Benefits Think

Steve Watson of Staunton Chase International gives tips and suggestions on how to select and prepare employees for expat assignments. Plus, what to do when they return. See "Conducting Expat Profiling" in the October issue for more information.

It wasn't until several months into my first job that I heard the term "work spouse." Are you in the dark too? Do you know the co-worker (male or female) to whom you share your day-to-day gripes with? Spend your lunch date with, and discuss your kids? Yep, he or she is your "work spouse."

In honor of National Boss Day (today) we have three tips on effective communication from consulting firm Adecco. In keeping with our larger theme of more frequent communications from HR, distribute these to your employees with a short note about National Boss Day.

Sanjiv Kumar, a principal and managing director at Buck Consultants gives tips about how to retain older workers, address the aging workforce challenges head-on and preserve the knowledge that your company needs before it gets lost when older workers retire.

According to a new report by The Vision Council, "Vision Care: Focusing on the Workplace Benefit," two-thirds of Americans say they would be more willing to get an eye exam if they had some coverage, yet only 17% of employers report offering vision insurance. Vision benefits lag behind health and dental...

Working Americans are not hearing from senior leaders in their companies about the implications of the global financial crisis, according to new research released today by global public relations firm Weber Shandwick. The survey of 514 employed Americans shows that 70% expect the current economic...

Gen Y employees decide within six months if they want to stay with an employer. Tim Vigue of the Novations group talks about ways to engage employees in a productive manner. For more information, visit "The young are even more restless than imagined" in the October issue.

Keith Bruhnsen, assistant director of benefits at the University of Michigan, offered advice to employers on strong cost-containment strategies to manage specialty drug costs at EBN´s 21st Benefits Forum and Expo. "Sometimes there are co-pay challenges to members if the employer has a co-insurance...

A new OfficeTeam survey says that more than 3/4 of workers have no desire to walk in their boss or manager's shoes...but 60% say that they could do a better job than their boss.

Nobody likes a suck up, but here's one day of the year when it just might be acceptable. Thursday is the 50th anniversary of National Boss Day. "We find that employees today want to show their appreciation for their superiors who not only take on the challenges of leading a successful team, but also...