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…
While health is everyone’s No. 1 concern these days, financial wellness is also top of mind. After all, many households are finding themselves in a budget bind as economic woes hit the economy at all levels. Even if your job is secure, you might be finding a partner or someone else in the household facing…
Benefit packages can be confusing to understand, and – it’s sad but true – many times are forgotten the minute the onboarding paperwork is signed. Unfortunately that leaves many employees not fully understanding their benefits package, and one area of frequent confusion is what their “paid” and “unpaid” leave options are. Not being clear on what you can…
Competition for Talent Informs Trend in Flexibility as Benefit Option HR departments know all too well the fierce competition for top talent being waged today. And as you develop appealing compensation offers and benefits packages, there is one peak benefit that employees are clamoring for—and that’s flexibility. If you are still clinging to a fixed work…
Say what you will about social media. It can be a highlight reel that evokes thoughts of “how is she possibly in Bora Bora again” or “does he ever work?” It can also reconnect you with people you haven’t seen in a decade, without even stepping foot in the same room as them. I hadn’t…
Is income-protection a “luxury good” like designer clothing, fine wine, or—dare I go there?—a Peloton? A look at Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Employee Benefits Survey data on availability of employer-paid short- and long-term disability insurance benefits suggests you wouldn’t be totally off-base if you answered “yes” to that question. For both STD and…
Employers are offering more and more voluntary benefits—and workers want these benefits. A recent study showed that nearly one third of eligible employees were signing up for voluntary offerings (that’s a higher participation rate than in earlier years). Amy Hollis is the national leader of voluntary benefits for HR consultancy Willis Towers Watson. She recently…
Becoming a parent is an extraordinary and, at times, stressful endeavor. Your life is about to fundamentally change. And as you plan the myriad dimensions of this new reality, you may be wondering how you’ll cover all the bills while you take time off work. Family leave is a complex issue and it requires a…
The start of a New Year—and decade!—is the perfect time to kick off or refresh HR-related programs. As company culture becomes more important than ever for employees, the payoff that comes from programs that meet their needs can be huge in terms of retention. Don’t forget that with the New Year comes resolutions—and for some…
Long-term disability insurance. It’s not as immediate a need as health insurance, and you probably don’t think it works into your long-term financial plan as much as life insurance does. But it’s still really, really important. Long-term disability insurance is, at its core, income replacement. It can help you make ends meet when you’re unable…
