Archive for the 'GuideSpark' Category

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Open Enrollment: How Will You Communicate Medical Care Cost Increases?

While this likely won’t come as a shock to many reading this post, it appears

Benefits Communications

Benefits Communications for Delicate News

that medical care costs will once again rise at near double-digit rates in 2011.  According to PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ Health Research Institute, medical care costs are expected to increase by 9% in 2011, a slight deceleration from the 9.5% rise posted in 2010.

Cost sharing has become a critical tool to help keep medical care costs affordable for both employer and employee.  2011 will be no different.  Here are the key findings of the PwC report:

  • 42% of employers intend to increase employee contributions for health insurance coverage

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Published by Joe Larocque on June 17, 2010

Financial Wellness Eases Presenteeism – Digging Into the Numbers

Historically, presenteeism has been a word used to describe sick employees

Financial Wellness ROI

Financial Wellness ROI

who “tough it out” and come to work but operate far below normal productivity. But, there are many types of presenteeism.  There could be any number of reasons why an employee checks out and productivity suffers.  And, while presenteeism is a relatively new term, you likely have some established policies in place for helping employees stay focused at work.  For instance, over half of US companies have blocked access to Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.  Presenteeism, in its entirety, is a huge productivity issue that far exceeds that of absenteeism.

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Published by Joe Larocque on June 9, 2010

Gallup Study Highlights Financial Wellness as a Key Determinant of Overall Wellbeing

For many employers, the term “Wellness” is used to encapsulate a philosophy or an approach to employee benefits.  In other words, the goal of a benefits program is to improve the overall well-being of employees and their families.

Achieving Well-being

But what does that term wellness really mean?  What are the determinants?  How do you measure employee well-being and what sort of programs can you put in place to improve it?

These are not easy questions to answer but certainly relevant if the goal of your benefits program is ultimately employee wellness.

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Published by Joe Larocque on June 1, 2010

GuideSpark Financial Wellness Webinar

On December 8, GuideSpark presented a webinar called “The Need for Financial Wellness”.  In this webinar we discussed how poor financial health is affecting companies and their employees.  The webinar was well attended and definitely shows that financial wellness is becoming an important  issue at corporations across America.  In fact, the following poll shows that most attendees believed that 26-50% of employees are being negatively affected by financial issues.

Financial Wellness Poll Results

These results are not surprising based on our experience.  Financial issues are a productivity drain for corporations and is something we believe companies will begin to address in the coming years.  If you missed the webinar, please let us know and we’ll let you know when we have our next one.

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Published by Joe Larocque on December 10, 2009

ThriveOn Changes its Name to GuideSpark

ThriveOn has changed its name to GuideSpark, reflecting increasing market applications for its online training beyond its initial financial wellness focus.

GuideSpark echoes the company’s roots in facilitating improved employee financial health and workplace benefits communications. Beyond these core opportunities, GuideSpark enables cost effective Web 2.0 training for many customized applications within corporations and organizations.

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Published by Barbara Navarro on November 10, 2009