Strap on your shoulder pads and put in your mouth guard – you’re
about to get a lesson in voluntary benefits from NFL greats Dick Butkus and
Dave Powless. But don’t worry; the drills won’t leave you sore and bruised. In
fact, you might be surprised at how gentle these particular gridiron giants
really are.
One of the more remarkable aspects of our federal and state legislative systems is the right to comment on proposed rules as well as on nonstatutory policies and guidelines. But very few people in regulated fields like HR take advantage of this opportunity.
If would be worthwhile to establish an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for
the savings alone - between $5 and $16 for every dollar invested, through fewer
insurance claims and reduced absenteeism. But of course there are other reasons:
employee well-being, reduced distraction, and fewer accidents.
Benefit programs aimed at working mothers can be good recruiting tools. However, such programs can be expensive. Afraid they won’t get an adequate return on their investment, many organizations have balked at implementing them.
As millions of people across the country prepare to make enrollment decisions
for their health care and retirement coverage, many are finding they have more
benefit choices than ever before.
Although overall company medical costs are on the rise, employers
are enhancing their fringe benefit offerings and are providing more medical
coverage to part-time employees, reveals an Arthur Andersen survey of more than
450 organizations across the United States.
More companies are considering allowing their employees’ domestic partners
the same benefits they allow employees’ spouses. But do you offer it to
only same-sex couples or also allow opposite-sex coverage as well?
More companies are expanding dependent benefit eligibility
definitions to include same sex domestic partners. Does denying dependent benefit
eligibility to an employee’s heterosexual domestic partner constitute discrimination?
