Editor’s Note

Many employers appear to be missing the mark when it comes to helping workers prepare for their golden years. Roughly, 10,000 Baby Boomers are expected to retire every day over the next decade. Most firms are helping employees plan financially for this transition, but are you aware of the psychological preparedness required for an employee to retire?  

The emotions triggered as people contemplate this transition can sabotage them and derail their planning process. How can an HR professional address these behaviors? This month’s cover article, Are Your Employees Psychologically Prepared For Retirement? by Larry Gard, talks about how companies can help their older employees to smoothly move from their current position and craft a compelling next chapter.

Did you know that alcohol is the most regularly used addictive substance in America, with one out of every 12 adults suffering from alcohol misuse or dependency issue? Today’s workplace culture is inundated with alcohol: Companies host open bar holiday parties, company outings are tied to happy hours, and bosses reward direct reports with open access to alcohol in the office. Tim Stein, in his article, Alcohol In The Workplace, talks about four tips to maintain a safe work environment for everyone. And how HR leaders need to be aware of potential dangers that they may have been exposing to their employees.  

Although the term “win-win scenario” has become cliché, there are truly very few of them in business. Especially ones that can positively impact your organization across a variety of different fronts. Identity theft protection is one of them. So, if your company hasn’t yet taken advantage of offering identity theft protection as an employee benefit, you could be missing out on one of those rare opportunities. Whether you're a C-suite executive yourself or an HR professional looking to share this timely opportunity with your team, Ammon Curtis’ article C-Suite’s Imperative: Offer Identity Theft Protection To Employees As A Benefit, will explain why identity theft protection is a must-have in your benefits portfolio.
 
When employees or applicants announce that they are expecting a baby, what will bring a bundle of joy to them may create a whole host of issues for the employer. Employers are learning the hard way that those who violate pregnancy discrimination and accommodation laws may be hit with lawsuits, which could end up extremely costly in terms of time, money and resources, and cause tremendous damage to employee morale and the employer’s public image. Read Beth Zoller’s article, Pregnancy Discrimination And Accommodation Laws, for more insights on this topic.
 
This is not all! We have a variety of other informative articles on Employee Benefits and Wellness in this issue. We hope you enjoy reading all the articles and get back to us with your valuable feedback.