How Mindfulness Empowers Us to Skillfully Engage in Difficult Conversations

By Cheryl Jones, Director of Mindfulness at Aetna As if the intensity of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic with its health and economic implications wasn’t enough, we now find ourselves in the midst of rising racial and political tensions. It feels as though our sanity and our humanity are at risk. I believe mindfulness (awareness that…

The importance of disability insurance for Gen X

Hey Gen X: Time to Protect Your Income

If you’re in your mid-to-late 40s, the options to protect your income may be coming to an end. If you don’t have income-protection disability insurance, you may find it’s more difficult to get it and that the cost is increasing.   Disability insurance? Yes, basic disability insurance is most affordable way to protect your income…

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…

Disability can happen - a personal story

Disability can Happen – But Preparation Makes all the Difference

After Cris Martin discovered a lump on her chest wall, she went into self-advocacy mode – and learned several lessons along the way, including the importance of taking early action, and having group and supplemental individual disability coverage with a good carrier. Three years ago, my life was exactly the way it was supposed to…

Substitute Perks: How To Give Your Employees Benefits Even When You’re Apart

As the effects of COVID-19 caused offices to close and send workers home, they lost access to many of the perks they might have relied on for comfort and well-being. Given that employees routinely say that benefits play a large role in their job satisfaction, this deficit can lead to a loss of productivity, especially…

Taking Time Off is Good for Employee Engagement

The pandemic couldn’t stop summer from arriving! As vacation season kicks off, it is a good time for HR teams to encourage the value of taking a break. As we all know, vacations are important for emotional and physical health of employees. In fact, studies show that they build a far more engaged, happy, and…

Supporting caregivers’ holistic well-being - Plan. Prepare. Protect.

Supporting caregivers’ holistic well-being amid an evolving landscape through absence and paid leave offerings

As companies transition to an in-person or hybrid workforce, and paid leave mandates at the state level continue to shift, it’s increasingly important for employers to be aware of how this evolving landscape may affect their employees, particularly those like caregivers who may be impacted more than others, and how they can support them amid…

The Rising Tide of Mental Health Support. Plan. Prepare. Protect.

The Rising Tide of Mental Health Support

Ian Bridgman Editor’s Note: The Council for Disability Awareness board member, Ian Bridgman, makes a point in this post that few in the group disability insurance industry are willing to discuss publicly: Are US carriers ready to remove the 24-month mental health claim limitation? It is most likely an understatement to say we need more…