in EBN April 1.

Overheard @: 'These people are the sickest of your population'

In a "Five Minutes With ..." podcast, Maria Henderson, founder of HDM solutions and chair-elect of the Certification of Disability Management Specialists Commission, spoke with EBN Managing Editor Leah Carlson Shepherd about the commission’s leadership awards for disability management and tips for employers in managing the benefit more effectively.

Henderson also reminds employers that employees on short-term disability, although just 10% of the active population, spend "over 50% of your health care for each year. These people are the sickest in your population. You need to be paying attention to them." Download the podcast here.

Overheard @: Employment proposals 'economically, operationally disastrous'

This month, EBN's Kathleen Koster spent "Five Minutes With ..." Howard Bernstein, a labor and employment attorney at Chicago-based law firm Neal Gerber Eisenberg. Bernstein serves up some straight talk regarding HR policy changes expected from the incoming administration and how they will affect a company’s ability to compete in a global economy.

Several health care proposals in particular, he says, are "socially desirable, but economically and operationally disastrous." Download the podcast here.

Overheard @: Pension relief 'killed two birds with one stone'

In a "Five Minutes With ..." podcast, Evan Inglis, chief actuary for the Vanguard Strategic Retirement Consulting group, talks with Associate Editor Lydell Bridgeford about the short- and long-term implications of the Worker, Retiree and Employer Recovery Act as it relates to pension funding relief for DB plan sponsors in light of the economic crisis.

Inglis says that as the law contained PPA technical corrections as well as provide breathing room for plan sponsors, it "killed two birds with one stone." Click here to download the audio, and click here to read the March EBN article, "Pension lifeline too short, experts say."

Overheard @: I regret enrolling in an HSA

Detailing findings from Employee Benefit Research Institute/Commonwealth Fund research, I confront my misgivings about enrolling in a high-deductible health plan with an HSA. Download my podcast here.

Tip of the Day: Make your EAP more than just three letters

An alternately sad and scary article in USA Today shows that even for Americans who are working, the affects of the recession are far-reaching and can't be compartmentalized into separate "work" and "life" boxes.

The newspaper reports increased demand for therapists to help stressed out families with anxiety, depression and physical abuse. For employees, a workplace employee assistance program can provide much-needed help. Most employers now have one, but communication still lags.

A new "Five Minutes With ..." podcast with clinical psychologist Edward Trieber spoke with EBN Managing Editor Leah Shepherd about how employers can best communicate their EAPs and other benefits to help alleviate employee stress. Click here to download the audio.

What programs/policies are in place at your company to help employees with stress? Have you seen an uptick in demand for/requests about these services? Comment below.

More from EBN: Finances running low, stress running high: Employee stress levels rising as economy declines

Tip of the Day: Follow seven steps to merger success

Among February's "Five Minutes With ..." podcasts is Managing Editor Leah Shepherd’s interview with Len Gray, the head of the America’s M&A consulting business at Mercer. After you read our report on merger musts in this month's EBN, listen to Gray as he offers further tips for handling benefits during a merger or acquisition.

News You Can Use: Number of expats doubles

The economy hasn't soured employers on expatriate assignments, as new research from Mercer finds that the number of that the number of employees working abroad has nearly doubled in the last several years -- from 50,000 in 2005-2006 to 94,000 today.

Benefits factored highly in employers' expat plans, as 86% of respondents consider benefits provisions for expatriates as a medium or high priority. However, strategy appears to be lacking, as 26% have no overarching policy for providing expatriate benefits and 64% report no specific procedures in place to measure the success of their expatriate benefit programs.

Among specific benefits for expats:
* 32% of companies offer international plans (a nearly 10% increase from 2005)
* More than 80% do not consider the local social security provision when providing medical benefits for expatriates.
* 86% cover expat death benefits.
* 78% provide long-term disability benefits.

With such significant investments going into expatriate assignments, coupled with the unforgiving economy, selecting the right employees for expat assignments is crucial. Read the current EBN for tips on conducting "expat profiling," and listen to a "Five Minutes With..." podcast with expat expert Steve Watson on what employers should be looking for in expat candidates.