CAI Releases 2012 Policies And Benefits Survey Results

RALEIGH, NC, December 19, 2012 (Press-News.org) Bruce Clarke, president and CEO of CAI (http://www.capital.org), a human resource management firm that helps organizations maximize employee engagement while minimizing employer liability, announced the results of the firm's 2012 Policies and Benefits Survey. The survey aims to provide employers with a local perspective regarding core and currently trending topics in HR policies and employee benefit practices. Survey topics included health and welfare benefits, time off, pay practices, retirement plans, workplace culture, recruitment and staffing, and termination. The survey evaluated 267 employers across North Carolina with a heavy concentration in the central and eastern regions of the state.

Results from this year's survey indicate that while 79 percent of employers surveyed offer employees traditional benefit plans such as vision, health and dental programs, an increasing number of companies are seeking ways to offer a greater variety of benefits to employees in addition to traditional plans. Forty-nine percent of employers are instituting some form of corporate wellness strategy for their employees. A growing number of employers - 18 percent - now offer domestic partner benefits regardless of the partner's gender. The analysis of companies' paid time off practices revealed that 70 percent of employers offer formal paid time off policies, including sick, holiday and vacation days—a number that suggests that companies are moving toward accountability at the employee level regarding taking time off, allowing employees to use time as needed.

As the economy continues to gradually improve, 92 percent of employers reported offering employee training opportunities and 58 percent reported providing employees with tuition reimbursement programs for continued education. Results regarding workplace culture indicate that 28 percent of employers have implemented a formal corporate/social responsibility policy or statement. These trends could be the result of companies increasing their efforts to practice more effective recruiting and staffing strategies to retain and develop their existing workforce.

QUOTES:
"As the economy continues to show signs of improvement, it is more important than ever for employers to take the time to evaluate their policies and benefits. The survey results provide invaluable information for employers seeking to develop competitive and more comprehensive policies and benefits packages for their employees and job candidates," said Clarke. "It is very encouraging to see how responsive North Carolina employers are to the changing needs and expectations of a growing workforce. We are excited about the direction in which our state is headed."

DETAILS:
- For more information on CAI survey data, contact CAI at (919) 878-9222 or visit http://www.capital.org.

NEW MEDIA CONTENT:
CAI Blog:
http://blog.capital.org

CAI on Facebook:
http://on.fb.me/x2FBmp

CAI on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/caihr

CAI on LinkedIn:
http://linkd.in/zw66nS

ABOUT CAI:
CAI is a trusted resource for HR, compliance and people development. With locations in Raleigh and Greensboro, CAI is a membership-driven organization that helps North Carolina employers maximize employee engagement and minimize employer liability through human resources and management advice, training, news, survey data, public policy advocacy and consulting services. For more information, please call (919) 878-9222 or visit http://www.capital.org.

Anjelica Cummings
MMI Public Relations
(919) 233-6600
anjelica@mmipublicrelations.com
http://www.twitter.com/MMIPR
http://www.mmipublicrelations.com