COVID-19

What Retirement Plan Sponsors Need to Know About Spousal Consent and Remote Witnessing

Jenny Gartman, CEBS
 

The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) temporarily allowed, in light of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, electronic alternatives to physical presence requirements for retirement plan participants’ elections that required spousal consent. The two allowed alternatives were remote witnessing by notaries public […]

Magazine Extra: The Challenges of Long COVID—And Benefit Design Strategies That Can Help

Guest Contributor
 

Benefits Magazine Extras articles provide you with bonus content on a mix of benefits topics as well as deep dives and analysis on the latest benefit trends and compliance issues. Visit www.ifebp.org/benefitsmagazine to see the latest Magazine Extra as well as the bimonthly print edition. […]

Family Mental Health: How We Can Adapt and Better Understand Together

Tim Hennessy
 

Social exclusion, the closure of daycare centers and schools, and job insecurity combined to produce conditions at home and in the workplace that have never been seen before the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has had major effects on […]

It’s Coming—The End of the COVID-19 Emergencies

Amanda Wilke
 

After nearly three years, the time has finally come. The Biden administration announced that both the COVID-19 national emergency (NE) and the public health emergency (PHE) will end on May 11, 2023. Now it’s time for employers to prepare to unwind the […]

2023 Outlook on Respiratory Illnesses and the Workforce

Jenny Gartman, CEBS
 

At this time of year in cold climates, airborne illnesses (influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19) persistently impact families and workplaces. Influenza is a well-known endemic. Endemic means persistent—It will not go away, and it won’t get much worse or better. Influenza […]

Magazine Extra: Long COVID and ADA

Guest Contributor
 

In the beginning of the pandemic, employers struggled to determine whether workers who contracted COVID-19 qualified for disability protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). More than two years later, employers have another issue to consider—whether employees who experience ongoing complications […]

The Perfect Storm Facing Canada’s Rapidly Aging Population: An Interview with Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, Ph.D.

Tim Hennessy
 

In an interview in the March/April issue of Plans & Trusts, actuary Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, Ph.D., FCIA, FSA, called for new policies and practices to address the multiple challenges and opportunities facing Canada’s long-term care model. MacDonald, the director of financial security research […]