Benefits Articles
Work/Life Programs are Dodging the Axe
Our current economic downturn is dramatically worse that our last down cycle in the early part of the decade. Yet, already there are some significant differences in the ways that corporations are responding to the financial pressure. One of the most noteworthy differences is that many work/life balance programs are being retained or even upgraded when many other investment-based programs are being slashed.
Taking the Mystery Out of the New COBRA Rules
COBRA (or Consolidated Omnibus Budget & Reconciliation Act) is a program designed to provide individuals who would otherwise lose their insurance coverage (often through being unemployed) to extend their coverage through their employer, or previous employer, at group rates paid for at their own expense.
Making Sense of Work/Life Balance
For years the phrase “work life balance” has been making the rounds through HR and employee circles. While it isn’t a terribly difficult concept to understand, the phrase itself has become so pervasive that we often forget to consider why having a productive work life balance is so important.
Free Online Tools For Employee Healthcare Management
As the recession continues, your workers need as much help as they can get to keep their medical costs under control. There has never been a better time to add value to the healthcare benefits your company offers. Putting employees in touch with free online resources is an affordable way to do this.
Health and Wellness - Managing Healthcare Outcomes
With healthcare costs at an all-time high, employees are struggling to pay their medical bills. Now more than ever, staying well and reducing unnecessary expenses are top priorities. As workers take on more responsibility for managing their healthcare, they need to know how to get the most for their money. You can make this job easier by promoting healthful choices as part of your workplace culture.
How To Improve Employee Retirement Benefits Planning
If there is one thing people dislike more than delaying instant gratification in favor of a future reward, it is spending time and effort on planning with no guarantee of success. This is one of the underlying reasons employees hate retirement planning. Workers look around and see older people unable to retire because their 401(k) plans have lost a staggering amount of value. This promotes a general feeling of helplessness and lack of control.
Helping Employees Cope With Consumer Driven Health Plans
If your company is following the trend toward providing consumer driven health plans (CDHPs), your workers are experiencing the burden of extra expenses right now. The shift in costs is no doubt placing a hardship on their finances.
This may leave your employees feeling like you don’t care about their wellbeing. You need to use new strategies to reconnect with workers on this topic. Here are some low cost ways to help your workforce regain a sense of control over their health and their budget.
Retirement Benefits - Why Employee 401(k) Plans Fail
Over the long term, employee 401(k) plans offer a decent way for the average working person to save money for retirement. However, there are a number of reasons these investments can underperform. Here are several examples of ways employees sabotage their retirement savings.
Dependent Benefits Extended Under Michelle’s Law
As frequently happens, it has taken a tragedy for the government to address a problem with the health care system in the United States. In the case of Michelle Morse, the issue was not the availability of medical coverage, but the cost. Like many college students, Morse was covered by dependent benefits under her parents’ health insurance plan.
Benefit Communications - Consumer Driven Healthcare Pitfalls
Benefit communications can get a little tricky when it comes to consumer driven health plans. Explaining how each employee benefits from taking on more responsibility can be a tough sell. This is especially true if workers have heard about CDHPs through the rumor mill first. People are used to their medical insurance companies trying to weasel out of paying claims. There is naturally a lot of mistrust to overcome when making changes to how medical bills get paid.
