Employees satisfied with benefits programs 9 times more likely to stay with their employer

By Marli D. Riggs

June 7, 2012

Almost half (49%) of U.S. workers are at least somewhat likely to look for a job this year, but there is undeniable evidence linking benefits offerings and employee loyalty, according to the 2012 Aflac WorkForces report.

Employees who are extremely or very satisfied with their benefits program are nine times more likely to stay with their employer, compared to those workers who are dissatisfied with their benefits program. Similarly, when asked what their current employer could do to keep them in their jobs, 49% responded, “improve my benefits package.”

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Obama’s new jobs plan: Will it reduce unemployment?

March 20, 2012 by Christian Schappel

President Obama has unveiled his latest jobs proposal. Included in it are these seven things he hopes to provide for the unemployed.

1. Universal Displaced Worker Program. The president’s new budget proposal included plans for a program designed to provide displaced workers (those who lost their job when their employers closed or eliminated their positions, or didn’t have enough business to keep them employed) with skills, counseling and job search assistance services. The White House estimates up to a million workers a year would be eligible for help under the program.
2. Up to $4,000 in training awards. Under the Universal Displaced Worker Program, displaced workers would be eligible for training awards of up to $4,000 per year for up to two years.
3. Up to $300 in weekly stipends. For workers who are receiving job training, the program would provide weekly stipends for child care, transportation and other expenses worth between $150 and $300 for low-income workers. They’d be available for up to 78 weeks and could be received in addition to 26 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits.

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Unemployment tax in Florida may rise sharply in 2012

If the Florida Legislature makes no changes, employers throughout the state will see significantly higher unemployment tax bills.

BY MICHAEL PELTIER

THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE -- Business owners who two years ago paid $8.40 per employee in unemployment taxes will see their bill go up to $172 starting Jan. 1 as the state continues to reel from a lingering recession, sluggish payroll growth and double digit unemployment.

Meeting Thursday to tweak estimates for the coming year and beyond, members of the revenue estimating conference were updated on a matrix of collections and payout data that call for rates to go up nearly $100 per employee from 2011 figures to a group of employers that pay the minimum fee.

If no changes are made, employers will see their bills go up based on two major factors. The figure used to calculate payments will increase from $7,000 to $8,500, an increase that will boost the maximum rate per employee from $378 to $459. For the approximately 220,000 employers who now pay at the minimum tax rate, the $1,500 threshold increase, coupled with a higher effective tax rate, will boost their 2012 tax bill from $72.10 per employees to $171.70.

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This means war: 75% of employers lost top talent in the last year

By Kelley M. Butler

July 28, 2011

Despite the generally slow job market, three out of four organizations lost high-performing employees they did not want to lose during the past year, compared to 54% a year ago, according to a survey by Right Management.
 
“We found that most organizations are finding it tough to hold onto their best people even when there are relatively few job openings,” said Bram Lowsky, Right Management’s group executive vice president for the Americas. “Previous research findings tell us there’s a furious war for top talent under way, constant poaching of high performers by competing companies and, overall, a very restive workforce. The latest survey shows organizations losing the employees they need, erosion that may accelerate once the job market picks up.”


Lowsky cautions employers who may be complacent in their retention efforts, due to the sluggish economy. “It’s really not enough to tell them to wait until the economy improves, especially if they’re new employees and more impatient for opportunity and advancement,” he says.

Indeed, a report in this month’s EBN cites Deloitte statistics showing that only 35% of employees plan to remain with their current employer, a 10 percentage point decrease from a similar survey conducted in September 2009. Nearly two out of three employees (65%) surveyed are passively or actively looking elsewhere.

“There are a lot of people out there with a wandering eye,” Jay Meschke, president of EFL Associates, a CBIZ company, tells EBN. Read the report and gain insight on how to get top talent to stay put.

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