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401(k)s, Free Food, Pet Insurance—What Benefits Are Best Employers Offering?

Health Care gets the bulk of the benefits attention these days, but what’s happening with other benefits, and what are your competitors offering? Sabbaticals? Free Food? PTO? Flex? Let’s find out what’s happening in the real world. For years, BLR has surveyed HR, compensation, and benefits professionals to find trends in benefits. We appreciate your […]

Looking to 2012—Good News and Bad News on the HR Front

Get ready now for an aggressive NLRB; meanwhile, get your ADA house in order, say panelists at BLR’s Advanced Employment Issues Symposium (AEIS) in Nashville. Good news? It’s not too late to act. Under proposed NLRB rule changes, employers will have less of a chance to make their cases for staying union free, says Al […]

Safety Trumps Religion: Third Circuit Upholds Ban on Headscarves

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) recently upheld the district court’s decision to dismiss a complaint by three Muslim prison workers who were prohibited from wearing headwear at work. Facts Three female employees at GEO Group, Inc., a private company that was contracted to run the George W. […]

Supreme Court Expands ERISA Remedies

In a case that could have far-reaching consequences for employers and employees alike, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday, February 20, 2008, that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) allows an employee to sue his employer because of a fiduciary breach that resulted in individual losses to his 401(k) plan. James LaRue says […]

An Invitation to Share Your E-Pinion With a Few (About 135,000, Actually) of Your Colleagues

How many times have you had strong feelings about something in HR that you wanted to let the profession know about? Well, here’s your chance to do it. If you’re a steady reader of this column, you know it’s usually written by BLR’s founder and publisher Bob Brady. Bob’s “e-pinions” have crisscrossed the wide world […]

What is Talent Pool Engagement?

Talent pool engagement, as the name implies, happens when an organization takes active steps to stay engaged with prospective employees—often before they’ve even applied at the organization. With today’s ever-connected online environment, there are ever more ways for employers to stay in touch with the talent pool, no matter the size.

Our Best Benefits Bet: Congress Will Extend COBRA Subsidy

Update Dec. 21, 2009: President signs bill including COBRA subsidy extension by Ashley Gillihan In February, President Barack Obama enacted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Among other things, the ARRA provided a temporary (up to nine months), 65 percent, federally funded, COBRA premium subsidy to any qualified beneficiary who became or becomes eligible […]

Student Loan Holders Would Greatly Value Employer Assistance

A new survey has found that many student loan borrowers in the U.S. would prefer to work for a company that offers student loan management help as part of their benefits package. The survey was conducted among 1,000 individuals with student loans by Iontuition Inc., a member of the Ceannate companies that helps students and […]

Behavioral Health in U.S. Is Improving, Says SAMHSA Report

In its most recent National Behavioral Health Barometer report, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) highlights many important trends in behavioral health across the nation. Results from the report suggest the behavioral health of the United States is improving. The Barometer reports no change in the level of adults seeking treatment for serious mental illness, which […]