2019 - Page 9 of 11 - Best Money Moves

What Is Financial Literacy and Why Is It Important?

by LizStevens | Mar 25, 2019 | Blog

What is financial literacy and why is it important? It’s knowledge employees need to reduce financial stress and financial wellness programs can help them improve it.

Over 40 percent of employees are too worried about their financial situation today to think about the future, according to a survey by BlackRock.

Despite mounting financial stress, many prioritize convenience over savings. A third of employees would choose to take $1,000 now rather than wait a year for $3,000 and two-fifths of employees would quadruple their transportation costs to save 20 minutes, according to new research by PurePoint Financial.

“Our survey found that 1 in 3 people in the U.S. don’t feel in control of their finances and half are too embarrassed to talk about their savings with their friends,” said Pierre Habis, president of PurePoint Financial.

Habis continued, “We understand how important financial security is to all of us and that saving may seem daunting, but it just takes minor adjustments, such as creating financial goals, setting aside whatever you can manage from each paycheck or searching for better interest rates for your savings account.”

Habis makes it sound easy, but most Americans don’t know where to begin when it comes to improving their financial wellness. What he refers to as minor adjustments could feel like major fundamental changes to a family that lacks financial literacy.

What is Financial Literacy?

Financial literacy is an understanding of the skills and knowledge that allows an individual to make informed and effective decisions with all of their financial resources. It encompasses budgeting, saving, investing, and includes anything and everything that deals with money management.

Why is Financial Literacy Important?

Financial literacy is important because it can help people with high levels of debt correct course and better prepare themselves for retirement.

Three years after implementing a financial education mandate for high-schoolers in Georgia, Idaho, and Texas, all three states saw increased credit scores and lower delinquency rates on credit accounts, according to a FINRA Investor Education Foundation-funded study.

What Are Financial Wellness Programs?

Financial wellness programs are employer-sponsored programs that help employees regain control of their personal finances. It’s become a popular employee benefit in recent years as the effects of financial stress on employee performance have become more clear. The 2018 Employee Financial Wellness Survey by PwC found:

25% of employees report that issues with personal finances have been a distraction at work
43% of employees of those distracted by finances at work spend 3 hours or more at work each week thinking about or dealing with issues related to their personal finances
11% of employees occasionally miss work due to financial stress

Employees were also asked to complete the sentence “My employer financial wellness program has helped me…” and here’s what financial wellness programs helped them accomplish:

41% got their spending under control
39% prepared for retirement
31% paid off debt
27% saved for major goals (home, education)
23% better managed their investments/asset allocation
12% better managed healthcare expenses or saved for future healthcare expenses

Once employees have the financial literacy they need they can reduce financial stress, start reaching their savings goals and spend less time worrying about money at work.

How Do You Handle Management Issues?

by LizStevens | Mar 18, 2019 | Blog

How do you handle management issues? Rather than report it to HR, employees often discuss a manager’s failings amongst themselves, which negatively impacts productivity and job satisfaction.

Eight in ten employees readily divulged what they believed to be their boss’ greatest weakness when prompted by researchers in a new study by VitalSmarts.

Nearly 30 percent of employees felt their manager was overwhelmed or unqualified for the position. “For some reason, our management has promoted an unqualified individual to be in a position of authority,” one employee said. “They have sent her to Green Belt training and she cannot even get her presentations in order. Everyone rolls their eyes, but no one says anything.”

While managers can speak frankly with direct reports when it comes to performance feedback, direct reports can’t do the same. As a result, employees discuss a manager’s failings amongst themselves, which negatively impacts their productivity and job satisfaction.

Issues with Management

Most frequently, employees took issue with managers who delayed decisions or didn’t respond to employees needs because they were stretched too thin.

Almost 25 percent of employees felt their manager was a poor listener or biased and unfair. One employee said their manager multi-tasked instead of listening, both during important calls and in one-on-ones. Another employee had an issue with a sexist manager, they said, “My boss dominates over female team members. He will blatantly talk over women when trying to make his point.”

Over 20 percent of employees felt their manager was distant and disconnected or disorganized and forgetful. One employee pointed out how a manager’s disconnection with the team resulted in issues with workloads and pushed employees to the brink of burnout, they said, “Because she is so disconnected to the daily workflow and details, she continually piles on extra work. We have multiple team members headed to burnout including one who has already had a medical episode brought on by work stress and tension.”

How to Handle Management Issues

Employees openly discuss issues with managers amongst one another (or with researchers like VitalSmarts), but why aren’t they bringing these issues up to HR? Employees most commonly gave five answers:

Speaking up would offend their manager (47%)
Speaking up would cause their boss to retaliate (41%)
They don’t know how to bring it up (41%)
Speaking up would hurt their career (39%)
The culture doesn’t support people who speak up (38%)

Most of the reasons employees gave for not addressing an issue with a manager point to an absence of process. Without a clear procedure for reporting issues with management, employees feel bringing attention to the issue leaves them vulnerable and puts their job at risk. Establishing a formal process for reporting an issue with a manager isn’t enough to prompt employees to address shared complaints. There needs to be a cultural change as well. When introducing a new or improved process for reporting management issues it’s important for leaders to stress that feedback is encouraged and that those who give it will be protected from retaliation.

More on Employee Management:

Is Rehiring a Former Employee a Good Idea?

How to Make Traditional Work Better for Freelancers

What’s Wrong With Wellness Program Incentives?

How to Improve Gender Diversity in the Workplace

Zombie Employees: Who Are They and What Do You Need to Know?

4 Modern Office Design Trends to Watch

by LizStevens | Mar 12, 2019 | Blog

4 Modern Office Design Trends to Watch in 2019. The future of office design will focus on sustainability, incorporating artificial intelligence and mobilizing the global workforce.

The digital revolution is changing the priorities of office design.

Forget the long-fought battle between the open office and the cubicle. The future of office design will focus on sustainability, incorporating artificial intelligence and mobilizing a global workforce, according to Future Offices.

Artificial Intelligence is the Top Office Design Trend

Artificial intelligence (AI) can enable improved modeling capabilities and optimize building construction, but it will also change the goals of office design. Offices will increasingly need virtual technology, like touchscreens and other interfaces, to facilitate human/bot interactions as workers across all industries and functions start to work closely with artificial intelligence each day.

Ambient Technology in Office Design Trends

AI-powered ambient intelligence will be used to identify where employees are in the office, what they’re working on, and then adapt to their needs. Future Offices uses this example to explain: “If a person is working on a complex task, the system will automatically adjust the lighting and temperature to promote deep concentration. If a lively meeting is going on, the room will adjust its settings to promote alertness.”

Ambient intelligence has benefits well beyond productivity and wellness. In potentially hazardous workspaces, like factories and hospitals, it could identify workers who violate safety rules or are at risk for injury and alert them.

How Office Design Will Support Globalized Workforce

The rise of wireless devices, shared interfaces, and collaborative software means the traditional conference room has become obsolete. Coupled with the rise of flexible work arrangements and remote work options, offices will require less space in general. Workers will transition in and out of the physical office and workspaces will need to have the agility to accommodate them.

Sustainable Office Design Trends

Environmentally friendly office design is good for business. It’s a potential differentiator when it comes to winning the war for talent and eco-friendly choices such as natural lighting, Biophilia, and non-toxic building materials have been scientifically proven to increase worker productivity. Energy efficient savings add up in business, between 2015 and 2018, LEED-certified buildings in the U.S. are estimated to have $1.2 billion in energy savings.

Filings for green construction related patents (i.e. renewable energy sources, “green” lighting, energy efficient HVAC systems) have tripled over the past decade and are expected to become the norm by 2030.

More on Office Trends:

Why You Need to Train Employees for Future Tech

2 Simple Strategies to Improve Office Culture

Are Employees Who Work From Home Happier?

The Truth is Open Offices Aren’t Really Collaborative

10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Office Culture

How Bad Is the Student Loan Crisis?

by LizStevens | Mar 5, 2019 | Blog

How bad is the student loan crisis? Student loan assistance is becoming a popular employee benefit for employers who want to help workers reduce financial stress from student loan debt.

Over 70 percent of Millennials say they’ve delayed decisions like buying a home or having children because of their student loan debt, according to a recent survey by Bankrate.

“There’s a huge toll being taken on individuals and the U.S. economy from the growing burden of student loan debt,” said Bankrate’s Senior Economic Analyst Mark Hamrick. “For the huge slice of the American population with debt, it is necessary to juggle competing goals including saving for emergencies and retirement as well as major life decisions.”

Student Loan Debt Regret

Nearly 80 percent of Millennials would have approached their college finances differently in hindsight. More than half of Millennials would have applied for more scholarships than they did. Others would have attended a cheaper university, opted for community college or trade school, or majored in a different field.

“Many families are now striking out to investigate college campuses as they begin studies this fall,” said Hamrick. “For those prospective students and their families, many of who will help them to pay for their secondary education, we’d urge them to investigate all possible options for financial aid including scholarships to limit their borrowing.” He goes on to suggest: “Their options also include attending a lower-cost school such as those in-state as well as more economical trade schools and community colleges.”

Families can help children approaching college make better decisions about student loans now, but what about the Americans splitting the $1.5 trillion in student loan debt the U.S. has already generated who aren’t meeting milestones or saving for retirement?

Employee Student Loan Assistance

Employers are coming up with solutions to help employees pay down student loan debt and get back on track with saving for retirement. Some companies are allowing workers to transfer up to five days of paid time off for payments against student loan debt. Other programs offer student loan refinancing or allow employers to match employee 401(k) contributions with student loan repayments.

Lawmakers are working to expand existing legislation that allows companies to offer up to $5,250 in tax-free tuition reimbursements to include $5,250 in tax-free student debt relief for workers in an attempt to further motivate employers to offer student loan assistance benefits.

Student loan debt assistance is still a new benefits offering, but it’s developing rapidly to meet the need to address the $1.5 trillion issue that’s stressing Americans out and keeping them from financial security.

More on Employee Student Loan Debt:

Employee Student Loan Debt: 10 Things You Need To Know, Part One

Employee Student Loan Debt: 10 Things You Need To Know, Part Two

Student Debt Financial Stress Haunts Millennials and Older Workers, Too

What Tops Financial Stress for Employees?

The Student Debt Crisis is Growing and Affecting Your Workforce. What Can You Do?

2 Simple Strategies to Improve Office Culture

by LizStevens | Feb 26, 2019 | Blog

2 simple strategies to improve office culture. Poor company culture is one of the main reasons employees look for new job opportunities. Improve workplace culture and boost job satisfaction and retention in the process.

8 in 10 employees are likely to search for a new job after just one bad day at work, according to a study by Addison Group, a professional services and staffing firm.

Over 80 percent of workers say poor office culture is the main reason they would look for new job opportunities.

“With the job market being as competitive as it is, those who are currently employed know they can go elsewhere to find something better if they aren’t happy with their current situation,” said Tom Moran, CEO of Addison Group.

“We all have our good and bad days, but what employers can control is how they are treating and interacting with employees, how much they’re investing in their career progression plans, and how they are choosing to accurately match their salary and benefits packages to mirror what their employees want.”

Where Do Office Culture Problems Start?

Research by PwC identified the tones set by the executive team and middle management as the primary drivers of poor workplace cultures. More than 60 percent of directors use gut feelings to evaluate company culture, but only 30 percent of directors believe it to be a useful approach. Hearing from employees through employee engagement survey results, exit interview debriefs, or 360-degree feedback results for executives are the most useful metrics for evaluating office culture.

2 Strategies to Improve Office Culture

Consider Office Culture Fit When Hiring

When new employees are hired there’s an inevitable shift in the company culture as everyone adjusts. Certain personalities work well together and others simply don’t. It’s impossible to determine with certainty whether or not a new hire will be a good fit, but there are a few ways employers can evaluate candidates during the interview process. For example, by including questions for them from the team, or by having candidates spend a few minutes conversing with their potential workers as a part of their interview, employers can get a snapshot of how they might interact on the job.

Limit Focus on Short-Term Results

Excessive focus on short-term performance and hitting performance targets in compensations plans can contribute to poor company culture, according to PwC. Employees can feel pressured and overwhelmed when there’s an excessive focus on short-term performance, lowering their job satisfaction, risking burnout, and potentially causing them to look for other job opportunities. Short-term results are valuable, but zooming out a bit might be a better strategy if it means improving long-term retention.

More on Improving Office Culture:

10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Office Culture

You Need to Focus on Improving Retention. Here’s How:

Is Rehiring a Former Employee a Good Idea?

How to Improve Gender Diversity in the Workplace

How to Make Traditional Work Better for Freelancers