Millennials: Expecting to Make a Life Change this Year? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Overlook Open Enrollment

Author: Marquis Smallwood, vice president of Workforce Engagement at MetLife   Editor’s Note: As open enrollment season rolls around on the heels of another challenging pandemic year, many employees are looking at their employer benefits through a new lens. This is particularly true of millennial employees. A new MetLife survey found nearly two-thirds (64 percent)…

Read More

Benefit Strategies that Protect Employee Income, Drive Enrollment, and Assist Recruitment and Retention

Ernest Dube Director, Enrollment & Account Management Guardian Life Insurance Company of America® Editor’s Note: Employers can help employees better prepare for their future and help close potential income gaps caused by longer-term workplace absences by providing supplemental income protection. This benefit provides additional coverage benefits from a protection perspective and also enhances employee recruitment…

Read More

From The CDA Research Files: The Impact of Remote Work on Absence Rates

Editor’s Note: In this latest installment of The CDA’s ongoing research series, Fred Schott, director of operations and research, provides a summary of findings from the Current Population Survey on the connections among occupations, availability of remote work, and absence.  These findings were presented during September 2021, to the National Association of Supplemental Benefit Insurance 2021…

Read More

How To Offer a Supportive, Productive Environment During an Employee’s Absence from Work

By Christina Bridges Editor’s Note: Absence and disability – including a short-term disability – often create uncertainty for both the employer and the employee. Employees are contending with health, wellness, and income concerns; and employers are looking to ensure a smooth return to work, as well as a seamless tracking of the leave. It can…

Read More

Anxiety and Disability in the Workforce

By Holly Devine   Editor’s Note: Holly Devine grew up knowing how to advocate for herself and what she needed – as it related to being a person with a physical disability. But it wasn’t until she was working at her first job after college that she learned how to ask for support with a…

Read More

Labor Market Signals U.S. Employers To Embrace Hiring People with Disabilities

By LeighAnn Jarry Editor’s Note: Employers seeking to expand their workforce are encountering challenges due to the tight labor market. Despite offering generous benefits and higher compensation, it is difficult to find employees. But there is a virtually untapped pool of applicants – people with disabilities. Now is exactly the right time for employers to…

Read More

Building a Resilient Workforce During Periods of Adversity

By Tracey Ferstler, PhD, Head of Return to Health, Global Claims, MetLife   COVID turned the world as we know it upside down, and people who work in and around absence management and disability insurance are looking for answers on what’s next.  Will we return to normal or is this our new normal?  What is unique…

Read More

Tips for Managing Fall Allergies

When the summer heat begins to give way to lower temperatures and the days get shorter and shorter, the onset of fall tends to make itself known seemingly overnight. It can be an exciting time of year; finishing summer vacations, getting back to school, preparing for winter. But for many people, it also signals the…

Read More

10 Causes of Disability Every HR Leader Should Know

When most people consider disability, they picture something catastrophic happening—an injury on the ski slope, or a speeding car hurtling into theirs—and, for the most part assume it can never happen to them. That’s why human resources experts often find it challenging to convince their employees of the importance of disability insurance even though you…

Read More

Is Autumn Making You S.A.D.? Managing Seasonal Affective Disorder

For many, the first day of autumn kicks off a season of apple picking, foliage tours, and evenings by the fire pit. But for others, it signals the beginning of a months-long struggle with depression, brought about by a significant reduction in sunlight. What is Seasonal Affective Disorder? Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) is a form…

Read More

Everything To Know About Employer-Offered Life Insurance Going into Open Enrollment

By Juliane Kowalski, Senior Vice President, Group Benefits, MetLife Editor’s note: Life insurance is not only a way to pay for funeral expenses. It can cover major expenses such as housing, childcare, and college tuition as well as everyday ones like groceries, transportation, and credit card bills.   If we’ve learned anything from the past…

Read More

The Flu and The Common Cold Demystified: What You Need to Know This Fall

When we say “Hello, autumn,” we often are also saying “Hello, germs.” Whether it’s the change in the weather or the many (many!) germs your kids bring home if you have school-aged children, this is when we tend to get the first cold or flu bug of the season. The problem is that most of…

Read More