Let’s start off on the right foot
“What I love about America is not necessarily the American Dream, but the fact that there's so much spirit of fighting to continue to dream once the dreams are broken.” —Chloé Zhao
The skinny
Latest research finds that employees like choices when it comes to their benefits, but not too many.
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What do you mean?
People love choice, but they don’t like making choices. As humans, we get overwhelmed and even stressed out when faced with too many decisions. This applies to choosing your next house plant or Squishmallow and yes, it also applies to employees choosing benefits.
Love choice, but hate choosing?
A real love/hate relationship amiright? In fact, just over a quarter of employees would rather give up their favorite food than go through benefits enrollment.
Don’t touch my pancake cereal!
Yikes. Don’t you know it’s all about that feta baked pasta now? Anyway, food aside, 93% of employees will also avoid choice by simply choosing the same benefits YoY without considering other options.
If it ain’t broke…
Broke brains. Although almost ¾ of employees believe their benefits are extremely or very important to their financial well-being, benefits decision-making can require some pretty gnarly number-crunching.
Like?
It might seem simple to you, but making the best benefits decisions means employees will have to calculate potential total costs including their contributions, out-of-pocket spending and maximum limits. Plus, any FSA, HSA or HRA dollar contributions. So, for many employees, the easiest, most familiar choice may be seen as the better one, to avoid all the brain jam.
Eeny, meeny, miny, mo?
Holla. HR professionals have always understood the value of benefits and making the right decisions for both cost effectiveness and peace of mind. But, it’s still the case that lack of benefits knowledge is one of the biggest challenges HR faces today.
Date with data: 48% of employees making $30K are confused by their benefits vs 22% of those making above $100K.
Double date: 54% of Gen Z is confused by their benefits vs 33% of Millennials.
Dig deeper: 2020 Financial Wellness Census.
The skinny
Some people with lingering COVID-19 symptoms are making the tough decision to stop working and seek disability benefits.
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Say what?
Let me explain. “Long-haulers” are those people who have lingering COVID-19 symptoms for weeks, and even months after their initial coronavirus infection. It’s still a mystery as to why this happens, but the National Institutes of Health just launched an initiative to study its causes and identify treatment options.
Great.
Yeah, it’s not good. Symptoms can range from fatigue to shortness of breath and even “brain fog.”
Fog it.
And, it seems that women are suffering prolonged symptoms at higher rates. Other troubling symptoms are lack of appetite, muscle soreness, nausea, dizziness, rapid heart rate and gastrointestinal issues. Many of these “long haul” patients are spending thousands of dollars on tests and treatment.
When.does.it.end.
When indeed. Hate to say it, but “long COVID” has definitely become a thing and it’s affecting thousands of people around the world. Telecommuting has helped, but many are finding it impossible to fulfill their professional duties and are therefore seeking disability.
Let me guess.
Yes, there’ve been some hiccups. As they pursue the application process, some are discovering a unique set of challenges. For example, many of the reported symptoms, including cognitive impairment are “subjective” and not clearly linked to ongoing functional limitations.
The fog is rolling in.
Indeed. Navigating the bureaucratic hurdles of getting disability require sustained brain power, which many claim they don’t have. And although some have short-term disability insurance through their employers, they’re being turned down for extensions. Others are getting flat out rejected for long-term disability.
What to do?
Lawyers and advocates in the field expect numbers of COVID-related long-term disability applications to continue to rise. Long haulers will be looking to lawyers to help them through the long, complex process, taking advantage of voluntary benefits at higher rates.
Good news: For some long-haulers, vaccine is helping with symptoms.
True story: Rickie Andersen took a brief break from work in March after she fell ill. Her cough, fever and chills were typical COVID-19 symptoms, but coronavirus tests were so scarce she could not obtain one to confirm the diagnosis.
After Andersen returned to her job as an information systems project manager in the San Francisco Bay Area, she struggled with profound fatigue, cognitive difficulties and other disabling complaints. For six months, she tried to keep awake during meetings and finish basic tasks that took much longer than before.
Finally, she decided to retain legal help so she could take advantage of the disability insurance coverage offered as an employee benefit. “I realized this is not going to be a short-term thing.” Andersen said.
The skinny
A growing body of research suggests that the foods you eat can affect how well you sleep, and your sleep patterns can affect your dietary choices.
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Pass the pancake cereal!
Not again. You need to branch out. You’re right that carbs definitely had a better year than sleep, but studies suggest the two may have more of an effect on each other than previously thought.
You don’t say.
Yes. Much like when Queen Bey wears a mask, carbs can be transformative to sleep.
Carbs = queen.
Sure, but crown fiber as king. Researchers have found that eating a diet that is high in sugar, saturated fat and processed carbs can disrupt your sleep. On the other hand, eating more fiber-rich-plant-based foods may be better for your sleep cycle.
Thought you might go that route.
Dew up and listen. In many different studies it’s clear that carbs have a significant impact on sleep. By consuming more carbs, you may fall asleep much faster than if you ate broccoli before bed, but you won’t have that deep, REM sleep.
Isn’t faster better?
Not always. And not all carbs should find themselves on the final bracket. Simple carbs like white bread, bagels, pastries and pasta tended to make study participants fall asleep faster but wake up more frequently throughout the night. On the other hand, if they combined King fiber + Queen carbs creating a Blue Ivy situation, participants were able to obtain more deep, restorative sleep. Aka GOAT sleep.
I thought it was a two-way street?
You’re right. Scientists have found that as people lose sleep, they experience physiological changes that can nudge them to seek out junk food. Healthy adults that only sleep 4-5 hours a night end up consuming more calories and snacking more frequently throughout the day.
All in “flavor”?
Of banning daylight savings? In.
Further reading: 7 sleep-inducing products to help you drift off.
Totes quotes: “Complex carbohydrates provide a more stable blood sugar level. So, if blood sugar levels are more stable at night, that could be the reason complex carbohydrates are associated with better sleep.” —Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Director of the Sleep Center of Excellence.
 Now a break from the news… |
 Compliance Corner |
Here’s something to…
- Own: Register now for HR/benefits and leadership conference: Vision 2021.
- Consider: 4 strategies to encourage employee health care shopping.
- File: IRS extended tax filing deadline to May 17, 2021.
- Lol: Excuse me, 21 savage.
- Break: Why “micro-breaks” are exactly what you need rn.
- Check: Anti-racism resources to support Asian American community.
- Plan: What you need to know before you book that vacay.
- Cook: Yummy Irish recipes to celebrate St. Patty’s.
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