Banco Popular de Puerto Rico

Retail salespeople, biomedical engineers, furniture makers and firefighters -- these and a host of other workers from around the country will face off this summer in The EBN-EBA Financial Fitness Challenge. Eighteen U.S. organizations will be giving their employees the opportunity to take a five-week online financial education course developed by our partner, The Educated Investor. The aggregated results of their efforts will be published by EBN and EBA. Here are 16 of the employers chosen for the first Financial Fitness Challenge.

While no work environment is perfect, managers that fuel a negative atmosphere risk damaging employee morale and productivity, increasing voluntary turnover and even encouraging lawsuits. Leaders at Allison & Taylor Reference Checking offer this list of don’ts for managers to serve as a reminder to stay positive and compliant with worksite regulations. (Images: Thinkstock)

During tax season, employees are sharply reminded of how much cash Uncle Sam takes from their paychecks. Many workers already take advantage of benefits such as tax-exempt health savings accounts, group term-life insurance and even tax-deferred benefits in retirement plans. Some fringe benefits, however, are lesser known for their tax-exempt status. Here are seven tax-free benefits that keep cash in employees’ pockets, as well may provide attractive deductibles to companies. (Images: Thinkstock)

Employers Resource Association, an organization specializing in HR consulting, news and information, released its list of top 10 questions received by its HR Hotline, which receives more than 8,000 calls each year. "Demands on HR professionals have increased dramatically since the recession began and our members continue to be challenged to handle more tasks and issues with fewer resources," says Dan Chaney, SPHR, director HR advisory services for ERA. "The common questions we receive center around hiring and firing, leave management, access to personnel records, drug testing, immigration rules and classifying independent contractors." (Images: Thinkstock)

Taking time away from the office has been shown to reduce stress and improve employee productivity. Bolstered by such positive statistics, some employers have taken a renewed look at their vacation policies to better fit increasingly diverse and often dispersed employee populations. EBN has compiled 5 unique approaches to vacation benefits that encourage employees to unwind and return to work with renewed vigor. (Images: Thinkstock)

In March 2012, the Supreme Court heard six hours of oral arguments over three days on the constitutionality of the individual mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which would require nearly every person in the United States to purchase health insurance, whether through an employer, state exchanges, Medicare, Medicaid or private exchanges. The mandate, the most polarizing provision of the law, brought Americans from both sides of the issue to Washington — to converge on the Supreme Court steps to protest or advocate for PPACA.

HR/benefits professionals play an important role in an organization, but a common complaint is that when it comes to being involved in C-suite-level decisionmaking, they’re commonly left out of the mix. According to Jonathan A. Segal, partner and managing principal at Duane Morris LLP, sometimes pros shouldn’t be asking to be at the table, but instead asking when the table is meeting and showing up. Segal offers a few tips that he says CEOs don’t tell HR/benefits pros, but wishes they knew nonetheless. These seven strategies might help smooth communication and strengthen partnerships between you and executives.

Employers tread a thin line ensuring their benefits and program offerings are compliant with laws and regulations and respectful of a diverse population of employees. Sometimes, these debates go beyond water cooler chit-chat and enter the larger, mainstream discussion. EBN has compiled five employee benefits that have spurred caustic debate, both inside and outside the HR/benefits sphere. [Images: Thinkstock]

HR professionals have seen it all from job applicants — from chewing gum to texting mid-interview. Hiring and HR managers shared their most unusual interview memories in a recent CareerBuilder survey of more than 3,000 employers. The candidates included here didn’t make great first impressions, to put it mildly.

This Sunday, America’s hottest celebrities will walk the red carpet in celebration of the 84th annual Academy Awards. Just because the average person will be watching the celebration at home in their slippers, doesn’t mean they’re not superstars. To help CEOs and other senior executives identify employees worthy of an accolade, Dr. Paul H. Eccher, co-founder and principal of The Vaya Group, a talent management company, and author of Optimizing Talent: What Every Leader and Manager Needs to Know to Sustain the Ultimate Workforce, put together the following list of characteristics that signal superstar employees.