To close skills gap, employers need to ‘get off the bench’
A panel of workforce experts met recently at the Aspen Institutes Washington, D.C., office to talk about challenges in the skilled trades.
Tristan Lejeune
Associate Editor of Employee Benefit News
Employers report increased use and effectiveness of health incentives
Eighty-three percent of 800 large and mid-size American employers representing more than 7 million workers now use some form of incentive to get employees more aware of their health status, Aon Hewitt polls show.
Avoid communications problems with 2013 open enrollment
Targeting specific demographics will be critical to 2013 open enrollment communications, says Univers Dani McCauley. McCauley tells EBN that employers will face a challenging landscape this year communicating health care reform and other benefits changes.
Three 20-somethings discuss their retirement prep
As part of EBNs upcoming portrait of Generation Ys financial planning, we spoke with a trio of young investors. Unsurprisingly, the one whos doing the most to help her 401(k) works in the benefits field.
2013 open enrollment may be true test for benefits communications
Communicating ahead of open enrollment is both a broader and a more specific challenge in a post-health care reform world. One expert at Univers talks about how she is prepping her clients and tips for how employers should plan.
How does a benefits strategy truly go global?
Officials from IBM, Disney and Air Liquide discuss how to create an effective international benefits strategy.
EBRI: Retirement confidence remains at record low
The 23rd annual Retirement Confidence Survey, the longest-running survey of its kind, reports 28% the highest level in the surveys history are not at all confident about being able to afford a comfortable retirement
Free legal advice on avoiding health plan compliance traps
In a legislative session sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management, benefits attorney Elizabeth Vollmar covered everything from in-house administration functions to avoiding financial exposure.
Federal agencies remain aggressive about pay equity enforcement
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission may launch an investigation into pay discrimination, one legal expert warns even before formal charges are filed. The agency, as part of the presidents task force on pay enforcement, already is implementing pilot projects to audit employers near New York, Chicago and Phoenix.
Consulting leaders advise employers to be nimble amid changing health care landscape
Health care consultants from Mercer, Aon Hewitt and Towers Watson offered advice at a recent National Business Group on Health event in Washington, D.C.
Benefits professionals get tough love on how to improve job performance
Employment attorney Jonathan Segal told attendees at yesterdays SHRM legislative event that benefits pros need to show employees their softer, more human side. Dont treat employees as plaintiffs waiting to happen, he said.
Report sees first drop in traditional prescription spending in 20 years
Express Scripts, however, says the decline was offset by an 18.4% rise in spending on specialty medications. The aggregate trend for 2012 was a bump of 2.7%, similar to that of 2011.
Benefits pro offers first-hand advice on effectively communicating CDHPs
Life Technologies, a California-based medical research and life sciences company with more than 10,000 employees, shifted its workforce to a CDHP in 2010. Benefits leader Carole Mendoza says the education and communication effort for the change ran the gamut from bathroom newsletters (the old porcelain press) to blogs, webinars and social networks.
Snap-on exec says companies need to facilitate their future workers training
Technical education is lagging behind the rapid speed of technological growth, says Frederick Brookhouse, business and education partnership manager with Snap-on, and the problems start well before secondary schools.
New tools, calculators help employers measure effectiveness of absence management programs
Disability insurance experts with Guardian Life Insurance Company have developed an index for measuring and predicting the success of companies absence management programs in conjunction with their short-term and long-term disability programs.
Less than half of small businesses offer benefits
LIMRA reports that 47% of employers with 2-99 employees offer benefits, the lowest level in 20 years.
State laws hamper smoke-free workplace efforts
Lifestyle laws in 29 states may hamper employer efforts to maintain a strict smoke-free workplace.
Employees report higher engagement
Employee engagement has risen in the past year, according to Temkin Group research, and those companies with highly engaged employees are reaping personnel and profit rewards.
Survey finds majority of employees want customizable benefits
Women and younger workers are particularly likely to favor customizable voluntary benefits, according to a TNS Omnibus survey.
3 risks, 1 myth on eye health
Transitions Optical survey reveals only 16% of employees say they receive education from their employer about eye health.