Best strategies for implementing a student debt benefits program

Employers have begun making greater investments in their employees’ overall well-being and placing a bigger emphasis on student loan debt as a source of financial stress. Managing student loan debt is an issue that impacts more than 44 million Americans and has exploded to a national total of more than $1.5 trillion. Employers are in […]

Health agency reverses course on prescription drug coupon regulations

As a parent, I encourage my kids to resist the melodic siren call of procrastination. I share historical examples of how procrastination led to undesirable and often catastrophic events. It’s an easy argument to make. It’s especially easy because my kids haven’t been exposed to the shifting sands of employee benefit regulations. Given the growing […]

DOL issues finalized overtime regulation

The DOL on Tuesday released its highly anticipated finalized overtime rule, raising the minimum salary level to $35,568 per year for a full-year worker to earn overtime wages. “Today’s rule is a thoughtful product informed by public comment, listening sessions and long-standing calculations,” Wage and Hour Division Administrator Cheryl Stanton says in a statement. “The […]

The derailment of California’s payroll advance law

It seemed uncontroversial at first. A bill in California to create the country’s first regulatory framework for companies that offer early access to employees’ earned wages passed the state Senate 35-0 in May. The measure, which would establish the legal parameters for a lower-cost alternative to payday loans, then got the unanimous approval of three […]

IRS regulation aims to undo the ‘one bad apple’ rule

A pair of recent regulations may create new opportunities for smaller employers to provide cost-effective retirement benefits for their employees. The Department of Labor (DOL) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have joint authority to govern and regulate the operation and administration of employer-sponsored retirement plans. Following a policy trend established by the Trump administration […]

New voluntary benefit designed to help caregiver employees

CareGiving.com, an online library of resources for caregivers, has partnered with SeniorGuards, a caregiving solutions provider, to offer a new voluntary employee benefit to help employees manage their familial and professional responsibilities. SeniorGuards, which relaunched on September 6 as SupportGuards, now offers a caregiving benefit that provides free services, including access to specialized caregiving consultants […]

The (new) ABCs of classifying employees and independent contractors

Properly classifying workers as either employees or independent contractors is critically important for California businesses. Employees generally are entitled to benefits that contractors are not, including sick leave, workers’ compensation coverage, overtime, and meal and rest breaks. But while relying on contractors may manifest significant upfront savings, the cost of defending a misclassification lawsuit often […]

Whole Foods to cut medical benefits for part-timers

Amazon-owned Whole Foods Market is changing medical benefit eligibility requirements next year that could leave as many as 1,900 part-time workers without coverage. Employees will have to work at least 30 hours a week to qualify for a healthcare plan beginning Jan. 1, up from the current eligibility requirement of 20 hours, the company said […]

What would change if your employees were CEO for a day?

When employees feel like their voices are being heard, they are reportedly 4.6 times more likely to contribute their best work, according to SalesForce data. Ultimately, knowing that the company is interested in what employees have to say builds trust and encourages loyalty among members of the workforce. Respect is the most important leadership behavior, […]