Benefit management

Multinationals plan more expat tours

Although most multinationals anticipate major global mobility challenges over the next two to three years, a new survey from Towers Watson and Worldwide ERC found that nearly half of them expect to increase traditional international assignments over the same period.

U.S. pension funded status erodes in first half of 2012

The aggregate deficit in pension plans sponsored by S&P 1500 companies grew $59 billion in the first half of 2012 to $543 billion, according to new figures from Mercer Investment Consulting, Inc. This deficit corresponds to an aggregate funded ratio of 74% as of June 30, 2012 compared to a funded ratio of 75% as of December 31, 2011, at which point the aggregate deficit was $484 billion.

Spice up your social life

Employers have experienced dramatic increases in engagement by tapping into employees' innate competitive and social drives. By using social challenges to entice employee interest in wellness initiatives, employers not only build participation, they are more likely to inspire long-term behavior changes.

By Kathleen Koster
Freelance Writer

Think twice before creating intrusive social media policy

The growing trend among employers to enforce companywide social media policies has sparked the birth of the Password Protection Act of 2012. The new legislation prevents companies from requiring employees to provide access to their personal social networking accounts. While many companies may create a social media policy to protect their corporate reputation, a new Workplace Options and Public Policy Polling survey of American workers shows that companies who scrutinize their employees' personal accounts and social media activity may be doing more harm than good.

Lisa V. Gillespie
By Lisa V. Gillespie
Writer

M&A success traced to early retention agreements

While the vast majority of companies involved in mergers and acquisitions use retention agreements to retain key talent, a new survey by global professional services company Towers Watson shows companies that are more successful at retention begin the process early — identifying people and tactics — and don’t rely solely on money.

Networking program targets women

When you know better, you do better, so the saying goes. For Brocade, a Silicon Valley-based high-tech company, the knowing came in the form of a trust survey the organization conducted in 2009 as part of its participation in the Great Place to Work Institute surveys. That trust index survey revealed that women ranked Brocade lower than their male counterparts in 95% of categories. And even though Brocade ranked high overall – achieving a spot on the nation's Great Place to Work list in 2009 – CEO Mike Klayko wanted to dig deeper into what was going on.

Andrea Davis
By Andrea Davis
Editor-in-Chief
Employee Benefit News

Constant gardening

Zone had grown weedy. As the corporate intranet for Quintiles – a biopharmaceutical services company headquartered in North Carolina – QZone had remained virtually unchanged for eight years. It was a fairly traditional intranet containing corporate news, links to various applications and calendars, along with benefits information. But it had stopped growing and evolving with the rest of the company's digital strategy. It was time for a change.

Andrea Davis
By Andrea Davis
Editor-in-Chief
Employee Benefit News

Top employees looking to pink-slip employers

Despite national economic and employment uncertainty, many American workers who identify themselves as top performers are thinking about changing jobs. In line with research showing the recent uptick of voluntary turnover in the workplace, the 2012 Aflac WorkForces Report revealed nearly half of U.S. workers (49%) are at least somewhat likely to look for a job this year. More troubling for employers, a majority of those who say they are extremely or very likely to leave their jobs describe themselves as the kind of workers companies need to retain to remain competitive in a tight economy.

Companies should think twice before creating social media policy

The growing trend among employers to enforce company-wide social media policies has sparked the birth of the Password Protection Act of 2012. The new legislation prevents companies from requiring employees to provide access to their personal social networking accounts. While many companies may create a social media policy to protect their corporate reputation, a new Workplace Options and Public Policy Polling survey of American workers shows that companies who scrutinize their employees' personal accounts and social media activity may be doing more harm than good.

Lisa V. Gillespie
By Lisa V. Gillespie
Writer

Bank retains talent with sabbatical program

Since its inception in 1994, Citizens Financial Group's sabbatical program has generated more than 48,000 volunteer hours and saved nonprofit organizations more than $1 million. But the benefits of the program go beyond just doing good in the community. The program also acts as a powerful retention and engagement tool.

Andrea Davis
By Andrea Davis
Editor-in-Chief
Employee Benefit News

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