Best HR Ideas for Benefits

The editors of HRE announce their choices of the most noteworthy HR ideas for benefits that were launched last year.

By Jared Shelly Monday, March 1, 2010

Fab 5 CORT (A Berkshire Hathaway Co.), Aurora, Colo. Working in a furniture warehouse can be pretty strenuous. Combine that with an aging workforce and rising workers' comp claims, and you have a growing problem. So, with the help of a third-party wellness facilitator, CORT came up with a plan to make its distribution team (70 percent of its 2,300-person workforce) stronger and less susceptible to injuries. Called Fab 5, the program highlighted five key areas in which employees could improve: upper-body strength, lower-body strength, core strength, back flexibility and cardio conditioning. The company then created a workout for each area of the body; for example, a "wall sit" exercise for lower-body strength and jump rope for cardio. In each workout, employees can score "fit" (for instance, with 150 jump-rope revolutions) or "fab" (500 jump-rope revolutions). To work on their conditioning, all employees now do 15 to 20 minutes of workouts each morning. The top 10 employees in each exercise have their names posted on a leader board in the warehouse and become part of a national competition run by the company. Rolled out in 14 districts, the program has helped workers' comp injuries drop by roughly 50 percent and has employee morale going through the roof, the company reports. "In San Francisco, a couple of [Fab 5] employees cut out their faces [from photos] and superimposed them on top of Arnold Schwarzenegger's body, then e-mailed the Los Angeles office saying, 'Who can catch us?' " says Jodee Bacon, regional human resource manager. Benefits Money Back Guarantee and No Interest Medical Zions Bancorp., Salt Lake City Perhaps no HR initiative can cause as much anxiety as changing healthcare benefits, but Zions Bancorp made it a point to put their employees at ease about the process. In 2008, the company eliminated its HMO- and Exclusive Provider Organization plan options, leaving only a highdeductible health plan. The company's 10,500 employees were then invited to track their medical expenses to compare 2008 to 2007. If the employee found that he or she had higher out-of-pocket expenses for 2008, Zions would reimburse the difference. "It gave them more piece of mind because it gave them control, [such] that, if they were treated unfairly, they could prove it to us," says Connie Linardakis, executive vice president and chief human resource officer. Also, if an employee had an unexpected medical event and had trouble paying the higher deductible, he or she could apply for a no-interest medical loan. As of December 2009, 1.9 percent of the workforce received a payout on a submitted claim to the Money Back Guarantee program, for a total of just more than $148,000 (the average payout was around $1,500 per person.) Just 1.3 percent took out a No-Interest Medical Loan, totaling slightly more than $83,000 (the average loan was about $1,400 per person).

By moving its employees to the high-deductible plan -- and keeping them on it -- Zions saved $10 million over one year, says Linardakis. Rental Incentive Option and Employee Purchase Program Archer Daniels Midland Co., Decatur, Ill. These are strange times for relocating employees. Their houses are probably not worth as much as they were just a few years ago. If selling a home isn't feasible, buying one in the new location surely isn't, either. To ease those -- and other -- anxieties about relocating in this economy, Archer Daniels Midland Co. initiated a rental incentive of $10,000 per year, for a maximum of two years. Of the 60 employees relocated since the incentive was launched last July, 60 percent have taken it. (If the person takes the rental incentive, the company won't help them purchase a home in that location.) For those who preferred to buy instead of rent in their new location, ADM offered a generous incentive -- a reimbursement of $4,000 in closing costs -- to purchase houses from the company's inventory. This represents a nice add-on to the bonus they would also receive for buying the home in inventory (3 percent of the purchase price). It kills two birds with one stone -- getting a house out of inventory and helping to relocate an employee quickly. Intensive Outpatient Care Program The Boeing Co., Chicago Savvy HR executives know the sickest employees not only need the most care; they also utilize the most in healthcare expenses. So Boeing Co. launched a pilot program to help 276 employees with chronic illnesses. The Intensive Outpatient Care Program assigned a doctor and nurse to each patient. Acting as a "care manager," the nurse executed an outreach program including in-person, telephone and e-mail contact. The IOCP team also created a program for the patient, including rapid access to care and self-management of chronic conditions. Patients could call nurses 24 hours a day, seven days a week to better manage their illnesses. For emergency issues, they could set up a house call, much cheaper than going to the emergency room, says Boeing spokesperson Karen Forte. Boeing sponsored the program, which was administered by Mercer and Renaissance Health. Although Boeing ended the program in mid-2009, it is now evaluating the results to see if it can be implemented over the long haul, Forte says. Newsletter Sign-Up: Benefits /view /story.jhtml? HR Technology Talent Management HR Leadership Inside HR Tech HRENow Special Offers Email Address

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Because some of the sickest workers have complex medical conditions consisting of several ailments, she says, care is often disjointed -- assigning a nurse to manage care for a patient can help pull it all together. The program seems to be a success, with absenteeism dropping by 57 percent and costs reduced by 20 percent since it was initiated. "It's extremely important, not just for the company managing cost, but for getting those people healthy and keeping them at work," says Forte. Employer-Sponsored Garden Haberman, Minneapolis Cake. Donuts. Cupcakes. Cookies. While junk food is usually offered in vending machines or served during meetings in many workplaces, things are different at Haberman, a public-relations firm. The company has set up an organic garden near the office and employees take turns working the land -- with all 30 workers making at least one trip to the garden. The result: free organic vegetables available in the cafeteria, and plenty more for employees to take home to their families. In 2009, the "Dude Ranch," as they call it, yielded plenty of tomatoes, green beans, beets, potatoes, herbs, lettuce and even pumpkins. So much, in fact, that there was plenty left over for charity. CEO Fred Haberman says the program boosts morale while also helping employees (and their families) get healthier. "When you look at the staggering, daunting numbers, with the increase in diabetes and obesity in this country and the skyrocketing costs associated with those two conditions, it's imperative that we as a nation -- and specifically, companies -- begin to do something that will reverse this trend," says Haberman. "One of best ways is to encourage people to eat better." While some may argue that setting up a company garden is a bit harder to do if you're in the middle of Manhattan, there's no denying that fresh, organic vegetables are better options

Best HR Ideas for Talent Management

The editors of HRE announce their choices of the most noteworthy HR ideas for talent management that were launched last year.

By Michael O'Brien Monday, March 1, 2010

Future LEADers Program and Designing Your Future Verizon Communications Inc., New York, and Greeley and Hansen, Chicago, respectively Transforming interns into an organization's next generation of leaders is no small feat, but that's exactly what two companies are attempting to do in an effort to expand their executive-talent pipelines to include more millennials. At Verizon Communications, interns who successfully complete their assignments and degree programs become eligible for the company's College Hire program, launched last June and called Leadership, Excellence and Development (LEAD).

The program begins with a customized intern roadmap that includes targeted developmental exercises by year worked, a required reading list from the CEO's executive book list, a mentoring program that pairs former and current LEAD members and a Campus Ambassador Program to tap into the power of intern testimony to promote attendance at college visits where LEADers have graduated. All these mileposts are designed to keep more interns moving up through the company's ranks. Meanwhile, Chicago-based engineering company Greeley and Hansen launched its "Designing Your Future" program last June, an innovative two-day conference for company interns that focuses on career development and includes intern interaction with the CEO. During the program, the interns are offered specific training in foundational leadership skills, navigating conflict and change, learning to set goals and dealing with work/life balance issues. While both companies are years away from seeing the ultimate fruits of their labor, Greeley and Hansen reports it has already hired 20 percent of its 2009 intern class. Town Hall Scorecard United Rentals Inc., Greenwich, Conn. Looking for a way to better engage its 8,000 North American employees, United Rentals employed a Town Hall Scorecard after holding a series of 59 executive-led meetings with employees beginning in March 2009. During the meetings, management listened to hundreds of employee suggestions regarding everything from operations to workplace training. In order to prevent an eventual disconnect from the good ideas suggested by the employees, the scorecard approach was championed by Craig Pintoff, vice president of human resources. It serves as a report of suggestions received from employees during the town-hall meetings and how the company is responding to them. It provides a checklist as to what's been done so far or what remains in progress. The scorecard checklist segments suggestions into categories such as teamwork, technology, communication, recognition and training -- and employees get a copy of the scorecard in each bi-monthly newsletter. "The scorecard serves as a method of direct feedback to employees, evidencing that their voice matters and that their direct feedback can impact the success of our business," says HR specialist Maureen McFarlane. Market Leader Business Simulation Western Union Corp., Englewood, Colo. Imagine turning on the television and seeing a live news report showing that your company's main competitors have just merged and are now threatening to disrupt your organization's entire business model. That's exactly what happened to key executives at Western Union during a quarterly market review meeting last June; but what those executives weren't told was that they had been unwittingly thrown into an elaborate business simulation. The ruse was the brainchild of Gint Baukus, senior vice president of talent management at Western Union, who says it was intended to get the executives to start thinking more aggressively about future possible business scenarios. He came up with the television script with the help of colleague Marcus Cudina and faculty at INSEAD University; the script was then performed by a professional newscaster in a studio setting. Baukus says that, upon hearing the "news," the executives either attacked or defended the company, taking sides almost like a war game, before ultimately agreeing on six new major strategic initiatives to help improve business, including point-of-sale improvements, geographic expansions and others. "All these things were bubbling in the back of people's minds, but this was the catalyst" that got people talking, Baukus says. Volunteer Work In Lieu of Layoffs ODL Inc., Zeeland, Mich.

Facing a lull in production and the prospect of losing valuable workers to layoffs late last year, decorative glassmaker ODL decided to think outside the box and ask 35 of its 135 assembly workers to leave the production floor and volunteer (while still on the company's payroll) at area nonprofit agencies, such as Habitat for Humanity and the United Way, for eight weeks until business picked back up. Ann Busby, the company's vice president of HR, says the idea of service is built into the company's DNA, which also includes annual days of service and a fund that helps employees in need. "It's part of an ongoing pattern of giving in our company," she says. Newsletter Sign-Up: Benefits /view /story.jhtml? HR Technology Talent Management HR Leadership Inside HR Tech HRENow Special Offers Email Address

Privacy Policy The company estimates the program cost between $170,000 and $225,000 in salary and benefits (it didn't receive any tax breaks on the program, either), but it also saved on costs associated with hiring and training new workers to replace those who would have been laid off when orders started to pick up again. In short, the program achieved that most rare triple-crown of benefits: good for employees, good for the company's image and good for the greater community. Monthly Employee Dialogue Sessions Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, Mass. Looking for a way to capitalize on the instant-feedback nature of its 150 employees, many of whom use Twitter, Facebook and other social-networking sites on a daily basis, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals decided last September to get rid of its semi-annual review process and replace it with 12 monthly dialogue sessions. Since Merrimack's managers and employees already meet at least bi-weekly to check in and discuss work, the new system simply involves the manager reallocating 30 minutes of that time to deliver data-based, actionable feedback to employees. The feedback framework is comprised of four sections: a quarterly goal check-in, feedback on job competencies, one actionable item the employee can improve and the support that management will provide. A simple online form allows managers to capture the short feedback sessions, which can then be viewed online by employees. The company also recently began paying out bonuses twice a year, and the new dialogue sessions give employees a better sense of how their performance is tied to company bonuses as well as stock options. Andy Porter, a senior director in charge of HR at Merrimack, says the program has been well-received by the company's workforce. "One of the lessons learned was that branding matters," he says. "No one wants to hear 'monthly reviews.'

Best HR Ideas for Training & Development

The editors of HRE announce their choices of the most noteworthy HR ideas for training & development that were launched last year. By Kristen B. Frasch and Anne Freedman Monday, March 1, 2010

DHS New Employee Orientation Danbury Hospital/Danbury Health Systems, Danbury, Conn. As Phyllis Zappala tells it, the orientation program at Danbury Hospital "actually put people to sleep about 12 years ago." Though it was improved 10 years ago, it wasn't until last year, in response to the Gen Xers and Yers coming in, "that we realized we needed something all ages would be comfortable with, that would actively engage them so crucial information we're required to deliver would get through," says Zappala, Danbury Health Systems' senior vice president of HR. What the DHS HR Learning Center team devised, and launched on Nov. 16, 2009, is a multi-faceted two-day program called "DHS New Employee Orientation: A High-Energy Intro to Our Level of Care." The program encourages participation every step of the way. Included are: "participation points" rewarded to employees for asking questions, with points going toward coupons to local eateries; a game called "NEOpardy," modeled after TV's Jeopardy game show and sporting the acronym for new-employee orientation, in which contestants win prizes for retaining information; a virtual tour of DHS' more than 40 sites; and visual modules featuring images of real DHS employees at work throughout all of the material, with a program-ending greeting of, "We're happy to add your face to this place."

Feedback survey results are all in the high 90s for engagement, participation encouragement, overall satisfaction and more. "Incomers of all ages are doing this together now," Zappala says, "actively taking in input that everyone can relate to." New to Veteran Forums Northrop Grumman Corp., Sunnyvale, Calif. The defense industry has an aging workforce, so Northrop Grumman was already involved in knowledge-transfer activities with employees close to retirement, says Robert Hyde, director of human resources for the corporation's Marine Systems division. But, those activities became more proactive, he says, after one of the younger employees, assigned to work on a proprietary software system that was written in Fortran -- a programming language developed in the 1950s -- said, "Wouldn't my time be better spent teaching our veteran employees how to use MATLAB?" a fourthgeneration language. "And it was like, click, bingo, off we went," Hyde says. "It just became obvious that these new folks were going to have either tools or skills that we didn't use as a business and could use to move forward." The result, New to Veteran Forums, involved the selection of 10 new employees in the Electronic Systems Sector, who made presentations in February 2009 before a panel of senior technologists and managers. Each new employee, whose project was approved, was designated the project leader and assigned a mentor to help with the internal funding, scheduling, execution and reporting processes. One of the ideas, Hyde says, saved in excess of $1 million for each top-secret product unit. Other projects included a social-networking Web site within the organization's security firewall, an engineering modeling lab for hands-on experimentation and lunchtime lectures by subject-matter experts.

The program continues this year in the Electronic Systems Sector, Hyde says, and other campuses are being encouraged to add the program to their own best practices. Shared Resources for Employees Impacted by Layoff Washington State Department of Personnel, Olympia, Wash. The State of Washington is not the only employer to face budget shortfalls and layoffs recently. But it's probably one of the few that chose to turn its restructuring into an opportunity to broadcast and market its reputation as a caring organization.

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Privacy Policy Knowing layoffs would soon hit many of its agencies, the state's Department of Personnel convened a cross-agency team to develop a one-stop source of information and resources for employees who would be impacted. Through collaboration, the team came up with coordinated, consistent information that eliminated duplicate efforts across state agencies and launched its shared-resources program in January 2009. The program, which has now helped about 1,000 people, includes a comprehensive resources checklist, layoff-information sessions held statewide, Web-site tools and resources for those affected, a walk-in resource center for job-search coaching and classes to upgrade skills, and workshops on change and stress management.

Users of the program have given it an average satisfaction rating of four, on a scale from one to five. In addition to helping those affected, the program has reduced callcenter congestion and wait time at state agencies, such as the unemployment office, benefits office, retirement office, etc. "Our belief is that getting the word out, directly from the source, is the right thing to do," says Melia Olsen, the department's program director. The way layoffs are handled "leaves a lasting impression on current and future employees, and that's what we're really trying to do."

Best HR Ideas for Training & Development

The editors of HRE announce their choices of the most noteworthy HR ideas for training & development that were launched last year.

By Kristen B. Frasch and Anne Freedman Monday, March 1, 2010

DHS New Employee Orientation Danbury Hospital/Danbury Health Systems, Danbury, Conn. As Phyllis Zappala tells it, the orientation program at Danbury Hospital "actually put people to sleep about 12 years ago." Though it was improved 10 years ago, it wasn't until last year, in response to the Gen Xers and Yers coming in, "that we realized we needed something all ages would be comfortable with, that would actively engage them so crucial information we're required to deliver would get through," says Zappala, Danbury Health Systems' senior vice president of HR. What the DHS HR Learning Center team devised, and launched on Nov. 16, 2009, is a multi-faceted two-day program called "DHS New Employee Orientation: A High-Energy Intro to Our Level of Care." The program encourages participation every step of the way. Included are: "participation points" rewarded to employees for asking questions, with points going toward coupons to local eateries; a game called "NEOpardy," modeled after TV's Jeopardy game show and sporting the acronym for new-employee orientation, in which contestants win prizes for retaining information; a virtual tour of DHS' more than 40 sites; and visual modules featuring images of real DHS employees at work throughout all of the material, with a program-ending greeting of, "We're happy to add your face to this place." Feedback survey results are all in the high 90s for engagement, participation encouragement, overall satisfaction and more. "Incomers of all ages are doing this together now," Zappala says, "actively taking in input that everyone can relate to." New to Veteran Forums Northrop Grumman Corp., Sunnyvale, Calif.

The defense industry has an aging workforce, so Northrop Grumman was already involved in knowledge-transfer activities with employees close to retirement, says Robert Hyde, director of human resources for the corporation's Marine Systems division. But, those activities became more proactive, he says, after one of the younger employees, assigned to work on a proprietary software system that was written in Fortran -- a programming language developed in the 1950s -said, "Wouldn't my time be better spent teaching our veteran employees how to use MATLAB?" a fourthgeneration language. "And it was like, click, bingo, off we went," Hyde says. "It just became obvious that these new folks were going to have either tools or skills that we didn't use as a business and could use to move forward." The result, New to Veteran Forums, involved the selection of 10 new employees in the Electronic Systems Sector, who made presentations in February 2009 before a panel of senior technologists and managers. Each new employee, whose project was approved, was designated the project leader and assigned a mentor to help with the internal funding, scheduling, execution and reporting processes. One of the ideas, Hyde says, saved in excess of $1 million for each top-secret product unit. Other projects included a social-networking Web site within the organization's security firewall, an engineering modeling lab for hands-on experimentation and lunch-time lectures by subject-matter experts. The program continues this year in the Electronic Systems Sector, Hyde says, and other campuses are being encouraged to add the program to their own best practices. Shared Resources for Employees Impacted by Layoff Washington State Department of Personnel, Olympia, Wash. The State of Washington is not the only employer to face budget shortfalls and layoffs recently. But it's probably one of the few that chose to turn its restructuring into an opportunity to broadcast and market its reputation as a caring organization. Newsletter Sign-Up: Benefits /view /story.jhtml? HR Technology Talent Management HR Leadership Inside HR Tech HRENow Special Offers Email Address

Privacy Policy Knowing layoffs would soon hit many of its agencies, the state's Department of Personnel convened a crossagency team to develop a one-stop source of information and resources for employees who would be impacted. Through collaboration, the team came up with coordinated, consistent information that eliminated duplicate efforts across state agencies and launched its shared-resources program in January 2009.

The program, which has now helped about 1,000 people, includes a comprehensive resources checklist, layoffinformation sessions held statewide, Web-site tools and resources for those affected, a walk-in resource center for job-search coaching and classes to upgrade skills, and workshops on change and stress management. Users of the program have given it an average satisfaction rating of four, on a scale from one to five. In addition to helping those affected, the program has reduced call-center congestion and wait time at state agencies, such as the unemployment office, benefits office, retirement office, etc. "Our belief is that getting the word out, directly from the source, is the right thing to do," says Melia Olsen, the department's program director. The way layoffs are handled "leaves a lasting impression on current and future employees, and that's what we're really trying to do."