Employee Benefits

August 16, 2021

OSHA Urges Employers to Require Vaccinated Workers to Wear Masks

The U.S. agency that regulates workplace safety issued guidance on Friday urging employers to require many fully vaccinated workers to wear masks to protect unvaccinated colleagues and customers, amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommended that workers wear masks “in areas of substantial or high community transmission,” such...

August 2, 2021

Preparing Workers’ Comp for Future Pandemics

Intending to recognize additional catastrophic exposures on workers’ comp systems that can impact ratemaking, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) is proposing that any event exceeding $50 million in losses be excluded from the data used to set rates, including future pandemics. Other than certified acts of terrorism, NCCI’s catastrophe provision only accounts for single-event losses...

July 20, 2021

Why Starting Open Enrollment Early In 2021 Is More Important Than Ever

The COVID-19 pandemic shook the job market in ways never before seen. For one, it created so much uncertainty that employees who would’ve typically searched for a new job last year decided to stay put. For another, the pandemic prompted workers to take stock of their circumstances and consider what workplace perks matter most to...

July 7, 2021

Managing Re-entry Anxiety Related To The COVID-19 Pandemic

With the COVID-19 vaccine becoming much more widely available across the country, the topic of returning to in-person work, school and other activities is being discussed constantly. The reopening of the country, though, comes with some uncertainties and may lead to feelings of re-entry anxiety. What Is Re-entry Anxiety? Re-entry anxiety is an overall uneasiness...

June 21, 2021

8 Policies to Review Before Returning to Work

Returning to in-person work is a top priority for many workplaces. As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lessens, employers are eager to get employees back in their buildings. But that comes with a series of complications. The most significant complication is the fact that every workplace decision in the immediate future will be viewed...

May 28, 2021

The Demonstrated Value of Consumer-driven Health Plans

Employers may be familiar with high deductible health plans (HDHPs) and health care accounts, such as health savings accounts (HSAs). A CDHP is simply the combination of those benefits—an HDHP paired with a health care spending account. CDHPs can be an excellent way for employers to control health care spending. In fact, CDHPs are often...

April 14, 2021

OSHA Prepares to Issue Emergency Regulations to Protect Workers from COVID-19

Mask mandates are coming down across the country, even as COVID cases are rising in most states. But the Biden administration appears poised to reinstate masking and other social distancing rules for recalcitrant governors — at least in the workplace. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is preparing to issue new short-term regulations to...

April 8, 2021

Employee Benefits in the Post-Vaccine World are Changing

As spring weather and increasing availability of coronavirus vaccinations brighten the horizon, many employers are starting to make plans to bring employees back to the office, at least part time. It’s less a return to normal than an evolution to a new idea of what normal looks like — including rethinking what kinds of perks,...

March 30, 2021

New California COVID-19 Leave Law is Retroactive to Jan. 1

Under a new law, California employers with more than 25 employees must provide up to 80 new hours of supplemental paid sick leave for specific COVID-19-related reasons. The leave requirement takes effect March 29, 2021, but is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2021. Reasons for Leave Employees may take leave if they cannot work or telework because...

March 15, 2021

Perspectives: Companies Increasingly Turn to Captives as Employee Benefits Evolve Due to COVID-19

COVID-19 has been the biggest disruptor in the health care sector in years, catapulting change in the delivery of care and putting greater focus on the emotional and financial well-being of employees as part of a broader business resiliency effort. To manage this more expansive set of benefits, companies are increasingly turning to captives for...