Deanna Cuadra

Deanna Cuadra

Senior Reporter

Connect with Deanna

Deanna Cuadra is a senior reporter at Employee Benefit News. Her work covers healthcare, U.S. policy and reform, challenges faced by women and parents in the workplace and innovation in work culture and leadership. Deanna previously worked as an editorial assistant at HealthDay, and was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of MidWave Magazine, a multimedia platform where college students were able to share their takes on pop culture and politics at the onset of the pandemic. When Deanna isn’t knee-deep in healthcare policy, she directs and produces short films and documentaries that center marginalized communities. Deanna graduated with a bachelor’s degree in film and media studies and East Asian studies from Columbia University.

Adobe headquarters in Silicon Valley; a gray building with glass windows and palm trees below it.

20 of the happiest remote-friendly companies

Using Comparably's Happiest Employees 2023 report, Flexjobs ranked which companies have the best cultures and are still hiring remote workers.

By Deanna Cuadra

February 26

An open office space, with workers staring at their desktop computers; sunlight is streaming through the huge window behind them.

Professional development

Are workers officially done job-hopping? Why 2024 marks the start of the ‘Big Stay’

MyPerfectResume surveyed nearly 2,000 Americans on their predictions for the 2024 job market.

By Deanna Cuadra

February 23

A woman with long, curly brown hair is leaning against the bed headboard, holding a glass of water and rubbing her temple.

Does your disability insurance cover long COVID? What’s at risk for employers and employees

ERISA attorney J.J. Conway is representing a plaintiff who was denied disability coverage by Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company.

By Deanna Cuadra

February 22

A mom, Latina, sits at her dining room table with her baby boy while scrolling on her laptop; daylight streams from a window to her right.

Child Care 2024

Child care, PTO and upskilling: Moms share what they need to succeed

Experts from the University of Phoenix and MomsRising break down how employers can help low-income moms overcome career barriers.

By Deanna Cuadra

February 21

A man rubs his face with his glasses in the other hand in front of his laptop; it's nighttime, and there's a soft glow from the laptop.

Professional development

Don’t get caught job hunting: 5 ways to search in secret

Amanda Augustine, career expert at ZipJob, breaks down how employees can find their next job without raising suspicions at their current workplace.

By Deanna Cuadra

February 20

Airport traffic control tower in the foreground, a plane flies behind it, and the sky is blue.

Professional development

10 highest-paying jobs for talent with associate degrees

Resume Genius highlighted jobs that make above $65,000, have steady projected growth and only require an associate degree.

By Deanna Cuadra

February 15

Four colleagues of different ethnicities discuss something on pieces of paper laid around a wooden conference table.

Diversity and equality

DEI isn’t dead: How employers can refocus their efforts ahead of the 2024 election

Mandy Price, co-founder and CEO of Kanarys, advises employers on how to approach DEI as it becomes increasingly politicized in the U.S.

By Deanna Cuadra

February 14

A young Black woman rubs her temples, looking pained; she is turned away from her laptop.

Autoimmune disease support might be the next big benefit in healthcare

Maven now provides autoimmune care as an employee benefit through its partnership with WellTheory.

By Deanna Cuadra

February 14

A woman with brown hair and glasses, speaking at her white laptop with a pen in her hand.

Regulation and compliance

Ready to hire? Make sure your background checks are compliant with clean slate laws and more

Checkr found that 51% of organizations were either uncertain whether their screening policies were compliant or didn't have a policy at all.

By Deanna Cuadra

February 12

The San Francisco skyline, with multi-colored homes in the foreground before the tall skyscrapers, the sky is blue, and the bay can be seen in the left-hand corner.

10 states with the most unpaid overtime

Rebel's Guide to Management found that Americans worked a collective 46 billion extra hours without pay in 2023.

By Deanna Cuadra

February 9

A Black family with a young daughter walks along the beach; the daughter has a yellow and pink beach ball, and she's laughing.

Employee benefits

Over 80% of employers plan on upgrading their leave policies, according to WTW

WTW found that 84% of employers plan to change their leave policies in an effort to attract and retain their best talent.

By Deanna Cuadra

February 8

A young Asian woman and white man smile at a Black woman sitting across from them at a conference table.

Employee retention

ADP reveals what an ideal HR team looks like

Using its payroll data, ADP explores what HR staffing ratio led to reduced employee turnover.

By Deanna Cuadra

February 6

A woman in a long beige coat is sitting on the ground of what looks like a bridge for pedestrians in a city; her head is in her hands.

Professional development

Workers are terrified of layoffs, AI and a recession in 2024

MyPerfectResume found that 85% of workers are worried about losing their jobs in 2024.

By Deanna Cuadra

February 5

A man in his 40s sits next to a doctor who is holding his patient chart. They are both smiling.

Health and wellness

A urologist explains why men can’t afford to delay care

Dr. David Shusterman, urologist and founder of NY Urology, explains why men need to change their relationship with healthcare — and how employers can help.

By Deanna Cuadra

February 2

An Asian woman with a light blue blazer stands over a conference table, addressing four colleagues.

Regulation and compliance

Biden’s new worker classification rule is tightening the definition of independent contractors

Linda Bond Edwards, partner at RumbergerKirk, breaks down the Biden administration's revised worker classification rule.

By Deanna Cuadra

February 1

A frustrated Black man pinches the bridge of his nose while facing his desktop computer, glasses in his other hand.

90% of employers have open enrollment errors — and it’s costing them billions

Brandon Weber, CEO of Nava Benefits, shares why healthcare brokers must audit carrier bills for open enrollment errors.

By Deanna Cuadra

January 31

A hotel front desk employee, a woman in a blue top and black blazer, is talking to a man in a black blazer.

15 most hated jobs of 2024

Adzuna analyzed job ads to see which people are least likely to click on, and the results are in.

By Deanna Cuadra

January 30

Eight professionals are sitting at a conference table, listening to a colleague speak.

15 jobs getting the biggest raises in 2024

Resume Genius analyzed reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to predict which workers will see the highest raises in 2024.

By Deanna Cuadra

January 29

Statue of Archduke Charles on Heldenplatz square and Museum of Natural History dome in Vienna, Austria.

Vienna, Zurich among 20 cities with the highest quality of life

Mercer ranked which cities worldwide have the highest quality of life according to factors like safety, national stability, public services, cultural richness and infrastructure.

By Deanna Cuadra

January 26

Two Ozempic injection pens and the box.

From Wellbutrin to Ozempic, prescription prices are on the rise — how to mitigate costs

Mark Campbell, SVP of clinical solutions at RxBenefits, explains how employers can save on medicine in 2024.

By Deanna Cuadra

January 25