Benefit communication

As we begin the New Year, educating employees about new benefit programs through innovative, digital communication will be absolutely crucial. Here are five predictions for what 2014 will bring.

To hear it from Vice President Joe Biden, the fight over the Affordable Care Act may be far from over – but he’s certainly interested in recognizing the troops who helped build support for the landmark legislation.

Workers in San Francisco who have caregiving responsibilities now have the right to request changes to their working conditions, thanks to the Family Friendly Work Ordinance. A similar right-to-request law was also passed in Vermont last spring.

Many organizations aren't taking advantage of the most effective tool to distribute and reinforce messages—benefits administration technology. Technology is extremely useful in automating many of the tactical components of benefits administration while it also enhances your education and communication strategy.

While most employers believe they're somewhat responsible for employees' financial wellness, according to a new survey, less than half of large companies (48%) has a financial wellness strategy in place or plan to add one in the next two years.

Pop singer Adam Levine is among the celebrities who'll be promoting enrollment in online health insurance exchanges as part of a social media campaign kicking off this week.

Looking for real engagement — and improved outcomes — for workplace weight-loss programs? A new range of electronic tools (and old-fashioned psychological incentives) can help get workers to shed the pounds, for life.

The best way to encourage healthy decisions is to make cultural changes that affect the entire workforce, as well as the broad environment. Here are nine suggestions for small changes that can have big results.

Half of employees age 50 and up say they would make major sacrifices that could affect their own retirement to help family members, finds a recent survey.

“The tool ... provides us with the ability to send out critical food safety alerts to all store managers instantly,” says one official, who adds that the ability to upload training videos was a big part of what needed to be a very low-budget solution.

Prepare yourself for monumental changes in health care with wise words from BFE speakers.

The ruling sets up a split between federal appeals courts that makes it more likely the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually consider the dispute over the ACA requirement for for-profit firms.

Total Rewards program offers employees a comprehensive look at everything that is included in their compensation, aiming to show workers the whole picture, because many only consider their base salary.

A benefits microsite can be a way to break through communications clutter and focus on a singular message.

Communication of benefits isn't easy. It's one of the reasons we pay tribute to the best of internal communication of benefits every year with the i-COMM Awards. Here's how to enter.

Now in their 22nd year, the Benny Awards recognize excellence in the employee benefits/human resources field. Awards are granted to employee benefit or human resource practitioners directly involved in the management of employee benefit programs.

From old communication tactics – like the ‘porcelain press’ and benefits road shows – to new ones like blogs and social networking, Life Technologies left no medium to chance when it rolled out its full-replacement shift to a consumer-driven health plan.

Behavioral psychology plays a key role in crafting meaningful and effective employee recognition programs.

As high-deductible health plans become more popular, employers should take special note of gaps in employees’ understanding to make sure the plan is utilized as intended.

Rewards expert Bob Nelson discusses why employers struggle with employee reward and recognition, why old-school strategies like years-of-service awards don’t work and why Generation Y seems to need so much feedback.