Category: Benefits and Compensation

This topic provides guidance on how to handle compensation issues in a way that attracts and retains the best talent and advances the strategic goals of your business. You get news and tips on what’s going on nationally and in the states, and updates on changes in regulations, possible governmental action, and emerging compensation trends.

Balancing the Scales: What the Rise of GLP-1s Means for Employers Today

Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists (GLP-1s) are a class of medications originally intended for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. However, in the last year, they’ve become known for their impact on the polarizing topic of weight loss. With GLP-1s, patients can successfully lose weight without having to do activities traditionally associated with losing weight, […]

Addressing the Crisis of Employee Emotional Well-Being: A Systems Perspective

The pandemic left an indelible mark on various facets of our lives, but perhaps one of the most profound impacts has been on the emotional well-being of the U.S. workforce. The Leading Indicator Systems’ Workforce Listening Study Series, which uses the 3-minute, image-based AgileBrain assessment, has shed light on an alarming trend. Over the past […]

Why Pet Insurance Is Gaining Popularity as an Employee Benefit

The open enrollment period for 2024 health insurance coverage has commenced, and employers are presented with a unique opportunity to enhance their benefits packages. While health insurance remains a cornerstone of these packages, a rapidly growing trend is emerging: the inclusion of pet insurance. The rise of pet insurance, one of the fastest-growing insurance segments […]

Exploring Employers’ Role in Easing Employees’ Financial Stress

It’s hard for employees to focus on work when financial worries are weighing them down. And statistics show that student loan debt is at the root of many workers’ troubles. The pandemic brought about a temporary reprieve in student loan payments, but interest began to accrue again in September, and payments are to resume in […]

Are Family-Building Benefits Raising COBRA Coordination Issues?

Family-building benefits are very much “in the news.” Many employers are implementing new benefit programs to support employees in their journey to have children. In the excitement of rolling out these new benefits, it’s possible for employers to overlook obligations under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) that may attach to family-building benefit components. […]

Managing the Challenges of Intermittent FMLA

In an earlier post, I reviewed the basics steps to take to avoid Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) mishaps and best practices to follow when eligible employees request FMLA leave. But, matters involving FMLA leave can quickly become complicated, especially in regards to the implementation of intermittent FMLA leave. Managing intermittent FMLA leave creates […]

Avoiding FMLA Mishaps

We all know the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid medical leave to care for a serious medical condition of the employee or the employee’s family member. Despite the fact the FMLA is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, employers are still grappling with its […]

Maximizing Healthcare Cost Control: A Holistic Approach for Self-Insured Employers and Employees

In the increasingly complex and expensive U.S. healthcare landscape, self-insured employers face a dual challenge: ensuring top-quality health care for their employees while maintaining a tight grip on costs. And with many businesses operating on razor-thin margins in today’s inflationary economic environment, cost control has never been more critical. Self-insured employers, which directly fund their […]

Guaranteed OT Pay: Employers Urged to be Ready as New Overtime Final Rule Approaches

Employer interests are sounding off against the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposal for a dramatic increase in the overtime threshold, but employers are still advised to take a close look at their exempt workforce to make sure their status is justified. The DOL released its long-awaited proposed rule on August 30. If finalized, the […]

Evolving HR: FMLA and the Modern Workplace

Employers with over 50 employees regularly address employees’ requests for leave under the FMLA. When the FMLA was originally enacted in 1993, the workplace looked a bit different than it does now. Most employees went to a main worksite and job applicants came to a location to apply for employment. In today’s work environment, many employees work […]