Banco Popular de Puerto Rico

Employees rarely think about the benefits of each paycheck beyond what it does for them in the now. Statistics show that many Americans are not saving for retirement. The Employee Benefit Research Institute found that 57% of U.S. workers have less than $25,000 in savings. The economic climate over the last five years has been a contributing factor, but an even bigger worry is that the American people have forgotten how to save. Here are five suggestions plan sponsors can pass along to employees hoping to grow their nest egg from Matthew Sanford, director of tax and compliance at Payroll Center, Inc. [Images: Shutterstock]

Now that summer vacations are distant memories, work stress threatens to stifle employee productivity and mood as they work the long fall haul until the holidays. Stress has been called the “health epidemic of the 21st century” by the World Health Organization and is estimated to cost American businesses up to $300 billion a year. Here are seven examples of employer programs that make their workers smile and help alleviate stress. [Images: Shutterstock]

Employers and employees aren't seeing the health and productivity boosts that would be possible if more employees took advantage of their vision benefit, especially in an aging workforce. According to Transitions Optical, Inc., nearly half of employees aren't taking advantage of their vision benefit, by either not enrolling (24%) or by not using their benefit to receive an eye exam (32%). Transitions Optical offers four reasons why employers should take eye education seriously. [Images: Shutterstock]

HR professionals are dealing with both the usual crush of questions on open enrollment and a new onslaught of queries and concerns surrounding Obamacare and the health care marketplaces – even from those who have nothing to do with the public exchanges. By now, you have notified workers about the Affordable Care Act. You've made sure all your plans are compliant. Surely that’s all you have to communicate, right? Wrong. [Images: Shutterstock]

From Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer’s decision to end work-from-home arrangements at her company earlier this year to CultureRx founder Jody Thompson’s assertion during a keynote speech at last month’s Benefits Forum & Expo that “a flexible schedule is an oxymoron,” flexible work has had its share of the spotlight recently. Shani Magosky, an executive coach and owner of Vitesse Consulting, believes flexible work solutions can and do work with proper strategy and execution. Here are the remaining six elements she recommends for a successful flexible workplace. [Images: Shutterstock]

From Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer’s decision to end work-from-home arrangements at her company earlier this year to CultureRx founder Jody Thompson’s assertion during a keynote speech at last month’s Benefits Forum & Expo that “a flexible schedule is an oxymoron,” flexible work has had its share of the spotlight recently. Shani Magosky, an executive coach and owner of Vitesse Consulting, believes flexible work solutions can and do work with proper strategy and execution. Here are 15 elements — five strategy-focused, 10 execution-focused — she recommends for a successful flexible workplace. [Images: Shutterstock]

Now that the long-feared government shutdown – prompted by an ongoing, partisan budgetary wrestling match – has finally occurred, what kind of impact will the hopefully short-lived pause in federal government activity have on benefits decision makers? Despite all the grousing about there being too much government involvement in our lives, it’s not until the lights go dark that you realize the widespread and inescapable scope of national agencies. [Images: Shutterstock]

Small businesses with up to 100 employees will have access to state or federally based Small Business Health Options Program exchanges, also known as SHOP exchanges, which will expand their purchasing power. Federally based SHOP exchanges were originally scheduled to begin enrollment on Oct. 1, 2013, just like the exchange for individual coverage. The Obama administration, however, issued a statement that the federal government will not be able to enroll small businesses online until November 1, 2013.

Would you hire job applicants who sang their interview, dressed as a clown, or printed their resume on a chocolate bar? CareerBuilder surveyed hiring managers and human resource professionals nationwide to share the most memorable methods candidates have used to stand out from the crowd, and whether their creativity got them hired. Here are six examples of what worked and eight that didn't from their survey conducted by Harris Interactive and EBN readers. [Images: Shutterstock]

Employees generally don't spend enough time choosing their health benefits each year, with many blindly re-enrolling. This year especially that could be a risky and costly strategy as changes from the Affordable Care Act have transformed the insurance landscape. "In some cases, not making an active decision during enrollment means employees could get defaulted into a health care plan that doesn't meet their needs—or even worse—leaves them and their families with no coverage at all," says Craig Rosenberg, Aon Hewitt’s health & welfare benefits administration practice leader. "It’s up to employees to read the fine print and take an active role in understanding if and how these changes may impact them." [Images: Shutterstock]