Tag: Willis Towers Watson

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Most companies commit to paying hourly workers who test positive for COVID-19

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There’s some good news for hourly workers as worries escalate regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.hourly employees pay money

A new survey by Willis Towers Watson revealed that 72 percent of employers in North America are committing to pay hourly workers who test positive for the coronavirus.

The survey, which was released March 23, also stated that 54 percent of those employers agree to compensate hourly workers whose workplace experiences a mandated closure and 51 percent will pay those hourly workers who have a cold or flu-like symptoms and voluntarily stay home.

Also read: The impact of COVID-19 on hourly and low-wage workers

However, just 36 percent of companies will continue paying hourly workers when they stay home because they don’t have child care.

According to the Willis Towers Watson’s  “COVID-19 Hourly Employee Pay Practices Survey,” which was conducted during the week of March 16, most organizations that will continue to pay hourly employees plan to do so for 10 to 15 days. The average organization will do so for 14 days at 100 percent of their current base rate, the survey stated, adding that it will vary based on the circumstances.

Also read: Scheduling headaches: How to better manage your hourly workers’ schedules

Organizations agree to pay employees under these conditions:

  • For employees with a confirmed COVID-19 case, 87 percent will pay hourly workers 100 percent of their current rate.
  • For employees whose workplace experiences a mandated closure, 94 percent will pay them 100 percent of their current rate.
  • For employees with a cold or flu-like symptoms who voluntarily stay home, 92 percent will pay them their full pay rate.

Some 44 percent will pay employees who can’t perform their duties at home but are involuntarily required to stay home due to quarantine at either 100 percent or less of their current rate without them having to draw from their paid time off, the survey stated.

Most employers (75 percent) don’t have plans to provide special treatment to employees who report to work when other employees are required to stay away from work.

However, more than 10 percent of employers have plans or are considering a range of options to recognize these employees, including adjusted (situational) overtime, additional paid time off to be used after COVID-19-related disruption and other forms of recognition. 

Of the 805 companies, 56 percent of which were multinationals, participated in the Willis Towers Watson COVID-19 Hourly Employee Pay Practices Survey.

It is clear that most employers are standing by their hourly employees, at least in the short term, said Adrienne Altman, managing director, North America lead, Rewards, Willis Towers Watson.

“While many employers are still working to determine their overall strategy for responding to COVID-19, we see consistency in how they plan to manage pay for the affected portions of their hourly workforce,” Altman stated in a release regarding the survey.

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Hilton Adopts More Family-Friendly Employee Benefits

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Adoption assistance is Hilton Corp.’s latest employee benefit offering.

International hotel chain Hilton Corp. is aiming to provide a hospitable environment for its employees as well as its guests. One way of accomplishing this is through a wide range of benefits, the most recent of which is an adoption assistance program.

“We frequently ask team members for their feedback and suggestions,” said Laura Fuentes, senior vice president of talent, rewards and people analytics at Hilton, in an email interview. “Last year, we identified that parental leave was one area where we could add to our industry-leading programs and provide even more support and flexibility to team members and their families.”

They pinpointed adoption as one of the many ways an employee might choose to start a family.

Hilton’s adoption assistance benefit, which begins Jan. 1, includes reimbursement on expenses up to $10,000 and two weeks of paid parental leave. There isn’t a limit on the number of adoptions this applies to, and it covers hourly and salaried U.S. team members who have been at Hilton for at least a year, averaging at least 30 hours a week.

Although not common, the offering of this type of benefit is on the rise.

Employers that offer paid leave for adoption has increased from 17 percent to 20 percent from 2015 to 2016, according to the Society for Human Resource Management 2016 Employee Benefits Survey. Nine percent of employers provide additional assistance for adoption, for example, through a stipend.

Stipends or reimbursements for adoption range from $5,000 to $25,000, according to Jackie Reinberg, national practice leader of absence, disability management and life at consultancy Willis Towers Watson. The average is about $10,000, which is what Hilton is offering, Reinberg said.

Adoption assistance benefits fit into Hilton’s overall strategy to make it a great place to work for employees and to foster both professional and personal growth, said Fuentes. It offers other family-friendly benefits like paid time off, a GED assistance program and remote workforce opportunities.

Family-friendly benefits also help Hilton attract and retain the best talent, she added, which is good for employees and good for business as well.

“Parental leave and adoption assistance are important to our team members, therefore they are important to us,” said Fuentes. “We are proud to offer the best and most comprehensive family benefits in the industry and are continually looking for ways to support our team members’ personal and professional growth.”

Andie Burjek is a Workforce associate editor. Comment below, or email at aburjek@humancapitalmedia.com. Follow Workforce on Twitter at @workforcenews.