Employee Benefits

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...

February 16, 2021

Employers Concerned About Mental Health, Stress Impact on Safety

More than 90% of employers are concerned about mental health and chronic stress impacting their workers’ fitness for duty, according to the results of a survey released Monday by the National Safety Council. The Itasca, Illinois-based council surveyed employers about workplace impairment in 2020, finding that 93% of employers believe that fitness for duty extends...

January 18, 2021

5 Mental Health Employee Benefits Trends for 2021

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans have reported increases in anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide. The toll that the pandemic takes on mental health increases daily. Before the pandemic, 5% of employed workers reported poor or very poor mental health. Now, 18% of employed workers struggle with mental health issues. The COVID-19...

January 7, 2021

Embracing the Changes in Captive Insurance

As the world heads into another uncertain few months, risk managers are expecting a challenging time at their upcoming insurance and reinsurance renewals. Many are considering expanding the use of existing captives or setting up new ones to mitigate the effects of a changing insurance market, as well as their own shifting risk profiles. Even before the...

January 4, 2021

5 Strategies Employers Can Implement to Help Support COVID Vaccine Uptake

While there has been a lot of positive news recently about the COVID vaccines, there are varying reports on the public’s concern and willingness to take it. That hesitation, along with vaccine access, will determine how quickly life returns to normal. We will need more than 70% of the population vaccinated to get back to a pre-pandemic society, and...

December 14, 2020

Workers’ Compensation Trends to Watch in 2021

Not only is workers’ compensation coverage required in most states, but it also plays a major role in connecting injured employees to the care they need to return to work as quickly and safely as possible. That’s why it’s crucial for your organization to develop an effective workers’ compensation program. To ensure a successful program,...

December 8, 2020

The Continued Impact of COVID-19 on Workers’ Comp

The COVID-19 pandemic has been with us for over nine months now, with no end in sight. During this time, we conducted several Out Front Ideas COVID-19 Briefing webinars and The Path Forward virtual conference. These educational events were designed to provide risk managers and others in the industry with a better understanding of how COVID-19 was...

October 21, 2020

5 Things to Watch Out for During Open Enrollment Amid a Pandemic

  With millions of people suddenly out of work, employer-sponsored health insurance is a benefit that employees may not so quick to take for granted this year. About 157 million Americans rely on employer-sponsored coverage and yet, before 2020, most people spent very little time reviewing their workplace health-care plan during the open enrollment period. Now, in the...

October 15, 2020

Catastrophic Workers’ Comp Claims During the Pandemic

  The COVID-19 pandemic surprised all of us in January 2020, with its speed of viral infection transmission causing high mortality and morbidity among those afflicted in the United States. This newly formed mutant coronavirus, now known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2, took the world by storm and many in this...

October 14, 2020

How to Reopen Professional Offices with COVID-19 Safety Measures in Mind

  While a handful of states are reversing their reopening plans as COVID-19 cases jump again, in many regions businesses operating in professional offices have returned to work in some way, shape or form. For businesses that have employees coming back to their pre-COVID desks, there are many important safety measures that they should be...