Overheard At: Keep those Gen Y Employees

Gen Y employees decide within six months if they want to stay with an employer. Tim Vigue of the Novations group talks about ways to engage employees in a productive manner. For more information, visit "The young are even more restless than imagined" in the October issue.

News You Can't Use: Most workers don't want their boss' job

A new OfficeTeam survey says that more than 3/4 of workers have no desire to walk in their boss or manager's shoes...but 60% say that they could do a better job than their boss.

Tip of the Day: The copay tipping point

Keith Bruhnsen, assistant director of benefits at the University of Michigan, offered advice to employers on strong cost-containment strategies to manage specialty drug costs at EBN’s 21^st Benefits Forum and Expo.

“Sometimes there are co-pay challenges to members if the employer has a co-insurance model. I have heard from many specialty pharmacy experts that about $50 is where people start having some difficulties in managing the cost,” Bruhnsen said. Employers need to how their workers are going to respond to co-pays on specialty pharmaceuticals.

News You Can Use: National Boss Day is Thursday

Nobody likes a suck up, but here's one day of the year when it just might be acceptable. Thursday is the 50^th anniversary of National Boss Day.

"We find that employees today want to show their appreciation for their superiors who not only take on the challenges of leading a successful team, but also work to mentor employees and assist in their professional growth," said Abby Gibbs, Boss's Day product manager at American Greetings.

While we're not quite sure what you should do to honor this momentous holiday, (flowers or cards are suggested), we have done a bit of research into appropriate gifts under $50.

For the Traditionalist:

Professional and stylish is the name of the game. Show them that your affection won't die (or require lots of care) with this sleek Fern in a silver planter. $29.99 at 1-800-Flowers.com.

Gestures don't have to cost big bucks. Send them a Boss Day e-card. Free with registration on AmericanGreetings.com

If your boss is sweet as can be, send them one of these signature seven-layer southern caramel cakes. If you're really lucky, they'll share. $42.50 at CarolinesCakes.com.

For the Joker:

If your boss is a practical joker, they'll love the sarcastic (and sometimes less-than-appropriate) cards from SomeECards.com, like this one that reads: "Have a great Boss' Day even though I have no idea if you're technically my boss." Free at someecards.com.

Your boss once told you "money doesn't grow on trees." Now it does, with this "money tree," $49.99 at RedEnvelope.com.

Do you secretly suspect that your boss is playing Scrabulous on company time? Give them a miniature ping pong or golf desk set so that they can play in public. $9.99 at MerlinsBox.com.

For the Stylista

Just make sure she's already married, or this gigantic bling paperweight might imply something other than your affection for her skills as a leader. $20 at Wishingfish.com.

Tip of the Day

We've all heard the saying, "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have," but have you heard, "Dress for the corporate image you want, not the corporate image you have"?

How your employees dress can also convey information about your company to outsiders, states a recent survey by Harris Interactive. The survey revealed that two out of three respondents think personalized uniforms look "more professional." While not all companies are going to go the uniform route, consider applying this image to branding or even providing company-logoed clothing that your employees can wear on casual Fridays or out-of-office activities.

Wish You Were Here: Operation Life Tranformed

Today's "Wish You Were Here" would like to highlight Operation Life Transformed, a non profit organization supporting military spouses and war-wounded caregivers with education and employment resources. They've recently partnered with CareerStep to provide online medical transcription and medical coding training and placement services for military spouses.

Last month, OLT celebrated their 100th placement after only 18 months in existence.

Tip of the Day

The Department of Labor just made it easier for workers and plan administrators to access actuarial data on pension plans. It created an online feature, "ERISA Public Disclosure System." Read more about what it is and how it works at ebn.BenefitNews.com.