Employer Strategies

Employers tried new strategies to tame benefit expenses, such as self-funding and association health plans.

Low salaries and subpar industry growth forecasts had these careers ranking low this year in an annual list by CareerCast.

HSAs and sign-on bonuses increased in popularity while FSAs and undergraduate and graduate education assistance are on the decline.

Zenefits’ exit, new HSA regulations, financial wellbeing programs and Congress’ attempt to replace the ACA were the top stories of Employee Benefit Adviser this year.

All U.S. employees with a new child will be eligible for 12 weeks of pay beginning in 2018.

The new tool, which integrates with the company’s HCM system, takes information from older systems and stores it on the cloud.

Employees should refrain from cosigning their child's student loan, as Social Security could garnish their retirement benefits if the child defaults on the loan payments.

Employers should work to prevent the spread of illness in the office by offering shots at on-site locations and dispelling common misconceptions about the vaccine.

With a strong growth forecast and high salary averages across the country, these careers had the brightest future this year.

With a new administration came big changes in the benefits industry and these stories were must-reads during a busy year.