Word on Benefits

While Most Employers are Preparing to Head Back to the Office, Some are Hoteling It

Staff

02 Jun 202102 Jun 2021

A new report released today by the International Foundation, Employee Benefits in a COVID-19 World—One Year Update, provides a snapshot of the latest COVID-19 workplace issues including the future of remote work and vaccines. How Are Employers Handling the COVID-19 Vaccine? The […]

What You Need to Know About Sleep and the Pandemic

Canada Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits U.S. Wellness

What You Need to Know About Sleep and COVID-19

Alyssa Hodder, GBA

27 May 202127 May 2021

We’ve heard a lot about the importance of sleep in recent years, but during the pandemic, it is a pillar of health and wellness, said Dr. Eve Van Cauter, a professor with the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago, in […]

Canada Defined Contribution (DC) Plans Employee Benefits Financial Wellness Retirement

Variable Benefits—Have We Reached Critical Mass?

Bryan Zoran, CEBS

26 May 202125 May 2021

Defined contribution (DC) plans are focused on saving for retirement. But from a plan member’s perspective, what’s missing is how to effectively manage and spend these savings during retirement. In the recent webcast, Are Variable Benefits the Right Solution for Your DC […]

Canada Diversity and Inclusion Employee Benefits U.S.

Stronger Organizations: Your Role in Diversity and Inclusion

Stacy Van Alstyne, CEBS

25 May 202123 Jul 2021

Today marks one year since George Floyd was killed. His death sparked nationwide protests and renewed social justice movements and conversations around race. For organizations across the U.S. and Canada, the last 12 months have been a time to examine how to embrace […]

Employee Benefits ERISA Investments Multiemployer Regulatory Retirement U.S.

Know Your Plan Custodian: What Does a Benefits Plan Custodian Do?

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

24 May 202120 May 2021

As the safekeeper of plan assets, custodians are among the service providers that multiemployer benefit plan trustees have a fiduciary duty to monitor. Yet plan custodians are not discussed as often as other service providers—especially those referred to as the A-Team: the […]

Canada Employee Benefits Health Care Wellness

Legal and Practical Considerations for Virtual Health Care in Canada

Alyssa Hodder, GBA

19 May 202118 May 2021

There’s no question that the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of virtual health care in Canada, but we’re now learning that it’s not just a transitional measure. A panel at our recent virtual conference, Today’s Legal and Legislative Landscape Across Canada, explored […]

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A Growing Number of Employers Offer Juneteenth as a Paid Holiday

Anne Patterson

18 May 202117 Jun 2021

Update: On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill establishing Juneteenth as a new federal holiday. Juneteenth National Independence Day is now the 12th legal public holiday in the United States, and the first one created since Martin Luther King […]

Employee Benefits Health Care U.S.

COBRA’s Interaction With HSAs, HRAs and FSAs

Anne Newhouse, CEBS

17 May 202113 May 2021

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), signed into law on March 11, 2021, contains new COBRA provisions, including a subsidy for the full monthly COBRA premium from April 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021. Our March 25, 2021 blog addressed […]

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Set—and Measure—Specific Goals to Improve Your Investments in DEI

Robbie Hartman, CEBS

11 May 202111 May 2021

Investments in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) have consistently been mentioned as a top goal for companies in 2021—with studies to back up the relationship between improved DEI and improved business metrics—but a survey of 800-plus human resources (HR) professionals revealed that […]

401(k) Plans Defined Contribution (DC) Plans Employee Benefits Financial Wellness Regulatory Retirement U.S.

SECURE Act Guidance: What DC Plan Sponsors Need to Know

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

10 May 202110 May 2021

Federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of Labor (DOL), have been busy issuing guidance on some of the more complex provisions of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act since it was signed into law […]