Contemporary HRM Practices

     One of the contemporary HRM practices that is becoming more and more relevant and useful are health and wellness programs.  Health and wellness benefits are something companies are offering and also something talent looks for when finding a job.  A company that offers a health and wellness program is one that talent will be more likely to apply to than one that does not.  One of the major reasons that talent is looking specifically for health benefits recently is because of the Obama Care requirement that began a couple of years ago.  This requires everyone in America to have health insurance or they will be penalized on their taxes.  I personally know this all too well as I have had three jobs at once, and none of them offered health insurance, so I have been penalized the past two years.  Often times Obama Care is too expensive for people (like me) to afford.  Therefore, companies that offer it are highly desired.  This type of practice does not apply specifically with sharing, or learning but can be seen as innovative.  It can also have many benefits for the organization.  One of these benefits is that if all employees have a health program, they will be less likely to call into work and take off for health reasons, which can increase productivity.  Talent will also be more motivated to work for and stay with a company that offers health benefits.  Some companies even offer gym memberships with their wellness programs which is another motivator for employees.  Every HR professional should consider offering health and wellness benefits to their employees because it can not only motivate employees to work hard to stay with the company, but it can increase production and create a competitive advantage in the company.