Benefits October 26, 2011

Canadian Employers Recognize Importance of Wellness Efforts

October 26, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The 2011 Buffett National Wellness Survey results show 97% of Canadian employers who offer wellness programs recognize that employee health influences overall corporate performance.
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While 72% of surveyed organizations indicate offering some sort of wellness initiatives to employees, only 34% of those respondents indicate they are taking a strategic approach to wellness.   

Organizations continue to embrace workplace wellness despite economic conditions (65%), with many (43%) looking to increase health and wellness activities in the next six months. According to a press release, financial measurement and return-on-investment are identified as being important, yet 64% of surveyed organizations that offer wellness initiatives do not evaluate results, and 69% do not calculate return-on-investment.   

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Employers identified the key barriers to offering workplace wellness programs as lack of budget (51%), lack of staffing (36%), and lack of ability to quantify results (36%). Only 10% of organizations indicate that they always offer incentives to encourage participation in wellness efforts, and 52% of organizations offer incentives at least some of the time.   

Canadian employers identified the top health risks facing employees in their organizations as: 

  • Work-related stress is (56% of respondents); 
  • Smoking (35%); 
  • Mental health issues (35%); and 
  • High blood pressure (35%).  

The 2011 Buffett National Wellness Survey was conducted over the spring and summer of 2011. A national sample of 677 Canadian employers participated in the online survey. Respondents represented public, private, and not-for-profit organizations ranging in size from less than 100 employees to those with more than 2,500 employees.

Benefits October 26, 2011

PA School District Settles Domestic Partner Lawsuit

October 26, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – The State College, Pennsylvania, Area School District will pay $42,500 to elementary school guidance counselor Kerry Wiessmann and her same-sex domestic partner to settle a lawsuit, reports Centre Daily Times. 

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The school board approved the settlement in a 9-0 vote. As part of the agreement, the district’s insurance provider will also pay $47,000 to cover the attorney fees for Wiessmann.

The vote closes a legal dispute that began in May (see K-12 School District Facing Bias Lawsuit) when Wiessmann filed a lawsuit against the district, alleging discrimination. According to the article, Wiessmann is an elementary school guidance counselor in the district, who jointly owns a home and is raising two children with her domestic partner, Beth G. Resko. The district would not provide Resko with health care benefits, but would do so for opposite-sex domestic partners.

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In July, the district and Wiessmann agreed to a consent order that dictated some of the terms the two sides would have to follow. The board approved providing benefits to all same-sex domestic partners that same month, states Centre Daily Times.

As part of the settlement, board members agreed to vote on a nondiscrimination policy, and they passed one in August with a 6-2 vote.

The final issue was how much Wiessmann was owed for damages, which was resolved through a mediation session held on October 13.

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