employee benefits
August 30, 2023
How Voluntary Benefits Help to Expect the Unexpected
In life, we need to expect the unexpected. One could argue that this is an apt description for voluntary benefits, which were long viewed by brokers and employers as a labor-intensive afterthought. Individually underwritten policies like accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, identity theft, pet protection and numerous other coverages offered through payroll deduction weren’t seen as strategic...
August 8, 2023
2024 Open Enrollment: The Power of Early Preparation
The labor landscape was undoubtedly a roller coaster in the first half of 2023, and employers are still along for the ride. During the past year, the market experienced a record number of employee quits, a jump in talent shortages and increased workplace demands from workers—many of whom had the upper hand in employment negotiations....
July 25, 2023
Creating a Mentally Healthy Workplace
Work environments can significantly impact the mental health of employees. In fact, research by the American Psychological Association found that 2 in 5 employees report that work negatively affects their mental health. Workers’ poor mental health can, in turn, negatively impact employee communication, performance, morale and productivity. According to a recent report by Mental Health...
July 13, 2023
Health Care Costs Projected to Grow 7% in 2024
Health care costs are expected to grow 7% in 2024 due to rising pharmaceutical expenses driven by specialty drugs and insurers increasing rates in response to inflation, according to an annual report from professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). This trend is higher than 2022’s and 2023’s projected medical cost rates, which were 5.5% and 6%,...
July 12, 2023
Tackling the Talent Crunch: 3 Benefits That Improve Retention
The abundance of job openings, combined with a scarcity of available workers, has created a serious talent crunch that continues to raise the bar on retention. It also has sparked lively discussions between employers and their advisers about pursuing innovative strategies to win the talent war. The U.S. is in the midst of a historically tight...
June 20, 2023
4 Ways to Make the Workplace Physically and Emotionally Safer
Most employees would not list working as a top source of enjoyment, but don’t make it worse than it needs to be. A toxic workplace was the top reason given by employees who resign from their jobs, according to a recent report from FlexJobs. And while the causes for that are often a lack of work-life...
May 23, 2023
4 Things Employers Should Know About the State of the Workforce
While inflation has slowed down in the last year, its record highs in 2022 — which peaked at 9.1% last summer — will have lasting effects on employers and employees alike. According to global employment website Monster, 81% of workers report that their current wage has not kept up with the rising cost of living and inflation...
May 8, 2023
Supporting Employees During Mental Health Awareness Month and Beyond
Employee mental health has become a workplace topic of increased focus and awareness in recent years. An employee’s mental health includes how they think, feel and act, and their emotional and social well-being. While mental health includes mental illness, these two concepts aren’t interchangeable. For example, an employee can go through a period of poor...
May 2, 2023
Spring Cleaning in the Workplace for Better Mental Health
While springtime is often associated with cleaning and resetting one’s personal space, these principles can be applied to the workplace, too — and that doesn’t just mean reorganizing your desk. According to Kaiser Family Foundation, symptoms of depression and anxiety have continued to increase three years into the pandemic. In fact, 90% of U.S. adults believe the...
April 24, 2023
To Battle Inflation, Employees Are Forgoing Healthcare
What does inflation have to do with healthcare? As far as consumers are concerned, just about everything. The cost of healthcare is not immune to historic levels of inflation: A recent report by WTW predicts that global healthcare benefit costs will jump 10% in 2023. Coupled with rising consumer prices, and unaffordable healthcare can have troubling and swift...