We’ve got some big news to share.
We’re counting down the days until the [2013 SHRM Annual Conference & Expo in Chicago](http://annual.shrm.org), where we’ll be debuting the next evolution in leave and absence management.
What could it be, you ask? Well, we know that when certain things are missing, it’s pretty evident. You wouldn’t visit the Lincoln Memorial and expect to see an empty chair. In your office, you wouldn’t have an important conference without a table. And you wouldn’t expect your employees to be productive without much-needed information for their jobs.
The Next Evolution in Leave Management is Coming …
IHRIM Confirms: HR is in the Cloud
Optis returned back to Denver from exhibiting at the IHRIM 2013 HRMS Strategies Conference and Technology Exposition in Orlando, FL. Big thanks to IHRIM for another great conference! Although it’s a relatively young show, IHRIM’s conference features some of the most innovative and exciting HR technologies out there that help your department face the issues of managing today’s (and our future) workforce.
Inventive companies were popping up all over the tradeshow floor – identifying missing technologies and quickly providing automated and cloud-software solutions for everything in HR.
Military Leave and Memorial Day
The official kick-off to summer is here … Happy Memorial Day!
Many of you are likely planning a camping trip, hosting a BBQ, or attending an outdoor event in some capacity. And we’re certain all of you will take a minute to thank our active duty and veteran servicemen and women.
Here at Optis, we’ll be using the three-day weekend to ponder absence management. Yes, it’s true.
Say Goodbye to FMLA Tracking Spreadsheets
Managing leave events by using Excel spreadsheets and desk calendars can get burdensome in a hurry. And yet, so many HR professionals rely on these seemingly innocent sheets.
What many people don’t consider is the ***cost*** of a spreadsheet. Sure, you might think of it as ‘free’ because the software is already on your computer, but is that the only cost to consider?
Let’s consider the amount of time it takes to format an Excel document (what is a pivot table anyway?). And consider how much time is spent sending it back and forth between necessary personnel or departments.
Article: Manage Absence with Greater Efficiency and Business Impact
Staying compliant with FMLA regulations is tough, but it’s even harder when you’re not sure how leave use impacts the costs and productivity in your company. You could be spinning your wheels trying to stay on top of leave without knowing the effects absence has on your organization.
Compounding those challenges is the fact that episodic leave has been the leading category of leave over the last five years.
Assessment: Get a High-level View of Leave in Your Company
It’s not easy to know all the implications absence has on your company. In fact, after our survey at SHRM, we found that 54.3 percent of HR professionals weren’t sure how much absence costs their company. Are you in that 54.3 percent?
Costs can show up in many ways, but before you start counting dollars, you should be able to answer some key questions about leave in your company. In our recent Optis Leave Usage Assessment, we’ve compiled some of those important questions so you can see if you’ve got a handle on leave.
HR Can Do It All!
Most of us an have ingrained desire to do ‘it all.’ We’re all chasing after the dream of a successful career, happy family life, healthy living, and early retirement.
This deep-rooted craving for maximizing our own potential is prevalent not only in our human spirit but in the organizations we’ve created as well. In every company, at every level, there is an inherent need to maximize productivity while minimizing costs.
In HR, it’s no different.
Infographic: What You Need to Know About Leave
Absence management isn’t getting easier. We know this because we’ve seen the numbers. That’s why we’ve put together the Optis infographic “What You Need to Know About Leave.” These numbers are so important, we wanted to make sure that you got a clear picture of the factors that are making leave management so complicated and expensive.
You’ll learn:
+ The giant price tag leave has in the U.S.
+ How leave use is increasing
+ The difficulties your staff has managing leave
+ How regulation changes make compliance difficult
Do the numbers seem familiar?
Why YOU Should Attend our FMLA Webinar
Managing leave can be tricky. Managing leave while managing all of the other tasks that fill up an HR manager’s schedule is even trickier.
We’ve found that even the most savvy leave manager can have trouble staying compliant and consistent when managing leave events. On top of administrative burdens, many HR leaders are also expected to shorten leave durations and lower the overall costs of absence. With all there is to do in HR, it can be overwhelming to even think about implementing a leave management program.
Keeping Short-Term Disability in Mind When Managing FMLA
Did you catch the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) study that was published last week, “[Early Warnings: Using FMLA to Understand and Manage Disability Absence](http://www.ibiweb.org/fmla2013)”? If not, HRE’s Leader Board did a great recap in their blog post [here](http://blog.hreonline.com/2013/02/27/fmla-as-an-early-indicator/?utm_campaign=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter). IBI’s study found that FMLA leaves can be predictive of future STD claims. It also emphasized the need to see the big picture of your employee leave trends.