Word on Benefits

DOL Taking Hard Look at ERISA Health Plans

Chris Vogel, CEBS

16 Oct 201417 Jan 2015

By: Chris Vogel, CEBS If you’re a trustee or administrator of a self-funded or fully insured health and welfare plan covered by ERISA, be forewarned: The Department of Labor is ramping up audits of health plans. Ian Dingwall, chief accountant in the […]

Health Care Human Resources (HR)

‘Tis the Season: Protecting Your Employees From the Flu

Staff

08 Oct 201417 Jan 2015

By: Brenda Hofmann Do you hear that sound? If your workplace is like mine, you know what I’m talking about. It’s the guy sniffling over the cube wall or the girl with the lung-rattling cough at the coffee machine. It’s the sound […]

Apprenticeship Programs Canada Human Resources (HR)

The Best Man for the Job, Often a Woman

Bryan Zoran, CEBS

02 Oct 201402 Feb 2018

By: Bryan Zoran Potential worker shortages in the construction industry could create a series of challenges for the United States and Canada over the next decade. Although there have been recent reports and articles questioning the extent, and even the existence, of looming […]

Employee Benefits Employee Benefits Survey Flexible Work Options Health Care Paid Time Off (PTO) Pensions Retirement Vacation

Most Appreciated, Most Successful and Most Unique Benefits

Justin Held, CEBS

30 Sep 201411 Jan 2016

By: Justin Held, CEBS Which offered benefit is the most appreciated or loved? Which benefit is the most successful with regard to engaging, attracting and retaining talent? Which benefit offering is the most unique? The International Foundation’s soon-to-be-released 2014 Employee Benefits Survey, […]

Canada Defined Benefit (DB) Plans Employee Benefits Multiemployer Pensions

Aiming to Understand Target Benefit Plans

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

23 Sep 201417 Jan 2015

By: Kathy Bergstrom Target benefit plans (TBPs) remain a hot topic in the discussion around pension reform in Canada. They’ve been around for many years in the form of multi-employer pension plans, but now the federal government and many provinces are considering […]

Education Employee Benefits Multiemployer

We Ought to Have a Policy…on Trustee Education

Kelli Kolsrud, CEBS

16 Sep 201417 Jan 2015

By: Kelli Kolsrud, CEBS Trustees of multiemployer benefit plans take on significant fiduciary responsibilities when they agree to be trustees. Many of them have not had experience or education that prepares them for this important role. Government guidance allows a benefit plan to […]

Health Care Wellness

When Comfort Food Is Part of the Job Description

Chris Vogel, CEBS

11 Sep 201417 Jan 2015

By: Chris Vogel, CEBS Work and a healthy lifestyle often seem mutually exclusive, and that’s true for members of the clergy. Besides the stresses of frequent moves and being on call 24/7 to deal with congregation members’ problems and anxieties, clergy have […]

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Employee Benefits Health Care Regulatory

Social Security Numbers for ACA Compliance—The Search Is On

Lois Gleason, CEBS

09 Sep 201418 Sep 2015

By: Lois Mathis-Gleason, CEBS Whose Social Security numbers must we report under the Affordable Care Act, and what if we don’t have all the numbers we need? Beginning in 2016, the ACA requires employers and plan sponsors to send annual reports to […]

Canada Employee Benefits

Award for a Lifetime of Service—the Envelope Please . . .

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

09 Sep 201417 Jan 2015

By: Kathy Bergstrom Joan Tanaka marked her 47th year working in benefits at the International Foundation’s 47th Annual Canadian Employee Benefits Conference in Calgary last month, receiving the honour of the 2014 Canadian Lifetime Volunteer Award. The significance wasn’t lost on Tanaka. […]

Employee Benefits Employee Benefits Survey Vacation

Vacation—the Quest for Requested Benefits

Neil Mrkvicka

03 Sep 201411 Jan 2016

By: Neil Mrkvicka With Labor Day past and another summer officially coming to an end—Have you taken all your vacation days? Vacation days are often cited by employees as one of the most appreciated and loved benefits, but, as we regularly see […]