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In our latest installment of Ask the Expert, brought to you by the team of industry experts at HR Hero®, we look at a recent question from a subscriber regarding the recommended management and payment of voluntary benefits for employees while they are out on unpaid leave. Q: How should employers handle voluntary benefits when employees are […]
Employees summoned to military service receive certain job protections under a federal law known as the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). The law requires employers to provide employees on military leave any seniority-based benefit they would have accrued but for the service. A recent case from the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of […]
Employers’ goals for voluntary benefits —increasingly a core component of any employer’s benefit package that allows employees to self-select from a menu of offerings, typically at reduced or increasingly no cost — have expanded dramatically since 2020. According to Buck’s 2022 Wellbeing and Voluntary Benefits Survey, half of all employers (52%) have added offerings in […]
Believe it or not, the 2021 tax season is upon us, and as employees are compiling their list of smart money moves to make before the filing deadline, it’s important they understand how to also maximize their flexible spending account (FSA). An FSA is a powerful tool to help employees protect their health and well-being […]
health care and retirement, like building emergency savings and repaying student debt. But are the new financial wellness benefits really helping workers avoid financial hardship? While retirement savings accounts and health insurance benefits are common offerings for full-time employees at large companies, and many employers have begun offering student loan repayment support in recent years, […]
The town of Kingston didn’t violate the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or state disability discrimination laws when it decided not to reappoint an employee on FMLA leave to her position after her predetermined term expired, the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Massachusetts employers) recently ruled, upholding a lower court’s opinion. […]
The apparent lack of qualified workers has become a well-publicized conundrum during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can’t drive by a retail establishment without seeing a “help wanted” sign in the window. Theories abound about why jobs are going unfilled. It’s common to assume the answer is to offer higher pay rates. Although the variables in […]
If you provide your employees with voluntary benefits, you’ve most likely considered offering them through face-to-face annual enrollment meetings or over the phone. While these enrollment methods may still be considered valid approaches, those traditional norms are changing. The pandemic has obviously impacted access to employees. In fact, a reported 50% of the workforce is […]
Six in 10 Americans live with at least 1 chronic condition, such as heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. As an employer or HR manager, you’re undoubtedly aware that acute events related to these conditions can adversely affect employees’ health and work productivity. But did you also know that, as a result of managing chronic conditions, […]
In a previous post, we discussed the importance of aligning employee incentives in order to optimize cooperation and collective action within an organization. Even the strongest leaders will struggle to achieve that cohesiveness if team members’ purpose doesn’t match. In this post, we discuss some strategies for tempering competing motivations and improving alignment. Holistic Incentives […]