UNITED BENEFIT ADVISORS TO HOST FREE HR WEBINAR ON HEALTH-RELATED LOST PRODUCTIVITY Despite health care reform, health care costs continue to climb, making it critical for employers to address root causes.

Indianapolis, IN, Sept. 26, 2012 – United Benefit Advisors (UBA), in conjunction with The Standard, is hosting a free HR webinar, Health-Related Lost Productivity – Causes and Solutions, for employers and HR professionals on Oct. 4 from 2p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT. To receive the $149 discount for this webinar, enter the code UBASTD when registering.

Health-related problems among an employer’s workforce can drain employee productivity, resulting in higher costs due to absenteeism and presenteeism. Health-Related Lost Productivity – Causes and Solutions, will cover health care reform and its connection to short-term disability insurance (STD), absence/disability management, productivity loss, presenteeism and solutions for employers looking to address the cost of lost productivity due to poor employee health.

The rising cost of employer-provided health insurance is prompting employers to focus on how employee health affects organizational profitability. UBA’s 2012 Health Plan Survey, the nation’s largest health plan survey with 17,905 plans from 11,711 employers, reported a 5 percent increase in health care premium costs. Consequently, productivity losses due to poor employee healthare exacerbating overall healthcare expenditures.

Employers also might be surprised to learn that medical care and pharmaceutical costs are estimated to make up only 30 percent of the total cost of poor employee health. The other 70 percent can be attributed to health-related lost productivity, according to a 2009 study in the Journal of Occupational Environmental Medicine. For instance, the costs from presenteeism — a term describing the productivity loss caused by employees at work with medical conditions (either physical or mental) —exceed what companies are spending on medical, disability and absenteeism, according to a recent survey by Kronos. The major causes of presenteeismare attributable to behavioral health conditions such as depression.

“We want to alert employers and HR professionals to these alarming numbers and provide solutions to address these costs,” said Thomas Mangan, CEO of UBA.

This free HR webinar, Health-Related Lost Productivity – Causes and Solutions, offers ideas and best practices to employers to help them effectively manage issues related to STD and health-related lost productivity. (This webinar has been approved by the HR Certification Institute for one hour of HRCI credit.)

Michael Klachefsky, a national practice leader for the Workplace Possibilities program offered by The Standard, is teaching this UBA-sponsored webinar. Klachefsky has more than 30 years of experience in the absence/disability management and productivity industry.

About United Benefit Advisors

One of the nation’s top five employee benefits advisory organizations, United Benefit Advisors is a Member-owned alliance of more than 140 premier independent benefit advisory firms with more than 200offices throughout the U.S., Canada and the U.K. As trusted and knowledgeable advisors, UBA Members collaborate with more than 2,200 professionals to deliver expertise, thought leadership and best-in-class solutions that positively impact employers and make a real difference in the lives of their employees and families. Employers, advisors and industry-related organizations interested in obtaining powerful results from the shared wisdom of our Members should visit UBA online at www.UBAbenefits.com.