EMPLOYEE / LABOR RLATIONS

Item # ELR1 - At-the-Worksite, Employer-Controlled-as-to-Amount, Paycheck Advance ATM (and Optional HR Portal) to Prevent Pay Day Loan Store Rip-Offs                                                  

On average 33% of US Workers need Improved Cash Flow and are Using High-Priced (i.e. 15% to 17% of the Paycheck or a 700% APR ) Alternative Financial Services Providers (AFSP) like Pay Day Loan Stores. Via Daily Payroll Interface, this At-the-Worksite ATM, allows Employees to take Employer-Controlled-as-to-Amount, Cash Advances against Accrued Pay. They can also conduct Traditional ATM Type Transactions and at Employer’s Option, Access Desired HR Portal Type Information. With 300 Employees having Access per Machine, there is No Cost to the Employer and Employees pay 3 to 4 Times less than with an AFSP

Item # ELR2 - Adjustable Benefits, Defined Benefit Plan with Low to No Volatility for the Plan Sponsor (U.S.Only)                       

Participants in DC Plans are saddled with Investment, Mortality and other Risks. Additionally, DC Plans do not offer any Type of Attraction and Retention Value for the Employer when trying to hire and retain Talent. This creates a “Lose/Lose” Proposition. This New Type of Defined Benefit Plan has little to no Contribution Volatility nor does it create any Unfunded Liabilities of Significance as the Participants’ Annual Benefit Accruals are adjusted as needed so as to create Financial Stability. The Plan can be funded with Employer Contribution Dollars that get redirected from an Existing DC Plan or from a Modified / Terminated Existing DB Plan. Surveys have shown Employees are attracted to and stay with Employers that offer some Form of True Retirement Income Security. This Plan thus creates a “Win/Win” Scenario        

Item # ELR3 - Broadest Medicare Supplement Plan Insurance Exchange to Provide Better or New Benefits at Lower Costs For Both Employers and Retirees (U.S. Only)                                 

The spread of Risk across the Entire Medicare population is Larger than the Spread across the Employer’s Own population thereby making a Broad Medicare Supplement insurance Exchange more Cost Effective for all Involved. This Insurance Exchange provides 100% Guaranteed-Issue Coverage across 65 Insurance Companies with over 100,000 Different Policies. Enrollment, Communication, Service Center, HRA admin for both Pre and Post-Age 65 Populations, etc. are all Outsourced to Vendor. Retirees Win by having a Lower Premium and /or Better Benefits. Employers win by realizing a Potentially Reduced FASB/ GASB OPEB Liability (-20% to -40%) and improved Cash Flow for Funded Plans and /or offering a No-Cost New Benefit in Cases where No Funding is Available  

Item # ELR4 – Insourced Healthcare Plan (And Optionally, Rx and Dental) Claims Audit Tool for Continuous Internal Use by Union Health Care Plans

Errors such as Duplicate Payments, Lack of Medical Necessity, Missed Third Party Liability, Unbundling, Upcoding, Out-of-Network, Reasonable and Customary Non-Compliance, Modifier Abuse, Payment of Excluded Services, Payments above Limits, etc. are still all Too Common. This Proprietary, Intelligent and Highly Selective Auditing Software allows Employers to audit their own Healthcare Claims against their Benefit Plan Language. It Covers over 90 Categories of Pre-Defined Medical Claims Concerns and includes Licensed and Imbedded Industry Standard Medical Codes (e.g. CPTs, ICD-9s, and others). A Robust Reporting Engine includes many Pre-Defined Reports that can render easily in PDF or Excel. With Industry Healthcare Claim Errors Typically in the Range of 1 – 3 % of Paid Claims, this Software can result in a Significant ROI – Anywhere from 1X to 5X

 

Item # ELR5– Insourced Healthcare Plan Dependent Eligibility Audit Tool for Continuous Internal Use by Union Health Care Plans



Despite the new Healthcare Law, Systematizing an Ongoing Process to ferret out Ineligible Participants as they occur makes Sense. This Proprietary Software Tool is used internally by the Employer to conduct Audits from Start to Finish. Functionality includes Importing Data, fixing it if Necessary and verifying that Data is correct and Without Inconsistencies. The System Contains 50+ Separate Verification Checks just to get the Data Ready for Audit and it provides a Complete Set of Forms and Reports that get Auto-Filled and managed throughout the audit cycle. The Software is highly customizable and can accommodate any Plan Language Provisions. Various Management and Tracking Reports are available, in PDF or Excel, in Real-Time.

 

Item # ELR6 - "25 Year Cycle Big Idea" for Strengthening Employee Relations so as to Drive Engagement, Productivity and Profitability



In most organizations, communication is management centric creating a top down, "we vs. them" employee relations environment causing employee mistrust, ill-gotten rumors and a lack of employee input for improving the workplace conditions. This management-driven process consists of 5 simple to use and understand yet highly effective modules that have been developed based on 40+ years of employee relations experience designed to learn about and address what employees want. The modules reverse communication flows by making them employee centric with an overarching goal of making the organization a "better place to work ". They include company information sharing meetings, one-on-ones to develop mutual trust, employee performance influencing, early warning on workplace issues from identified opinion leaders and solutions teams to solve workplace problems. Concise reports allow HR to monitor progress and compliance with modules as designed. This process increases employee engagement, retention and performance, helps maintain union free environment, reduces employee litigation, optimizes employee's contributions and makes supervisors confident leaders of people



 

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Item # ELR7 - Pre-Employment Assessment to Screen out Candidates Not Likely to Perform Well in "High-Performance" Environments



Some Employment Candidates do not understand the Requirements of the Competitive Business World and the Fact that the Business's Needs may sometimes supersede the Employees' own Needs so as to keep the Company Competitive and Viable. In Addition to Assessing Basic Work Skills, this 20/30 Minute On-Line (or Paper and Pencil) Test assesses Attitudes and Beliefs about Working in a High Performance Environment such as Taking Personal Responsibility for ensuring Quality and improving Productivity, working Effectively and Collaboratively (as
appropriate) with Co-workers, Supervisors and Managers, and responding Effectively to Change and Continuous Process Improvement. The result is a more Top-to-Bottom Collaborative Working Environment

 

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Item # ELR8  - Reasonably Priced, Specialized Labor Relations Consultancy to Support Organizations that Have No In-house Resources or that do have In-House Resources but Require Strategic Labor Relations Advice and Guidance 

 

Managing within the current organized labor environment requires multi-pronged skills and knowledge of creative solutions which may not exist within the employer’s own organization.  This 25+ years experienced consultant having worked in positions ranging from on site manufacturing labor specialist to Global Labor Executive for multinational firms, supports all facets of labor relations.  Has had direct hands-on experience with the UAW, IAM, IBEW, Teamsters, Steelworkers, etc. and has led discussions with unions and /or works councils in the UK, Mexico, Germany, Belgium, Italy, China and South Africa. Services include day-to-day contract administration; initial negotiations for a new company/bargaining units; Chief Spokesperson for contract negotiations; Arbitration and Mediation preparation plus Labor Cost and Footprint Strategy Development. Results include a significant savings over using an outside law firm and potential cost avoidance from paying undue compensation and benefits

 

Item# ELR9 – Software for Projecting and Analyzing Labor Costs for Collective Bargaining, Workforce Planning, Budgeting and Mergers and Acquisitions 

 


Employers and Labor Organizations calculating and projecting labor costs for collective bargaining, workforce planning, budgeting and mergers and acquisitions most often use error-prone, complicated and frequently disconnected spreadsheet models. This unique software solution produces enhanced accuracy and insight with greater speed and ease of use than a spreadsheet model can. The software has been in continuous development for over 20 years, improved with the input of hundreds of experts in all industries.  Software users enter current provisions and practices related to compensation plans, work rules, time-off allowances, employee benefit contributions and legislated payments. Clicking on each of these categories produces a refined drop-down menu of items, enabling the entry of multiple rules and limitless proposals to change them. Cost projections include consideration of workforce dynamics such as historical or predicted turnover rates, changes in headcount and employees’ changing lengths of service.  Forecasts are provided for up to 10 years. Robust reporting capabilities allow instant customization for various constituencies.  The software license includes tailored training and unlimited telephone and internet support for 12 months.  The software provides better analysis and overall decision-making at all levels of the organization.

 

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Item# ELR10 - Tool for Developing or Improving Positive Employee Relations (PER)

 

In some organizations, the phrase “People are our most important asset” can be just a hollow slogan if it lacks top management’s commitment and is not translated into a guiding principal that affects every facet of the organization’s employee relations effort. This comprehensive assessment tool developed over 25+ years with continuous refinement consists of over 40 questions to be answered by the employer.  It covers all facets of PER, both internal and external to the organization and at all levels of the organization where processes and actions can make an impact. Results can include increased employee engagement, improved customer satisfaction, and improvements in the organization’s financials.   

 

Item# ELR11 - Tool for Assessing the Employer’s Conflict Resolution Program

 

Destructive internal conflicts resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external / internal demand can inflict emotional distress or cause physical harm, contribute to workplace violence and energize unlawful discrimination and harassment. On the contrary, constructive conflicts can stimulate new ways of thinking and create new problem solving approaches. This comprehensive assessment tool developed over 25+ years with continuous refinement consists of over 80 questions to be answered by the organization so as to analyze current conflict resolution programs which can range from informal “open door” policies to mediation and mandatory arbitration. The assessment helps the employer to develop or revise policies and procedures that are responsive to the organization’s business, EEO requirements, diversity objectives and corporate culture.  

 

 

Item# ELR12 - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Survey for Assessing Employee Engagement and Organizational Health & Effectiveness

 

Organizations can face significant challenges if their diverse employees feel excluded, abused and discriminated against due to their gender, sexual orientation, ethnic backgrounds, religious preferences, age, race, etc. Such employees may fear their direct manager and co-workers and even going to work each day in terms of their development and growth opportunities, compensation levels and fair treatment. Such circumstances can be highly disruptive to organizational effectiveness and can drive down employee engagement, satisfaction, morale, performance, productivity and mental / physical health. This survey tool enables employers to assess the specific issues that are negatively impacting employee engagement, equity and inclusion experiences across a wide range of employee demographics. Respondents can anonymously identify the problems, barriers, challenges, cultural issues and conditions they face daily in their survey ratings and comments so as to pinpoint departments, locations and employee groups that are in need of change.  Armed with such information, the employers can address the issues by developing new programs /changing current ones, revising current processes and / or creating new ones, improving communications, etc.