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Taxes: Prepare for higher child care, commuting costs in 2012
January 18, 2012Paycheck a little lighter this month? Despite the extension of the payroll tax cut, taxes are still taking a bigger slice of many workers' pay in 2012. And 2013 could be even worse.
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Are older workers getting in the way of the young?
January 10, 2012Last week's report on unemployment shows that the economy continues to gather steam - payrolls grew by 200,000 and the jobless rate ticked downward again, to 8.5%.
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One and only
January 9, 2012Planners have been hearing about and preparing for the baby boom ever since the first 1946er became a client. Yet their single-minded focus on boomers may mean they've missed another demographic trend: the singles surge.
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12 Most bizarre excuses for employee sick days
January 6, 2012
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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Small business payrolls rise 55,000 in December
January 5, 2012Small businesses created 55,000 jobs in December and increased working hours for employees, further evidence the labor market was strengthening.
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U.S. fares poorly in holiday entitlements
December 14, 2011Workers in the U.K. and Poland have the most generous statutory employee holiday entitlements while employees in the U.S., Canada, Philippines, China and Thailand have the least generous entitlements, according to an overview of employee regulation and employment practices released by Mercer.
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Pre-retirees and retirees are happy and optimistic
December 13, 2011Americans' trademark optimism is intact, at least in regard to retirement, despite the economic turbulence that is reportedly forcing many people to work longer and make do with less. In fact, many retirees found only one downside.
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Older Americans expect to work longer
December 12, 2011Not only are older American workers (age 50 and over) expecting to work longer, but many now say they expect to never retire, according to the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute. Data suggest the trend may be tied to the recent economic recession.
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Smoke-free workplaces reduce heart attacks
December 8, 2011Mayo Clinic researchers have amassed additional evidence that secondhand smoke kills and smoke-free workplace laws save lives.
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Empire State exercise
December 1, 2011In 2009, the Civil Service Employees Association Employee Benefit Fund was at a crossroads. The benefit fund, which provides dental and vision benefits for more than 300,000 public employee union members and their dependents in New York State, was facing a double-digit spike in its health insurance costs and seemed resigned to renewing a policy with an insurer that was not meeting the needs of the fund's 60 employees.
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Mercer’s new blog, M/THINK, talks about employers’ issues
November 29, 2011Mercer has launched a new blog for employers that it hopes will be thought-provoking. M/THINK also includes data-rich infographics and commentaries on key business issues facing today’s employers.
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Costly U.S. health system delivers uneven care
November 29, 2011The U.S. health care system is more effective at delivering high costs than quality care, according to a new study that found first-rate treatment for cancer but insufficient primary care for other ailments.
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How to tap the power of 'thank you'
November 28, 2011There may be only one day a year devoted to giving thanks. But expressing thanks regularly — year round — and doing it well is one of the most profitable business strategies you can have.
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Resilience key to relief when it comes to workplace stress
VIDEO | November 22, 2011Speaking from EBN’s Benefits Forum & Expo, Richard Citrin, president of Citrin Consulting, outlines stress resilence, an alternative way for benefits managers to view and help employees deal with stress.
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Record percentage of younger workers indicate increasing concern about personal job security
November 22, 2011Amidst high U.S. unemployment and against the backdrop of a volatile economy, workers 18-34 years old are increasingly concerned about job loss and having to delay retirement, according to the 2011 Mercer Workplace Survey, a nationally representative survey of employees enrolled in their employer’s 401(k) and health plans.
