Health and Fitness

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September 18, 2024

Motivating Employees to Spend More Time With Open Enrollment

Open enrollment is a critical period for both employees and employers. It’s the time when employees can make important decisions about their benefits, which can significantly impact their health, financial well-being and overall job satisfaction. However, many employees rush through this process, missing out on opportunities to optimize their benefits. In fact, a Voya Financial...

September 16, 2024

Ensuring Proper Workplace Ergonomics

October is recognized as National Ergonomics Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the purpose of this yearly initiative is to raise awareness of and help reduce occupational injuries caused by poor workstation design. Ergonomics is the science of fitting a workspace to an individual’s needs to increase efficiency while reducing...

September 11, 2024

Preparing for the Fall and Winter Virus Season

During the fall and winter months, respiratory viruses tend to spread more widely. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, influenza (flu) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were the main causes of severe respiratory disease during these times of year. Although some people have mild symptoms when they catch the flu or RSV, others get sick enough to...

September 10, 2024

Pay-or-Play Affordability Percentage Will Increase for 2025

On Sept. 6, 2024, the IRS released Revenue Procedure 2024-35 to index the contribution percentage in 2025 for determining the affordability of an employer’s plan under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). For plan years beginning in 2025, employer-sponsored coverage will be considered affordable under the ACA’s “pay-or-play” rules if the employee’s required contribution for self-only...

August 20, 2024

Key HSA Features—2025 Compliance

Health savings accounts (HSAs) are a popular type of tax-advantaged medical savings account available to individuals enrolled in high deductible health plans (HDHPs). Individuals can use their HSAs to pay for expenses covered under an HDHP until their deductible has been met, or they can use their HSAs to pay for qualified medical expenses that...

August 19, 2024

Managing Work-Life Balance During Return to School

For working parents with school-age kids, the back-to-school season can be chaotic. There are new routines to figure out, an onslaught of activities to manage and sometimes kids’ transitional meltdowns to soothe. Undoubtedly, working parents are a critical part of the U.S. workforce. Not only is labor force participation among parents back at pre-COVID-19-pandemic levels,...

July 25, 2024

CAL/OSHA Indoor Heat Requirements Update

On June 20, 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board approved California Code of Regulations, Title 8, section 3396, “Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment”. This standard applies to most workplaces where the indoor temperature reaches 82°F. It establishes required safety measures for indoor workplaces to prevent worker exposure to risk of heat...

July 11, 2024

Helping Employees Navigate Rising Health Care Costs

Employers continue to struggle with rising health care costs and providing employees with affordable and quality care options. Unfortunately, employers expect health care costs to increase significantly in 2024. Several industry reports revealed that employers anticipate health care costs to grow between 6.5% and 8.5% in 2024, the largest increase in more than a decade....

July 8, 2024

OSHA Proposes Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Standard

On July 2, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced an unofficial version of the proposed standard to protect workers from heat injury and illness. If finalized, the new standard would apply to all employers conducting indoor and outdoor work in all general industry, construction, maritime and agricultural...

February 12, 2024

Types of Transitional Duties in Return-to-Work Programs

When an employee experiences an occupational illness or injury, their eventual return to the workplace can create considerable challenges, putting significant stress on both the individual and their employer. Nevertheless, return-to-work (RTW) programs can help alleviate these concerns by supporting staff as they reintegrate into the workforce. These programs may entail having an injured employee...