Health insurance industry, you just got disrupted. Titans Amazon, Berkshire, and JPMorgan announced this week they are forming an independent health care company for their employees. Their combined muscle will allow them to demand lower costs from health care providers and drug makers, and potentially change the employer-sponsored health care landscape in the process. If successful, the model could be expanded to all Americans. Benefits managers, keep your eyes on this one. Reuters
There’s a severe skills shortage out there, according to the Hays U.S. 2018 Salary Guide, and it’s affecting productivity, job satisfaction, and turnover. In this tight hiring market, it’s causing headaches for HR, as they try to hire, retain, and train. But it’s a vicious cycle — the skills shortage leads to lower productivity, which causes companies to scramble to catch up, leaving no time for the training that would close that skills gap. HR Dive
A major corporate merger was finalized this week, when the 7,200-employee Time Inc. was acquired by the 4,000-employee Meredith Corp., resulting in several exits in the Time C-Suite, including its CHRO, COO, and CEO. More staff cuts are looming. Meredith has already said it expects to realize up to $500 million in savings by eliminating duplicate jobs, which likely has the staff of the newly combined company worried. Now that the deal is done, HR needs to roll up its sleeves and help make it a smooth transition for those who will be leaving and for the survivors as well. New York Post
If you’re anticipating that half of your staff will be bleary-eyed and half will call in sick on Monday morning after Sunday’s big game, you’re not alone. An estimated $3 billion is wasted due to lost productivity on that Monday. Rather than try to get through another post-game Monday short staffed, the HR director at Boston-based DraftKings used those stats to convince his CEO to make the day a holiday. The result? A happy, refreshed workforce firing on all cylinders on Tuesday morning, and a lot of good will. Workforce
Those sparsely filled shelves at your local Whole Foods are causing problems for shoppers, employees, and HR as well. The organic food giant implemented a new inventory-management system that uses complex “scorecards” to rate how well departments comply. Low scores mean firings. Employees say it has sent stress levels into the stratosphere and has led many, even some who had been with Whole Foods for two decades, to leave. Business Insider
