Word on Benefits

Studying In the Summer Sun

Rachel Oliver

12 May 2015

I’ve been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the warm weather—storing away the jackets and sweatshirts and throwing on sandals for a stroll outside. If your summers are anything like my mine, you head outdoors and take advantage of every minute of the […]

Employee Benefits Financial Education Financial Wellness Retirement

What I Learned From My Mother About Retirement Security

Pat Bonner, Ph.D., CEBS

07 May 201509 Nov 2017

Mother’s Day is just around the corner. It’s a day when many of us reflect on how our mothers, grandmothers and other special women have influenced our lives. I’m no different. As I worked on the recently released International Foundation report, The […]

Employee Benefits Employee Benefits Survey Flexible Work Options Health Care Human Resources (HR) Paid Leave Paid Time Off (PTO) Retirement Vacation Work Life Balance

Small Businesses Score Big on Benefits Satisfaction

Neil Mrkvicka

05 May 201506 Jan 2017

In honor of Small Business Week, our research team took a dive back in to data from our Employee Benefits Survey: 2014 to identify how small employers are designing their benefits packages compared to their peers. For the following analysis and discussion, data from […]

Employee Benefits Human Resources (HR) Mental Health Wellness

Are Wellness Efforts Aimed at the Right Risks?

Chris Vogel, CEBS

30 Apr 201530 Apr 2015

What’s your workplace like? Are co-workers generally kind and considerate to one another, with managers willing to listen and striving to make it easier for everyone to do his or her job? Are co-workers confident they’ll be heard if they talk about […]

Employee Benefits Financial Education Financial Wellness

Financial Fitness for Millennial Workers

Lois Gleason, CEBS

27 Apr 201527 Apr 2015

Do you wish your younger employees grasped how vital it is to wisely manage their finances? If they grasp the importance, do they know what steps to take? A small step in the right direction someone takes in their 20s can lead […]

401(k) Plans Defined Benefit (DB) Plans Defined Contribution (DC) Plans Employee Benefits Financial Education Financial Wellness Pensions

Retirement Plans Increase Security

Julie Stich, CEBS

22 Apr 201523 Apr 2015

Workers and retirees in the United States are saying they’re a bit more confident about their prospects in retirement—the confidence numbers are up in 2015 since hitting lows between 2009 and 2013—even though there aren’t many signs that they’re taking steps to […]

Employee Benefits Human Resources (HR)

Cyberattacks: Employers on Guard

Justin Held, CEBS

20 Apr 201521 Apr 2015

News headlines pertaining to cyberattacks are becoming increasingly common. In December 2013, Target announced that sensitive information from approximately 70 million individuals had been breached, including names, mailing addresses, phone numbers and e-mails. In December 2014, Anthem, the second-largest health care insurer […]

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Canada Employee Benefits Health Care

Private Health Care Exchanges in Canada?

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

17 Apr 2015

Could private health care exchanges similar to those operating in the United States be making their way into Canada? The answer is maybe. Industry representatives say some are exploring the viability of private health care exchanges in Canada. Here’s a little background. What […]

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Cadillac Tax Employee Benefits Health Care Regulatory

ACA Cadillac Tax Takes Shape . . . “One Piece at a Time”

Lois Gleason, CEBS

09 Apr 201517 Dec 2015

Wayne Kemp wrote a great old song for Johnny Cash called “One Piece at a Time.” In it, Johnny sings of slowly piecing together his very own Cadillac using parts pilfered from his Detroit employer over a period of decades. The end […]

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Employee Benefits Health Care Multiemployer Regulatory

ACA Employer Reporting: Who, What, When, Why and How

Kelli Kolsrud, CEBS

26 Mar 201518 Sep 2015

The latest reporting requirements related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) seem to be a dizzying jumble of numbers and letters. Here’s the who, what, when, why and how of it: Why? Two new ACA reporting requirements are in effect for plan […]