Enrollment Systems Benefit Employers
Employers are using their benefits enrollment systems to encourage employees to adopt healthier behaviors. A survey of 117 U.S. companies by Watson Wyatt Worldwide found that 53 percent of employers have incorporated health risk assessments into enrollment systems or will incorporate these programs by 2009. More than one-third use enrollment systems to encourage employees to sign up for disease management programs or will do so by 2009. More than half of all respondents are either neutral or dissatisfied with the information provided to employees on managing health and health-related incentives. Integrating external vendors with internal enrollment systems makes it easier for employees to access the broad range of information they need to truly be engaged in their benefits.
Management Concerns Reduces Outsourcing
Despite the attention focused on the outsourcing of technology jobs overseas, a recent survey by Robert Half Technology shows that the majority of U.S. companies are not engaged in the practice. Ninety-four percent of chief information officers (CIOs) surveyed said their company does not outsource information technology (IT) jobs outside the United States. The survey shows that large companies (those with 500 or more employees) are much more likely to engage in overseas technology outsourcing than smaller ones (those with fewer than 500 employees). Eleven percent of CIOs reported they currently engage in outsourcing, compared to 5 percent overall. According to the survey, management challenges are a common obstacle to successful offshoring. More than half (59 percent) of CIOs whose companies had stopped offshore outsourcing cited management and oversight requirements among the reasons they had done so. Unrealized cost savings and quality control were also factors, cited by 30 percent and 23 percent of respondents.
Cultivating Relationships For Long-Term Staff
There are many reasons employees choose to leave their jobs, but the primary reason people leave companies is because of the relationship and lack of emotional connection with their boss. Business leaders should have a plan on how to keep the best people. While most companies talk a great deal about the need to retain the best people to sustain growth, they lack an integrated game plan to create retention momentum. Here are examples of how to connect with your employees.
• Write them a hand-written note telling them what a difference they are making to the business.
• Take your employees out to breakfast or lunch and talk about what is important to them.
• Create local, fun activities for the team, and schedule the activity during the regular business hours.
People do not usually leave organizations; they leave leaders. If you lose enough good people, your organization will be unable to grow.
Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Aides in Identity Theft
According to the Identity Theft Assistance Center, throughout 2008, criminals will continue to exploit new technologies to commit identity theft. Topping the list of major event security breaches from 2007 is a case involving a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing network. The SANS Institute has identified file sharing applications as one of the most crucial internet security vulnerabilities. The problem with many of the P2P applications is that they often lead to individuals sharing everything on their computers. Mary Engle of the Federal Trade Commission stated, “We’re concerned that consumers may accidentally share folders that contain private documents that they don’t intend to share.” Criminals now troll file sharing networks for the sole purpose of finding sensitive data that can be used to commit identity theft.