Benefits Think

Guest blogger and director of Employee Benefits for Hawaiian Airlines, Ed Bray, shares four suggestions for starting a new benefits position on the right foot. Learned over 10 years of experience, he advises HR peers on how to feel welcome, secure, and successful in their first few months.

With the recent Supreme Court ruling now finalized and the minimum essential health insurance provisions in place, companies have begun to ask us “What’s next?” or “What will the financial impact be for our company in 2014?” My belief is that by taking a proactive approach to the individual mandate and understanding the impact on your company’s financials, you will be able to make that critical decision whether to continue offering a group health care…

The recent ruling of PPACA has created even a greater need for accurate benchmarking data proving the age old adage that if you can’t measure it then you can’t manage it. Advisers armed with information that drills down through national, regional, state, industry and company size will be better prepared to assist larger employers with employee acquisition and retention, and helping smaller employers make intelligent decisions on whether or not to pay or play. …

Benefits get personal as guest blogger Karrie Andes reflects on the reasons health plan renewal decisions are so important.

Plenty, it seems. Antique collectors are cautioned to learn, research, and examine items carefully so they won't be disappointed. The same goes for benefits benchmarking surveys. The data, and how it's collected, can be different for each survey and if you don’t go to great lengths to examine the numbers and the methodology, you could be in for a big disappointment.

Employee assistance program coverage may need to be included in W-2 reporting. Guest blogger Ed Bray offers his thoughts on how to determine the standalone dollar value of your EAP.

Today, this one market is estimated to be a $40 billion industry in the United States, says EBA contributor Sam Fleet. He shares in today’s BeAdvised why approaching this market with a broader view can provide an opportunity for brokers to adapt their business models and thrive, especially as the new health care landscape takes shape.

Guest blogger Ed Bray shares why benefits professionals should be proactive about involving the finance function in benefits strategy decisions.

Employers who communicate about PPACA's free preventive care for women provision sooner, rather than later, are better poised to manage employee expectations, says guest blogger Ed Bray.

From stuffing envelopes to virtual benefits fair, guest blogger Karrie Andes shares how benefits communication has changed over the course of a decade.