Employee Benefit News

The Impact of Exchanges on Employer-Based Health Care

Join us as we explore the impact of private and public health insurance exchanges on employers in 2012 and beyond. Will employers bow out of the game and start sending their employees to subsidized state exchanges and private exchanges? Or will employers modify their contribution strategies to reduce costs, avoid penalties, and retain talent?

Topics of discussion include:

• What private exchanges will look like and how “defined contribution” will work for large and small employers
• Findings from bswift’s new 2012 study examining employer contribution levels and trends
• Employer trends in consumerism and wellness to control health care costs

Speaking panel:

• Mike Brewer, President, Lockton Benefit Group
• Don Garlitz, Executive Director, bswift Exchange Solutions

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.

Abandon short-term thinking, educate policymakers to address skills shortages

As senior vice president and chief HR and administrative officer for Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, Jeff Shuman has first-hand experience with the skills gap - the gap that exists between the jobs an organization has to fill and the knowledge, skills and abilities of current and potential workers.

Creating corporate coeds

Six years ago, executives at professional services consulting firm Deloitte LLP began exploring ways to enhance the company's investment in training and development. After talking to the firm's recruiting officers on U.S. college campuses, leaders realized the high value new graduates and younger employees placed on training and development.

Social butterflies more successful at work

Statistics show 96% of Americans use Facebook, and 46 million check their social media profiles daily. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, more than one-half (56%) of organizations currently use social networking websites when recruiting potential job candidates, a significant increase from 2008, when 34% did so. However, when it comes to in-house communications, most companies still use face-to-face or email to convey key HR/benefits messages and information.

Senior management, boards, finance more involved in benefits decisions

Benefits decision-making continues to gain importance in corporate America, with 40% of plan sponsors saying that the employee benefits decision-making process in their company has changed to some extent over the past five years, according to a recent study from Prudential.

Nearly one-third of employers willing to pay to relocate employees in 2012

As 2012 ushers in an improving, but still highly competitive job market, more workers may be looking beyond their own backyard for employment options. Forty-four percent of workers said they would be willing to relocate for a career opportunity, according to a nationwide study by CareerBuilder. Of workers who were laid off in the last year and found new jobs, 20% relocated to a new city or state.

Three in four women small business owners predict more tough times in 2012

A new Nationwide Financial study shows three-quarters (74%) of women small business owners expect their business to be negatively impacted in 2012 by the economy. Just one in five (22%) think the state of the economy will improve and one third (34%) expect their sales and revenue to decline.

Choosing better benefits

As employees take on more responsibility for paying for health care, voluntary benefits can provide much-needed additional coverage. EBN spoke to a number of voluntary benefits providers to get their thoughts on the major trends they see coming in 2012. Not surprisingly, all the trends and influences in the HR world at large - health care reform, employer cost-shifting, technology and communications - affect the voluntary benefits industry as well. Here, we provide a summary of key trends, along with charts and data to help employers plan their voluntary benefits strategy going forward.

What to expect from harassment lawsuits

An employer's first experience defending a harassment case can be a harsh introduction to the challenges and biases of the American legal system. Empowered with some basic knowledge about the process, HR/benefits professionals can survive the ordeal and shine in the eyes of senior management.

HR executives see roles changing in the wake of health reform

A tighter partnership between corporate finance and human resource executives may be on the horizon as U.S. companies begin to address the implications of health care reform for their reward programs and talent management strategy, according to a new survey by Towers Watson and Forbes Insights. The survey finds that both groups of executives share an expectation of further increases to their health care and other reward budgets in the next few years although, surprisingly, neither sees any change in the mix or cost allocation for their overall reward programs

Forget the Christmas parties, employees want cash

Companies planning to spend thousands of dollars for staff Christmas parties, even with open bars, shouldn't bother because most U.S. employees would prefer money.

Companies bolster pay-for-performance in executive comp due to 'say on pay'

Many companies have restructured their executive pay-for-performance programs to prepare for the first “say on pay" vote in the 2011 proxy season. Experts from consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers detail concrete preparations and advice for companies to reform their executive compensation practices in anticipation of what promises to be an even tougher shareholder vote in 2012.

Despite ongoing economic turmoil, companies expect to pay c-suite execs bonuses equal to or more than last year

Despite many companies in North America anticipating a decline in shareholder value in 2011, pressures about executive pay by the Occupy movement and a slow-to-recover economy, a majority of companies expect to pay executive bonuses that are as large as or larger than last year’s awards. Additionally, the majority of companies plan to fund this year’s bonuses at or above target levels, reflecting strong operating results, according to the Towers Watson survey.

MetLife finds employee financial wellness a growing global concern for employers

As the effects of the recent financial crisis continue to spread across the globe, financial stress is an issue for both women and men.