Combating Pandemic Fatigue

An unintentional phenomenon is on the rise—pandemic fatigue. People are tired of staying at home. People want to be the social creatures they inherently are. People want their “normal” back.

This collective fatigue is making some people—consciously or unconsciously—disregard pandemic guidance such as social distancing and mask wearing. Others may be reaching a mental health breaking point.

Alarming data from a U.S. Census Bureau survey revealed the psychological toll taken by the pandemic. American adults were asked typical mental health screening questions. Twenty-four percent showed clinically significant symptoms of major depressive disorder, and 30% showed symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Those rates were higher among younger adults (ages 18 to 29), women and people making less than $25,000 a year.

If you feel like you’re battling pandemic fatigue and losing self-discipline, stay the course with these coping tips:

• • Try a new exercise. If you’ve been finding it harder to stay active, experiment with something new like walking, yoga or cycling.
• • Try meditation. Mindful activities can help lower your stress levels and improve your mood.
• • Try saying it out loud. Sometimes you just need to talk to someone about how you’re feeling, especially if you’re stressed, frustrated or anxious. Ignoring those strong feelings won’t make them go away.
• • Try new recipes. You’ve likely already mastered the pandemic sourdough or banana bread, so roll up your sleeves and whip up something else. This is a good time to prepare healthier meals and use that time as a fun daily activity for you and your family.

Consider how you relaxed pre-pandemic, and try to get back to that lifestyle. If you find cooking, reading or listening to music relaxing, make time to keep that a part of your routine.

If you’re worried about your mental well-being, please contact your doctor. Read more

Each year, Medicare Part D requires group health plan sponsors to disclose to individuals who are eligible for Medicare Part D and to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) whether the health plan’s prescription drug coverage is creditable.

Plan sponsors must provide the annual disclosure notice to Medicare-eligible individuals before Oct. 15, 2020—the start date of the annual enrollment period for Medicare Part D. CMS has provided model disclosure notices for employers to use.

This notice is important because Medicare beneficiaries who are not covered by creditable prescription

drug coverage and do not enroll in Medicare Part D when first eligible will likely pay higher premiums if they enroll at a later date. Although there are no specific penalties associated with this notice requirement, failing to provide the notice may be detrimental to employees.

Employers should confirm whether their health plans’ prescription drug coverage is creditable or non-creditable and prepare to send their Medicare Part D disclosure notices before Oct. 15, 2020. To make the process easier, employers often include Medicare Part D notices in open enrollment packets they send out prior to Oct. 15. Read More

Medicare Part D Notices Are Due Before

Oct. 15, 2020

OCTOBER 2020

Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2020-5 to remind employers of their obligation to accurately account for the number of hours their employees work away from the employer’s facilities.

While the bulletin was issued in response to the high number of employees working remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the DOL is also reminding employers that the underlying principles apply to other telework or remote work arrangements.

Compensable Time

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to compensate their employees for all hours of work. Compensable time includes any hours an employee is requested or allowed to work, including telework or remote work.

For remote work situations, the bulletin clarifies that compensable time includes any time during which the employer knows or has reason to believe work is being performed, regardless of whether the work was authorized or requested.

Employer Takeaways

Under the FLSA, employers have an obligation to track the number of hours their employees work. For this reason, employers must provide reasonable procedures for employees to report any scheduled and unscheduled hours of work. However, the DOL states that “if an employee fails to report unscheduled hours of work through a reasonable process, the employer is not required to undergo impractical efforts to uncover unreported hours of work.”

Finally, the bulletin emphasizes that employers bear the burden of preventing an employee from completing unauthorized or unwanted work. Read More

The Impact of COVID-19 on Open Enrollment Employers can expect major disruptions to open enrollment this year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As such, employers should stay apprised of current trends and begin preparing sooner rather than later.

Trends to Watch

Many organizations are expected to hold entirely virtual open enrollment due to the coronavirus. Virtual enrollment has been trending for several years, and the COVID-19 pandemic is helping to solidify its prominence. A virtual enrollment process typically includes an online enrollment platform for selecting benefits, hosting remote meetings between employees and HR, and downloading benefits resources.

Also, many employers are meeting current employee needs through supplemental health plans with an emphasis on overall well-being. Adding optional health benefits can be a way to limit additional employer spending and provide assistance to employees who need it.

Ways Employers Can Prepare

Open enrollment isn’t always a clear-cut process. Employers can review the following strategies and consider how similar initiatives might improve their own open enrollment efforts:

• • Reach out to employees to determine what kind of enrollment process will work best for them.
• • Confer with management about any operational restrictions that may influence open enrollment.
• • Meet with stakeholders to solidify what the enrollment process will look like.
• • Inform all stakeholders about the enrollment process and where to find benefits resources.
• • Communicate to employees about open enrollment using multiple channels.

Speak with Deutsch & Associates, LLC today for additional open enrollment resources

Employers can expect major disruptions to open enrollment this year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As such, employers should stay apprised of current trends and begin preparing sooner rather than later.

Trends to Watch

Many organizations are expected to hold entirely virtual open enrollment due to the coronavirus. Virtual enrollment has been trending for several years, and the COVID-19 pandemic is helping to solidify its prominence. A virtual enrollment process typically includes an online enrollment platform for selecting benefits, hosting remote meetings between employees and HR, and downloading benefits resources.

Also, many employers are meeting current employee needs through supplemental health plans with an emphasis on overall well-being. Adding optional health benefits can be a way to limit additional resources.

• • Review workplace policies that limit employee flexibility.
• • Encourage employees to request flexible work arrangements.
• • If overtime is required, make it as family-friendly as possible, such as a voluntary program.
• • Evaluate job duties that employees are unable to perform because of pregnancy or other caregiving responsibilities.
• • Provide reasonable personal or sick leave, even if not required to do so by the Family and Medical Leave Act.
• • Post employee schedules as early as possible.

Be sure to carefully evaluate the pros and cons of each initiative—remember, not every initiative will be the right one for your organization.

Supporting Employees’ Caregiving Responsibilities Post-coronavirus

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, day cares and schools shut their doors. Months later, child care centers remain closed in many parts of the country, which means that parents are tasked with juggling caregiving and work responsibilities.

During these uncertain times, employees are understandably experiencing significant stress, which can lead to lower productivity and morale, and increase risk for health conditions, absenteeism and higher health care costs. Employers can consider implementing initiatives designed to help employees manage their caregiving responsibilities.

Considerations for Employers

Employers can consider the following general employment practices: Read More