Articles

Spring is in the air - and so is pension relief, once again. A provision has been attached to a Senate-passed transportation bill, to set a floor and a ceiling on the interest rates used to calculate the funding target and annual contributions. Unfortunately, the prospects for passage of this measure are hostage to fundamental arguments about the highway bill to which it is attached and its immediate prospects seem to have dimmed. Read more

The best solution to our problems may actually be the nearest and the easiest. Sometimes it seems so easy that we doubt its effectiveness. It is high time we shifted our focus from the basic compensations and benefits approach in order to solve the talent issues we face. Read more

Each day brings news that describe how people are not saving enough for retirement, and how many will outlive their savings. Meanwhile, plan sponsors, who have worked hard trying to foster a culture of employee saving, inevitably begin to wonder if their plan is providing adequate retirement benefits. Read more

Retirement plans can present challenges for both the plan sponsor and the participant. Historically, one of the salient dilemmas has been the lack of information provided to participants and sponsors regarding fees. Although that might seem to be an easy fix, it has proven to be more difficult to resolve than one might think. Without a clear understanding of fees associated with the services being provided to them and their plans, the sponsor and participants cannot make informed decisions related to their investment options and other plan-related issues. Read more

One of the hottest topics for employers right now-- and one that employers need to make sure they “get right”-- is the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Department of Labor has promised to wage an all out war of enforcement on misclassification of employees, targeting employers in coming years that misclassify employees as independent contractors rather than employees and/or as exempt when, in fact, they should be non-exempt. Read more

According to Ann Burke, Executive Director of Benefits for Boehringer-Ingelheim, "A fast-paced schedule can make it difficult to find time to exercise and cook a healthy meal. However, getting healthy and staying healthy requires that we make time for these good habits, because they bring multiple benefits including longer lifespan, improved quality of life and fewer illnesses. Staying healthy helps lessen your risk of cancers and various diseases. With our strong focus on improving the health of our employees, we have been successful in a number of ways." Read more

Corporate health and wellness programs boost the health and engagement of employees, reducing absence and positively impacting on the bottom line, according to the general consensus. Read more

Earlier this week of November 18, 2011, the United States District Court, District of Columbia ruled that a federal contractor will be required to produce additional compensation data as requested by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. What does this decision mean for employers? Get ready to produce your compensation data to the OFCCP, even if initial threshold analyses don’t indicate any discriminatory practices. Read more

Gone are the days when the stereotype of the office worker was someone who punched a clock at 9 and punched out at 5. Flex time arrangements, telecommuting and global teams have all made the concept of a "typical" working day as being—well, anything but typical. Read more

In difficult economic times, excess absenteeism is a problem businesses really can't afford to have. Tackling absenteeism requires a renewed focus on wellbeing, both in terms of people's attitudes and stress levels, as well as reducing the number of injuries requiring workers to spend time away from the office. Read more

HRIQ speaks with Anissa Kurtz, the Director of Benefits for the Children's Place. Kurtz will share why it is important to pay special attention to underrepresented employees and focus of the unique needs of an employee population. Read more