Archive for the ‘Employee Benefits’ Category
Spotlight on Benefits for Remote Employees
As companies navigate the current pandemic environment, one challenge at the forefront for many is engaging a remote workforce. The shift to remote work will not be a temporary one — it is almost certain that many companies will transition permanently to a more remote workforce post-pandemic. Given this shift, companies need to take a closer look at every aspect of their HR programs and policies — from talent acquisition, ...
Read More →How Telecommuting Saves Employers Money
When allowing telecommuting, employers benefit by saving money and by increasing productivity. Money is saved via reductions in overhead, fewer employee absences, and reduced turnover (due to higher employee morale and greater work flexibility). Productivity is increased as well; eliminating commuting time often results in employees working more hours from home. Some employees also make it a point to be more productive in order to prove they're meeting ...
Read More →Benefits Benchmarking: Knowing How Your Benefits Plans and Programs Stack Up Against Other Organizations
In our March 2014 post, Annual Benefits Enrollment May Be Over, So Now What?, we discussed the importance of benefits as a top driver for attracting and retaining employees, how having the right mix of benefits is essential, as well as the importance of conducting employee surveys. So, now we may be armed with information about how our employees perceive, value and understand their current benefit programs. However, are we armed with information about ...
Read More →Annual Benefits Enrollment May Be Over, So Now What?
Each January, many working individuals have just completed their employer’s annual benefits enrollment process. Employees received booklets, brochures, emails, text messages and the like from employers all encouraging employees to explore and consider their benefit plan options and make elections for the upcoming year. For a period of time, “an annual benefits enrollment window,” there is a continued dialogue between employers and employees on ...
Read More →Impact of the Windsor Decision on Employee Benefits: More Reading from the IRS
A significant amount of guidance has been issued regarding the impact on employee benefit plans of the Supreme Court's June, 2013 decision in the United States v. Windsor case. Now the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has given benefits professionals more to consider with its recent release of Notice 2014-1. Before looking at the recent IRS guidance, it may be helpful to look back at what ...
Read More →It’s That Time of Year Again: Annual Benefits Enrollment
Each year, as summer turns to autumn, benefits professionals are busy with annual enrollment activities -- analyzing and finalizing any plan design changes, negotiating and signing renewals with service providers, updating benefits enrollment and HRIS systems, and developing and executing a communications strategy. Benefits professionals have been extremely busy in the recent past, in particular with addressing the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) ...
Read More →What to Do this Summer: More on Health Care Reform
This summer has brought much for employers and benefits professionals to respond to. On June 26th, the Supreme Court's Windsor decision brought issues and challenges for employee benefit plans due to the decision's impact on numerous federal laws, including laws that apply to the administration of employee benefit plans. Then, on July 9th, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Notice 2013-45 which provides transition ...
Read More →Benefits Magazine, August 2012 – School District Tackles Healthcare Challenge
This cover story article in the August 2012 Benefits Magazine written by Dale Moyer and Rob Dorsey details an innovative approach that a Chicago suburban school district took to dramatically reduce their healthcare expenses and to make the plan more effective for their employees. This model can be applied to most organizations and could hold the key to managing healthcare inflation. Download the ...
Read More →Market Share Changes for Illinois Health Insurers
BCR contributed to this interesting article in Crain's Chicago Business. While BC/BS maintains a dominant position in the Illinois market, United Healthcare has made some significant in-roads in capturing market share. We will be monitoring these developments. Blue Cross Dominates Illinois Market, United Healthcare Inches Up
Read More →Wellness: Does it improve the company’s bottom line?
The good news is - it does! On June 6th, we presented our findings on Wellness to the Medical Dental Health Business Associates. We invite you to check out our presentation on Wellness. It provides a landscape view of Wellness at today's organizations, the trends in its evolution and how to position Wellness as a strategy for engaging your employees to adopt healthier lifestyles and to improve the performance of your health plans. Learn about ...
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