Employee and Workplace Communications -

Most American workers are workaholics and refuse to take time off work. Studies reveal that more than half are leaving their vacation time unused. While most businesses appreciate the dedication and commitment of hardworking employees to their companies, employers need to encourage their workers to take time off and enjoy a fun summer vacation. It will do wonders not only for their physical and mental health but their overall job-performance in the company.

Employer groups will be able to start offering association health plans (AHPs) as soon as this September 1, under the final AHP rule announced June 19 by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

Humans are creatures of habit and routine. Consistency and reliability are reassuring. Even little changes like the coffee cart moving to a different hallway can throw employees off and send productivity into a downward spiral. Having an employee benefits resource portal that’s consistent for the entire team—whether they’re new hires in the middle of onboarding or tenured employees approaching open enrollment season—is invaluable for helping to improve enrollment rates and employee engagement with benefits materials.

The summer holidays are nearly upon us. This is the time for vacations, outdoor bar-be-ques, traveling, sun, and fun. Today, corporate culture is forgiving of summer vacations, usually around July 4th and mid-August. The time is now to gear your employees up between their vacation times.

Open enrollment (OE) meetings are intended to educate employees about their benefits in an effective and efficient setting. Perhaps meetings were once the best approach. But times change, and today employers typically offer many more benefit choices, with more complex variables, and the potential for far greater employee financial liability.

Employee benefits and compensation have started to become less important in the changing job marketplace, but they still remain a top reason why employees stay with an organization or leave. Making it easy for employees to use their benefits improves engagement and performance.

Once upon a time, the employee benefits package was (more or less) standardized. Employees were given a base salary, typically two weeks of vacation, health insurance, and a retirement plan… maybe a year end bonus (if you were lucky)… but times have changed.

There's one nerve-wracking, yet vital part of the on-boarding process recent grads need to master: negotiating salary and benefits. 43 percent of workers are still asked about salary history during job interviews. Future employers may base their proposed pay on a candidate's previous salary level.

Unum’s 10-year review of disability claims shows the top 1­0 causes of short- and long-term disability. The disability provider’s data also reflects the effects of an aging workforce, medical advances and the power of early intervention.

Should employee benefits include summer vacation as a matter of course? The data says ‘yes.’

Your employees might be confused when they walk into the office for the first time and are handed an employee benefits and compensation packet showing the various options and benefits of a 401(b) retirement plan rather than the standard 401(k).

At the top of many employee benefits and compensation plans is usually a retirement plan. The most common retirement plan these days is still the good old 401(k). Why is it so popular and how does it work?

Diversity Insight: Not only must you be vigilant in preventing workplace sexual harassment in the age of #MeToo, but you also may face an uphill battle in defending against gender-based pay discrimination claims under the Equal Pay Act (EPA), according to a new decision from the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals—which covers Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

In a game-changing ruling, California expanded protections for workers, placing the burden on employers to prove that workers are independent contractors, not employees.

When it comes to a career, it’s not all about the money. There’s the value of the work itself, the environment in which you work, and of course the benefits that come with the paycheck. But the money is still important.

To motivate workers, employers often turn to incentives such as money or recognition. What's become clear is that these programs can also result in unintended consequences—like a financial crisis.

Decision Support Software simplifies the complicated world of employee benefits so that everyone gets the right benefits for their personal situation. It’s never a bad idea to investigate Decision Support programs as a part of your employee benefits and compensation system, but sometimes the programs designed to help make decisions just make them more difficult.

Millennial engagement and career fulfillment begins with the employer and ends with the employee. If a position does not offer an employee the favorable factor (s) of work and life balance, most millennials tend to look elsewhere.

Rising healthcare costs continue to plague employers and employees alike, so it should come as no surprise that participation in high deductible health plans (HDHP) grew by more than 60% last year.

The psychological contract is a concept that describes the understandings, beliefs, and commitments that exist between an employee and an employer. Although it is unwritten and intangible, it represents the mutual expectations that are felt between the two.