Employee and Workplace Communications -

The debate over the employee benefits and compensation ramifications of paying versus not paying your interns is still raging. Unlike many other debates currently being argued in various spheres in the United States however, it’s fairly easy to look across the battlefield and see the perspective of the other side.

When you write about topics as broad as benefits and wellness, it’s easy to have too many ideas and want to write about a million things at once. But that’s impossible. So these are some topics in the health and benefits space that have intrigued me these past few weeks. They relate to employee wellbeing based on compensation; the employer mandate; days off; and a wellness conference.

Human resources departments across all industries have tried to find or build effective employee benefits communications systems to help their workers navigate the confusing and exhausting world of insurance coverage, retirement and other common healthcare and voluntary benefits options. The goal of this investment and effort is to give workers the information they need to make the right decisions for themselves without spending excess time, money and brainpower on benefits enrollment.

A few years ago, business leaders and Human Resources professionals found an answer to rising workplace stress, increased incivility, and lowered productivity: mindfulness. Since then, many HR tools and apps are making mindfulness an employee benefit with measurable results.

There are a slew of important figures companies and employees need to know regarding health savings accounts, 401(k)s and flexible spending accounts. While the IRS announced HSA changes in May, the agency only recently announced annual changes to FSAs and 401(k)s. From contribution limits to out-of-pocket amounts, here are the figures employers need to know — all of which take effect in January.

In a business landscape characterized by critical and sustained skill shortages, human capital has grown to become a key differentiator for organizations in every industry. In the US, these trends have been exasperated further by record-low unemployment rates, which have made it even more difficult to attract and secure top-tier talent.

Open enrollment is over, but your responsibility to provide competitive employee compensation and benefits doesn’t end. Throughout the year, you’ve worked with employees scrambling to sign up for health insurance, using their benefits, and you’ve dealt with questions and unforeseen issues that came up.

The New Year is approaching and benefits professionals are continuing to make career moves. The winter months have brought with them new hires and promotions for Willis Towers Watson, Transamerica, ZipRecruiter and others.

Every employee values workplace perks but does its importance outweigh being paid more?

Open Enrollment is in full swing and if you’re a small business owner with the ability to offer employees benefits and compensation packages, you’re probably already hearing all about it. Your employees are making the best decisions they can right now to make sure they’re enrolled in health insurance plans that make sense for them. Even as Open Enrollment progresses, there are still several considerations small business owners and leaders need to have.

Jason Tzau has worked as a pharmacist and pharmacy consultant for the past 19 years, most recently serving as associate director of the health and benefits practice at Willis Towers Waton’s Seattle office.

“We want to make sure people with pre-existing conditions have coverage,” said Seema Verma, administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Health and financial wellness plans have evolved quickly in the last few years, offering employees newer and better options to relieve some of the money-related stress they experience and plan better for retirement. The next step in this evolution is access to personalized financial wellness plans for each employee. Why is this so important and why are personal financial advisors in vogue now?

By resuscitating myRAs, the EASA would benefit those workers that do save in a retirement plan but don’t pay federal income taxes.

In a tight labor market, employees are demanding more out of their employers and out of their benefits packages. And apparently, employers are listening.

The projected 7.8 percent increase is lower than the 8.4 percent rise in 2018, thanks to employer cost containment measures, tighter procurement of medical goods and new health improvement initiatives.

Although the Affordable Care Act has been whittled down by the GOP and the Trump administration, the employer mandate is still around. Here are 9 employer mandate FAQs for HR benefits managers, employers, and their brokers. The answers are condensed from the more detailed answers found in 2018 Health Care Reform Facts (The National Underwriter Company/ALM). Please note that some of the figures we list were as of press time last fall.

Above-average employer contributions to 401(k)s are a key feature of retirement plans most likely to help employees amass the savings they need to live comfortably in retirement, according to a new report from Wells Fargo Institutional Retirement and Trust.

A thorough familiarization with health insurance practices and terms will allow employers to make the most knowledgeable decisions for their employees and business.

Although the Affordable Care Act has been whittled down by the GOP and the Trump administration, the employer mandate is still around. Here are 9 employer mandate FAQs for HR benefits managers, employers, and their brokers.