Practice management

Commentary: A good management consultant offers you objective advice and a path to greater prosperity, says Craig Davidson.

Commentary: Follow this step-by-step process and columnist Mel Schlesinger says you’ll be swimming in sales calls.

As the dust clears on the recession, and the job market picks up, employers are re-examining their compensation and bonus pay structures.

Commentary: Performance management doesn’t have to be painful, but it is necessary, says Wendy Keneipp of Q4intelligence.

Heather Vertrees tunes up benefits at Fender Musical Instruments Corp. Her active role in a specialized wellness program for the company’s factory workers has earned her the Benefits Professional of the Year honor.

EBN's annual i-COMM Awards recognize the best in internal communication of benefits. In this four-part series, we highlight this year’s winners, including Robins & Morton, winner of Best Intranet/Employee Portal.

For U.S.-based multinational companies, administering and communicating benefit plans in multiple countries – each with its own regulatory regime and unique workplace culture – is no simple task.

The National Restaurant Association’s Dawn Cacciotti is the recipient of EBN’s 2014 Judges’ Choice Benny Award.

Commentary: Follow this step-by-step process and columnist Mel Schlesinger says you’ll be swimming in sales calls.

Wellness vendors are excited about Apple’s potential foray into smartwatches. Today, the Cupertino, Calif.-based technology company is expected to announce its next generation of the iPhone. But for those in the employer health care market, their sights are set on the reported “iWatch” because of its potential use as a wearable fitness and health tracking device.

Commentary: Open enrollment time means employer clients will be reviewing fee disclosures. Columnist John Ludwig discusses several steps plan sponsors should take when reviewing the disclosures for accuracy and to determine if fees are fair and reasonable.

While online training and development courses may have a bad rap for being mundane, new strides are being taken to create more innovative and engaging programs with a focus on human achievement.

Commentary: When business leaders consider the positive aspects of a workplace wellness program, they often bring up expected reasons: It can keep employees healthy, productive and happy; allow the company to differentiate itself in a highly competitive marketplace for top talent; and limit overall health care costs.

Employees aren’t shouting from the roof over how great their employer-sponsored benefits are. In fact, satisfaction is sitting at some of the lowest levels since 2008, according to new data released from Unum.

Commentary: It all starts with a mindset, says EBA Advisory Board member Mark Gaunya. Do you begin each day with a mentality of scarcity or abundance? One is a recipe for failure.

Court rules verbal COBRA notice is sufficient, but benefit advisers caution employers to follow-up with written notice, as well.

Commentary: Most benefit administration tools have proven to be unsuccessful for the effective deployment of voluntary benefits, says EBA Advisory Board member Tinker Kelly. To overcome a system that is “inconsistent at best,” Kelly suggests a new approach.

The IRS has posted draft instructions for the various Affordable Care Act reporting that will be done for calendar year 2015 and while the instructions provide much needed guidance for employers and insurers, they also confirm the daunting complexity of the reporting task.

Earlier this week, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a new law that is intended to prevent workplace discrimination against pregnant women by offering guidance on reasonable accommodation measures that all employers in the state are expected to follow.

Employers continue to express interest in private exchanges, but most are hesitant to be the first to make the jump. What they will do once others switch, however, may surprise you.