Practice management

Commentary: Sebelius was in an “unwinnable position," according to the former head of sales and marketing at Covered California, Michael Lujan. The former insurance agent writes that more engagement with the benefits industry would have behooved the troubled health secretary.

As new social media platforms arise, there are more opportunities for brokers to act as ‘trusted advisers.'

At a legislative conference for the Big “I” agent advocacy group in Washington on Thursday, the ACA was noticeably missing from everything from legislators’ talks to the group’s lobbying agenda for the year.

While many companies are reaping benefits from outsourcing their benefits management, recent media reports have indicated that companies that have opted to limit or entirely scale back their HR departments in favor of cost or other reasons may be limiting their organization’s potential.

Commentary: A written business plan is important to thrive in the changing benefits landscape, says columnist Jack Kwicien. Here are some of the uses for such a document.

Recruitment techniques – aimed at promoting a diverse workforce – have maintained a high stature among the HR professionals, where more than half report using these strategies, according to a new survey from the Society for Human Resource Management.

The ACA's first open enrollment period presented some expected — and some out-of-the-blue — challenges for carriers, agents and others tasked with enrolling millions of individuals on the health insurance exchanges. Those challenges should serve as lessons and preparation exercises for the next open enrollment, several industry experts advise.

The ability for staff to incorporate innovative new ideas that bring changes to dilapidated processes can only be fostered in a workplace that allows for an open communicative culture across organizational lines.

Incentives or disincentives? Carrot or stick? The answer: it depends…

Commentary: There are upsides to outsourcing, says blogger Michael Klachefsky. In this case, it helps monitor the regulations and legality of employee absences, especially when related to disability benefits.

Victoria B. Mars, chairman of the board for the global candy making firm, sat down with Employee Benefit News at this week’s Great Place to Work Conference to discuss her passion for people and how Mars’ talent management techniques, often seen as being more inclusive than many other workplaces, can be applicable to other employers.

Enlivening your staff and company’s workplace culture can be as simple and sustainable as committing random acts of kindness.

Employers in the U.S. boosted payrolls in March and the unemployment rate held at 6.7 percent even as more Americans entered the labor force, showing steady progress that may prompt Federal Reserve policy makers to continue reducing stimulus while keeping interest rates low.

Both Nordstrom, Inc., proclaimed as America’s leading fashion specialty retailer, and software company Infusionsoft, share values in management. And both strive to empower employees with support and to manage at the ground level.

Advisers and employers can use education to boost the enrollment of millennials in voluntary disability programs

It’s no secret that abnormal levels of stress can worsen, or perhaps even cause, a myriad health issues from depression to obesity and diabetes. According to a new survey from Keas, up to 41% of your workforce may be suffering from above average levels of stress.

A majority of Americans remain uninsured and many based the decision to stay uninsured on the cost of coverage, with many not even visiting an exchange to see a price estimate, a new study from consultancy Market Strategies International finds.

Commentary: Every single play in football is designed to score, to get into that end zone, says blogger Vinnie Daboul. Here’s how insurance consultants can take a play right out of every football coaches’ book to win the game.

Current regulations don’t require a retirement plan provider’s investment advice be in the best interest of plan participants, but most employers want that to change, an AARP study finds.

Commentary: Many sales people have quirky things they do to ensure they get the sale, be it a certain way they shake hands or a lucky they carry around. But blogger John Graham says it's time to put less energy in superstitions and more into positive sales actions.