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If you are an HR administrator, what are your resolutions for the coming year? With the economy in a recession, several key indicators are showing most companies ‘cutting back’ in order to best position themselves for future uncertainty. Just a quick read through the news and blogosphere and one can find various articles and commentaries about how even individual employees are employing certain tactics to bolster their value to the company and secure their role. In light of these two trends, we’d recommend human resources administrators and employees setting some goals this year — or shall we say resolutions? To help you get off to a good start, allow us to suggest a simple and uncomplicated resolution that can greatly bolster your standing and draw some positive attention: introduce an employee discount program for your coworkers!  Without breaking the budget, PerkSpot can help you do this quickly and easily while saving company time in the process. It’s a win-win for employer and employee.

Many would argue that the current economic downturn has increased the value of a strategically-oriented human resources department. Nonetheless, a new study found that two out of five corporate management teams still don’t view HR as a strategic asset. There does appear to be progress being made as many HR leaders report an increase in HR’s strategic role, often as the result of new management refocusing HR operations on more business and mission-critical activities.Stan Lepeak, the author of the study, offered some “tough love” motivation for HR administrators who feel undervalued. “The HR people may feel that executives see them just as a back office group that runs the payroll, and they may complain that they’re not being offered a seat at the table. But sitting back and waiting for the opportunity isn’t a good idea. In most cases, if you step up and show value, you’re going to be invited in, not pushed back. If you’ve never taken the initiative, it’s kind of your own fault.”These tough economic times present a chance for human resources administrators to take the initiative in being a strategic asset to their companies. HR administrators can seize the opportunity to have a more strategic role by putting into place creative benefits packages and unique employee discount program offerings.

According to a recent article by Employee Benefit News, two-thirds of U.S. employers and recruiters plan to cut back on hiring over the next six months, and 17% consider companywide layoffs a strong possibility. The same survey found that 62% of companies expect no increase from last year’s starting salaries and 15% are planning to offer less compensation. 7 in 10 companies report an increase in candidates as the job-applicant pool continues to grow.  This is good news for employers that can afford to hire new talent as the scales are tipping in their favor. An attractive benefits package featuring a useful employee discount program can help human resources administrators attract quality candidates without increasing salaries.

It’s hard for me to imagine life without a computer, but a recent survey concluded that many employees do not have access to a home computer.  The article from Employee Benefit News discusses the fact that in this age of technological advancement some employees are not keeping up.  EBN outlines some of the opportunities that computer-less employees miss out on:

“Having access to benefit information online is the most important reason for employees to have home computers, according to 81.5 % of respondents. Also ranking high (both at 50.6 %) as an important use for a home computer was improving skills of the employee through online education and accessing wellness programs and other health information.”

The article goes on to highlight the ways that HR administrators are looking to remedy this gap in technology.  One solution that 17% of employers identified was to offer savings on personal computer purchases through an employee discount program.

When you sit down to review your insurance and voluntary benefits coverage MarketWatch.com has a list of 5 questions you can ask to make sure you’re making informed decisions:

-Is your 401(k) account properly allocated?
-How much is in company stock?
-Is there a better choice for health insurance?
-Are Flexible Spending Accounts being fully utilized?
-Is long-term care coverage necessary?

Take a look at what MarketWatch has to say about these important questions here.  PerkSpot can provide answers to many of the questions that HR administrators face each day through a customized employee discount program.