Some interesting news appeared recently, namely that Facebook and the NHS joined forces in a bid to get more people registering as organ donors. 

By putting the network user's wish posted on their Facebook Timeline to have organs donated in the event of their death, it's believed that in the event of someone's death, their family will be more likely to consent to the donation as they'll be more aware of the person's wishes. This is because in many cases someone may have signed up for the organ donation pledge but not have told the poeple closest to them that they had. It's an interesting use of social networking and if the idea catches on it could potentially transform organ donation and make it easier both for those of us who want to sign up and also those acting on behalf of people who are seeking a transplant

It's something that could also be promoted in workplaces - making sure employees know that this new way of encouraging donation is available on a site most of us use these days.

In other workplace wellbeing news, it was reported this week that 'ignoring emails could be good for your heart'. Apparently, people who are constantly logged on to their email are in a higher 'alert' satet than those who aren't. It's an interesting study - but spare a thought for those of us whose desk has a telephone on it. Because while it's possible to put off reading or ansering an email until a more pressing task is complete, a ringing phone demands immediate attention!

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The end conclusion was that small businesses, when searching for policies, found it difficult to compare and shop for the best plans for their company.  This type of happening is called ‘search friction’; the competition becomes less about the worth of a product rather than the marketing which it receives.  The reason it is so difficult to shop for a plan is due to the vast amount of products and policies available and what happens is rather that the competition forcing prices down and having plans at a similar rate across the various providers, it instead lets these ‘search frictions’ encourage a high margin and low volume strategy.

What this essentially means is that the cost of small business health insurance is driven up and forces companies to overpay and insurers spend more money on marketing a constant vacuum of cost.  The best advice that was given was to be wary of insurance brokers as they may not be necessarily looking to get companies the best deal and only look at gaining themselves the best deal.

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Whichever way you look at it, health insurance can be expensive.  There isn’t many ways to get around that but there are a few tips that can be adhered to when organising policies for you and your employees.  Avoiding getting health insurance can be irresponsible and the wellbeing of your staff could be at risk.  The pitfalls in a business could be astronomical in terms of how much of a setback the illness and time off determines.

By determining how much your company plans to contribute to your employee’s small business health insurance contribution will allow you to budget for the company’s future. Additionally, by reviewing your health plans year on year, there is an opportunity to review the costing of the policies already undertaken.  By possibly stating that you intend to move insurance carriers you may get a better deal, because at the end of the day these companies would like the business.

Another tip that could be offered is to take an inventory of your staff, determine how many 20, 30, 40 year olds or so work for the company – are they married, have children or are they single parents?  Each staff member will have distinctive needs for each of the policies which are undertaken.  These policies should be tailored to what the staff member needs not, what you or the industry standard is.

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Corporate healthcare trusts are becoming more popular as an option for organisations looking for a tax efficient and flexible way to fund their healthcare requirements.  Healthcare trusts (sometimes referred to as cash plans) are an arrangement in which employees can receive healthcare benefits without the employer having to use insurance cover.  Payments are made by the employer to the trust which is then used to cover any medical expenses for employees. 

These trusts offer a greater deal of flexibility for employers who can set the rules of the trust in regard to what procedures are covered and the more general terms and conditions.  In order to make the process as simple as possible, the day to day running and administration of these schemes are handled by a healthcare provider used to dealing with corporate healthcare.  Due to the structure of a healthcare trust, they are also not required to pay Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) making them a more cost effective method for providing health benefits to their staff.  A large enterprise can save up to 5.5% on IPT savings going down the healthcare trust route, not including further savings on national insurance. 

Although these schemes are being praised for the innovation they are bringing to the healthcare market, as well as the cost efficiencies they produce, some have concerns over the validity of the model.  Elliot Hurst, the director of health consulting at AXA PPP healthcare, has stated that they have been in discussions with HMRC around the area of health trusts.  According to Hurst the feedback they have been receiving from HMRC is that the area is not straightforward and they will be monitoring the situation with interest. 

AXA believe that those considering the new style of contract should not underestimate the importance of due diligence due to the uncertainties around healthcare trusts.  It is important for those contemplating such a move to discuss the matter with their tax and legal advisers to cover their bases. 

Only time will tell how healthcare trusts and this style of agreement will fare against more traditional models.  It has been noted however, that with the amount of pressure the NHS is under with the reforms and employers facing the same financial difficulty, these kinds of innovations in healthcare are very welcome.  

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Employers have agreed that flexible working conditions have helped to boost employee productivity and engagement.  It was stated that flexible working has the added benefit of combating absence levels as well as boosting employee motivation. 

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) released a report this week that indicated that 96% of employers now provide some form of flexible working conditions for at least some of their workforce.  Of that group, 70% believe that these working conditions help support employee retention, engagement and employee motivation.  Two thirds of organisations believe that offering flexible working in some form greatly improves recruitment activities and success and half feel that it impacts on reducing absence positively. 

Further to this, the report also highlighted that six in ten employees without managerial responsibilities would like to have the opportunity for flexible working conditions.  The legislation that deals with an employee’s right to request flexible working was introduced ten years ago and only 4% of employers have said that they have had difficulty in coping with the demands of the legislation. 

The CIPD believe that the government should widen this legislation to cover all employees.  According to the CIPD, their arguments have been met with concerns that the legislation would put burdens on business which they believe to be unfounded.  From the employee perspective, it offers a chance for higher engagement with their employer and greater overall wellbeing.  The Flexible working: provision and uptake report highlighted that employee’s who were happy with their work-life balance were more likely to be engaged at work and less likely to be under high levels of pressure and stress. 

The CIPD believe that if the legislation was extended to all employees then it would be a great advantage to both employers and employees alike, as well as help to strengthen the economy.  Flexible working is just one of a number of benefits offered by employers to help improve the lives of their employees, including company health insurance and wellbeing strategies and financial incentives.  

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Obesity Campaign Poster (Photo credit: Pressbound)

The weight management industry is massive.  In America alone it is worth approximately $11 billion in retail sales alone and as obesity rates are surging across the planet will only become a more profitable to companies capitalising on it.  Companies are always trying to come up with new ways in which to help people who are trying to lose the pounds.

Currently on the market are a powder which, when sprinkled onto food, sends signals to the brain you are full; a glucose spray which when taken orally will curb cravings and originating from Vietnam is a tea and coffee concoction which blocks fat absorption and the calorific intake. Or at least that is the theory.

Now workforces in America are enrolling people into programmes such as Weight Watchers.  The credit card firm American Express have around 20 per cent of its workforce on the programme and are included in their group health insurance schemes, and many are seeing the benefits.  Productivity can be increased due to the fewer sick days as losing weight can ease the pressure on the joints and cause less pain. 

Other issues like heart disease and diabetes are causing issues for many companies across the globe as costs of medical bills continue to soar. Over the past 10 years premiums have soared by 8 per cent.  Obesity is causing healthcare premiums to soar in the US and looking at getting a fitter healthier staff force will not only benefit the employees but companies too.

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Complementary medicines are often seen as the ‘alternative’ to medical practice and always thought to be not quite as effective.  But it has been found that they can make a real impact on the number of absences in a working environment.  Many health cash plan provider offer many alternative therapies such as acupuncture, osteopathy and homeopathy and according to a recent survey carried out, is viewed as one of the most important aspects of their plans.

There is insurmountable evidence supporting the fact that complementary medicines work, and to great effect.  Many publications, including Which? Magazines guide to complementary medicine recommend these types of therapies for the treatment of stress related issues, severe headaches and seasonal issues like hay fever.  The University of York also reported that increasing numbers of people are using acupuncture for the treatment of back pain as it has been proven that this treatment can stimulate the central nervous system.

Musculoskeletal problems are the second most common reasons for the long-term absences in the workplace and osteopathy, chiropractic medicine and physiotherapy can be used to treat these issues.  Physiotherapy is one the main methods of treatment used in post operations and can make a huge difference in the length of time that it takes a person to get back into work.  Post operation recuperation is one of the main drivers of long term sickness amongst skilled and non-skilled workers.

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Have you been watching The Apprentice?

It's maybe not required viewing for small businesses but it certainly provides some business insights. Sometimes while watching the programme it can be difficult not to wish that there was a running commentary by a business expert saying what was and wasn't a good idea among the things the candidates do each week.

Luckily, Personnel today magazine has the next best thing - with its column entitled "The Apprentice analysed". It's an engaging business overview of the show with a write up for each episode by an industry expert, giving their views on the show's events and the personalities involved - strictly form a business perspective. Informative - and entertaining too! You can read the column here at the Personnel Today website.

Here's a clip from a previous Apprentice series showing the candidates health and fitness skills - skills which were again tested this series with each team devising a gym workout. 

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Pedestrian charity, Living Streets has released new figures that show two-thirds of people walking less than an hour per week.  The vast majority of people blaming the fact they get too hot and sweaty en route to wherever they are going or even blaming a lack of the correct footwear for not walking places.  Those willing to shun such excuses, and not surprisingly, is the 55-64 age bracket and are more likely to walk more than two hours per day.

The charity is looking to have more people participate in the Great British Walking Challenge which is taking place in May and is looking to encourage people in walking further distances.  They wish to include simple steps such as parking the car further away, alighting from the bus a few stops early or simply taking a walk to loosen up and wind down.

Many employers include such programmes within the workplace.  Wellbeing is fast becoming a mainstay in the modern workplace as many employers are looking to have a fit and healthy workforce which means less sick days and more productivity.  Lots of employers now offer group health insurance in conjunction with this, ensuring they have a happy and healthy workforce.

By walking it is less strenuous than say, going to the gym or a high octane sport and can be done in lunchtime, making it the simplest form of exercise and fits in with your daily routine.  The benefits of walking include the reduced risk of heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure and Alzheimer’s disease.

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If you are experiencing back pain it may be because you are currently unhappy at work researchers have suggested.  In a recent study, it was discovered that negative feelings towards the environment people work in can manifest itself as physical pain in the form of back problems.  According to researchers this is very unique as emotional pain generally does not lead to physical pain in other instances.

A study was undertaken in an attempt to track the link between emotional stress at work and back pain issues using a sample of over 300 individuals who had visited their doctor with back pain issues.  The research took place over a number of months, focusing on the participant’s attitudes towards work and the levels of pain they were experiencing.  At the end of the study around half of the group were still participating and about 60 of those had persistent back pain. 

A number of the participants back pain increased as the months went on, which is believed to be because of their increasing negativity towards their pain.  This is a difficult pattern to break free from as the pain increases and people have to take time off from work, so too does their negative feelings. 

Researchers believe that positive thinking can strongly affect helping with the back pain as those with a positive attitude to work are very unlikely to experience back problems. 

Professor Markus Melloh, the study leader suggests that the back pain may correct itself through positivity which a person can affect by altering their workplace or job design.  Employers can also play a role in helping to reduce employee back pain and negativity.  Employers can offer to have councillors or health professionals for emotional support as part of their company health insurance plans.  Councillors can provide excellent emotional support helping to relieve stress and negativity to improve an employee’s attitude towards work.  

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Recently there has been a greater focus for employers to offer increased support for their workforce; in terms of both emotional support and health support as it was uncovered there is a severe lack of aid for those dealing with personal problems.

The survey using data gathered from five hundred UK organisations found that of those sampled, 45% of their employees had had difficulty in dealing with personal or health problems within the last three years.  Of those who had experienced problems, nine out of ten had no support in dealing with their problems from their employers. 

For SME businesses, the most common cause of long term absence for their employees were around home and family problems.  Further to this, the research uncovered that around two thirds of employees would like to have the opportunity to work using flexible hours or have the ability to build up time in lieu and use it to run personal errands.  28% of employees believe they would benefit from an employer subsidised gym membership and 19% would like the chance to join healthy living clubs through their work that encourage things like weight loss and relieving stress.

There are measures that employers could take in order to reduce the impact of employee health or personal problems through offering access to councillors and medical advice, in the hope that these services would help to reduce levels of absence.  There is an opportunity for employers to break free from the rest of the crowd by increasing the level of support they offer their staff welfare.  This could be done through the points mentioned, such as offering flexible working hours or providing better access to health clubs or gyms – something that is currently being offered by very few employers. 

An organisation can really benefit from making small steps, such as offering small business health insurance and other healthcare options, which could have a massive impact on their employees and the overall performance of the business. 

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If you want your employees to be working their best and going the extra distance for the organisation it is important to make sure they are happy and content.  If this is your aim, you might want to consider opting for some kind of wellbeing strategy or employee assistance programme to help get the most out of your workforce.

Recently there has been a shift in interest from employers to get involved in wellbeing strategies in order to help their staff.  They are doing this by offering certain kinds of perks to their workforce aimed at making them happier and improving staff retention levels.  This shows that employers are taking on a greater responsibility for the overall welfare for their people and one way of achieving this is through offering additional benefits for their service. 

Wellbeing strategies tend to focus on improving things like the health and lifestyles of their employees focusing on exercise, stress and their sleep patterns.  Traditionally this has been way of reacting to concerns around absenteeism and high staff turnover.  More and more this is being considered before these are large concerns.  One great example of this is Google and the way they try to provide for their employees through their work environment.

Head of public policy at CIPD Ben Willmott, states that employee wellbeing should be less about happiness and more about properly engaging with their staff.  If the main focus for the organisation is on engaging with their staff, they will manage to get them to perform better and will result in happier employees. 

Some consider delivering a wellbeing strategy as a costly process that has no real substance.  It is important to consider however the cost savings of implementing such a strategy from reducing absenteeism and staff turnover.  When considering something like a wellbeing strategy it is important to make sure you get buy in from the whole company and that employers lead by example in order to maximise uptake.  

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Setting up in business is never straightforward - in fact there's so much to think about that it's a sign of the individual's entrepreneurial determination in the first place just to get the business off the ground and (hopefully) some hard-earned revenue flowing into the coffers.

And that's just for businesses whose employees are in the same country. But what about situations wherea small to medium business employs people abroad?

Given the brave new world of smartphones, tablets, Skype, email, videoconferencing, Google+ hangouts - and not forgetting all the old-school stuff like faxes and the postal system - it's no wonder that more and more employers find themselves able to have people on board who reside in a different country. The 21st century's exponentially improved communications platforms and channels have made the world a much smaller place - with communications in an instant across continents a second nature now as easy and familiar as as water from the tap.

Reasons for employing overseas staff could include any or all of the following:

• there is a talent hotspot outside of the organisation's home country for a specialised type of work (say, a particular type of computer programming) 
• the organisation is expanding and opens a new office overseas

Having staff abroad will also mean that you'll need to have medical insurance for them so that they get the appropriate level of care should they require medical treatment. For information on corporate health insurance for employees overseas, companies like AXA PPP International provide information on the heathcare systems in popular expat destinations, plus details of group health cover. Ins ome cases it's possible to insure expatriate staff alongside local nationals helping to make sure everyone gets the appropriate elevel of care.

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In a fascinating opinion piece in the Herald Tribune this week, the doctor and health policy analyst Caroline Poplin takes a look at the near future for healthcare in the US - and comes to a measured conclusion on the healthcare dilemma facing the country.

According to Poplin's article, what the situation boils down to is this:

Advances in medicine have meant that acute (fast onset) and fatal diseases have more and more become chronic (long-lasting) and non-fatal. 

The effect of these changes has had a knock-on effect for healthcare - with the healthy paying low premiums (and unlikely to get sick) and higher risk customers potentially finding insurance more difficult (or expensive) to come by.

In countries like the UK, a single-payer heathcare system (like the NHS) is state-run and tax funded - and available to all residents of the UK's constituent countries. The system is complemented by private medical insurance providers - meaning that people can purchase cover to suit their budget and use the NHS for instance if the waiting list is below a set time, otherwise go private.

In the US, however, the status quo has meant that access to affordable healthcare for those around the poverty line has been insufficient. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) - also known as 'Obamacare' - seeks to widen significantly the access to affordable care. This will be done via what's known as "the mandate" - in other words, under the ACA, people will be obliged to buy health insurance. Opponents, however, argue that it's unconstitutional - that forcing people into things is wrong, even if it's for the common and individual good.

The conclusion to Poplin's article is interesting. She says that:

The ACA is the last, best chance for Americans to receive health care through a private insurance market. Personally, I doubt it will work. But if the Supreme Court throws out the individual mandate, we will have to decide whether, when the chips are down, we are all in this together, or one’s freedom to choose to participate is even more important. This decision will test the American character.

Will the ACA in practice change the American healthcare landscape forever and for better? First, we'll have to wait and see what happens in supreme court, where the Act's fate is going to be decided.

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Recent research by health insurance magazine hi-mag has uncovered some of the more unusual benefits of some private medical insurance policies.  A typical PMI policy only covers conditions that can be formally called an illness; however it has been revealed that some employers have offered to pay for more unusual requests such as IVF treatment and sex changes. 

Some employers have established healthcare trusts as part of employee healthcare benefits to help fund more out of the ordinary treatments.  These self-funded schemes provide additional flexibility when it comes to healthcare plans for employees, helping to fund whatever treatment and services are needed. 

This approach to offering a more flexible healthcare benefits system by an organisation helps provide an improved system for their employees however; they need to consider what will be included in such a system carefully.  Originally when an organisation moves to a self-funded agreement they will offer very similar benefits and services to what was offered under their PMI policy agreement.  This will then be tailored to meet the needs of their employees over a number of years, once they have a better idea of how to meet their needs fully.  It is important to monitor how such an agreement is performing and make sure the plan is in line with both their short and long term planning before increasing the number of benefits offered. 

Some of the more unusual benefits provided for by employer healthcare trusts are:

IVF treatment
Sex change operation
Pharmaceutical drugs (benefit was offered by a pharmaceutical company)
HIV
Harvesting of stem cells
Skin disease
Alcoholism and addictions
Dangerous sports
Cosmetic treatment
Dentistry
Health screening
Breast cancer screening
Complementary therapies
Private GP
Cancer therapies
Maternity
Travel cover

The staff demographic will have an important role in the benefits an employer will decide upon.  Younger employees may be interested in family benefits, such as additional child benefits and maternity benefits, whereas older employees may be more interested in private nursing and similar benefits.  Of course the more benefits the employer adds to the trust, the more financially draining it will become, so they need to consider what additions they will include very carefully.  Paul Moulton of AXA PPP Healthcare, providers of small business health insurance, discussed this point saying that “if an employer extends benefits they need to be clear what the cost-benefit analysis is”. 

Therefore most importantly, if an organisation is considering going down the healthcare trust route they should carefully consider what their position is on some of the more unusual treatments and if they can cover these financially on a long term basis.

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A poll has recently revealed that 90 per cent of employers across the country feel that the fit note hasn’t made a difference in regards to the numbers of staff taking sick days.  The survey was carried out by the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals and surveyed around 100 companies that specialise in pensions and payroll professionals.

The fit note or more formally recognised is the Statement of Fitness for Work, and was introduced in spring 2010 and was brought in to replace the old GP sick note.  The main difference between the new method and the old was that doctors can now recommend how a person returns to their place of employment and will add that information to the note.

Although many companies are offering schemes to get back to work and using preventative measures like company health insurance schemes, gym memberships and wellbeing classes it seems that the fit note isn’t one method that is working.  Many companies felt that the fit note was to be used as a tool to proactively discuss returning to work but many companies live in fear of accusation of harassment in order to get their staff back to work.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development discovered that in 2011 many employers were of the opinion that the fit note would have no bearing on future sickness prevention efforts. 

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Do you think Britain is potentially being held back by a compensation culture?

This week the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said that they were calling for "action to free businesses from the fear of the UK’s compensation culture" and lso the "overzealous interpretations of health and safety rules that could hold back Britain’s economic recovery".

Certainly the world we live in now is very different from the past in terms of the volume of litigation that occurs. And also, of course, in terms of the conditional fee agreement aka "No win, no fee" and its near-ubiquity in the small ads.

But could we be reaching a point where all this could end up being an impediment to British business - due to an abundance of trepidation regarding the amount of regulation and the risk of being sued? The ABI believe so:

"Businesses, especially the small businesses crucial to our economic recovery, need to be able to thrive, not operate worried by the constant risk of being sued for the most minor of injuries and confused by health and safety requirements. Insurance is here to help businesses do what they do best, free from the fear of being sued or engulfed in red tape."

So says Nick Starling, Director of General Insurance for the ABI - who goes on to state that

"The UK’s compensation culture and high fixed legal fees means businesses are all too often left paying the high and disproportionate cost of settling compensation claims. The ABI has long argued for reforms to make our legal system more efficient, tackle spurious claims and relieve the burden on UK business."

Do you agree that reforms are overdue? Let us know in the comments.

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According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), obesity has reached epidemic levels globally. Describing the issue as "blatantly visible", the WHO also state that obesity has health consequences that "range from increased risk of premature death to serious chronic conditions that reduce the overall quality of life".

With a level of concern this serious, it's surprising that it's ever treated as a fact of life rather than an issue that's emerged over a few decades and will hopefully one day be reversed.

One of the contributing factors to obesity generally, according to the WHO, is the existence of what they term "obesogenic environments".

Obesogenic environment - what does that mean, then? Well, put simply, it's a place that is likely to contribute to obesity. In other words, if you live in a house surrounded by exercise equipment, with a spouse who is health conscious and insists on meals that are nutritious, balanced and in the righ proportions, chances are your home life isn't obesogenic. If, on the other hand, you're surrounded by fried foods and cakes - then this could prove to be obesogenic.

If you're an employer - say, an SME owner with a number of employees, then it's self evidently in the business's interest to make sure staff are as healthy as possible. Obviously nobody can dictate what people eat, but promoting healthy eating could help lessen obesity and up productivity. Things like healthy eating, and small business or self-employed heath insurance can make all the difference to people who work for themselves or own a small business.

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While it's obviously important for organisations to look after their staff in as many ways as they can - including Employee Assistance Programmes, private medical insurance for employees, occupational health services, and so on - building a 'culture of health' into the organisation is also imprtant, ensuring that people are aware of healthy lifestyles, and how they can help individuals as well as the places they work.

Many workplaces encourage physical activity - with facilities for people who have cycled into work, then there's also the opportunity to offer healthy food through the staff canteen, and so on. And of course there's an entire calendar full of events that people can take part in for charity such as 5k runs. 

But one thing that should always be on the health agenda is information on health and wellbeing. It could be done using posters, emails, intranet or by getting health professionals in to talk to staff, or by holding events to promote your organisation's health values.

It's also worthwhile making sure people have a list of healthy links that they can visit while they're surfing the web after work or at lunchtime. It could be something as simple as a list of useful sites detailing health and safety, or pointing people in the direction of NHS pages for seasonal illnesses such as influenza. Another good health information practice would be to set up and manage a health blog for the company or for employees - with space for people o discuss the latest news and events within the company. A health blog list could also be produced showing a number of sites with regularly updated health information.

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Over at Personnel Today there's an interesting story about the lack of suitably skilled graduates to fill roles that graduate recruiters are actively seeking to help people into.

There could be numerous reasons for this, and there are also a few plausible theories - one being that because of the current job market, graduates are feeling the pressure and spending less time on their applications. One other interesting theory is that graduates may be looking for roles that "allow them a better work-life balance" and as such aren't applying in the same amount of numbers as previous years.

Of course, these are unusual times - and with unusual times often come unpredictable results. One story in HR magazine really stands out - that of Jaguar land Rover, who have reported a 61% increase in graduate applications since 2011 - attributable, believes their HR director, to the positive perception of thri organisation.

For SMEs the picture is in most cases a little different, since while graduaties apply for positions within SMEs, most aren't of  asize where they're able to do the 'milk round' or offfer the same scale of graduate schemes as bigger firms. It could be though that the graduate scene is changing, with SMEs currently benefiting from the amount of graduates and the types of role they're seeking.

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