QUARTERLY COMMUNIQUE
A PEEK INSIDE THIS EDITION Employee Benefits & the Workplace, SOTU Wellness Resources + EAP & Work/Life Services Public Sector Workforce Trends of 2022 Tips for Staying Active While Working from Home
PIERCE GROUP
B E N E F I T S
Quarter Two Newsletter
FEATURED ARTICLE Employee Benefits and the Workplace Addressed During SOTU On Tuesday, March 1, the U.S. president gave the 2022 State of the Union address (SOTU). The SOTU serves mainly as a presidential wish list; for employers, it is important because it often provides insight into proposed plans and initiatives relevant to the workplace. Read on for a few of the the key takeaways. Insulin Caps - One of the major health care announcements from the SOTU regarded insulin prices. It was proposed to cap the price of insulin at $35 a month for everyone. Currently, insulin can cost hundreds of dollars a month for individuals with diabetes. Mental Health Investment - One of the more detailed SOTU talking points regarded mental health, with the White House releasing its implementation strategy. The president’s goal is to “get all Americans the mental health services they need” and stem the tide of mental health issues across the country. Specifically, the strategy includes the following points, among others: • Investing $700 million in additional mental health programs • Training more mental health professionals • Launching a “988” mental health crisis hotline • Expanding access to mental health services through health plans • Increasing mental health resource access in schools and colleges • Integrating mental health solutions into primary care settings • Researching social media’s potential harms Workplace Changes - The president called on Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to address the gender pay gap. He also called on Congress to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which would strengthen the federal laws that protect employees’ rights to organize and collectively bargain. Additionally, the president called for implementing paid leave and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Cancer Moonshot - The president briefly touched on the subject of cancer, the number-two cause of death in America. He announced a plan to “supercharge the Cancer Moonshot,” a program first introduced in 2016. The program’s primary goal is to cut cancer’s death rate by at least 50% over the next 25 years and improve the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer. CONT. » 1
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Quarter Two Newsletter
FEATURED ARTICLE
Child Care Solutions - After introducing his inflation-reduction strategy, the president elaborated on his proposal to cut child care costs in half for most families. The plan includes: • Home and long-term care • More affordable housing • Pre-K for every 3- and 4-year-old child It was noted that the average U.S. family spends $14,000 a year on child care per child, and his proposal aims to cut that expense in half. However, few details have been released about the specifics of this plan. COVID-19 Transitions - The president’s standpoint on the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to be one of cautious perseverance — accepting that COVID-19 still poses a risk, but acknowledging that the country is at a point where it can start reducing strict prevention safeguards. Additionally, the president has outlined four steps the country can take to move forward safely: 1. Keep individuals protected with vaccines and treatments. 2. Prepare for new COVID-19 variants, including the potential need for additional boosters. 3. Encourage a return to in-person learning, working, and shopping. 4. Make vaccines available to the world by sending doses to countries in need. What’s Next? Again, it must be noted that these are merely proposals. Whether there will be major movement on any of these issues remains to be seen. This article does not represent the political affiliations or working environment of Pierce Group Benefits and AssuredPartners. This article is presented for informational purposes only. You can read/listen to the entire speech here. 2
PIERCE GROUP
B E N E F I T S
Quarter Two Newsletter
WELLNESS CORNER Regardless of what the day or week may bring, take this moment to pause, explore the variety of resources below, and prioritize your health and wellbeing!
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PIERCE GROUP
B E N E F I T S
Quarter Two Newsletter
TRENDING NEWS
Six Workforce Trends to Watch in 2022 As state and local governments, along with other public service organizations, emerge in 2022 from a challenging two years, they continue to gain valuable insights into how public employers can manage and support their current workforce while positioning themselves to attract new, key talent. Recent research by MissionSquare Research Institute highlights strategies and steps governments can take to be employers of choice. Based on its research, the Institute offers six workforce trends to watch in 2022: Showcasing the Importance of Public Sector Roles. Throughout the course of the pandemic, the public has learned much about the crucial roles that public health, education, and other key state and local government workers fulfill every day. The toll of the pandemic on essential workers, especially teachers, has been substantial. At the same time, there has been a renewed sense of public service pride and increased acknowledgement of the essential work these employees perform. Public sector employers in 2022 can leverage this pride and appreciation to attract new employees, including those who previously would not have considered a career in government. Tracking Burnout. Employers will need to support staff with Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), wellness programs, flexibility in work arrangements, and other strategies to mitigate stress. Otherwise, top workers may consider leaving at a time when 31% of public workers say they may change jobs and join the ranks of the Great Resignation. CONT. » 4
PIERCE GROUP
B E N E F I T S
Quarter Two Newsletter
TRENDING NEWS Supporting Sustainable Retirement Benefits. Given the efforts of many governments to pay annual required contributions to their pension plans, along with healthy investment returns, overall public pensions are stable and well positioned heading into the new year. Also, defined contribution plans continue to play an important role in supporting retirement security in the public sector, both as primary and supplemental savings. Thinking Beyond Traditional Benefits. While retirement and health benefits will continue to be a central part of public sector benefit offerings, innovative public employers in 2022 will also explore how to support their employees in building emergency savings and adopting other nontraditional benefits such as student loan repayment and holistic health and financial wellness programs. Prioritizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Goals. Aside from helping public employers better reflect the communities they serve, maintaining a diverse workforce and engaging the individuals hired as valued contributors to the team can help with retention and morale as well as fostering creativity, productivity, and improved organizational performance. As with many aspects of management, collecting and analyzing DEI data will be key to recruitment, staff development, succession planning, and adjusting to ongoing waves of retirements and the emerging impacts of automation. Focusing on the Drivers of the Great Resignation. Employees are reevaluating their professional goals and when, how, and where they want to work. While this is certainly concerning for the public sector (which was already facing recruitment and retention issues), it’s also an opportunity to focus on what gives public sector employers a competitive advantage and how they can respond to issues that came to the forefront during the pandemic (e.g., flexibility, remote work, childcare, paid family leave, and mental health). About MissionSquare Research Institute: MissionSquare Research Institute (formerly the Center for State and Local Government Excellence at ICMA-RC) promotes excellence in state and local government and other public service organizations so they can attract and retain talented employees. The organization identifies leading practices and conducts research on retirement plans, health and wellness benefits, workforce demographics and skill set needs, labor force development, and topics facing the not-for-profit industry and the education sector. MissionSquare Research Institute brings leaders together with respected researchers. For more information and to access research and publications, visit slge.org. You can view/download the PDF of this publication here. 5
PIERCE GROUP
B E N E F I T S
Quarter Two Newsletter
BIRTHDAYS Celebrating April, May, and June Birthdays! Whether we’re celebrating early, late or right on time, we hope that this next year is even better than the last. Join us in wishing everyone below a very Happy Birthday!
June 14
June 8
May 8
May 2
Laura Shelton
Brittany Turner
Shanisse Spencer
Morgan Ledford
April 19
April 14
April 7
April 5
Michelle Chayka
Gray Spivey
Arthur Meredith
Sarah Struckmann
Chris Pierce June 20
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Monixa Nixon June 21
PIERCE GROUP
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Quarter Two Newsletter
TIPS & TRICKS
Boost Teamwork & Empower Collaboration with Microsoft Teams For anyone who may not be familiar, Microsoft Teams is a cloud-based unified communications and collaboration tool that is part of the Microsoft 365 suite of applications. The core capabilities of Teams allow remote, hybrid, and in-office workers the ability to collaborate in real and near-real time across different devices, including laptops and smartphones. It also integrates with other Microsoft apps, including Outlook, SharePoint, and OneNote. Here are five features of Teams that can help simplify your workflows, refocus your attention, and help you work smarter — not harder. Send Urgent Messages - Within chats, you can mark messages as urgent, alerting the user every two minutes until they look at your message. Connect to Cloud Storage - The reality is that our content and assets are spread across multiple departments and team members. Teams provides a native capability to link to and sync with cloud storage, including SharePoint and other non-Microsoft storage tools. Leverage App Integrations - Teams comes with a set of built-in apps, including Lists, Tasks, Praise, Approvals, and more. In addition to Microsoft-provided apps, you can use Microsoft-certified third-party apps to work directly with external tools and data, and have conversations about those tools and data, all within the context of your Teams channel or chat. Transfer a Meeting to Another Device - Microsoft Teams allows you to start or join meetings on any device, as well as transfer between devices. As long as a meeting is still in progress, you can leave and join it again. Download the Mobile App - It's the only app that has chats, meetings, files, tasks, and calendars in one place — so you can easily connect and collaborate with anyone from anywhere. If you’re interested in using Microsoft Teams you can access video training here. To download the Teams application, click here. 7
PIERCE GROUP
B E N E F I T S
Quarter Two Newsletter
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT Congratulations and THANK YOU for your commitment, determination, and contributions. Get to know these two PGB All-Stars below! At nearly seven years with Pierce Group, Valeria helps the Service Center team ensure quality customer service and experiences, with a focus on Virginia clients. She is also a licensed Life and Health agent in three different states, bringing invaluable knowledge and experience to her team and PGB. Outside of work, Valeria enjoys visiting with family and friends, spending time on the beach, and working out on her Peloton. An ideal day off for Valeria would include a long walk with her dog Enzo and relaxing with a nice cup of coffee or glass of wine. Valeria is extremely knowledgeable in her field of expertise and willing to go the extra mile to assist employees, clients, and co-workers! She is very cheerful and a pleasure to work with. Valeria is consistently leading the call center in the number of calls taken on average per month — STELLAR performance.”
VALERIA FAVERO SENIOR SERVICE SPECIALIST
- Leadership & Management
As a valuable member of the Data Management team, Devin brings over six years of industry experience to the Pierce Group family. Devin holds a Bachelor’s in Science in Mathematical Economics and uses this experience and knowledge to support his team and tackling the variety of challenges and opportunities that arise in his role. Outside of work, Devin enjoys watching sports, working on house projects in his new home, and taking their new puppies on adventures. An ideal day off for Devin would include a day at the beach and going to see a sporting event. Devin has taken to his role quickly and has been a SUBSTANTIAL contribution to the Data Management team. He is the only tech to have worked across all three enrollment platforms and has demonstrated that he’s not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get the job done. Devin brings the right attitude and is a team player!
DEVIN DRAMAN REMOTE IT SPECIALIST
- Leadership & Management
NEW HIRE WELCOME Please join us in extending a very warm welcome to our newest team members — congratulations and welcome, we look forward to working with and getting to know you all!
Janna Smith
Dir. of Enrollment Experience
Burt Coats II
Client Relations Specialist
Madeline Fansler
Bethany Yarbrough
Print Production Assistant
Account Executive
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Emily Seger
Account Executive
Karina Branch
Account Executive Admin
PIERCE GROUP
B E N E F I T S
Quarter Two Newsletter
HEALTHY YOU Tips for Staying Active While Working from Home Working from home has many perks, but it can be easy to forget to stay active. Below are a few ways you can keep active while maintaining productivity; it all comes down to building healthy habits and effective time management throughout the day.
Schedule your workout. If a fake commute doesn’t fit with your remote work routine, find ways to build exercise into your daily planner and stick to it.
How Much Activity Do You Need?
Designate a workout spot.
Regular physical activity is vital for your health. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends most adults get the following physical activity:
You don’t need much space for an efficient workout — just enough to move around a bit or lay down an exercise mat. Move every hour.
Moderateintensity aerobic exercise at least 150 minutes each week
Set a timer or use apps that remind you to stand up and move for a few minutes regularly. Use that movement to grab a healthy snack or refill your water bottle.
Musclestrengthening activities 2 times per week
Go digital. There are many apps, videos, streaming services and on-demand programs available to help you stay committed to exercise.
How Can You Do It?
Keep it simple.
Consider the following strategies for staying active during your remote workday:
Hand weights, a yoga mat or exercise bands will work for most people — or get creative by using household items to add resistance to your workout.
Try a fake commute. Without a standard commute, you could exercise before or after your workday to set yourself up before getting ready or winding down, respectively.
Staying active, even on the days you work from home, makes you more likely to adopt other healthy habits and an overall healthy lifestyle. 9
PIERCE GROUP
B E N E F I T S
Quarter Two Newsletter
WORKAVERSARIES Celebrating April, May, and June Work Anniversaries! We appreciate each and every one of you, and the work you do for our client’s employees and their families. Be it your first year or your twenty-fifth year, thank you for being a part of Pierce Group Benefits — we look forward to many more years to come together!
CELEBRATING 1 YEAR! Wyndham Murray, Benefits Counselor - Congratulations on 1 year! Nichole Cayia, Human Resources Manager - Congratulations on 1 year! Artina McKnight-Coard, Account Executive - Congratulations on 1 year! Keri Gilliam, Account Executive - Congratulations on 1 year!
CELEBRATING 2-5 YEARS! Dee Byers, Benefits Consultant - Congratulations on 4 years! Carla Carr, Service Specialist - Congratulations on 4 years! Emily Kesead, Enrollment Manager, HA Practice Lead - Congratulations on 5 years! Morgan Ledford, Enrollment Technician - Congratulations on 2 years!
CELEBRATING 5-10 YEARS! Cori Rozentals, Integrations Manager, BS Practice Lead - Congratulations on 8 years! Laura Shelton, Executive Assistant - Congratulations on 8 years! Jolene Clayton, Finance Manager - Congratulations on 6 years!
CELEBRATING 20+ YEARS! Robin Craver, Senior Service Specialist - Congratulations on 23 years! Janean Kilgore, Service Center Assistant - Congratulations on 24 years!
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“ESCAPE COMPETITION THROUGH AUTHENTICITY.” - NAVAL RAVIKANT
TO ORGET B F T ’ N G DO 2022 P R A B A GR LENDA A C K S DE — UINCY Q T C CONTA AR FOR CASP OPY! C YOUR