Word on Benefits

Communication Is Key to Open Enrollment During COVID-19

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

01 Oct 202030 Sep 2020

This year’s annual benefits enrollment process presents new challenges for benefits professionals as they find themselves in the middle of a pandemic with workers nervous about their financial security as well as their health and safety. In her article “Communication Is Key […]

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

CEBS: Now Is a Great Time to Invest in Yourself

Christine Vazquez, CEBS

30 Sep 202029 Sep 2020

What do you gain when you earn your CEBS designation? Every year, we ask graduates many questions to learn about their experience with the CEBS designation and their professional development in a cohort survey. Nearly 500 individuals from the United States and Canada […]

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

Supporting Employees Through Substance Abuse During COVID-19

Staff

29 Sep 202029 Sep 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a time of extreme stress for many—impacting not only individuals who were already vulnerable to substance abuse, but also people who have not previously struggled with addiction. In a recent International Foundation webcast, Rising Substance Abuse: Supporting […]

Employee Benefits Investments Retirement U.S.

Who Is an ERISA Fiduciary Now, and What Should One Be Doing?

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

28 Sep 202028 Sep 2020

The definition of a fiduciary under ERISA has fluctuated in the past decade. In 2016, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a rule redefining the meaning of the term fiduciary as it applies to investment professionals by replacing the five-part test originally […]

Communication Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits Health Care Human Resources (HR) U.S.

Open Enrollment 2020: Employers Explore New Ways to Communicate Benefits

Anne Patterson

22 Sep 202022 Sep 2020

As if open enrollment wasn’t already challenging, 2020 is throwing employers and employees for a loop. The latest International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans survey report, Trends in Benefit Open Enrollment and Communication, asked U.S. employers about pandemic-related changes impacting staff communication […]

Canada Employee Benefits Investments U.S.

Alternative Investments: A Primer for your Plan

Justin Held, CEBS

21 Sep 202021 Sep 2020

Finding the right asset allocation for your fund is no easy task. A presentation by Kevin M. Schmid of Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors, LLC, titled Improving Your Asset Allocation, explored the topic and provided some insights on key strategies to improve your fund’s […]

Apprenticeship Programs Canada Employee Benefits

Running an Effective Apprenticeship Fund in Canada: 8 Questions for Your Plan

Justin Held, CEBS

16 Sep 202014 Sep 2020

Running an effective apprenticeship fund requires the management of a wide variety of key stakeholders. Navigating this complicated landscape and avoiding potential pitfalls have long been concerns for a wide variety of apprenticeship program stakeholders, including training directors, coordinators and trustees. The […]

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits Health Care U.S.

Impact of the COBRA Extension Interim Final Rule

Anne Newhouse, CEBS

14 Sep 202010 Sep 2020

On January 31, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initially declared a federal public health emergency due to the coronavirus. The declaration has now been extended twice, including the latest extension on July 23, 2020. Unless the declaration is terminated […]

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

Resilience: Readiness to Face Adversity

Julie Stich, CEBS

10 Sep 202006 Apr 2021

We’re entering the sixth month of the declared COVID-19 pandemic. And, speaking for myself and my International Foundation colleagues, our sixth month of working from home. For me, personally, it’s my sixth month of social isolation, seeing in person only those people […]

Communication Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits Health Care Human Resources (HR) Talking Benefits Podcast U.S.

Open Enrollment Strategies in the Time of COVID-19

Anne Patterson

09 Sep 202022 Sep 2020

The International Foundation recently surveyed employers and plan sponsors about benefit communication for an upcoming report (watch for it soon—called Trends in Benefit Open Enrollment and Communication), and tons of responses came in about going virtual for open enrollment this year in […]