A peek into human resources departments post-2020

What do yoga and HR have in common? The necessity to practice flexibility and foster strong mental and physical health, according to Stephanie Parker, president and executive recruiter with TalentSpark. Parker’s concept kicked off the 2021 annual Human Resources Association of the Treasure Valley conference, a virtual two-day event that explored current changes and challenges — from an increased priority on mental health to the fluctuating cost of health care benefits — faced by employees and employers in the workplace.

Keynote speakers and leaders in local industry support businesses charismatically offered guidance to approximately 160 participants around promoting individual employee health, described as a benefit to any company. That might look like a human resources (HR) department using data to provide the most cost-effective, yet highest-quality health care options possible, or it could look like HR representatives and employees discussing accommodations in and out of the workplace.

Take a pause, though, and, like HRATV conference participants did, breathe in, deeply, then rest a moment.

“HR is so critical. Businesses are only as good as their people,” Parker said. “HR is really the champion of the people aspect of a business. I hope people felt inspired; hope they felt a sense of community; I hope they’ll consider getting involved in HRATV and I hope they walked away with the sense of how incredibly important their role is for any organization.”

Focus on data for employee benefit plans, talent

When asked what has been happening in the health care space with COVID-19, Lauren Trondle, sales executive for event sponsor Payne West (a northwest-based business with offices in Idaho), shared the following:

• Last year saw a 30-40% decrease in claims. Now, on the national level, HR is seeing an uptick in claims.
• Companies are giving caregiver benefits to employees caring for loved ones at home.
• “The data shows the pandemic took a toll on our mental health and well being.”

“And when we have poor mental health, it can also lead to additional health risks,” Trondle said. “We need to be shifting the conversation not only around cost…Work and life are no longer independent entities, but rather they are interconnected.”

Alliant Employee Benefits, another company with a Treasure Valley presence, further underscored the importance of data with presentations titled: “Why is data useful in employee benefit strategy,” “Using data to set a long term health and productivity strategy” (which includes talent and retention, and how to make employees their best) and “How data can be used to create strategy around pharmacy spend.”

“Our approach when we think about using data and developing that strategy is that culture of health,” said Jennifer Spence, Alliant VP and national director of health and productivity. “Most organizations have an even deeper understanding of the importance of employee health and well being…when it comes to managing the health care of your employee.”

Employers need to know legal requirements

Essentially, employers are held to regulations through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)  and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), but those regulations are not always clearly or readily understood.

“I want to start by saying I very much support the ADA and the FMLA and the role that HR professionals have in supporting employees who have medical conditions, whether it’s physical or mental health medical conditions,” said John Ashby, employment lawyer with local law firm Hawley Troxell.

Key takeaways include:

1. When an employee requests accommodations for a physical or mental health condition, HR, not the employee’s manager, should begin the mandatory “interactive process,” and although it doesn’t have to be called that in the initial meeting, Ashby suggests HR approach the conversation with “we are here to talk about what you need and what the company may or may not be able to do help you.” Ashby also suggests: don’t start the interactive process only to say to the employee “we can’t accommodate that.”
2. “We want our managers to manage the job performance, not the medical issue or the other issue underlying the problem.” Ashby advises managers to talk about what the employee feels their restrictions are and what they are having a hard time doing at work. Employers are required to make “reasonable accommodations,” (ADA) but those are not outlined and are up to the employer (this is where HR helps).
3. Never terminate employment until a job reassignment has been considered (what Ashby calls the “accommodation of last resort”).

“When an employee’s medical issues affect their job performance — that’s a struggle that I know HR professionals deal with regularly,” Ashby said. One of the trickiest situations to navigate, he said, is when employers feel they need to terminate an employee whose medical condition may or may not be a contributing factor to their poor job performance or issues they are having at work. Essentially, if an employee can’t meet the essential job functions outlined in their position, they can be terminated, according to Ashby. But, as shown, there are steps to take before that.

Closing remarks

Parker said she was really pleased with what event organizers referred to as the third iteration of the conference, which was initially planned for early, then later, 2020.

“It was really gratifying to see it come together; it felt more than a glorified Zoom meeting,” Parker said. “The content was really good too; it’s interesting to hear HR talks about risk taking, grit, mental toughness (and) rest. All that is really telling of what the profession went through in 2020.”

Conference presentations also included:

• “Caregiving Wellness & Long-Term Care in the Workplace”
• “The Great Re-set: Five Steps to Take Now”
• “Emotional Agility: Harnessing Hope, Passion and Agility in Times of Great Change”
• “Energy Management: The Leader’s Secret Weapon for Wellbeing” by local author Julie Compton
• “Mental Toughness…The One Driver of Certainty in Uncertain Times”
• “Mindset Deep Dive… Learn 3 Mental Toughness Tools to Implement and Move the Needle at Work and Home”
• “Ride the Roller Coaster: The Value of Risk-Taking in Leadership” by local author and entrepreneur Brooke Linville
• “What Super Solvers Know”

Parker invites HR industry stakeholders, which includes any company leader, to join HRATV, as more events are planned. Allied Employee Benefits, Ashby with Hawley Troxell, HRATV, Payne West and TalentSpark all offered to further serve as an industry resource outside the conference.

“You hear about the benefits of rest, of mindfulness in the workplace, to have (those) moments I hope gave HR professionals a sense of what it (could) be like if they took a rest in the middle of the day,” Parker said. “If you read the news, mental health is so important. People I think are thinking more about mental health in the workplace, last year more than ever before. So much has happened with the pandemic: caring for older parents, social unrest happening … there are lots of things happening I think people are thinking about.”