For the last edition of Pulse for 2019, we'd like to first take a moment to recap the year's highlights - and look toward 2020. 

2019 was a busy year for the Global team and our members! Here is a summary of the projects we completed this year:

Did You Know....

The International Diabetes Federation estimates that 463 million adults around the world are diabetic. This number is expected to increase to 578 million by 2030. The disease has also caused 4 million deaths and cost health care systems and patients $727 billion in prevention and treatment. You can learn more about the global cost of diabetes here.

Be sure to review this month's news update, to keep your finger on the pulse of what's making headlines world-wide in health and well-being.

Your Workforce Is More Adaptable Than You Think, Harvard Business Review, May-June 2019

Business leaders and managers often perceive the global workforce as being resistant to or even unable to change. However, a survey of lower-income and middle-skills workers in eleven countries, and business leaders in eight countries, clearly rebuts that idea. It was leaders themselves who were anxious about hiring and mobilizing the workforce of the future. The workers did not share their apprehension about what was coming. Instead, they were excited about new opportunities and were ready to embrace change and learn new skills, but they needed guidance and training to do so. This article highlights the forces of disruption shaping the future of work and recommends ways that employers can assist employees in preparing themselves for forthcoming employment.

Member Requests. What are your peers most concerned with? This word cloud is a reflection of the 111 member requests the global team received in 2019. Do you have a health, well-being or benefits question for our team? Let us know.

Psychosocial Risk Factor Assessment. Colombia’s Labor Ministry has developed means for employers to assess and intervene psychosocial risk factors within their workplace via questionnaires and protocols. The ministry will provide the software for employers to implement this effort. Please see the Business Group’s Colombia Benchmarking Call Summary for employer efforts in the market.

Global Leave. Global institute members have been asking more and more to benchmark and learn from each other around global leave policies. During a recent joint Leave Optimization Forum and Global Institute event, of those members participating:

• 14% were in global leave discussions
• 69% have leave policies that vary by country
• 8% have implemented a global leave policy

As leave is a goal and priority for many member’s in 2020, learn more about the overall global leave landscape, Amazon and Johnson & Johnson’s journey to a global solution, and Leave Logic’s innovation intended to list the cumbersome administrative employer burden.

Missed a previous issue of Pulse? Click here for prior editions.

Do you have a question? Write to the staff.