Benefit strategies

The correlation between benefits policies and enterprise financial performance has been thoroughly studied, and the correlation is positive. The problem is that many investors have yet to grasp the significance of that correlation, and lack basic tools to assess the quality of the company from an HR and benefits perspective.

Enrollment goals fall short when key points get lost or the message itself fails to connect with the employee.

Commentary: Self-policing, self-reporting and self-correcting before there is an investigation gives plan sponsors and administrators a better opportunity to control the costs and mechanisms of the corrective process.

Recent guidance from the National Labor Relations Board includes details about the types of employer policies and rules likely to be considered to unlawfully interfere with employees’ rights.

Much has been written about how millennials learn differently, suggesting companies should change the way they manage and train this digital generation. While it’s true millennials have grown up without ever having used a pay phone or typewriter, read a newspaper or waited for a scheduled TV program, does this mean they learn differently?

There are several important aspects of Obama's immigration Executive Order that potentially can impact employers in a wide range of industries.

In the last quarter of 2014, the hiring picture changed very little, a calm that belies an important story.

It’s hard enough for working parents to balance the ever-increasing demands of home and work life, but for parents of children living with autism, it’s an entirely different struggle.

Tax reform, particularly corporate tax reform, will be on the agenda in 2015, congressional observers said.

Can a benefits manager pushing a wellness program simply tell his or her management team, 'trust me on this?' For Elkay Manufacturing, that positive attitude - and a great combination of personalized incentives - produced great results.

The Family and Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act have been in effect for more than two decades. Yet, these laws continue to present challenges for employers seeking to balance the legal entitlements of employees against the need to meet operational and workload demands.

Recent National Labor Relations Board rulings involving renowned jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co. and a Verizon subsidiary point to a new challenge to employer policies meant to protect confidential and proprietary company information.

Commentary: The closer you look, the lower the return on investment for wellness programs. That’s the take-home message from a thorough, scientific review published by the American Journal of Health Promotion.

Voluntary benefits are creeping more and more into the everyday dialogue of benefit managers and advisers, but for those just getting involved, partnering with voluntary carriers and other vendors can sometimes be a difficult field to navigate.

Despite an improving economy, American employers continue to be cautious with pay increases for employees.

Attendees at this year’s Society for Human Resource Management conference have been voicing their opinions on the organization’s new competency-based certification system, and its somewhat jarring introduction to the industry it serves.

The Society for Human Resource Management this week named its two-tiered competency-based HR certification program and provided other details about its accreditation effort.

Massachusetts legislators are considering a proposal that will ban non-competition agreements for all employers – a measure that has legal experts cautioning employers to prepare.

As companies continue to develop innovative compensation programs for top executives, benefit decision-makers are seeking to fine-tune succession planning and workforce analytics.

As health care costs these costs gain increasing focus from benefits managers to the C-suite (not to mention Wall St. to Capitol Hill), ROI questions remain at the forefront. The issue is particularly sharp around wellness plans.