Lydell C. Bridgeford

As the economy starts to stabilize, retirement plan experts say plan sponsors need to emphasize certain elements of their retirement education and advice programs to get workers back on track and saving for retirement.

Despite the drive to make all things digital during the 2010 open enrollment season, employers didn’t turn away from good-old fashioned face-to-face meetings. Also, complying with the first phase of the health law was a breeze.

Employers just can’t get enough of wellness. In 2010, nearly 75% of 147 mid- to large-size employers offered 19 or more health promotion programs, finds a study by Fidelity Investments and the National Business Group on Health.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School report that women with highly stressful jobs are 40% more likely to have poor cardiac health, such as a heart disease, a heart attack or coronary artery surgery, compared to their less-stressed colleagues.

As employers start to conduct cost-benefit analysis on providing health insurance under the health law, they should also study some proposals by the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (NCFRR).

The economy and health reform may have prompted the youngest workers at U.S. companies to take a deeper interest in workplace benefits, according to online research conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Unum.

The Great Place to Work Institute and Fortune magazine recently released the 100 best companies to work for list, which also lauds employers that went the extra mile to deliver unusual perks within their benefits programs.

Large corporations that sponsor pension plans saw their funded status improved for the fifth straight month, according to new research by Mercer.

The Society of Human Resource Management and the Families and Work Institute launched a new partnership called "Moving Work Forward," which hopes to increase the number of employers implementing flexible-workplace arrangements.

The National Business Group on Health reports a growing number of workers seek health and medical information from their employers.

New data by Aon Hewitt show 57 % of 401(k) plan sponsors offered automatic enrollment in 2010, compared to 24% in 2006. Thirty-six percent of plan sponsors who don’t offer the feature said they are likely to add it in 2011.

The shift to health consumerism hasn't escaped dental benefits. And if health care costs continue to squeeze benefit budgets, then more employers might start turning to voluntary dental plans.

U.S. workers can expect median base salary increases of 2.8% in 2011, compared to 2.4% in 2010, while executives and skilled trades workers can anticipate a 2.7% increase, according to the Salary Budgets Survey by the Hay Group.

The Center for State and Local Government Excellence recently launched an interactive map showing a sample of state and local governments that have made major reforms to their pension plans.

Employees who come to work with cold and flu symptoms cited workplace pressures and presenteeism as key reasons why they make the haul into work feeling under the weather, according to a CareerBuilder survey.

Special-interests groups among employees are not only making a comeback in corporate America, but the groups are also receiving significant financial support from employers, finds a new study by Mercer.

To take advantage of the economic upswing, employers will have to become smarter about strategies on talent management and succession planning, according to a survey by Towers Watson.

At some companies, financial incentives for wellness programs can reach up to $3,000 per employee. But, on average, employers spend about $220 on each employee, up from $163 in 2009, according to a new survey on wellness programs.

U.S. workers can expect median base salary increases of 2.8% in 2011, compared to 2.4% in 2010, while executives and skilled-trade workers can anticipate a 2.7% increase, according to the "Salary Budgets Survey" by the Hay Group.

Research analyzing health saving accounts managed by three large banks shows that accounts with employer contributions had an average contribution of $1,058 for calendar year 2009.