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Kaiser Permanente recently launched "Maintain Don't Gain" campaign to help employers' wellness efforts through the holidays, a time when most Americans gain about a pound during the winter season. That extra weight accumulates through the years and may be a major contributor to obesity later in life, according to the National Institute of Health. Part of the KP campaign includes an eight-week guide to help employees avoid winter weight creep. As we approach the peak of the holiday season and the winter months when weather keeps us indoors more frequently, consider sharing these tips with employees to encourage winter wellness.

The Supreme Court last week set the schedule for briefs to be filed ahead of hearing arguments in late March over President Obama's sweeping health care overhaul law.

Not only are older American workers (age 50 and over) expecting to work longer, but many now say they expect to never retire, according to the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute. Data suggest the trend may be tied to the recent economic recession.

Companies planning to spend thousands of dollars for staff Christmas parties, even with open bars, shouldn't bother because most U.S. employees would prefer money.

Telecom giant Sprint estimates it saved approximately $1.1 million through a social media wellness challenge it launched last summer. Fourteen thousand of the company’s 40,000 United States employees participated in the 12-week challenge, which ran on a social media platform.

Many companies have restructured their executive pay-for-performance programs to prepare for the first “say on pay" vote in the 2011 proxy season. Experts from consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers detail concrete preparations and advice for companies to reform their executive compensation practices in anticipation of what promises to be an even tougher shareholder vote in 2012.

While employers have increasingly adopted CDHPs as a lower cost option, employees have been slower to embrace them. A recent study reveals one stat likely to increase participation, writes BeAdvised contributor Doug Mantz.

Employers who pay out severance to their employees run certain risks that need to be considered beforehand. Some employers have learned the hard way that severance agreements aren't always the best course of action. Last year, the University of Oregon received bad press when it was discovered that former head coach Mike Bellotti received a substantial payout upon his departure. …

Sixty-eight percent of employers will deck the halls this year, compared to 61% in 2009, SHRM finds. Even better news, fewer organizations cancelled holiday parties this year due to finances, down to 8% from 12% in 2010 and 20% in 2009.

Walmart, the world’s largest private employer, and Merrill Lynch, without admitting to wrongdoing, have agreed to pay $13.5 million in a class-action lawsuit accusing them of breaching their fiduciary duty to two million past and present Walmart workers. The suit was settled in Kansas City federal court.