Employee Benefits: Training, Education, and Wellness Programs

Introduction

A modern HRM consultant must be aware of the array of possible employee benefits. The modern trend is away from traditional notions of benefits and toward benefits that enhance the lives of employees and their productivity for the company. Two of the many possible modern benefits are training and educational opportunities and wellness programs. As specific examples will show, despite the several challenges of implementing such benefits, the rewards for both employees and the company are clear.

Training and Educational Opportunities as an Employee Benefit

After decades of research and practical experience, Human Resources specialists have moved away from traditional notions of employee benefits toward a more holistic and integrated approach that simultaneously attracts talent, enhances employee growth, and motivates meaningful employee contributions to the company's goals. Competitive local and global forces have made measures once deemed extraordinary now highly strategic (Chen & Hsieh, 2006). While the modern approach to employee benefits ideally encompasses multiple options far beyond the parameters of this report, two intelligent employee benefits in the "war for talent" are: training and educational opportunities; and wellness programs.

Training and educational opportunities for employees both reward employees for their contributions and enable employees to expand their skill sets, ultimately contributing even more to the company's goals (Chen & Hsieh, 2006). Starbucks Corporation, for example, offers a College Achievement Plan to its employees and partners (Starbucks Corporation, 2014). According to this plan, eligible Starbucks employees receive partial or total tuition reimbursement and individually tailored support, including an enrollment coach, a financial aid counselor, and an academic advisor (Starbucks Corporation, 2014). In this way, Starbucks not only rewards willing and capable employees but also increases the skills, motivation, and loyalty of its workforce (Chen & Hsieh, 2006) — all to Starbucks' advantage. The more knowledgeable and skilled the employee, the more productive he or she can be for the company.

As with any widespread program, Starbucks faces special challenges of nondiscriminatory application of the plan, along with the time, expense, and legal requirements of record-keeping, evaluation, and reimbursement. Despite the outlay of resources for the College Achievement Plan, Starbucks is wise to invest in the higher education of its human assets, as this will attract talented employees, enhance their loyalty to the company, and motivate them to develop skills that will ultimately serve Starbucks' own corporate goals.

Wellness Programs as an Employee Benefit

Wellness programs increase employees' control over and responsibility for their own physical and mental well-being while reducing health care expenses and losses to employers through employee illness (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014). The offer of low-cost, attractive wellness programs helps a company attract talent, increase employee loyalty, and motivate employees toward higher productivity (Chen & Hsieh, 2006). Furthermore, the healthier an employee is, the more capable he or she is of being productive for the company (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014). Consequently, the Affordable Care Act offers new incentives for wellness programs and increases employers' flexibility in offering them (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014).

Verizon Corporation, for example, offers a Health and Wellness program for its employees (Quick, 2013). Offering fitness centers at 44 Verizon office buildings across the nation, Verizon charges a mere $15 per month in membership fees for: use of the fitness facilities; the services of personal trainers; fitness assessments; and annual medical checkups (Quick, 2013). The provision of all those wellness-related benefits for only $15 per month demonstrates Verizon's understanding of the program's benefit to both the company and its employees.

Challenges to such a program are presented by the legal requirements imposed by the Affordable Care Act and HIPAA, as well as the puzzlingly low percentage of employees who avail themselves of Verizon's wellness program (Quick, 2013). Both the Affordable Care Act and HIPAA require that programs be reasonably designed to promote health and prevent disease, that they not be administered in a discriminatory manner, and that notice be given of alternative ways to obtain the same reward through other avenues (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014; Simon, Traw, McGeoch, & Bruno, 2007). These challenges are added to the normal administrative problems of accurate and thorough record-keeping and the allocation of resources to the program (Chen & Hsieh, 2006). Nevertheless, the benefits of offering a wellness program — in terms of attracting new employees, increasing employee loyalty, and reducing health care costs and losses — far outweigh the challenges. Consequently, there is a distinct trend among U.S. corporations toward offering wellness programs as an employee benefit.

Conclusion

Modern trends in Human Resources promote employee benefits that enhance employees' lives and work environments while increasing a company's ability to attract, motivate, and retain employees — all of which benefit productivity. Though benefits come in many forms, employee training and education and wellness programs are two excellent examples of benefits that increase productivity. Starbucks Corporation offers a College Achievement Plan with holistic financial, enrollment, and academic assistance to eligible employees, which enhances both employees' lives and their productivity for the company. Verizon Corporation offers a wellness program with on-site fitness facilities, the services of personal trainers, fitness assessments, and annual medical checkups — all for a mere $15 per month. Healthier employees who are in charge of and responsible for their own wellness have enhanced lives and are more productive for the company.