Benefits July 24, 2012

Many Commuters Text, Have Road Rage

July 25, 2012 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Workers may be fighting back more than sleep on the way to work, a study found.
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According to CareerBuilder, 58% of workers said they experience road rage at times while traveling to and from the office, similar to findings in 2006 when the study was last conducted. Nearly one in 10 workers (9%) who drive to work have gotten into a fight with another commuter.

The vast majority of workers (83%) said they typically drive to work and, of those, 12% reported they took a job with a longer commute during or post-recession. While road rage is more prevalent among those with lengthy commutes, workers with short trips to their jobs are not immune.

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Thirty-seven percent of workers with commutes of less than five minutes said they experience road rage from time to time. The same goes for 54% of workers with commutes of less than 10 minutes.

Women were more apt to feel road age – 61% compared with 56% of men. In terms of age groups, workers ages 25 to 34 were the most likely to experience road rage at 68%, while workers 55 and older were the least likely to experience it at 47%.

Nearly one in four workers (24%) who drive to work reported they have been involved in an accident. While a variety of factors contribute to accidents, cell phone use can be a culprit. Three in 10 workers (30%) admitted they have texted while driving to and from work.

Workers may have a more amicable commute over the summer months. While 10% of workers reported they tend to have more road rage in the summer, 17% tend to have less.

“Road rage is most often associated with running late and far commutes,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “Planning ahead and taking advantage of flexible work arrangements can help alleviate stress levels and set a more positive vibe for the workday.”

The study was conducted online by Harris Interactive from May 14 to June 4 and included more than 3,800 workers nationwide.

Products July 24, 2012

ING U.S. Rolls Out Retirement Savings Game

July 24, 2012 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - ING U.S. released a new mobile game application designed to help build investment and retirement planning awareness for consumers.
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The app, called STRUCT, allows players to work with various building materials that symbolize different investment categories — steel (cash), wood (bonds) and glass (stocks) — as they build increasingly complex towers, or “structs.” Three main characters, called the build crew, correspond to a unique investor style: aggressive, moderate and conservative. A fourth crew member is a wild card, representing both market opportunity and risk. Through crew selection and game objectives, metaphors about saving and investing are conveyed that parallel the concepts of risk, diversification, goals and achievement. Crew selection, a diversified strategy and material handling are critical to a player’s success.

Players of STRUCT are introduced to each of the 12 game levels by an instruction guide, which provides tips that challenge the player to work with different building material and crew members.  Each level brings new complexity, and the right combination of crew, material placement and speed helps the player score points and unlock achievements.  There are also surprise moves for players to discover — including breakage, bonus points and the ability to discard a crew member’s building material.  The “Build School” brings the metaphors to life, demonstrating how investor style and asset classes can impact the outcome, while the game’s glossary helps to build knowledge of key financial terms.

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 “We know many individuals need to do more when it comes to preparing for their retirement. Gaining greater awareness about accepted investing and saving principles is a critical part of that process,” said Rick Mason, president of corporate markets for ING U.S. Retirement. “ING U.S. is committed to developing effective ways that promote financial literacy and help consumers achieve positive retirement outcomes. By leveraging the popularity of mobile game apps, we believe STRUCT will entertain users while exposing them to important concepts.”

The app is available for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad  on the App Store. More information about the game is available here.

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