Have you visited your Human Resources department lately? Chances are, it’s not pretty. Ceiling-high stacks of papers waiting to be filed threaten to crush those beneath under the weight of their importance. A mug of coffee grows cold, forgotten as another wave of tasks beat down the doors and pour in through the windows. HR professionals shuffle past, unfocused eyes ringed with dark circles. Can they even see you past the deluge of emailed questions and technical issues flooding their computer screens? No, it’s not the zombie apocalypse. It’s just open enrollment ..read more

Rent: up 6%. Car insurance: +20%. Bread: +3%. Baby formula: +7%. 2023 data is rolling in and it’s not just everyday costs that are up this year. Employees’ anxieties are too. Mercer just released their annual Inside Employees’ Minds report that summarizes employees’ top concerns. And for U.S. workers, financial security is at the top of the list for 2024. It’s nothing new for companies to provide financial benefits for their workforce. Financial wellness for employees has been a big deal for a long time. Especially when it comes to retirement benefits.  But what about today? Yes, financi ..read more

Hi. I’m Lisa Oyler, HR Director at Access Perks, and I have a confession to make. I’m obsessed with passionate about creating positive workplace culture. Culture is one of those elusive, hard-to-define-and-harder-to-shape, aspects of the job. That sure hasn’t kept us from trying. For example, I’m constantly learning new ways to shape this company’s workplace culture into one that is inclusive, energetic, empowering, engaging… all the buzz words brought to life. On that note, we have some exciting news to share. Access Perks is the winner of several workplace awards in 2023. More on that later ..read more

For all the importance of employee benefits and perks, TIME is a resource that HR never seems to have enough of. As a result, snazzy benefits often don’t get the promotion they need to be fully utilized and appreciated by employees because it’s just too much work. Instead, they get overlooked and go unused. And that’s a problem.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, benefits account for nearly one-third of employee compensation. In some cases that number tops 38%. So, if employees don't actually experience these benefits making their lives better, they're likely to feel wildly un ..read more

Low utilization rates for certain benefits can be frustrating, especially after investing so much time and effort in selecting and launching them. Yet many HR professionals are unaware of the correlation between utilization and inclusivity. The more employees who can use a benefit, the higher the utilization is likely to be. To help you evaluate your company's benefits and perks, we have collected national average utilization rates for comparison. About a 7-minute read ..read more

I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is 83% of employers will invest more into employee retention efforts in the coming year. Hooray! In fact, recent statistics are showing that the majority of employers are turning their focus to retention. As a result, the number of companies prioritizing acquisition dropped a staggering 23 percentage points from the previous year. Businesses are putting their money where their mouths are, and employees are sure the reap the benefits ..read more

While everyone was focused on the price of eggs, healthcare went around behind our backs and did it again. Health insurance premiums are yet again on the rise. Experts are projecting a median increase of 7% in 2024 over this year’s premiums, which are up 6% from last year, which were up 5.5% from the year before… You get the idea. It’s actually been a steady rise of 5-7% for the last 7 years ..read more

Lisa Oyler has been in the field of human resources for over 25 years. For the last 9 of those years, she has served as the Director of Human Resources at Access Perks and sister company Access Development. There, she also grew to become a leading authority on the effects of employee benefits and employee discount programs on engagement and retention ..read more

I recently returned from Disneyland with my family so I can attest to how easy it can be to overspend. Treats look a little extra delicious, souvenirs look a little extra adorable and events look a lot more fun when infused with Disney magic. I’m so grateful for the employee benefits (in my case, discounted park tickets and hotels) that brought this vacation within our reach. Why is now is the perfect time to add Disney Park ticket discounts to your employee benefits repertoire? U.S. employees have less disposable income. They’re burning out at record pace. Statistics show that employees who ..read more

It's 2023, year of the uneven job market where some industries are laying off while others are struggling to hire and are chronically understaffed. Most of us feel even further from answering the question: how can we find, hire and keep skilled employees? That hasn't stopped businesses from trying. They've been busy surveying employees of all kinds to learn exactly what they want, even demand from their employers. Luckily for all of us, they've shared their findings with the world. Trends in 2023 show that many companies are turning their focus to employee retention. They show that employees ..read more