Why relying on SSDI is better than nothing, but far from optimal

By Ted Norwood, General Counsel and Director of Representation, Integrated Benefits, Inc. According to the Council for Disability Awareness, half of those who don’t work for the government have some form of employer-paid disability insurance (short-term disability only, long-term disability only, or both STD and LTD). These benefits are important because 25 percent of today’s 20-year-olds…

When you hear the term ‘underinsurance,’ do you understand what it means?

By Bob Herum, Second Vice President, DI & GSI Sales, Ameritas I picture the millions of working Americans who are employed, receive benefits through their employers, and yet, go about their daily activities without realizing the potential financial risk to their way of life. Specifically, I’m thinking of their income and what insurance they may have…

How disability insurance can be part of your paid leave and absence management strategy

By Marjory Robertson, AVP & Senior Counsel and Abigail O’Connell, Senior Counsel, Sun Life Financial When employees need to step away from work — whether to welcome a new child, care for a family member, or another life event — protecting their jobs and benefits, understanding their rights, knowing whether their employers will pay part…

Selecting benefits and insurance products that make sense for you

By Carol Harnett, President, Council for Disability Awareness Note: An earlier version of this post appeared in Carol Harnett’s employee benefits column for Human Resource Executive. You don’t know me, but I’m someone people have come to trust when they want to have a conversation about employee benefits. I stand to neither gain nor lose anything…

US employers doubt employees’ ability to achieve a financially secure retirement

Only 16 percent of employers are “very confident” their employees will be able to achieve a financially secure retirement. This statistic was brought to light thanks to a recently completed survey titled Striking Similarities and Disconcerting Disconnects: Employers, Workers, and Retirement Security, by nonprofit Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies (TCRS). Given the large role employers play in…

7 ways to keep employee benefits top of mind

HR works hard to find the best benefits program for employees and then communicate the “benefits of the benefits,” so to speak. But sometimes, even with the best of intentions, the information falls on deaf ears – or blind eyes. In fact, one recent study found that less than half of employees know what benefits…

Employee retention: 6 low-cost perks your employees will love

Looking to compete with the firms that can offer on-site chefs and massages? The truth is that most companies can’t afford to offer the perks common among the buzziest names in high tech, and yet while you might already have the basic covered—from health and disability insurance to retirement savings—many employees today are looking for…

What’s considered a disability? 10 causes every HR leader should know

When most people consider disability, they picture something catastrophic happening—an ill-timed dive off a high rock, 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…