What Employers Should Know About FMLA and ADA Leave Requirements
Both of these federal laws, FMLA and ADA, have provisions involving employee leave, but eligibility and employer obligations vary. Employees seeking leave, changes to their work schedule, or other accommodations at work due to illness, injury, or ongoing medical treatments may have legal protections available to them under multiple laws. Several protections arise under two important […]
How Fitness Benefits Can Help With Employee Burnout
Nearly half of U.S. employees are coping with burnout, according to a 2023 survey from Eagle Hill Consulting. In addition to personal struggles, burnout negatively impacts the workplace through increased health challenges, reduced productivity and higher turnover. As you seek ways to reduce employee burnout, remember the power of physical movement to improve mental health. […]
What to Know About Internship Compensation
Minimize your Employment Compliance Risk by Getting Intern Compensation Right With summer comes an uptick in interns. Whether you have summer interns, or ones working for you during the school year, there are special considerations that should be given to interns, such as pay and ensuring a good learning experience. The Department of Labor is […]
7 Ways to Support Mental Health in the Workplace
Depression and anxiety cause an estimated loss of 12 billion working days every year, resulting in over one trillion dollars of lost productivity annually. As a result, mental health disorders are a primary cause of disability in the workplace. These staggering metrics highlight how critical the need has become for employers to recognize and support […]
What We’re Watching: Employer Compliance Across Benefits, HR, and Retirement
Staying updated on employer compliance can be a challenge. This monthly update is designed to highlight the latest developments impacting Employee Benefits, HR, and Retirement to keep your business running smoothly and minimize your compliance risk. March, 2023:Considerations for Adding ESG Investment Options to ERISA Retirement Plans While the DOL recently issued a rule that […]
Engaging a Diverse Workforce – How You Can Help Your employees Thrive
According to the American Institute of Stress, 62% of employees have high levels of stress and are experiencing fatigue and a lack of emotional control. Employees are more stressed than ever, affecting their work life. Thirty-four percent of employees lose 1 hour a day in productivity due to stress. This stress is where employers can […]
The Dangers of Worker Fatigue: How Employers Can Promote Safety and Prevent Impairment
Take the proper measures to avoid worker impairment within the workplace. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 15 million Americans work irregular schedules, including full-time evening shifts, night shifts, and rotating shifts. These shifts have been associated with safety and health risks, and certain jobs are at higher risk. It […]
The Secret Weapon for Higher Employee Engagement: Purpose
How the Pursuit of Purpose Drives Productivity Did you know that feeling connected to a sense of purpose is the largest contributor to overall employee wellbeing? Only a fraction of the U.S. Labor market reports that they would use career and purpose interchangeably. Many employees do not feel their job is meaningful; instead, they view […]
5 Excellent Benefits to Offer Employees in 2023
Cutting-edge benefits offerings that show your business is willing to go the extra mile. The Great Resignation has continued for far longer than many had anticipated, with approximately 4 million Americans continuing to leave their jobs each month since April of 2021. This trend has persisted even during the shaky economy of 2022, with the […]
Combating Inflation With a Holistic Total Rewards Strategy
On June 23, the Federal Reserve Chairman announced that inflation had reached a forty-year high in February, intensified by supply chain issues and increased consumer demand. Subsequently, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 6.4% higher in February 2022 than the prior year. Gas prices are up a soaring 48%, housing 14% and groceries 10% in […]
Five Key Considerations for the Future of the Workplace
It has been dubbed by many as – The Great Resignation, The Great Reshuffle, The Big Quit, or The Turnover Tsunami, but what does it really mean to your organization? The pandemic forced a sudden and immediate shift into remote work. However, the workforce is on the brink of another disruptor – the move to […]
7 Ways to Address Stress & Burnout in the Workplace
We’ve all seen a meme or cartoon that pokes fun at “Monday morning blues,” but if dreading going to the office is more than a passing laugh and becomes chronic, it can lead to serious health concerns. The average person spends over 90,000 hours at work throughout their life, and 8 out of 10 people […]
10 Tips for a Smooth Open Enrollment
Having gone through benefits renewals with employer groups of all sizes over the years, I have seen firsthand the importance of a well-planned and thoughtfully executed open enrollment. Although the selection of benefits is a necessary step to prepare for open enrollment, there are a multitude of other aspects that are just as important. Many […]
Top 9 Most Popular Blog Posts That Rocked Employee Benefits in 2019
With 2020 around the corner, we’re excited to continue pushing the envelope when it comes to fresh thinking, innovation and relevant content to help drive your employee benefits strategy forward. Before diving into the new year, let’s take a second to revisit your favorite Fresh Thinking blog posts of the year. Kim Adams, Senior Account […]
How to Prepare Your Workplace in the Face of a Pandemic
With the Coronavirus spreading quickly, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared a global emergency. The virus is currently in more than twenty countries and the number of cases is spiking at an alarming rate. Not only is this virus spreading faster than previous viruses, but the severity of symptoms and outcomes also seems to […]
Top 10 Open Enrollment Pitfalls to Avoid
With annual open enrollment fast approaching, and the added stress the COVID pandemic has created, employers are looking for ways to head off delays or disruptions so that employees can focus on maximizing their benefit elections. Employees are paying closer attention to their benefits, and employers have an opportunity to educate employees like never before. […]
How to Improve Employee Morale Amidst Uncertainty
To say employees are working under unique circumstances in 2020 would be considered an understatement by most. We are dealing with an intersection of stressors between the global pandemic, the impact of the resulting economic downturn, political divisions in an election year, and social unrest. Add in the upcoming holiday season and it may seem […]
How to Address COVID Fatigue in Your Workforce
Perspectives on How to Manage Personally and Professionally Through A Pandemic As the number of COVID-19 cases rise, entrenching us in the second wave globally, we’re seeing more people desperately searching for a sense of normality. But it’s critically important to recognize these behaviors and the reasons behind them to manage through this pandemic. The […]
Employer Advisory: Coronavirus Response and Relief Act Update
On December 27, 2020 the President signed the $900 billion Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Applications Act, 2021, which will provide assistance to individuals and businesses as part of a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending agreement. Below is a summary of employer related changes with the Bill: FAMILIES FIRST CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE ACT (FFCRA) EXTENSION: Includes an […]
Employers Enhance Benefits To Address Growing Stress in the Workforce
Nine months into what has been dubbed the worst pandemic in modern history, it’s not surprising that employee stress, anxiety, and burnout continue to worsen. Employers have been forced to re-evaluate how to best support their workforce in spite of external forces and with limited financial resources. Although some companies have needed to reduce costs […]
Employer Strategies for Encouraging Vaccination
While mandating the vaccine for some employers is vital based on the potential risks, for others, encouraging vaccination rather than requiring it, might be the right path. Employers may consider the following strategies and tools to help encourage their employees to obtain the vaccine: While many employers will be looking to encourage the vaccine, any […]
An Employer’s Guide: American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
In the first sweeping legislation for the new 117th Congress, H.R.1319, a $1.865 trillion-dollar COVID-19 relief bill, becomes law. In addition to providing direct assistance to many Americans, namely through $1,400 in income tax rebates for eligible individuals and an increased child tax credit, the legislation also contains many provisions related to health insurance coverage […]
Prevent a Scare with Preventive Care
Every now and then, we stumble into those situations we categorize as “too good to be true.” “There’s just no way”, we think. We’ve been duped before and won’t fall into that trap again. But here is something that really and truly is good and believe it or not, it’s related to your insurance. I’m […]
Making Cents of Financial Wellness
As many employers are well aware, health care costs and saving adequately for retirement are two of the most pressing financial issues facing Americans—regardless of income level—today. For employees, health and finances are impossible to separate. As employers seek to build trust and form lasting relationships amongst their workforce, financial wellness programs have moved from […]