U.S.

The State of Defined Contribution Retirement Plans in 2021

The State of Defined Contribution Retirement Plans in 2021

Justin Held, CEBS
 

The number of organizations offering defined contribution (DC) retirement plans has increased over the past two years, making them the primary retirement vehicle for an increasing share of the U.S. workforce. The International Foundation’s 2020 Employee Benefits Survey showed that 87% of […]

Employee Benefits and COVID-19: Changing the Future of Benefits Today

Employee Benefits and COVID-19: Changing the Future of Benefits Today

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS
 

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to bring long-lasting changes to life in the United States, and those changes will be reflected in employee benefits. How COVID-19 could affect health, retirement and other benefits even after the pandemic is over is discussed in […]

Meeting the Benefit Needs of Your LGBTQ+ Plan Members

Meeting the Benefit Needs of Your LGBTQ+ Plan Members

Robbie Hartman, CEBS
 

Increasing numbers of people are identifying as LGBTQ+, particularly among younger generations now entering workplaces, but their needs are often underserved in the design and administration of benefit plans. Employers and plan sponsors that proactively make their plans more inclusive—from enrollment forms […]

Organizations Face New Health and Retirement Benefit Implications Due to COVID-19

Organizations Face New Health and Retirement Benefit Implications Due to COVID-19

Anne Patterson
 

How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted employee benefits? The International Foundation has been tracking implications for workplaces across the country, providing a snapshot of the difficult decisions employers and their workers are making regarding their retirement and health care benefits. The latest […]

Innovative Benefit Offerings on the Rise—Employee Benefits Survey Results

Innovative Benefit Offerings on the Rise—Employee Benefits Survey Results

Justin Held, CEBS
 

Beyond traditional benefits such as health and retirement, many organizations use innovative benefits to meet the varied needs of their employees. Benefits like identify theft insurance and student loan repayment are gaining popularity as employers add new and innovative perks to reflect […]

COVID-19: How Do We Navigate Work Through the Pandemic in 2021?

COVID-19: How Do We Navigate Work Through the Pandemic in 2021?

Anne Patterson
 

Welcome to our first Talking Benefits episode of 2021! My fellow “pod squad” members Justin Held, Julie Stich and I engaged in more COVID-19 chatter during the most recent podcast episode. In this discussion, we focused on four main areas. 1. Benefits […]

Cultural Humility: What is it and How to Practice it in Employee Benefits

Cultural Humility: What is it and How to Practice it in Employee Benefits

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS
 

Employers and benefit plan sponsors can play a bigger role in addressing the disparities in access to adequate health care among minority populations—an issue that has received increasing attention in the last year as the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted African Americans […]