What would a workplace emergency-savings benefit look like?

An alarming number of workers don’t have enough money saved away to carry them through even a short-lived financial emergency, and experts are urging employers to take steps to address that shortfall with changes to their benefits programs. Survey data indicate that while savings rates vary based on a number of factors, substantial portions of […]

Minding the healthcare benefits knowledge gap

Over the last decade employers have begun to understand the importance of offering employees financial wellness benefits. Financial concerns are a chief distraction for workers and in order to attract and retain talent, employers have been investing more in their employees’ overall well-being. Indeed, 53% of employers offer workers a financial wellness program, according to […]

Higher hourly pay may not help fix poverty

Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 probably won’t fix poverty, and might actually hurt poor people instead. That’s the message of Ryan Young’s Oct. 2 article, published by the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Raising the minimum wage is a top policy issue at the local, state, and now federal level. A current bill, the Raise the […]

Rethinking healthcare benefits for better recruitment, retention

Employee benefits are an important part of recruiting and retaining talent and most plan sponsors offer a range of benefits, including medical, pharmacy, behavioral health, dental, vision, disability and life. A common industry practice has been to offer each of these benefits as a standalone product, but this creates a disconnected picture of the whole […]

How to avoid mishaps in the run-up to open enrollment

With the start of open enrollment season each fall, Jennifer Benz takes to social media with some trepidation to gauge the mood of employees. The results often confirm her worst fears. “We look at the open enrollment tweets every fall,” says the communications leader at Segal Benz, a benefits communication firm. “You see people are […]

6 voluntary benefits your employees want

In this age of the multigenerational workforce and a tight labor market, a one-size-fits-all group benefits model with medical, prescription, dental, vision and a retirement plan just doesn’t cut it. A workforce with Baby Boomers, Gen X’ers, Millennials and Generation Z means that employees are going to find the run-of-the-mill benefits plan inadequate. Ditto for […]

Health insurance surpass $20,000 per year, hitting a record

The cost of family health coverage in the U.S. now tops $20,000, an annual survey of employers found, a record high that has pushed an increasing number of American workers into plans that cover less or cost more, or force them out of the insurance market entirely. “It’s as much as buying a basic economy […]

A look at the DOL’s final rule: White collar exemption and overtime

Reporting that 1.3 million workers will now become eligible for overtime pay, the DOL has released its final rule to update the exemption requirements of the Executive, Administrative and Professional employee (EAP) as well as highly compensation executive (HCE) classifications. After overcoming many hurdles, injunction enjoined and invalidation, the DOL released its final rule Tuesday with an […]