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Issue 030

The number of studies that have found a link between a disease and a specific gut microbiome composition seems to be ever increasing. Until recently, though, almost all these studies have looked at single diseases in isolation. But most people tend to have more than one health complaint at a time – “comorbidities”, in medical parlance.

Gallagher President, Chairman, and CEO J. Patrick “Pat” Gallagher, Jr., and Vice President – International, Gallagher Benefits & HR Consulting, Leslie Lemenager, sat down with GBV during the 2018 IBIS Academy. They discussed Gallagher’s history and values as well as client needs and market trends in global employee benefits and global mobility. Gallagher’s long history and family connections result in unique, long-term, and people-oriented perspectives. Read on.

Collaborative Perks is the most recent brainchild of co-founder Jean-Baptiste de la Mettrie, who believes in encouraging the practice of collaborative consumption as a way for global employers to attract and retain talent. In an article, “Mandated and discretionary benefits: understanding the types of compensation available for your employees” and published on Linked In, de la Mettrie breaks compensation schemes into “two major subcategories: mandated and discretionary benefits.” Both types, he explains, help employees enjoy a “more comfortable lifestyle,” but some benefits are standardized and compulsory. Discretionary benefits, he says, “offer a wide range of advantages that compliment mandated forms of compensation, and even go the extra length to ensure employee gratification”. (Emphasis mine.)

The 48th IBIS Academy Conference was held from 7 – 11 May 2018, in conjunction with the IBIS Institute, a “boot camp” for practitioners, and the IBIS Mobility and Partner Program. It included a three-day series of cutting-edge presentations and panels for more experienced colleagues. The overarching theme was “Your Future, Your Workforce” and focused on what it takes to be an employer of choice for the future.

Global Benefits Vision: Why has MAXIS GBN decided to launch its new wellness solution now? What were the key drivers behind the launch? Dr. Leena Johns MD: Over the past few years we have worked with clients to identify the cost drivers of their health claims data across disparate geographies, through our sophisticated data reporting tools. While some markets offer solutions to mitigate these drivers, often, in reality, there is an absence of data-based recommendations and a lack of cohesive, centralised solutions that can be rolled out globally.

In the 1950s, scholars worried that, thanks to technological innovations, Americans wouldn’t know what to do with all of their leisure time. Yet today, as sociologist Juliet Schor notes, Americans are overworked, putting in more hours than at any time since the Depression and more than in any other in Western society.

Many of us may be considering “burning some fat” so we feel better in our bathing suits out on the beach or at the pool. What does that actually mean, though?

The new health care venture formed by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase announced June 20 that Harvard professor and well-known author Atul Gawande would be the company’s CEO. The idea for the new company is to innovate by cutting costs from the health care system, starting with the more than 1 million employees of the three companies behind the venture.

The setup of a business in Luxembourg will result in the migration of employees from the United Kingdom. This will be cause for changes in their professional and personal lives, such as new remuneration packages, changes in employment contracts, tax and social security, family assistance plans for housing, school, etc. Using the Brexit model as an example, we can explain what happens in terms of social security and occupational pension schemes for employees (not all of whom are from the UK) who are migrating to Luxembourg.