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ACA in Flux, But Employer Plans Hold Steady

In contrast to the turmoil in the individual health plan market, employer health plan sponsors extended their run of low annual cost increases in 2017, according to a new survey of 2,481 public and private employers with at least 10 employees.

6 Ways to Evaluate Effectiveness of Blended Learning Courses

According to research and reputable studies, blended learning courses and techniques offer companies a more cost-effective and efficient way to deliver engaging and successful learning content to their employees.1 But how should learners taking blended learning courses be evaluated so you know that real learning is actually taking place both inside and outside of the […]

Health plan

Manager of Healthcare Network to Reimburse Plans for Fees, Says DOL

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and a third-party administrator that provides employee health benefit plans with access to a network of doctors, hospitals, and other medical providers have reached an agreement in which the administrator has committed to improve its communications with health plans and to return certain fees the plans paid for claims […]

Bonuses and Flexibility Effectively Reward Top Performance

Yesterday, we looked at some performance review recommendations by Alan C. Fox, the president of ACF Property Management, Inc. and the author of PEOPLE TOOLS: 54 Strategies for Building Relationships, Creating Joy, and Embracing Prosperity. Today, we present the rest of his list.

Pros and Cons of Job Sharing

Job sharing, as the name implies, is when two or more employees share the responsibilities for what would be one full-time job. In a tight labor market, this may be one option to consider if you’re struggling to attract and retain talent. There are, of course, pros and cons of taking this approach. Let’s take […]

Engagement and Enablement—Keys to Comp Effectiveness

McMullen is Reward Practice Leader for Hay Group in Chicago. He was joined by Dow Scott, Professor of Human Resources in the Quinlan School of Business Administration at Loyola University Chicago and president of Performance Development International, a management consulting firm. Their remarks came at the WorldatWork conference in Philadelphia. McMullen offers the following “equation” […]

Do Your Supervisors Recognize Alcohol Abuse?

Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that binge drinking (five or more drinks on one occasion for men, and four or more for women) was responsible for over 70% of the costs related to excessive alcohol use. Train your supervisors and managers on how to identify and respond to potential […]

Keeping an open mind during workplace investigations

by Peter Lowe Internal workplace investigations turn sour for a variety of reasons, including haste, poor preparation, ineffective documentation, and a lack of investigatory skills. But in my experience, the biggest obstacle to fair and thorough investigations is the bias of the investigator. When an investigator starts out with a preconceived notion of guilt or […]

Wellness is the Best Gift You Can Give Workers This Season

The period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is full of joy and celebration. But from stress and germs to distraction and overindulgence, it’s also fraught with hazards that can leave your employees ill, injured, or dispirited. Although the “official” holiday season lasts just weeks, the dark, chilly months present significant safety, health, and wellness challenges. […]

Early Retirement Offers: Win-Win IF You Follow Rules

ERIPs (Early Retirement Incentive Plans) achieve a “win-win” for both employer and employees, say attorneys Chris Anderson and Sarah C. Maxwell, but there are legal pitfalls when the rules aren’t followed exactly. ERIPs are a win-win, the attorneys say, because: Employers benefit from reducing wages and other costs associated with senior workers, and avoid the […]