A review of ethical considerations in benefits planning

The rising cost of employee benefits and ongoing pressure to improve existing benefits is forcing employers to make difficult decisions. Most employers are truly concerned about the welfare of their employees and attempt to make these decisions in an ethical manner. This article offers practical advice on maintaining an ethical perspective, which the authors contend is necessary to maintain when facing these challenging responsibilities. The article identifies the various stakeholders as well as the necessary steps to consider when attempting to make an ethically sound decision involving employee benefits.

Employee contributions for dependent medical coverage: balancing cost, compensation and society

This article explores the inception of the employee contribution concept to dependent medical coverage. The author discusses the developments that have occurred in the changing workforce as well as the effects of increasing medical costs. It considers the equity issues of unfair subsidies in medical benefit premiums for dependents. Finally, a potential solution is offered that would replace the multitiered structures available today.

Ethical considerations in health care benefits administration

Defining the scope of coverage and limitations in various health plans has become an increasingly difficult and confusing issue. The historical shift to managed care has fundamentally altered the limitations on health care benefits. Because of the existence of "benefits exclusions," confusing issues have emerged in managed care situations. Fundamental fear of health care rationing has raised the awareness of the general public to the ethics of this issue. This article discusses the definitions and examples of certain types of health benefit exclusions and the ethical considerations related to such exclusions.

Ethics and employee benefits

The following article attempts to bring to light the many questions and thoughts regarding ethical behavior as it relates to the employee benefits profession. Rather than dictating to the reader all the answers regarding ethics, the article demonstrates the different ways various situations can be interpreted. It leaves open the choices available to employee benefits professionals, while compelling us to confront the difficult decisions we must face when dealing with employees, employers and insurance companies.

Formula management: in search of magic solutions

Formula management is the unjustified reliance on a set of rules or prescribed behaviors--a management formula, fad, or "flavor-of-the-month"--as the answer to an organization's needs. It is the manifestation of a tendency to believe that the essence of management can be proceduralized, that the art of management can be replaced with an expanding science of management. This tendency has been repeatedly demonstrated in the application of concepts such as management by objectives (MBO) and the variants of total quality management (TQM). All of management's "formulas" have their place; however, none of them provide all of management's needed answers. To view any of the specifically delineated "kinds of management"--all of which are highly susceptible to misapplication and resistance to change both blatant and subtle--as a cure-all is fully as inappropriate as denying their value out of hand. Formula or not, organizational results will continue to depend on the practice of the art, as well as the science, of management.

Responsibilities of health care supervisors and employees: seven recommended tenets

This article proposes seven tenets of responsibility for health care managers and the employees under their supervision. The damaging consequences of workplace misbehavior are chronicled, and the importance of establishing forthright supervisor/employee relationships is documented. Seven recommended tenets of responsibility are proposed as guideposts for managers and employees alike.

Effective communication and supervision in the biomedical engineering department

It is important for biomedical engineering supervisors to master the art of effective communication. Supervisors who have effective communication skills can successfully initiate creative programs and generate a harmonious working atmosphere. Using effective communication, they can promote good working conditions, such as high morale, worker initiative and loyalty to the department, which are almost impossible to measure but imperative for a successful department. However, effective communication tends to be neglected by supervisors who are either functional specialists or managerial generalists. This paper presents several cases of what effective communication truly is and discusses some potential factors that may lead to ineffective communication.

Effective employee counseling for the first-line supervisor

Counseling is an important supervisory skill applied for a number of purposes. Although the need for counseling is as constant as any need facing the supervisor, a number of commonly encountered barriers often prevent effective counseling. In most instances counseling is a necessary step preceding disciplinary action, and it is always an important step in improving employee performance. Although the supervisor may not come to the job with expertise in counseling, counseling can nevertheless be learned through practice and the conscientious application of a few simple guidelines.

When your star performer can't manage

Vic, the CEO of a sporting goods company in this fictional case study, is pleased with the numbers. For several years now, they've gone steadily in one direction: up. But there's trouble in paradise Hidden from the public's view of industry-dominating winners--from the coolest snowboards to the hottest in-line skates--lies a product development department that may be ready to shatter like cheap fiberglass. There's one reason in particular for the dark rumblings that periodically reach Vic, and his name is Linus Carver. Carver, the company's chief of product development, is the workaholic mad genius who is responsible for most--he might say all--of the company's successful products. At the same time, he has managed to alienate the rest of his staff, including the two whizkid Generation Xers he brought in. He has been charged with everything from stealing ideas to squashing the initiative of the rest of the team. From his perch as CEO, Vic preaches "team". And he's even made a few stabs at reining Carver in--his latest move has been to recommend that his mercurial star get some coaching. But Vic also knows who butters his bread. In short, he's bewildered. Four commentators suggest how Vic can keep the company's product-development group intact and it sales growth strong.

Linking reengineering to revitalization

A health care organization that embarks on reengineering without a strategy for revitalizing is courting disaster. What does it take to get reengineering right? It takes vision, unflinching commitment, new kinds of leadership and business strategies, and new behaviors to challenge the old manager-physician power dynamic. A low-cost health care provider must be able to promote trust, partnerships, and competencies that are specifically linked to accessible, cost-effective patient care.