Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/149047
Upside NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF WORK Pinstripe, Ochre House Join Forces After four years as strategic partners, Pinstripe and Ochre House have formally merged. The global RPO and talent management solution providers' combined footprint spans 88 clients in 43 countries around the world. 43 percent were concerned about creating processes and frameworks for interacting with the exchanges. While companies have welcomed the delay, they still must work to help employees understand both the need for health coverage and the employer and public options for that coverage. Attracting and retaining business-critical talent is a significant challenge facing many multinational companies as they operate and expand in different parts of the world. The new entity argues that integration of Ochre House's global network with Pinstripe's industry-leading services will provide a clear answer to the growing demand for a single, dedicated provider of end-to-end talent solutions worldwide. Incentives for Wellness Programs Work Just under half (44 percent) of United States firms feature companysponsored wellness programs, up from just 30 percent in 2011. The Aflac WorkForces Report reveals the underlying driver of this growth in wellness programs – employee response and satisfaction. Pinstripe and Ochre House's combined global presence includes 767 employees, serving 88 clients in 43 countries around the world. This footprint includes Ochre House's 2012 acquisition of two leading strategic resourcing firms in the Middle East and North Africa, TAAHEED and Carmichael Fisher. The transaction was completed through backing from Pinstripe's strategic equity partner, Accel-KKR, with the integrated executive management team maintaining a significant financial stake in the new organization. Pinstripe and Ochre House's success has been recognized industry-wide. Pinstripe was ranked as a "10 Best" RPO Provider by HR Executive and the Outsourcing Institute and was identified as a 2013 RPO Leader & Star Performer in the Everest Group PEAK Matrix. Pinstripe also received the 2012 and 2013 North American Recruitment Customer Relationship of the Year awards from the Human Resources Outsourcing Association. Both Pinstripe and Ochre House have been repeatedly ranked on this magazine's Baker's Dozen lists of top RPO providers, and Ochre House was recognized as one of the top four organizations with the most experience in multi-region RPO in the 2013 Everest Group PEAK report. Healthcare Reform Delay, Hurray? In spite of the delayed employer mandate, employers still face questions, reports Mercer. Companies no longer have to worry about avoiding employer shared responsibility penalties in 2014, but they're not completely off the hook. In spite of the delay of the penalties until 2015, many employers will still begin making changes sooner rather than later. According to Mercer, in 2014, employers can expect a 2 to 3 percent increase in health plan costs from new fees, changes in plan design, and expected increases in enrollment. Organizations should expect these increased costs even if they push back plans to extend coverage to all employees working 30 or more hours per week. In the longer term, employers must begin working toward avoiding the excise tax on high-cost plans that is set to take effect in 2018. In a recent Mercer survey, more than one third of respondents claimed to be taking steps in 2014 to lower these costs four years down the road. Another challenge employers must face is explaining the coming changes to their employees. In Mercer's May survey, half of employers were worried about how to handle employee questions related to public exchanges, while [8] HRO TODAY MAGAZINE | JULY/AUGUST 2013 According to the survey, 78 percent of workers would be at least somewhat willing to adjust their lifestyles if they had the chance to earn lower insurance premiums from their employer. Conversely, just 30 percent said they somewhat agree with the statement that they would only change their lifestyle if threatened with higher insurance premiums from their employer. Among companies that offer wellness programs, 89 percent have 100 employees or more, and 69 percent employ 500 or more. These programs include a variety of features, of which the most common were on-site doctors or nurses, on-site workout facilities or discounted memberships, company fun runs or other events, and health fairs. Some programs also included stress management programs, preventive care, smoking cessation help, and wellness screenings. These programs are generally well received by employees. In the Aflac survey, 88 percent of respondents at least somewhat agreed that it is fair for employees to receive reduced premiums for participating in these wellness initiatives. Among workers at companies that offer wellness programs, 61 percent chose to contribute, showing that there is a clear value to implementing initiatives of this kind. The 2013 Aflac WorkForces Report, the third annual edition of the study, surveyed 1,884 benefits decision-makers and 5,299 employees nationwide. Online Labor Demand Up After a disappointing two quarters, online labor demand finally increases. Online labor is on a slow road to the up and up. According to the recent release The Conference Board Help Wanted Online ® (HWOL) Data Series, online advertised vacancies rose 52,900 in June – a modest improvement from the disappointing labor demand in the first half of the year. Despite the bright months of January and April, the first two quarters of 2013 have been characterized by declines or moderate gains, thus stalling the strong upward trend that had continued since 2009. Despite relatively strong construction and maintenance and repair trades, many of the online demand for higher-wage professional and modest-wage occupations have been weak. This June, however, online labor demand has increased in 33 of the 50 states, and over 60 percent are above last June's levels.