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Q&A
Enhancements to employee benefits for job satisfaction and retention
0:23:47
ยท
125 sec
Daniel Pollock discusses various enhancements to employee benefits aimed at improving job satisfaction and retention in the city workforce.
- Ongoing discussions about health benefits improvements within cost constraints
- Introduction of new benefits for managerial employees, including egg/sperm donation and surrogate costs
- Highlight of the EAP (Employee Assistance Program) and WorkWell program for mental health and wellness support
- Record number of clients (nearly 30,000) served by EAP last year
- Targeted EAP programs for specific agencies with high-stress jobs, such as ACS Child Protection
Carmen N. De La Rosa
0:23:47
you.
0:23:48
Has OLR explored enhancements to employee benefits such as childcare, support, mental health resources, tuition assistance to improve job satisfaction or retention?
Daniel Pollock
0:24:01
So when, we talk about improvements to health benefits, you know, we we are constantly talking about health benefits with our unions.
0:24:09
You know, obviously, we are dealing with an environment of sharply rising costs, which we are trying to control.
0:24:15
But within that kind of constraint, we do try to offer the most competitive health benefits we can.
0:24:22
You know, something that we recently announced for managerial employees because that's something that we're able to do, was a new benefit for, for egg donation, egg or sperm donation, and, surrogate costs, which is something we're proud of and, you know, is is getting off the ground now.
0:24:42
But, you know, so those are those are some of the things we are doing.
0:24:47
In terms of mental health, you know, I do want you this opportunity to just, our EAP program as well as our WorkWell program are both, you know, really valuable programs for city employees.
0:24:58
WorkWell provides wellness programming, including fitness, and other, wellness programming to city agencies.
0:25:05
Since it was created about 10 years ago, it's grown hugely and really, you know, we get universally positive feedback from every agency that participates, from every employee that participates.
0:25:16
EAP is committed to dealing with employee mental health issues.
0:25:21
Last year, they saw nearly 30,000 clients
Megan Chambers
0:25:24
Mhmm.
Daniel Pollock
0:25:24
Which was a record for them.
0:25:25
So we continue to expand that program.
0:25:28
We have some places where we have targeted EAP programs.
0:25:31
For example, ACS Child Protection.
Oren Barzilay
0:25:34
Mhmm.
Carmen N. De La Rosa
0:25:34
We
Daniel Pollock
0:25:34
have a a program there where their counselor is placed in each borough because we know that's a a job that has a large kind of toll on employees' mental health.
0:25:42
So both those programs are also really designed to to help support employees because, you know, we know, obviously, there are a lot of tough jobs in the city, and not all about compensation.
0:25:51
Those jobs continue to take a toll.