Critical resources for helping employees with substance use issues
Employee Benefit News
The leading information resource for the ever-changing HR and Benefits marketplace.
Employer efforts to address substance use disorders among employees are more important than ever, and these resources can help.?
More than 13 million employees struggle with substance use disorders (SUDs) in the U.S., according to addiction education and mental health platform Addiction Center. Employers have everything to gain from establishing themselves as a recovery-ready workplace — one that provides support and resources to help employees overcome SUDs. Florida has given them a partner in this, recently establishing a Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) Coalition to develop formal standards and training, as well as customized programs that allow businesses to become certified as a RFW.?
"It's been the elephant in the room," says Cheryl Brown Merriwether , executive director of addiction and recovery education organization ICARE and Florida's RFW Coalition co-chair. "People struggling with these issues in the workplace is not a new thing, but the pandemic has exacerbated the problem and significantly increased it."?;
Join us at Employee Benefit News’ BENEFITS AT WORK on September 17-18 in San Diego to explore mental health, building the modern family, and employee retention and workplace culture.
NO LONGER NECESSARY?: Summer Fridays are likely over for the year, but will companies roll them out in 2025? Data from management software company Envoy reveals that the perk may just be a thing of the past .
Envoy found that just 10% of employees go into the office on Friday, showing that employees are strategic about when they want to commute in a hybrid work environment . Friday traffic has declined since 2021, and even return-to-office mandates haven't disrupted the trend.?
领英推荐
But what does that mean for summer Fridays?
"Summer Fridays were once seen as a perk that allowed employees some flexibility during the summer months," says Jonathan Weindel , head of data analytics at Envoy . "This has just lost a lot of relevance today. And there's a lot more intentionality around what employees are doing when they're actually in the workplace, primarily Tuesdays through Thursdays."
Read more: Summer Fridays might be a thing of the past
BOLSTERING RETIREMENT SAVINGS: Most Americans wish they had started saving for retirement sooner and that they hadn't withdrawn money early from retirement accounts, according to a recent study.
The report, conducted by Censuswide and commissioned by Human Interest, also indicated employers can help employees avoid retirement planning decisions they'll later regret. The research was conducted with 1,041 full-time, non-self-employed American workers between July 8 and 10. The study found that 41% of Americans expect to retire later than planned due to recent financial circumstances and 83% plan to continue working after retirement.
Starting too late was a common problem, as 68% of respondents said they wish they would have started saving for retirement sooner. Notably, 19% said they didn't start saving until they were age 41 or older.