Lisa V. Gillespie

Government is perhaps the last employer segment that provides benefits that liken to those retiring baby boomers remember: A strong pension plan and paternalistic health care benefits.

“Stand up.” The audience stands. “Sit down.” The audience sits. “Now stand up again.” An audience member mutters under his breath, “No way,” while Fikry Isaac, chief medical officer for wellness and prevention at Johnson & Johnson makes his commands to make a point. Wherever your employees are — a meeting, a desk or at a conference, simple movement can go a long way to create a corporate culture where health is truly valued and lived.

Tuesday morning, the 2012 Employer Health and Human Capitol Congress kicked off in Washington, D.C., with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) emphasizing the role of employers in pushing for payment reform in the health care system and advancing health information technology, which could drastically change health care spending and costs to both employees and employees.

According to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, consumers pay an average monthly fee of $45.30 for access to a fitness center. Employers are starting to tap into that need, and one program specifically has met it - at about half the cost of a typical gym membership.

According to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, consumers pay an average monthly fee of $45.30 for access to a fitness center. Employers are starting to tap into that need, and one program specifically has met it - at about half the cost of a typical gym membership.

The maximum annual participant contribution to 401(k) plans has increased for 2012 but employees may not be aware of it, according to a recent Fidelity Investments survey.

Thirty-three percent of major employers offer transgender-inclusive benefits. This is five times more companies than last year, and a big part of the push came from the Corporate Equality Index, a series of guidelines from the Human Rights Campaign that measured employers on five criteria regarding benefits for transgendered workers: short-term leave, counseling by a mental health professional, hormone therapy, medical visits to monitor hormone therapy and surgical procedures, without any exclusions.

The dental industry continues to reel nearly two years following the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which included several mandates that might change the face of the way dental care is delivered within, and outside of, state-run health insurance exchanges.

Statistics show 96% of Americans use Facebook, and 46 million check their social media profiles daily. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, more than one-half (56%) of organizations currently use social networking websites when recruiting potential job candidates, a significant increase from 2008, when 34% did so. However, when it comes to in-house communications, most companies still use face-to-face or email to convey key HR/benefits messages and information.

Today’s aging workforce isn’t fully taking advantage of its vision benefits, and is therefore missing out on a critical preventive care opportunity and leaving itself at higher risk for age-related vision problems, eye diseases and chronic conditions that affect eye health and compromise productivity. This is according to a new study by Transitions Optical, Inc.

As HR/benefits outsourcing becomes a larger part of employers' overall business strategy, industry professionals' primary job no longer is putting out small fires. Rather, practitioners are blazing trails toward workforce and organizational development.

As the economy continues to falter, employers have become increasingly reticent about their employees' ability to successfully save for retirement, according to a new survey by Aon Hewitt. In response, employers are creating solutions to help rethink their retirement benefits plan strategies and assist their employees in better preparing for retirement.

Baby boomers appear to be taking a second look at their life insurance policies as an alternative financial solution to paying for retirement, where they sell an unneeded life insurance policy for a portion of the face amount. These transactions, known as life settlements, have become a mainstream practice in the past several years, particularly as baby boomers begin exploring all financial options to paying for retirement, including previously unconventional alternatives.

Something is costing your health plan a whole lot of money, and it's largely due to uninformed choice: early induced deliveries.

Men and women are preparing for retirement in very different ways, according to findings from Ameriprise Financial. While men outpace women in planning for the financial aspects of retirement (77% vs. 72%), women are more likely to say they've thought about what they'd like to do during retirement. And though a mere 22% of Americans report confidence in reaching their retirement goals, men are significantly more likely than women to report this sentiment (25% vs. 19%).

As 2012 ushers in an improving, but still highly competitive job market, more workers may be looking beyond their own backyard for employment options. Forty-four percent of workers said they would be willing to relocate for a career opportunity, according to a nationwide study by CareerBuilder. Of workers who were laid off in the last year and found new jobs, 20% relocated to a new city or state.

The fourth annual study identifying the top U.S. health systems based was released yesterday by Thomson Reuters, which culled data from more than 300 organizations and singled out 15 hospital systems that achieved superior clinical outcomes based on a composite score of eight measures of quality, patient perception of care and efficiency.

Thursday morning, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius addressed a ballroom in Washington, D.C. of more than 200 people invested in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Birds of a feather flock together, and it seems the saying also rings true for small business owners looking for a financial advisor. According to a new study released yesterday by The American College, small business owners prefer to speak to financial advisors of the same sex, with men exhibiting a stronger gender bias than their female counterparts.

Arranging and financing long-term care is an issue everyone will face yet no one wants to talk about. However, following the Health Department's move to table the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act, planning for long-term care is becoming part of the national conversation - and that presents opportunities and challenges for employers.