While a 70+-hour work week may be less common than it once was, the legal profession is intense and demanding. Women (and men) who are in the early stages of climbing the ladder in their chosen field are also often at the point in life when they want to start a family. These two aspirations collide, and women may decide to quit the field entirely. What can law firms do to address these issues?
Ingrid Provencher took a hard look at the demographics in her area. As Human Resources director at Central Florida Health Alliance (CFHA), it is her responsibility to make sure the hospitals making up the alliance are well-staffed. With that in mind, she asked herself, "What do people in this area want and need from an employer?"
The U.S. Department of Labor recently issued new regulations aimed at bringing transparency to employer-sponsored benefit plans. Though much of the debate over enhanced fee disclosure has revolved around the impact new rules will have on the service providers who must do the disclosing, plan sponsors have also recognized that, if finalized without change, these proposed rules will affect them too.
Since they came screaming onto the scene in the years immediately following World War II, Baby Boomers have changed a lot of things. Some might even say they've changed everything. Now, as they reach that milestone commonly known as retirement, the Baby Boom generation continues its sweep across social conventions. Retirement, as our parents knew it, may soon cease to exist.
Employee benefits, and particularly health care, is a primary concern of American workers. As medical costs continue climbing, the issue will only become more critical for businesses of all sizes. David A. Proctor, president of Proctor & Company, an employee benefits firm, offers an assessment of what companies can look forward to in 2008.
The third most common chronic disorder in the United States is affecting your employees. According to the National Institutes of Health, hearing loss affects twice the number of Americans who suffer from vision loss; that?s more than 30 million people, 20 million of whom are in the workforce.
Many employees in a recent survey don't understand what their healthcare plan covers and acknowledge that they are uncomfortable defining even basic healthcare vocabulary. Kathryn Yates, global director of communication consulting at Watson Wyatt, explains that the results have important implications for employers during open enrollment and throughout the year.
When a member of the executive team leaves the company, the effect on culture and morale can be devastating. But in these days of a tightening workforce and limited budgets, what can a company do to sweeten the pot for executives?
Kathy Kacher of Career/Life Alliance believes that including remote employees in a benefits fair has the potential to impact benefits utilization. That's why she developed the virtual benefits fair. As with a physical benefits fair, vendors participate by setting up booths complete with logos, colors, and content of their choosing. But these are electronic booths.
Healthier lifestyles and medical advances have resulted in something grandma and grandpa didn't anticipate: many Americans live for many, many years after that magical age of 65. In fact, more Americans are attaining the age of 100 now than ever before, leaving some an astonishing 35 years of post-65 life. While Grandma and Grandpa's income easily outlived them, will your employees' do the same?
