Word on Benefits

2020 Benefits Year in Review

Anne Patterson

22 Dec 202022 Dec 2020

If this year has proven anything, it’s that nobody has a crystal ball (or one that works anyway!) Last December 2020, the Talking Benefits podcast team made some predictions for the year ahead. Though we were widely off, we spent the latest […]

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits Flexible Work Options U.S. Work Life Balance

Remote Work Policy Check-in—Time to Define Remote

Staff

21 Dec 202017 Dec 2020

As we head into winter, many employees are getting antsy as they work daily from their kitchen tables. Requests are starting to come in, leaving benefits and HR pros asking questions like “You want to work from WHERE?” From escaping the cold […]

Canada CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist) Employee Benefits U.S.

21 Reasons to Earn Your CEBS in 2021—From Your Peers

Christine Vazquez, CEBS

17 Dec 202016 Dec 2020

As a new year approaches, it’s the perfect time to take inventory of your goals and set a course for your professional development. This is the year you resolve to begin something completely new. As a benefits professional, now is the time to […]

Communication Employee Benefits Human Resources (HR) U.S.

Where Communicating Benefits Lives in an Organization

Stacy Van Alstyne, CEBS

16 Dec 202014 Dec 2020

When it comes to benefits utilization and leveraging benefits as an attraction and retention tool, effective communication is essential. For the analytic-driven benefit professional, communication can often be a pain point. While health care and retirement benefits information is often easily accessible […]

Employee Benefits Health Care Mental Health U.S.

5 Ways 2020 Changed Employee Benefits

Anne Patterson

15 Dec 202014 Dec 2020

As we wait to close the rocky chapter that is 2020, a new report from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Employee Benefits Survey: 2020 Results, examines the big employee benefits trends that changed this year, perhaps paving the way for […]

Apprenticeship Programs Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits Multiemployer U.S.

Virtual Instruction Strategies for Apprenticeship Programs

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

09 Dec 202008 Dec 2020

Although the COVID-19 pandemic caught many off guard, the experience has provided opportunities for apprenticeship programs and training funds to adapt training methods that will meet educational needs far into the future. In their article “Staying Connected: Virtual Instruction Strategies for Apprenticeship […]

401(k) Plans Defined Contribution (DC) Plans Employee Benefits Investments Retirement U.S.

SRI Investments in 401(k) Plans—Myths and Challenges for Plan Sponsors

Justin Held, CEBS

03 Dec 202002 Dec 2020

Despite growing demand for sustainable, responsible and impact (SRI) investments from participants, a small percentage of 401(k) plans provide such options in their investment menus. In a Benefits Magazine article from earlier this year, Gregory D. Wait, CEBS, reviews the challenges that […]

Employee Benefits Paid Time Off (PTO) U.S. Vacation Work Life Balance

A Look at Paid Vacation Time as We Head Into the Holidays

Staff

02 Dec 202002 Dec 2020

Paid time off (PTO) tends to be a hot workplace topic in December. Employees have questions about which days will be paid holidays, how many vacation days they have left for the year and whether any of their remaining vacation time can […]

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

The Early Retirement Wave

Amanda Wilke, CEBS

24 Nov 202024 Nov 2020

As employers have been forced to cut costs due to the pandemic, some have decided to offer early retirement packages in an effort to avoid laying off employees. Early retirement packages may allow those closer to retirement age to leave the organization […]

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

Time to Update Your Disaster Recovery Plan

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

23 Nov 202023 Nov 2020

Many say it would have been nearly impossible for multiemployer benefit funds to prepare for a pandemic as serious and widespread as COVID-19. However, having a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that addressed infectious disease in place prior to the pandemic would have […]