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Heroes vs. Horrors: Some of the best and worst employer practices
Would you rather work for a company that shares its profits with employees, or for one that allegedly stole hundreds of thousands in lottery winnings? Easy pick, right? We thought so. To make you thankful for your employer — as well as offer you a few benefits ideas from other companies you can steal — EBN has compiled a list of the worst employer practices, alongside laudable companies from the Great Place to Work Institute’s 2011 Best Workplaces list. (Images: Thinkstock)
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6 Lines a boss should never cross
While no work environment is perfect, managers that fuel a negative atmosphere risk damaging employee morale and productivity, increasing voluntary turnover and even encouraging lawsuits. Leaders at Allison & Taylor Reference Checking offer this list of don’ts for managers to serve as a reminder to stay positive and compliant with worksite regulations. (Images: Thinkstock)
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7 tax-free benefits for employees
During tax season, employees are sharply reminded of how much cash Uncle Sam takes from their paychecks. Many workers already take advantage of benefits such as tax-exempt health savings accounts, group term-life insurance and even tax-deferred benefits in retirement plans. Some fringe benefits, however, are lesser known for their tax-exempt status. Here are seven tax-free benefits that keep cash in employees’ pockets, as well may provide attractive deductibles to companies.
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"HR Hotline, how may I help you?" Your top 10 queries revealed.
Employers Resource Association, an organization specializing in HR consulting, news and information, released its list of top 10 questions received by its HR Hotline, which receives more than 8,000 calls each year. "Demands on HR professionals have increased dramatically since the recession began and our members continue to be challenged to handle more tasks and issues with fewer resources," says Dan Chaney, SPHR, director HR advisory services for ERA. "The common questions we receive center around hiring and firing, leave management, access to personnel records, drug testing, immigration rules and classifying independent contractors." (Images: Thinkstock)
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5 winning vacation benefits and policies
Taking time away from the office has been shown to reduce stress and improve employee productivity. Here's 5 unique approaches to vacation benefits that encourage employees to unwind and return to work with renewed vigor.
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Health care reform stirs protests at Supreme Court
In March 2012, the Supreme Court heard six hours of oral arguments over three days on the constitutionality of the individual mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which would require nearly every person in the United States to purchase health insurance, whether through an employer, state exchanges, Medicare, Medicaid or private exchanges. The mandate, the most polarizing provision of the law, brought American from both sides of the issue to Washington, D.C., to converge on the Supreme Court steps to protest or advocate for PPACA.
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7 things your CEO won’t tell you about HR, but wishes you knew
HR/benefits professionals play an important role in an organization, but a common complaint is that when it comes to being involved in C-suite-level decisionmaking, they’re commonly left out of the mix. According to Jonathan A. Segal, partner and managing principal at Duane Morris LLP, sometimes pros shouldn’t be asking to be at the table, but instead asking when the table is meeting and showing up. Segal offers a few tips that he says CEOs don’t tell HR/benefits pros, but wishes they knew nonetheless. These seven strategies might help smooth communication and strengthen partnerships between you and executives.
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5 Most controversial employee benefits
Employers tread a thin line ensuring their benefits and program offerings are compliant with laws and regulations and respectful of a diverse population of employees. Sometimes, these debates go beyond water cooler chit-chat and enter the larger, mainstream discussion. EBN has compiled five employee benefits that have spurred caustic debate, both inside and outside the HR/benefits sphere. [Images: Thinkstock]
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6 tips to make sure your DC plan is successful
Defined contribution plans are becoming more and more the primary employer-sponsored retirement plan for most Americans. Yet, along with participants’ need for strong performance, plan sponsors must deal with increased regulatory activity, governance requirements and fiduciary concerns. Mercer’s Toni Brown and Bill McClain share how to make sure your plan is as successful as it can be. For more information on DC plans, visit Mercer.com.
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12 most memorable interview blunders
HR professionals have seen it all from job applicants — from chewing gum to texting mid-interview. Hiring and HR managers shared their most unusual interview memories in a recent CareerBuilder survey of more than 3,000 employers. The candidates included here didn’t make great first impressions, to put it mildly.
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Do you work with a Meryl Streep? How to identify and retain star performers
This Sunday, America’s hottest celebrities will walk the red carpet in celebration of the 84th annual Academy Awards. Just because the average person will be watching the celebration at home in their slippers, doesn’t mean they’re not superstars. To help CEOs and other senior executives identify employees worthy of an accolade, Dr. Paul H. Eccher, co-founder and principal of The Vaya Group, a talent management company, and author of Optimizing Talent: What Every Leader and Manager Needs to Know to Sustain the Ultimate Workforce, put together the following list of characteristics that signal superstar employees.
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Teepees & toilet paper: CFOs reveal craziest expense report submissions
Think you’ve seen/heard it all from employees looking to claim questionable reimbursements on expense reports? Think again. Robert Half Management Resources polled CFOs on the most unusual submissions; here are the funniest—and most fraudulent—responses.
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Top 10 priorities for DB plan sponsors in 2012
Defined benefit plan sponsors say controlling funded status volatility will be their top priority this year, according to a poll from SEI. The poll surveyed 50 executives overseeing U.S. corporate DB plans that range from $25 million to $10 billion in assets. Here’s a list of their other top concerns.
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Benefits' 5 biggest tripwires
With all of the rules and regulations governing benefits delivery and administration, industry pros can be left feeling like they are traversing a minefield. However, knowledge is power. So, the first step to avoiding benefits’ biggest pitfalls is knowing what they are. We’ve outlined five of them for you here.
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Checklist for employers with globally mobile employees
The beginning of a new calendar year is an opportune time for employers to take a careful look at their overall global mobility strategy to make sure it matches business goals and is working well. Mercer has compiled 12 action items that HR professionals at multinational organizations can take now to ensure their international assignment policies are competitive and aligned with business objectives in 2012.
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Top 10 employee benefits compliance and reporting concerns
Employers can stay on the right side of regulators by complying with laws and regulations governing employee benefits. As the regulatory landscape changes, plan sponsors and administrators who keep pace with new requirements and filings prevent errors and problems down the road. CliftonLarsonAllen LLP offers these Top 10 Employee Benefits Compliance and Reporting Concerns as a tool or aid for keeping plan administration on the straight and narrow.
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10 most outrageous excuses for arriving late for work
Chronic latecomers can cause headaches for HR/benefits professionals aiming to keep an entire employee population happy and productive. While flexible work arrangements continue to spread throughout the mainstream American workforce, excessive tardiness can lead to dismissal. In fact, a recent CareerBuilder survey shows that 34% of employers have terminated an employee for being chronically late. Employees admit their timeclock struggles, with 16% of workers reporting they arrive late to work once a week or more (up from 15% last year), and another 27% saying they arrive late to work at least once a month (up from 26% last year), CareerBuilder finds. With those kinds of numbers, managers no doubt have heard it all when it comes to employees’ tardiness excuses. Here are the 10 most outrageous ones, according to the CareerBuilder survey.
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4 wellness trends to watch in 2012
From outcomes-based incentives to helping employees through the health care maze to social media, there’s a lot in store this year for employer wellness programs. Beena Thomas, MPH, vice president, health and wellness for OptumHealth, gives us her take on the top four wellness trends of 2012.
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The intersection between Medicare & your group health plan
Older workers make up the fastest-growing segment of the workforce; by 2014, it’s estimated 21% of employees will be age 55 and older. In an economy where more seniors are delaying retirement or foregoing it altogether, the need for clarity on navigation of coupling Medicare and employer-based insurance will be paramount. The Medicare Rights Center, in partnership with AgeOptions, recently released a toolkit designed to help older adults navigate the transition from employer-based health insurance to Medicare, and those who are dually covered. The toolkit aims to clearly explain how Medicare coordinates with different kinds of employer-based health insurance. Here are five key points from the extensive guide to help your employees.
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12 Most bizarre excuses for employee sick days
It’s that time of year again when employees have trouble making it in to the office — and no, we don’t mean cold and flu season. Some employees, not quite ready to go back to the grind after extended holiday time off, may be looking for some extra time away. According to CareerBuilder, the highest period of employee absenteeism occurs between January and March, with 34% of employers noting that use of sick days peak in the first quarter of the year. Further, 29% of workers cite errands and plans with family and friends among the top reasons for calling in sick when they were well.
Starting the year on a light-hearted note, EBN selected a dozen from CareerBuilder’s list of some of the most outrageous excuses employees have used to call in sick. We hope they’ll help you maintain your sense of humor as you endure the absenteeism of the winter months.
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EBN's top 10 articles of 2011
As the year draws to a close, EBN has compiled a special slide show reliving the most popular news stories of 2011 that directly affect benefits and HR professionals. Review the past year’s top articles and join us in the New Year as we continue to deliver the industry’s breaking news and regulatory breakdowns that you need to manage your business and benefit plans.
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Eight steps to a healthier holiday season
Kaiser Permanente recently launched "Maintain Don't Gain" campaign to help employer's wellness efforts through the holidays. Part of the KP campaign includes an eight-week guide to help employees avoid winter weight creep. As we approach the holiday season and the winter months share these tips with employees to encourage winter wellness.
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5 holiday benefits and perks to thank employees
Spread some holiday cheer around your workplace this season with these creative and thoughtful end-of-year benefits and rewards to celebrate a workforce that has dutifully taken on extra work and stress during trying economic times. Whether it’s giving a small gift or throwing a holiday bash to show your care, employees will be thankful for your support and recognition. When they return to work in the New Year, make sure employees are listing “exercise more” and “eat fewer sweets” as their 2012 resolutions, not “find a new job.”
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8 ways employees can use their flexible spending accounts before 2012
As 2011 comes to an end, it’s time for employees with health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts to use up their remaining balances before the end of their plan year, when any leftover money is forfeited. Here are eight ways your employees can spend down their FSAs before 2012, courtesy of Save Smart, Spend Healthy.
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5 most unusual benefits and perks
Ingenuity in business is all about separating from the pack. View some of the more unique ways companies stand out when attracting and retaining top talent. These quirky perks keep employees relaxed (with extended vacations), radiant (free Botox injections) and fulfilled (onsite life coaching).
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4 ways to create an HIV/AIDS inclusive workplace
Since HIV/AIDS was first reported in the U.S. in 1981, employers have struggled to not only keep up with the disease and the accommodations workers might need, but have lost countless numbers of employees who were unable to work due to illness or side effects of treatment. However, in 2007, Integrase Inhibitors were introduced and the one-pill-a-day treatment had dramatically fewer side effects and was usually taken before bed. This meant that for the first time, people could go back to work. Here are some ways companies can support that move back to work.
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Top 5 medical tourism destinations
Medical tourism is the practice of traveling abroad for health care. Globally, it’s a $120 billion business, according to a report from the Economist Intelligence Unit. “The reason an employer might offer medical tourism benefits would be for cost savings or for medical care that’s not available in their region,” says Rudy Rupak, CEO of Planet Hospital, a division of Global Health Voyager, a Web-based medical tourism facilitator. Rupak shares the top five countries outside of the U.S. where employees travel and the most common procedures they have done there.
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4 Ways to attract and retain top female talent
Women face many challenges in the U.S. private sector workforce—breaking glass ceilings is just one of them. Though women make up 47% of the American workforce, this number dwindles the higher they move up in the ranks. Many women are pushed out because of lack of leadership opportunities or pulled out due to family responsibilities. Here are some ways companies can retain them longer and help them ascend to their fullest potential through benefit changes and in-house initiatives.
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Top 5 legal cases of 2011
From health care reform to social media to Walmart, 2011 was a busy year for benefits law, regulations and court decisions. Here are five of the top legal issues that held our attention this year.
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Best practices from 4 of Fortune's Best Places to Work
HR leaders from four of Fortune’s 100 Best Places to Work share their tips and strategies on how to foster a productive and happy workforce. Representatives from KPMG, Intel, W. Baird & Co, and Microsoft discussed their company’s best practices for work life balance, leveraging social media and corporate transparency.
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EBN’s 24th annual Benefits Forum & Expo: Day 2
They say everything is bigger in Texas, and EBN’’s 24th annual Benefits Forum & Expo is no exception! Here are some of the steer-sized sights from Day 2 of BFE, Monday, Sept. 26
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EBN’s 24th annual Benefits Forum & Expo: Day 3
Parting is such sweet sorrow, but EBN’s 24th annual Benefits Forum & Expo definitely ended on a high note! Here are some of the best moments from the final day of BFE, Tuesday, Sept. 27.
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Who should have your ear? Best HR tweeters
Twitter is brimming with inspiring tweets to inform and entertain the HR professional. EBN found four tweeters who consistently deliver benefits and HR advice to their followers. Whether their focus is on social media or health care, their style insightful or witty, we recommend you follow these thought leaders on twitter. Of course, follow @EBNmagazine and our list of editors for more breaking news and hot topic tweets.
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Work-Life Rising Star Recognition Award
Every year for the past five years, WorldatWork's Alliance for Work-Life Progress honors work-life thought leadership, best practices and innovation through its Work-Life Rising Star Recognition Award. Meet this year's winners and find out how to nominate someone for next year's awards.
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The top 6 things you don’t know about health care reform, but should
In July, EBN issued the PPACA Challenge, a 30-question quiz designed to test benefits professionals’ knowledge of the landmark health care reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Of the hundreds of practitioners who took the quiz, there were six questions that stumped you most often. View our slideshow to see what they were and find the right answers. For a PPACA crash course, view EBN’s award-winning PPACA interactive timeline.
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From the EBN bookshelf
The editors at EBN have compiled a list of summer reads for the benefits and HR professional. While lounging by the pool, learn more about pressing HR topics of the day. Keep abreast of health care, retirement, and management issues with the following books.
See how Purchasing Power can positively impact your clients and your revenue!
March 6, 2012 Watch this Video >>
Take three minutes to help control health care costs and improve health outcomes
March 10, 2011 Watch this Video >>
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