Quality of life benefits

Given the choice, employees worldwide tend to select benefits that offer immediate gratification rather than those that potentially deliver value over the long term, according to a survey of 10,400 workers in 10 key markets.

More and more, workers aged 53 to 65 perceive traditional ideas of retirement as outdated. A new report says 55% plan to keep working full-time as long as their health permits.

Scottsdale Health adds a telehealth service to its benefits plan and sees dramatic costs savings because the service keeps non-life-threatening illnesses out of the emergency room.

Employers are keeping up their smoking-cessation efforts even as obesity grabs the headlines, says Provant’s Amy McAllister, and those who incentivize employees’ quit attempts are most likely to see health care costs reduced.

By shifting employee assistance programs from addressing mental problems to improving mental and overall health, companies can remove much of the illness stigma and increase utilization.

The contrasting factors of those keeping active longer and those who might not have been active enough are leading to a surge of knee replacement surgeries, and it’s getting expensive.

Contributing Editor Betty Long outlines five hospital rules that can, and sometimes should, be challenged by patients and families.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates those genetically predisposed to obesity were more likely to gain weight from sugary beverages than those without the traits.

The automaker has benefits packages as new and innovative as its electric cars, despite a workforce that essentially doubles every year.

An anthropology professor breastfed her sick baby in front of her undergraduate class recently, causing a minor stir on campus. The assistant professor at American University, Adrienne Pine, made the difficult decision during the first week of classes to bring her infant daughter to work after child care plans fell through. As an HR manager and peer, how would you respond if a similar situation occurred in your workplace?

As American obesity continues to grow, more and more will qualify for weight-loss surgery, which can be effective, but might not save the health care system much money in the long run.

A new poll of young Americans shows that available employment opportunities mean more to Generation Y than college interest rates or staying on their parents’ health insurance plans.

While nowhere near the risk of smoking or lack of exercise, high-stress, low-freedom jobs make people 23% more likely to have a heart attack.

The Kellogg Foundation’s Dr. Gail Christopher urges benefits professionals to help employees take advantage of their most valuable and present resource – their physical selves.

The nation’s third-largest school district went on strike, pitting the Obama-backing mayor against union demands.

Nearly two-thirds of Canadians surveyed have fallen short of their savings goal, and many plan to work part-time to supplement their pension.

An American Psychological Association survey says that, despite the shaky economic recovery, a lack of better jobs is not one of the major factors leading to workers sticking with their current employers.

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption announces its top 100 adoption friendly workplaces.

How to identify and deal with bullies in the workplace.

The Federal Reserve chairman says ‘the economic health of our nation’ benefits greatly the more informed the general public is about their own financial decisions.