How One Company Is Turning Tables On Obamacare Grief

By now we've all gotten used to the fact that the requirements of Obamacare are driving a wedge between ownership and management of many American companies, and their rank-and-file employees.

Many organizations are cutting hours of their part-time staffers, for example, so that their work week doesn't exceed the 30-hour threshold that soon will require them to buy health-care insurance for these workers or pay a penalty to the federal government.

So it was refreshing to us to read of at least one company that is turning this challenge on its head and actually using the sweeping changes of Obamacare as a tool for promoting employee engagement and loyalty.

Cumberland Gulf Group announced that it will maintain or expand some workers' schedules to make them eligible for company-sponsored care even before Obamacare kicks in early next year. An executive told the Wall Street Journal that the increased costs for care will pay off in the long run with better employee retention and customer service.

And this isn't some initiative just on the company's fringes. The Framingham, Mass.-based owner of Cumberland Farms convenience stores and the Gulf Oil brand said that an additional 1,500 workers will be reclassified as full-time and become eligible for company-sponsored health insurance in advance of the Obamacare deadline.

These workers already were working more than 30 hours a week -- but not the 40 hours previously required for access to the company insurance plan, the newspaper reported. Because Cumberland decided to make employee satisfaction and retention a corporate priority, that meant expanding access to benefits.

That's pretty refreshing. While clearly the political battle over Obamacare will continue in Washington ad infinitum as the new law gets rolled out, savvy employers -- like Cumberland -- should be looking for ways to use the law's provisions, where possible, to gain the engagement and loyalty of their staffs, not only fret about the very real challenges in how Obamacare may diminish the company.

For each individual enterprise, that may mean something different. But Cumberland Gulf Group has found its own way to set an example.

Building the Case for Employee Engagement -- ASTD replay now available

Last week, Inward Strategic Consulting had the privilege of presenting a live webinar on Building the Case for Employee Engagement hosted by the Association of Training and Development (ASTD). Allan Steinmetz and Yash Chitre of Inward co-presented the live webinar with over 120 participants in attendance online. If you missed it, you can catch a free replay of the informative presentation, courtesy of ASTD at http://bit.ly/14bX0TI.

By listening to the replay, you will hear how employee engagement is often thought of as a soft and non-urgent business imperative and why it is important for corporations to align the behavior of their employees with the brand and business strategy of the company, so that it provides better customer experiences and loyalty. See case studies and hear from the experts on best practices to inspire and engage your employees around your business mission and strategic goals.

In addition, if you enjoyed listening to this webinar, we'd be happy to provide you with a copy of the presentation by email; simply send a note to yash@inwardconsulting.com and request your copy today.

Highlights from Our Work at the Conference Board Event on "Extending Your Brand to Employees"

Just a few short weeks ago, Inward Strategic Consulting completed its third consecutive year as sponsors of the Chicago Conference Board Event – "Extending Your Brand to Employees". With each year of sponsorship, we see more and more organizations recognizing the power of their employees in delivering on their business strategies and brand promises. And it’s exciting to see how this increased interest in employee brand engagement is reflected through both the quality and the quantity of our event attendees. This year, nearly 150 senior communications, HR and marketing executives from top-notch companies and organizations participated.

As event attendees, we were treated to great presentations by leaders representing a wide variety of industries – from healthcare to consumer brands and financial services to academia. We learned about best-in-class practices for brand ambassador and employee advocacy programs, communication initiatives and company portals, building brand communities and how to utilize emerging gamification trends to engage employees in new, fun and innovative ways. 

From Inward, we were honored to have our own Whitney Cook co-present with our client Kurt Templeton, Director of Innovations from Walmart Stores, Inc., and share some of the unique work we are currently doing for them as their agency of record. In addition, we were thrilled to have another client of ours, Leslie Tiongco, Global Director of Internal Communications for McDonald’s, present the work Inward is doing for them on an exciting gamification program, custom-built to educate, inspire, drive changed behavior and reward and recognize their employees.

In addition, those who wanted to learn even more about improving upon their employee engagement efforts were invited to join us at our post-conference workshop. Here, 30 attendees were shown a codified, proven process for developing a comprehensive employee engagement program and driving internal alignment.

If you weren’t able to make it and would like to hear a summary of all the great information obtained during our two-day conference, please let me know. I welcome the opportunity to schedule a call to share these learnings and best practices with you. And I assure you, it will be well worth an hour of your time.