Nick Otto

A panel of U.S. companies representing more than 1 million active employees and another 50 million retirees across the globe convened Tuesday in Washington, D.C. to unveil a campaign aimed at reducing the nation’s health care costs.

As interest increases in employers offering voluntary benefits, a particularly large number of employers are beginning to add a more robust range of voluntary benefits to improve morale of existing employees and attract new talent.

The impending post-retirement health costs of America’s baby boomers may still seem remote, but benefits managers would do well to help their older workers by working together to consider those potentially explosive concerns – and include them in a comprehensive employee health plan.

New research points to low-cost consumer-directed plans as being a key strategy in thwarting rising health benefit costs.

Expectations of retirement haven’t quite bounced back since the recession, and retirement security is increasingly becoming a topic of concern for workers around the world.

The National Restaurant Association’s Dawn Cacciotti is the recipient of EBN’s 2014 Judges’ Choice Benny Award.

As the gap widens on whether e-cigarettes are part of the solution or still part of the greater problem of employee smoking cessation, their popularity is still on the rise. Experts from the health management group HealthFitness have provided some additional tips for employers taking on the challenge of creating e-cigarette policies in the workplace.

While online training and development courses may have a bad rap for being mundane, new strides are being taken to create more innovative and engaging programs with a focus on human achievement.

Employees aren’t shouting from the roof over how great their employer-sponsored benefits are. In fact, satisfaction is sitting at some of the lowest levels since 2008, according to new data released from Unum.

New data reveals only 46% of middle-market consumers have individual life insurance, and that more than three quarters of consumers age 25-64 say they would benefit from more close guidance from financial services professionals in adding that important voluntary benefit.

Millennials took a big financial hit during the recession, with wounds that are still fresh and unlikely to heal quickly, and a growing, under-utilized industry is hoping to build some new momentum.

Employers from Starbucks to ConAgra have begun partnering directly with academic institutions to create specialized programs for their employees. It’s a new spin on an older system, as benefit managers are trying to evaluate the long-term benefits of helping to pay for their workers’ education.

The White House Friday proposed two rules in response to the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision earlier this summer that will allow women to receive contraception coverage if an employer refuses to offer it for religious reasons.

While use of electronic cigarettes is growing in popularity, employers are starting to take a look at adopting policies on use of the device at work, and how to protect workers from coming into contact with second-hand vapors.

Oregon’s Retirement Savings Task Force is calling on the state to create a retirement fund that would be available to all employed state residents that will follow Oregonians as they transition between jobs.

Employers are expected to give an averaged 3% raise in base pay in the coming year, with top performers seeing as much as an 8% increase, thanks in part to a strengthening economy and growing job market.

The Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company on Wednesday launched The Fiduciary Awareness Quiz, a first-of-its kind assessment to help plan sponsors better understand their fiduciary obligations and responsibilities.

After a booming jobs growth spurt in June, hiring slowed, but still grew overall in July. The U.S. economy added 209,000 jobs last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. And with that growth, many employees are becoming just as selective as employers have been in choosing their next career path.

Hiring and fast turnover are on the rise in offices around the world, including in the U.S., and experts say employers need to look at what it is their employees value most if they want to retain their current talent.

Employees across the country can expect to see an average increase of 3% in base salaries in the coming year, and some experts are advising employers to remember that if budgets are tight, there are other means to keep employees happy.