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4th Quarter Newsletter

20 17your

HELPING YOUR EMPLOYEES MASTER THEIR MONEY

Congratulations toWorkplace Option’s First-Ever National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coaches

Stories from the Front:Response to the Central Mexico Earthquake

Crisis Response to Recent Hurricane

5 Questions with Betty, Grace, and Linda—WPO China

FINANCIAL FITNESS

FINANCIAL STRESS BY THE NUMBERS

HELPING FINANCIAL FITNESS

48%

85%

YOUR EMPLOYEES MASTER THEIR MONEYUnderstanding the stress and distractions your employees experience as they wrestle with the overwhelming world of personal finance can help you find the solutions necessary to support them. Younger workers may be trying to repay student loans while dreaming of homeownership. Mid-career employees can be caught in the “sandwich” of financially support-ing their children and aging parents. Some women are trying to catch up their retirement savings after having child-care related employment gaps. Any employee may be struggling with debt and credit challenges. By providing tools, education, and guidance on these and other topics, you can help employees reduce stress, regain focus, and create a better sense of financial wellness.

79%

A national survey of full-time employees commissioned by Workplace Options in May 2017 showed some startling figures about employees and their personal finances.

• When surveyed about whether they felt stress or anxiety about their personal financial situation, nearly half (48%) of respondents indicated a significant or moderate amount of stress.

• More than three-fourths (79%) of respondents believe stress or anxiety caused by a financial situation can impact a person’s ability to do their job, while 36% feel that financial stress has already impacted their ability to do their job.

• Beyond the stress and anxiety impacting work performance, 85% of respondents reported spending time during work managing or dealing with their personal finances. Of the 18-to-29 age group, 38% report managing or dealing with personal finances “multiple times per week” during the work day, compared to 18% or less from all other age groups surveyed.

• As reported in 2016, Finding the Links Between Retirement, Stress and Health, Lockton Retirement Services found that employees reporting high levels of stress were more than four times as likely to suffer from symptoms of fatigue, headaches, depression, or other ailments. They were also twice as likely to report poor health overall, leading to more sick days, increased absenteeism, and decreased productivity.

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YOUR EMPLOYEES MASTER THEIR MONEY

Younger Workers Feeling the StrainEmployees surveyed in the 18-to-29 age group experienced higher levels of stress resulting from their personal financial challenges. In the previously mentioned survey, 58% of workers under the age of 30 said they were moderately or significantly stressed about their financial situation. These numbers are even more impactful when considering that 86% of this age group reported using work hours to handle their financial matters.

As many millennials deal with the competing financial stressors of student loan debt and the desire to purchase a home and start a family, it’s no wonder such large numbers are feeling anxiety about their money.

Despite struggling more than other age groups, the 18-to-29 age group is the least likely group to seek out professional assistance for their stress or financial issues. Perhaps this is due to lack of experience and knowledge of where to turn, or because the tools available to them do not meet the needs of this digitally driven, feedback-oriented demographic.

How You Can HelpIt’s clear that there are a lot of employees who could use some help with their personal finances. It’s also clear that helping employees goes beyond the altruistic. There are real costs associated with the stress, distraction, and missed time that go along with financial worries. The challenge is to make the help meaningful and accessible to your employees. The survey showed that 41% of employees believe that their employer provides support, assistance, or benefits to employees seeking financial information. They go on to indicate which topics they’d find most useful and practical:

• 18%, managing debt• 18%, tax issues• 12%, monthly bills or expenses• 36%, saving for retirement• 5%, saving for children’s future• 11%, something else

While salary increases for the entire organization might seem like a great way to improve employees’ financial wellbeing, it’s not a realistic option for most employers. Also, in many cases, it wouldn’t address the core challenges that many people have with their personal finances: They were simply never taught how to master their money.

Expand Beyond the Retirement PlanMost employers who offer a retirement plan to their employees have some basic education in place, typically through the retirement plan administrator. This can be helpful in guiding motivated employees through decisions on how to allocate their retirement funds, at least at the time they begin the plan. It doesn’t address the day-to-day financial challenges employees face, however, that can keep them from contributing in the first place. With 78% of working Americans living paycheck to paycheck (according to an August 2017 CareerBuilder report), asset allocation advice may not be a top priority.

Some families don’t have any emergency savings to fall back on in times of financial crisis, and for many, this is a primary source of financial stress. This can cause many to consider high-cost financial products, like salary advance loans, to help bridge the gap. These expensive products typically only add to the financial stress. When this becomes extreme, payroll administrators may find themselves processing wage garnishments for employees with unpaid debt. Other employees may want to borrow from a retirement plan in order to get through a tough financial time. This can be a burden on a benefits team and costly for the employee.

Making money management advice and education available to all employees can help them establish a savings plan and understand the costs involved with alternative methods of handling a financial crisis. Even employees not in crisis can benefit from an objective financial review to help find clarity in their spending and savings, including for long-term goals like college for the kids.

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Formalize Your Financial Education ProcessJennifer Wallis, VP of marketing for Retirement Investment Advisors, recalls working with organizations to establish workplace financial wellness programs to help reduce borrowing from retirement plans. “One employer was tired of their employees borrowing from their 401(k) plans, because they felt like they weren’t really using that money for hardships. They started requiring that all employees who wanted to borrow from their retirement plan must attend a budget counseling session and a money management workshop. They saw an 85% drop in employees borrowing from their plans. In most cases, the employees went through the counseling and class and decided that they could find other options for the money so their retirement savings stayed put.”

Wallis also described an employer’s success with group education. “It was a series of classes on budgeting, debt management, credit reports, and investing. The employer gave a $50 incentive to employees who completed the workshop series. They believed that financial wellness made better employees, because they were less stressed, received fewer collection calls at work so they were more focused on work, and happier at home because they weren’t feeling overwhelmed by money issues.”

While group education and one-on-one coaching are very effective tools for improving financial literacy and investment fluency, many employees, particularly younger employees, respond to online educational tools. Financial calculators; retirement savings projection models; common legal forms related to finance, such as power of attorney and living will documents; and even financial gamification are some of the benefits that Workplace Options offers that can meet the needs of self-paced digital learners.

By pairing more basic financial literacy education and tools with advice and guidance on effective retirement planning, you can reach many of your employees at their point of need, alleviating some of their stress and allowing them to refocus on their job.

.

Make Using Your Retirement Plan EasierA 401(k) or other employer-based retirement plan can be a great financial planning tool. However, it only works if employers contribute to it. In recent years, there’s been a trend toward making retirement plan contributions an “opt out” benefit rather than one an employee would “opt into.” For an opt-out plan, the employer automatically enrolls employees into the plan and makes contributions out of their paycheck on their behalf, excluding only those who specifically opt out of the program. Because getting started on a savings plan is often the hardest part, employers who set the

plan up in such a way that it takes more effort to stop saving than to start, see more employee participation.

Encourage Understanding of Credit Reports and Identity TheftEvery U.S. citizen over 18 has the right to check his or her credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies once a year at no cost through www.annualcreditreport.com. For some international insight on the topic, see this 2012 Huffington Post article: How Do Credit Scores Work in Other Countries? Past credit damage and credit reporting errors can hold back an employee’s career advancement if his or her credit rating is part of the hiring or promotion process. A solid credit history can certainly help

with the path to homeownership as well. Homeowners are less likely to be transient than renters, which can aid in employee retention. Encouraging employees to check their credit reports annually can help them resolve problems before they become overwhelming.

Credit problems are not the only major issues that consumers can uncover by checking their credit reports. With identity theft such a pervasive problem, it’s not uncommon for people to discover, when checking their credit reports, that someone is using their identity. Providing education, tools, and even identity theft protection services to employees not only arms them with the knowledge and support they need to protect themselves from the hassle and expense of identity theft—which can add up to significant lost productivity—but can protect your organization as well. It can reduce the risk of corporate identity theft, as a better educated employee will be less likely to engage in risky behavior with corporate email or other sensitive systems.

The employer gave a $50 incentive to employees who completed the workshop series. They believed that financial wellness made better employees because they were less stressed.

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WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR EMPLOYEES’ FINANCIAL WELLBEING• Promote financial wellbeing services available

through Workplace Options’ Financial benefit.

• Have a process to refer struggling employees to financial counseling.

• Take advantage of your organization’s intranet to prominently place online financial tools, calculators, and resources.

• Use company-wide communications to ensure your employees understand all of their employee benefits; often what gets covered in new-employee orientation is overwhelming and easily forgotten.

• Include financial education content in company newsletters and employee blogs.

• Offer “lunch and learn” financial seminars or access to financial webinars.

• Be cognizant of different issues impacting different employees, making it necessary to deliver information in a variety of ways.

• Encourage employees to check their credit reports each year.

• Weigh the pros and cons of opt-out retirement plans.

• Offer referrals to identity theft prevention and recovery tools and services—available through Workplace Options’ Financial benefit.

• Maintain or access referral sources such as social service organizations, financial planners, and tax advisors —available through Workplace Options’ Work-Life benefit.

• Communicate! If your employees don’t know that you can help, they won’t know to ask.

Detweiler, G. (Updated 2012, September 30). How do credit scores work in other countries? Retrieved Decem-ber 17, 2017, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/creditcom/how-do-credit-scores-work_b_1723362.html

Hayes, L. (2017, August 24). Living Paycheck to Paycheck is a Way of Life for Majority of U.S. Workers, According to New CareerBuilder Survey. Retrieved December 17, 2017, from http://press.careerbuilder.com/2017-08-24-Living-Paycheck-to-Paycheck-is-a-Way-of-Life-for-Ma-jority-of-U-S-Workers-According-to-New-CareerBuilder-Survey

Hess, D. (2016). Finding the links between retirement, stress, and health. Retrieved December 17, 2017, from http://www.lockton.com/whitepapers/Finding_the_Links_Between_Retirement__Stress__and_Health.pdf

Workplace Options. (2017, July 25). Financial stress impacts job performance for more than one third of working Americans. Raleigh, NC: Author. Retrieved De-cember 17, 2017, from http://www.workplaceoptions.com/polls/financial-stress-impacts-job-performance

The International Consortium for Health & Wellness Coaching (ICHWC) is a leader in the advancement of science-based training, education, and research for health and wellness coaches worldwide. As health and wellness coaching has become more important to both businesses and individuals around the world, there has been a growing need to create standards and certifications on an international level.

The ICHWC has pioneered the advancement of health and wellness coaches with their volunteer team of U.S. leaders, but has not created any formal certification examinations until now. Recently, the ICHWC partnered with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and launched its first official standardized certification, called the National Board Certification for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBC-HWC) certifying examination.

The certifying examination is important for two main reasons. It provides for

• Consistency and standardization in the deliverables of health and wellness coaching

• A way to determine the degree of qualification among health and wellness coaches

“When looking at health and wellness benefits, one should consider provider credentials. Because coaching is a newer field than counseling, it does not have the same regulations or licensing, and anyone may refer to themselves as a ‘coach,’” stated Debbie Jongkind, vice president of global coaching services and wellness at Workplace Options. “Now the NBC-HWC certification can distinguish those coaches who meet a national standard for the field of health and wellness coaching.”

Alan King, president and chief operating officer of Workplace Options (WPO), has supported the company’s ongoing plan to invest resources in developing a global coach training program, which supports coaches in pursuing the new standard of NBC-HWC. King saw the value to WPO of creating an internal global health and wellness coach training aligned with the ICHWC, and bringing a high level of standards to an industry that hasn’t had licensing regulations.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO WPO’s FIRST-EVER NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED HEALTH AND WELLNESS COACHES

Pictured (in order

from left to right):

Julia Kim

Simone Horvitz

Joe Belanger

Martha Tempest

Caroline May

Ashley Miller

Debbie Jongkind

Not pictured:

Melissa Burgess

WPO’s internal coach education and training program, Live Well Wellness Global Coach Training, is an ICHWC-Approved Transition Program, which means that WPO’s coach training is aligned with the ICHWC’s standards, education, and training. All of WPO’s health and wellness coaches have completed this internal global coach training program.

“When Alan tasked me with creating an ICHWC-aligned health and wellness coach training, we discussed why this was important,” commented Jongkind. “We want to offer the best possible service we can. Among all health and wellness coaches worldwide, we have been at the top, based on these standards that our program follows.”

In order to take the health and wellness coach certifying examination from the ICHWC, a coach must meet a set of eligibility requirements. This includes completing an ICHWC-Approved Transition Program, such as WPO’s internal health and wellness coach training, and accumulating coaching experience prior to taking the exam. Eight WPO health and wellness coaches were able to successfully complete the first-ever examination and attain the NBC-HWC credential.

There are around 50 organizations that have ICHWC- Approved Transition Programs, with the majority being split between academic credit programs and private sector programs for external training. There are only a handful of organizations like WPO, which have an approved transition program for internal training. This has given our health and wellness coaches a standardized plan for education and

training, based on research and scientific conclusions of effectiveness. WPO sees opportunities to ensure that services are to the highest standard with the NBC-HWC credential.

Per the ICHWC, coaches who complete the certification of NBC-HWC are measured and tested “based upon a set of competencies for appropriately developing the coaching relationship, communication

techniques, processes for behavior change, health and wellness knowledge, ethics and professional development, and more.”

“The significance of this is that any client company we work with can confidently know they are receiving the highest level of health and wellness coaching from our certified coaches,” added Jongkind. “The certification allows us to position ourselves as a leader in the industry, that we have attained the highest-possible certification in the health and wellness coaching field.”

...ANY CLIENT COMPANY WE WORK WITH CAN CONFIDENTLY

KNOW THEY ARE RECEIVING THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF

HEALTH AND WELLNESS COACHING FROM OUR CERTIFIED COACHES

Debbie Jongkind

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Stories

from the front CRISIS

RESPONSE

TRAUMA PROFESSIONALS PROVIDE SERVICES ON-SITE THROUGHOUT CENTRAL MEXICO September 19th is a date that has been remembered by citizens of Mexico ever since a devastating earthquake occurred on that day in 1985. This date has since been used as a national day of remembrance, with emergency disaster simulations and evacuations,

to prepare citizens for future events. When an actual earthquake began just a few hours after the annual drill on September 19, 2017, many citizens first thought it was a continuation of the exercise. By the time the earthquake had ended, 20 seconds after it started, many citizens were left searching for loved ones, wondering if their homes were still standing, and beginning to cope with the situation’s circumstances during its aftermath.

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CENTRAL MEXICO

EARTHQUAKE

Stories

from the front

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“For many younger individuals currently in the workforce, they didn’t experience the 1985 earthquake. They heard about it from others, and they participate in the annual training drills. They will have a different reaction than those who did experience the 1985 earthquake, and that is significant to understanding the best way to help these people,” stated Mary Ellen Gornick, senior vice president of global products.

In the midst of a traumatic situation, individuals may experience • Denial or disbelief • Fear, anxiety, depression • Grief • Difficulty focusing, confusion • Flashbacks of the event • Nausea, loss of appetite • Insomnia, lack of sleep

Workplace Options provided services to help mitigate and prevent symptoms such as these. Everyone deals with trauma differently, and there are many ways to process it. But if trauma is not treated, people may require more long-term mental health care services.

When asked about WPO offering global critical incident support, Gornick commented, “The significance is immeasurable. Being able to step in and assist anywhere in the world to provide mental health recovery services to those who need it, when they need it, helps offset negative effects of trauma. For many individuals, this is the first step towards mental health recovery after a disaster.”

WPO assisted employees from numerous companies with on-site critical incident support. Trauma professionals worked with employees, managers, and family members to educate on multiple levels and topics involving trauma relief, including • Psychoeducation on coping with trauma following natural disasters

• Trauma responses • Review of symptoms, emotional reactions • Discussion of coping strategies for self-care • Guidance regarding resilience, relaxation, and when to seek additional help • How parents can talk to their children

Knowing the importance of quick action when it comes to the treatment of trauma after a disaster,

WPO continued to assist through different mediums. In addition to on-site support, WPO offered online support in the form of webinars and continued telephonic assistance, to reinforce established critical incident services and reach even more affected lives.

During this initial and immediate response, WPO also put together a resource guide for companies and employees in Mexico who may have been affected by the earthquake. This resource guide was made available in four different language variants (U.S. English, global English, U.S. Spanish, and Latin American Spanish) and

accessible to anyone who established a line of communication looking for disaster recovery assistance. Some of the topics in the resource guide included • Emergency shelter • Disaster recovery resources, including clothing, food, family assistance programs • Missing persons locators • Donation collection centers • Helpful articles for education on recovery

For all of the companies and employees receiving assistance, WPO was able to prevent or reduce some of the workforce disruption that typically follows large natural disasters and events of massive destruction. Available ongoing support continues to be utilized for longer-term solutions even months after the earthquake has ended.

SEPT. 19, 2017 EARTHQUAKE BY THE NUMBERS

magnitude

killed

injured

buildings collapsed

7.13706,000+

40

August and September marked some of the worst hurricane destruction in recent history in the United States and the Caribbean. Hurricane Harvey, the first of a group of major hurricanes, ripped through the southwestern region of the United States, and after record flooding, left many in Texas stranded, homeless, and without power.

Hurricane Irma was close behind, and its strength and wrath left unprecedented ruin in Florida and in several Caribbean countries. The force of Hurricane Maria then caused catastrophic damage, most notably in Puerto Rico as the island’s electrical grid was devastated, leaving 3.4 million residents without power, water, or a way to communicate within or outside the country.

The massive destruction caused by these hurricanes was frightening and shocking, and left many people feeling an unsettling loss of control. For those impacted, a long road of recovery lay ahead—physically, emotionally, and financially. Workplace Options’ support for people in the areas affected centered on helping manage feelings of stress and loss and providing emergency information for disaster relief organizations.

HARVEY AND IRMA—PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR THE U.S. MAINLAND

CRISIS RESPONSE TO RECENT

HURRICANES

Storiesfrom thefront

Immediately following Hurricane Harvey, Workplace Options delivered support in Texas to a multitude of companies and clients in the community. Over a three-week period, trauma professionals provided on-site small-group support and one-on-one support to give impacted employees the opportunity to share and process their experiences both during and immediately after the storm. These on-site counselors normalized employees’ reactions to this disaster and reminded them that emotional support was available through their EAP for continued care and future needs.

Practical coping strategies were imparted to employees along with the encouragement to make use of their support systems and to be mindful of warning signs of excessive stress. Resource guides outlining the benefits available to employees were given, along with a comprehensive list of local services and organizations that assist those recovering from natural disasters.

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Devastating events like these really provide an opportunity for us to show the value of what we do,” said Alan King, president and chief operating officer. “In the hours and days following these hurricanes, people needed immense help. For those reaching out, we were a lifeline. People in the midst of perhaps the greatest turmoil they have ever faced were met with our team’s immediate re-assurance and confidence that they would be given the support and resources needed to move through this chaos. Anywhere in the world, we are going to be able to respond to a request for help, and be that lifeline, within 30 minutes.

The response from the world was swift,” said Mary Ellen Gornick, senior vice president global products. “Everyone wanted to come quickly to help, but be-cause of the communication lines being down and roads being affected, we faced a challenge in arranging help to be effective. We had to be very creative in terms of how we could respond.

The aftermath of Hurricane Irma left many people in Florida with severely damaged homes and businesses and without power for extended periods. Resource information was quickly distributed and included assistance programs; lodging availability; food banks; road conditions, evacuations, and closures; and even information about an airline offering special reduced rates for flights out of Florida for people impacted by the hurricane. Resource information for employees was available in not only English and U.S. Spanish, but also Latin American Spanish.

MARIA A GLOBAL SUPPORT PRESENCE The widespread loss of power in Puerto Rico posed a unique issue in providing support to employees there. Several clients with facilities in different parts of the island were struggling to get back online and wanted to have support for their employees, but it took time for employees to even be able to reach their job sites. There was no guarantee that, even if affiliate counselors

were able to get to the sites to provide trauma support, employees would be there. At the same time, affiliate counselors in Puerto Rico were affected personally by the tragedy and were giving support to their own families, so it took some time for them to be in a position to be able to provide support to clients.

Due to the loss of phone and web access, support information was communicated via mail and included tip sheets compiled with any and all emergency contact numbers specific to each zone in Puerto Rico. Resource guides were quickly printed and mailed, and resources were immediately pulled together and made available in four language variants (U.S. English, Global English, U.S. Spanish, and Latin American Spanish) for residents of Puerto Rico. Information included contact information for the Red Cross, FEMA, medical centers, food banks, public utilities, and financial assistance. The same information was provided also to employees in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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In the summer of 2017, Workplace Options announced the open-ing of a new service center in Shanghai, China, and was fortunate enough to hire three exceptional individuals in that location.

We caught up with Betty, Grace, and Linda for this edition’s installment of Five Questions:

Before joining the WPO family, what has your professional background been?

Betty: I have a master’s degree in economics and psychology, and before joining WPO, I worked in a local EAP company for 10 years. All my professional experience has been in the EAP field, including sales, account management, training, and counseling. These multiple experiences working in EAP have all helped me have a good understanding of the field.

Grace: I have worked in many different types of industries, including technology export, financial information, and mental health. I’ve held these positions in a variety of types of organizations, from a state-owned institution to a joint venture to foreign companies. There is one common thread in these jobs: the bridge work. I bridged between different cultures and practices, promoting understanding of diversities. I have worked in account management, sales, business management, consulting, training and translating, and editing. In my last job, I most enjoyed working collaboratively with my peers to build up the local EAP from scratch to a level of impressive national repute.

Linda: I have 30 years of working experience, 20 of which have been spent in the trading business field with MBA certification. I then spent 10 years in the training and consulting field with a focus in psychology study and training. When I began working in the EAP field in 2010, it was a totally new field to me and has provided very interesting experiences.

What is your role at WPO, and what led you to want to pursue this line of work?

Betty: My position is director of the China Service Center, and I love this job because it is quite different from my last job. WPO has different business and service models than local Chinese vendors; WPO also provides different products as well, which helps me better understand what a Chinese company really needs from an EAP service.

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5QUESTIONSWPO CHINA

Grace Ding Senior Consultant, Asia Market, Sales

Linda Fan Director, Global Training and Consulting Solutions

Betty Zhang Director, China Service Operations and Service Delivery Management

2Q

1Q

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Grace: Right now I am working under the title of Senior Consultant, a component of sales. I am currently also taking on some account management and marketing work. Our team here is attracted to WPO’s strong leadership, dynamic and entrepreneurial culture, and genuine interest in developing the China market, in which we have worked for ten years or more. I am very happy to be part of this big picture.

Linda: My role within WPO is director of training and consulting, Asia. This role is new to me, too, and I hope that I can have our training programs built into the people development system as a must-have for employees, rather than simply seen as a benefit.

What do you see as the major wellbeing challenges facing employees in China?

Betty: I’m finding that a lot of employees don’t work just to earn money anymore; they want their jobs to be fun. If they feel their jobs are boring, they will just say goodbye. Employers want to know how to get employees to stay in the company, but they don’t necessarily know what young people really want.

Grace: Stress management is still the major issue employees face in China. Stressors include heavy workload, long working hours, anxiety of coping with developing technology, and high expectations of job performance.

Linda: China employees are facing a very competitive situation, so in turn, they will need more practical support for their work-life balance.

How do you think WPO’s global infrastructure will positively impact our ability to help our clients in China?

Betty: WPO’s global network and products could support Chinese clients, especially expatriates, because there will be no language barriers for them. Our CallCopy system is very helpful to improve our service quality, and few local EAP companies offer this.

Grace: Due to our strong clinical team (including bilingual Chinese/English support in real time), the combined strength of our local and international response, and a comprehensive product offering, we provide a robust solution for Chinese employees.

Linda: Our global networks might be able to attract more big China enterprises as they are expanding their overseas business, especially with the Belt and Road initiative.

What are any trends involving employee wellbeing that you see happening in China?

Betty: Fitbits and the Apple watch are indeed popular in China these days. Mindfulness is another physical activity which is increasingly accepted and popular in China. Many people have problems with sleep, so there is increased interest in any wearables, services, or activities that help people sleep well.

Grace: Outdoor sports and indoor events are both more common now. We have a local version of the Fitbit device used to track activity levels, and participating in marathons is becoming a new fashion here. Also, following a proper diet is now of interest to many people.

Linda: Wellbeing at work is a trend. The need to have both physically and emotionally healthy opportunities in the workplace is becoming more and more important for employers to be able to offer their employees in China.

3Q

4Q

5Q

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