Author: Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR

Solutions for the Afternoon Slump—Caffeine? Snacks?

In yesterday’s Advisor, Registered Dietitian Jason Muchnick revealed the health dangers of many popular beverages in an exclusive interview with BLR editor Elaine Quayle. Today, more of his wellness tips, plus an introduction to the wellness guide that will help your program to deliver 300 percent ROI BLR: How about caffeine—is that a problem? JM: […]

Chores on the Clock?

By Kyle Emshwiller Should employees spend their entire day working? What would you think of an employee doing chores, getting a manicure, or working out on company time? All of these activities are happening in American workplaces, and according to some researchers, this may not be a bad idea. Personal chores. A recent post on […]

Corporate Plans’ Funded Status at Record Low in July

By Jane Meacham The funded status of the average U.S. corporate pension plan slid to a record low in July, according to several measurements of the health of the plans’ finances. Funding status of the typical plan surveyed for BNY Mellon Pension Summary data touched a low of 68.7 percent, off 2.9 percentage points from […]

COBRA Notice Is Not Culprit in Claim That Termination Violated USERRA

Sending a COBRA election notice shortly after an employee began military duty was not evidence that an employer fired the employee due to his military status in violation of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, a federal district court in Arkansas held. In generally rejecting the USERRA claims, the court indicated, among other […]

Train to Prevent—and/or Prepare for—Potential Violence

Consider the following: Ours is a violent society and some of that violence finds its way into the workplace. One sixth of violent crimes occur in the workplace—nearly 2 million incidents a year. More than 600 people die each year nationwide from violent acts in the workplace. Tens of thousands of people are assaulted at […]

Can Soda Drag Down Your Wellness Program?

When having a soda beverage, you’re getting 300-500 calories, which is almost as much as a meal for some people, says Registered Dietitian Jason Muchnick. Is one of your biggest wellness challenges in your beverage machine? BLR Editor Elaine Quayle recently interviewed Muchnick about sugar in soft drinks, diet sodas, fruit juices, energy drinks, and […]

Health Reform Means Different Things for FSAs and HSAs

There is some persistent confusion over what the implementation of the health reform law means for health flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts. The short answer is that with one exception, employers and plan administrators must follow different steps for health FSAs and HSAs. Understanding these steps is crucial, because the time to prepare […]

TPA Is Not Fiduciary in Dispute Over Benefits Error, Judge Rules

By Jane Meacham Employers should exercise oversight of third-party administrators, to ensure they distribute accurate plan notifications and information about beneficiary distributions. That’s because in the case of certain errors, the TPA may end up not being defined as a fiduciary, as Judge James Graham in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, ruled in Stark […]

HR Departments in Flux—What Are Best Practice Companies Doing?

For years, BLR® has surveyed HR and compensation/benefits professionals to find trends in policy and practice. We appreciate your participation in our series of brief, targeted surveys. Today’s survey topic: Your HR Department. (We’ll publish the results in a future issue.) Please participate in this brief survey and together we’ll get answers to these questions […]