By James Yankech, PhD, Senior Vice President for Client Relations

 

Eating disorder (ED) symptoms can be prevalent among college students and one demographic in particular may be more vulnerable: international students. Elements such as language barriers, a general lack of understanding regarding mental health, unawareness of access to health facilities, as well as the fear of losing their student visa are all contributing factors for this particular population.

I’ll be discussing this topic at this year’s Annual NAFSA Conference & Expo, along with my co-presenters: Eating Recovery Center’s (ERC) National Collegiate Outreach Director, Casey Tallent, PhD, and Yu Yun Liu, PhD, a clinical counselor for the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. NAFSA unites nearly 10,000 attendees each year from more than 3,500 institutions and organizations from more than 100 countries. This year’s event, called “Diverse Voices, Shared Commitment,” takes place between May 27 and June 1, 2018, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Our session: “Eating Disorders and Co-Occurring Concerns in International and Diverse Students” is the result of a one-year working relationship between ERC and Relation Insurance Services that has focused on addressing the importance of eating disorders and other mental health issues on college campuses. ERC works to help college and universities identify signs and symptoms of eating disorders and co-occurring concerns and be able to develop policies and guidelines to support all students with these issues, including the often underserved international student population. Teaming up with ERC has given Relation the opportunity to better educate our clients on possible ways to support international and diverse students with eating disorders through various means, such as campus services, telehealth options, and insurance policies.

We’ll present during the Global Partner Session, tomorrow, May 31, from 9:00 A.M. to 10:15 A.M. at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 112B. Our session will address the following: 1) how schools can understand mental health concerns facing international students including eating disorders; 2) identify the signs and symptoms of eating disorders and co-occurring concerns; and 3) develop the right policies and guidelines to support students with eating disorders and co-occurring concerns. We’ll be presenting case studies, along with viable solutions as part of our presentation and look forward to a productive discussion with attendees. We hope you can join us.

For event registration, and more information on the session, please follow this link.

To read the press release, click here.

 

It’s available to firms of all sizes.

As employers look for any and every means to control employee benefit expenses, an investment in outsourcing absence management has the potential to yield meaningful returns both objectively, in terms of costs and productivity, and subjectively, in terms of employee satisfaction. This solution is no longer available solely for the Fortune 1,000. It’s now an option for small and mid-sized firms and may also be a fit for your organization.

Among the numerous responsibilities of Human Resource teams, absence management is extremely time-consuming and perilous if executed incorrectly. There are a wide array of federal, state, county, and local statutes with which to comply, plus an ever-shifting landscape of constantly updating legislation, leaving government agencies and courts to interpret the statutes and regulations. To add to the complexity, company-specific absence procedures can lead to inadvertent and inconsistent application of policies and procedures that in turn could prompt allegations of discrimination.

The numerous types of programs involving mandated absences can also trip up an organization. Making matters worse, more than one type of mandated leave can be triggered at the same time. It’s not uncommon for there to be overlaps with short-term disability insurance and workers’ compensation return-to-work programs. Managing competing leave requirements, while staying within the law, creates an additional level of risk.

Types of Mandated Absences:

  • Family medical leave – federal, state, local
  • Military leave – federal, state, local
  • State-mandated leaves – e.g., jury duty, state disability, pregnancy disability, domestic violence, organ donation
  • ADA accommodation absences
  • Company-specific leaves – e.g., personal, bereavement, paid sick time, extended family care, sabbaticals, education

One strategy to remain compliant in this environment is for an organization to continually strengthen current leave protocols and procedures and to retain full administrative responsibilities in-house. What many firms may not realize, however, is the administration and risks related to absence management can now be economically transferred to outsourcing administrators. While historically this was only a viable solution for very large firms, that’s now changed due to a combination of life, health, and disability insurers that have been acquiring absence management firms to broaden their in-house service capabilities, as well as quantum leaps in technology that have dramatically reduced the costs of outsourcing. As a result, an increasing number of small and mid-sized firms are choosing to outsource.

The greatest increase in outsourcing activities is by firms in the 50-249 and 250-999 employee bands.1 However, other employers are increasingly evaluating a continuum of outsourcing options. They range from “co-sourcing,” in which the firm engages an outside insurance carrier or technology partner to handle some but not all absence management functions, to fully outsourced management and administration.

Why is Outsourcing Absence Management a Good Idea?
Whether an organization chooses to take a partial or a total approach, a well-designed outsourced absence management program offers the opportunity to implement a consolidated, consistent application of leave policies across multiple business units and jurisdictions. Beyond the reduced compliance risk and exposure to penalties afforded by having access to each state’s unique laws and coordination guidance—especially when they overlap with federal legislation, the benefits for employers are broad.

Outsourcing administrators leverage powerful technology tools to measure, analyze and monitor absence metrics, which reduces HR staff workloads. In addition, employees’ experiences improve with better communication about the full offering of company-provided benefits, which in turn increases productivity due to lower absentee rates and decreased employee abuse of leave benefits. It’s no surprise then that interest in outsourcing continues to increase for firms of all sizes, and employer satisfaction with outsourcing vendors is high.2

Is it Viable for My Organization?
Although outsourcing absence management holds the promise of being a valuable solution, the evaluation process can be significant and time-consuming. Project complexity will vary based on factors such as firm characteristics (e.g., headcount, different operating jurisdictions, and centralized vs. decentralized management) and the number of programs qualified for outsourcing. Regardless of project scope, a systematic approach and a detailed implementation timeline is needed to make an effective evaluation.

The first step is to establish a cross-functional evaluation team with complementary areas of expertise. In addition to human resources, internal stakeholders will likely include senior management, finance, legal, and IT. External participants typically comprise the firm’s benefit consultant, outsourcing partners (e.g., carriers and/or technology firms), and any other impacted outside vendors (e.g., payroll administrators, workers’ compensation/disability insurers, or third-party administrators).

Next, the effectiveness of existing programs must be assessed by looking at current policies and process flows, as well as the sources and cost drivers of employee absences. The overall objective is to develop baseline data to compare outsourcing against the status quo.

The final step in the evaluation process involves formulating a business case and designing an operating model to outsource some or all programs involving employee leaves. This will include anticipated results for increased productivity, operational savings, risk-mitigation efforts, technology enhancements, and the effect on employees.

How Do I Bring a Program to Life in My Organization?
If management agrees the business case is compelling and decides to proceed, the operating model and timeline from the evaluation project becomes the implementation roadmap. To ensure the outsourced absence management program is successful, senior management must explain the rationale for the change, as well as the goals and expected outcomes. Providing employees with clear, detailed communication on policies, procedures, and training requirements, and leveraging technology to monitor performance metrics is essential to actively manage and fine-tune the program on an ongoing basis.

 

About the Authors

 

Michael Stallone is a Senior Vice President  in the employee benefits practice at Relation Insurance Services in Walnut Creek, CA. He can be reached on LinkedIn, via email at [email protected] or via phone (925) 956-1640.

 

This article originally appeared on the BenefitsPro website here.

 

Footnotes

  • The 2017 Guardian Absence Management Activity Index (SM) and Study
  • 2016 Disability Management Employer Coalition and Spring Consulting Group

Ascension is pleased to announce that we have been invited to speak and will be sponsoring a booth at HR West again this year from March 7th to March 9th.

Come see Ed Bray, SVP, Compliance, and Tuan Nguyen, AVP, present The 2016 ABC’s of Employee Benefits (annually published in Employee Benefit News) on Monday,  March 7th from 1:50pm – 3:05pm where he will provide a checklist of employee benefit to-do’s for 2016!

Come see Ascension at our booth!  Stop by for a chance to win some fun prizes, including $100 gift cards, and learn how we can we meet your wants, needs and expectations in this new world of employee benefits.

In addition to our session, the conference will feature 88 sessions, and speakers from companies like Pandora, Salesforce and Twitter. Find out about best practices and proven strategies of leading companies in the West that are paving the way for HR innovation. With tracks for startups, small business and technology, plus evergreen topics like employment law, recruiting and leadership, there’s something for everyone at HR West!

Check Out the Complete Session Lineup

HR West Also Brings You:

  • Four world-renowned keynote speakers
  • Recertification credit toward your SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP and PHR/SPHR for most sessions
  • An Executive Learning Lab led by TEDx presenter, Haas/Princeton professor (senior practitioners only)
  • Innovative ways to donate unused vacation hours to the American Heart Association or a charity of your choice
  • Community reception, networking lunches, speed networking and dinner meet-ups

The Premier HR Conference on the West Coast

NCHRA Members: $979

Join NCHRA: $1,146

SHRM Affiliate Member: $1,085

SHRM Member: $1,134

Non-member: $1,174

We would love to see you and are offering a $100 special guest discount to join us at HR West!
Use PROMO CODE: Guestofspeaker

Register today

Rates expire on March 3rd, 2016.

 

Date: Tuesday, February 23 2016
Time: 10am PST
Who Should Attend: Forward thinking Sr HR and Financial Professionals in the Technology Industry
Duration: 60 minutes
Captive Launch Date: January 1 2017

While projections vary, the indisputable facts are that your health care costs will continue to increase, the competition for talent will intensify and you will be tasked with offering a competitive, relevant benefits package that attracts and retains talent. Consider this:

  • Almost 50% of CFOs rate the cost of benefits and attracting & retaining talent as top concerns in 2016. Click HERE for survey
  • 78% of hiring managers said finding highly-skilled tech talent will be a top hiring priority in 2016. Click HERE for survey
  • Median unemployment and starting salary for tech workers in the Bay Area is <3% and $176k, respectively compared to national averages of 7% and $107k

If you have a Total Rewards philosophy and an interest in innovative strategies, funding your benefits through the Technology Captive and sharing risk with like-minded technology leaders may be the solution for your 2017 calendar year.

Join us to learn more about the timeline, opportunities, risks and rewards of funding your benefits through a Captive.

REGISTER NOW.

Congratulations on making it through one of the most legally and administratively challenging years in employee benefits history. But, as you know, employee benefits never sleep. Ed Bray, senior vice president of compliance with Ascension, provides the 2016 ABC’s of employee benefits – what he calls the annual “just tell me what I need to do” list.

See the list.

First, the good news: the rate of growth for health benefit costs has slowed over the past three years! However, health costs are still increasing at double the rate of inflation. In fact, a recent employee benefits survey shows that nearly 84% of mid and large size employers will need to make substantial changes to their benefit offerings over the next three years.

On June 10th, join Beth Ercolini, Vice President and Senior Advisor at Ascension for part one of this complimentary webinar series. She’ll share market trends and solutions to manage future health care costs, including Consumer Directed Health Plans, Value Based Networks and Accountable Care Organizations (ACO).

Register now. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Senior Vice President, Compliance, Ed Bray is interviewed in the June 2015 edition of WorldatWork’s Workspan magazine. The article, Face Your Fears and Be a Good Listener, begins on page 60 in “Profiles in Career Excellence” section, (scroll through the online PDF of the magazine to read the article.)

With health & welfare benefit compliance not only moving a mile a minute, but twisting in many different directions, it’s hard to keep track of what you need to do and when.

To help you stay on track with the “what, when, why, who, and how,” we invite you to join our monthly compliance update webinar. Ed Bray, SVP, Compliance, will review and analyze the top health & welfare benefit compliance stories and issues for the month.

Each webinar will start at 10am PST / 1pm EST and will generally run about 30 minutes.

The webinar dates for the remainder of 2015 are:

  • May 21
  • June 18
  • July 16
  • August 20
  • September 17
  • October 15
  • November 19

Register now. Please note that if you have registered for a webinar and are unable to attend, we will email you a link of the recording.