Headlines about "Work-life issues"
Gathered from the web by the editors at BenefitsLink.com.
Sick-Leave Abuse by Federal Employees Prompts Calls to Compensate for Unused Time
Excerpt: "There is no limit on how much sick leave an employee can carry forward into the next year, and IRS employees had an average balance of 43 days of accumulated sick leave at the end of 2006. 'We believe that the lack of compensation for unused sick leave at retirement has contributed to the higher amount of sick leave used by FERS employees,' the report said . . . ." (Washington Post; free registration required)
Wellness Programs On The Rise
Excerpt: "Two studies show increases in the number wellness initiatives offered by companies, as employers focus on improving worker health as a way to decrease healthcare costs. The need to retain older boomers on the job is also a factor." (Human Resource Executive Online)
Eldercare Benefit Is Boon to Baby-Boomer Employees
Excerpt: "National studies say companies without elder-care benefits stand to lose $2,500 a year per care-giving employee and that every $1 spent on elder-care benefits gets a return of $1.50 in productivity, retention, and reduced absenteeism. . . . [T]he most important part of Hallmark's elder-care package may be the part that costs nothing at all: flex time." (Kansas City Star)
Cheers and Doubts for New Jersey Paid-Leave Law; Third Such Law in Nation
Excerpt: "Fears of abuse and workforce disruptions were expressed by the business community while proponents praised the N.J. law as 'win-win.' HR leaders in other states should take note: This trend is probably not going to go away." (Human Resource Executive Online)
[Guidance Overview] New Jersey Enacts Paid Family Leave Law (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "On May 2, 2008, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine signed the New Jersey Paid Family Leave Insurance Law (A-873; S-786). . . . The law's stated purpose is to 'increase workplace productivity and alleviate the enormous and growing stress on working families of balancing the demands of work and family needs.'" (Seyfarth Shaw LLP)
State, Federal Laws Sidestep Employers' Vacation Promises
Excerpt: "If your employer takes away your vacation benefit, can you do anything about it? That's the question some employees at Spirit Airlines say they've been grappling with since a change in the vacation policy at the start of the year. The employees claim that a gap between the old policy and the new policy stripped many at the Miramar-based airline of vacation days they had earned." (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
ExxonMobil Pilot Retirement Mandate Survives Legal Challenge
Excerpt: "A federal judge in Texas has dismissed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit alleging ExxonMobil violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) by requiring its corporate pilots to retire at age 60." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Paid Maternity Leave Still on Wishlist for Many U.S. Mothers
Excerpt: "In a selection of 19 countries with comparable per capita income, the United States provides the fewest maternity leave benefits in both length of leave and paid time off . . . . This is considered separate from any disability insurance for which one may qualify. In fact, the United States falls two weeks short of the International Labor Organization's basic minimum standard of at least 14 weeks general leave. It is also the only country not to guarantee some amount of leave with income." (Economic Policy Institute)
Podcast: 'Five Minutes with... ' Rita Sororen of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
Excerpt: "[The] podcast stars Rita Sororen of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, who talks about workplace adoption benefits on ebn.podhoster.com. . . . The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption recently released its annual list of the nation's 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)
Communicating the Value of Benefits Helps Offset Anxiety of Tough Economic Times
Excerpt: "Though the investment in benefits that each organization makes is obvious to executives, studies show that employees generally don't recognize how much their benefits are actually worth. . . . [S]howing employees that their compensation is as much as 25% more than what they thought it was can help . . . ." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)
Milliman's Monthly Benefit News and Developments, May 2008 (PDF)
2 pages. The newsletter provides a summary of the previous month's legislative, regulatory, and judicial information on employee benefits. (Milliman)
[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated April 30, 2008, on Human Resources & Employment Law (PDF)
17 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding human resources and employment law. (Hewitt Associates)
Class of 2008 Tuned Into Retirement, Health Benefits That Come with a Job
Excerpt: "A survey by a job site aimed at new college graduates found that the Class of 2008 considers health care coverage and a retirement savings program as very important when evaluating a job offer." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Employers Broaden Total Rewards
Excerpt: "The economic downturn and increased competition for the best talent are leading companies to adopt a more holistic approach to total rewards. They are going beyond benefits and compensation and incorporating elements such as career planning, performance management, employee training and work-life balance programs, experts say." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)
The True Cost of Poor Health (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "To gauge the business case for population health management, it's critical to fully identify and enumerate all of the health-related costs associated with unhealthy employees. This includes: Direct costs, such as outpatient care, pharmacy charges, inpatient care and emergency room visits [and] Indirect costs, including short-term disability, workers' compensation, turnover, absenteeism and presenteeism" (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research via Human Resource Executive Online)
[Guidance Overview] Wages Paid in Lieu of Health Care Benefits Are Subject to FICA Taxation
Excerpt: "Two recent Internal Revenue Service information letters clarify that amounts paid directly to employees in lieu of health care coverage are wages for employment tax (Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA)) purposes." (Wolters Kluwer)
[Opinion] Who, if Not Immigrants, Will Pay for the Baby Boomers' Retirement?
Excerpt: "Lost in the developed world's heated debate over immigration is a stark demographic reality: As their populations age over the coming decades, the United States, Western Europe, and vast swaths of Asia will grow increasingly dependent upon immigrants to join their workforces, prop up their economies, and help fund social welfare programs." (RAND)
[Guidance Overview] IRS Guidance on Deduction for Leased Employees' Meals and Incidental Expenses – and Dismissal of 'Common Law Employee' Relevance
Excerpt: "The most recent travel and entertainment expense issue involves deductions for meals and incidental expenses as covered in IRC §274(d)(1). That provision dictates the substantiation required to use that deduction and IRC § 274(n) generally limits that deduction to only 50 percent of meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) actually incurred . . . ." (Deloitte via BenefitsLink.com)
Hearing on Leading by Example: Making Government a Role Model for Hiring and Retaining Older Workers
The page provides links to the Witness Testimony of Barbara Bovbjerg, Director, Education, Workforce and Income Security Issues, US Government Accountability Office; Robert Goldenkoff, Director, Strategic Issues, US Government Accountability Office; Nancy Kichak, Associate Director, Strategic Human Resources Policy, Office of Personnel Management; Thomas Dowd, Administrator, Office of Policy Development and Research, Employment and Training Administration, US Department of Labor; Max Stier, President and CEO, Partnership for Public Service; and, Chai Feldblum, Co-Director, Workplace Flexibility 2010. (U.S. Senate, Speical Committee on Aging)
Flex-Time and Telecommuting on Par with Total Compensation in Weighing Job Offers
Excerpt: "Ft. Lauderdale-based IT search and staffing specialist, PROTECH, released the results of its fourth annual IT Professionals Survey in which flex-time and telecommuting tied total compensation as deciding factors in accepting a job offer from a prospective employer. The recent survey of technology professionals in Florida's Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties had 544 respondents." (Business Wire via NewsEdge via Human Resource Executive Online)
Why You Shouldn't Retire Early
Excerpt: "Retiring early will also limit your Social Security check and pension benefits. You can visit this calculator at the Social Security website to estimate your benefit -- and how it changes depending on when you retire. Delaying your retirement a few years might make a material difference in the money you have available for all of those daydreams." (The Motley Fool)
Telecommuting: Ten Legal Considerations
Excerpt: "Before permitting employees to telecommute, employers should consider the ten legal issues outlined [in the target page]. Employers are also well-advised to develop a written telecommuter agreement advising telecommuting employees of their responsibilities and requiring them to commit to certain performance band behavioral expectations." (Troutman Sanders LLP)
Biotech Executives Learn About Value-Based Benefits and Employee Health and Workforce Productivity
Excerpt: "Attendees at BayBio2008 learned about value-based benefits, one of today's fastest growing trends in the health care and biotech industries. At the core of a value-based approach is the concept that benefits should be viewed as a corporate investment rather than as an expense. Organizations with this mindset are in a better position to offer programs that enhance employee health and productivity, which ultimately positively impact company success." (Business Wire via NewsEdge via Human Resource Executive Online)
Three Small to Midsize Businesses Show That Size Doesn't Matter in the Growing Trend to Embrace Work-Life Flexibility
Excerpt: "Flexibility is the way business gets done,' says Karen Kerrigan, President and CEO of Women Entrepreneurs, Inc. and moderator of recent panel about flexible work options sponsored by the Department of Labor. The panel featured three small to midsize businesses (SMBs) in a variety of industries across the United States. Each panelist shared their own unique take on finding an appropriate work-life balance - proving that for even the smallest of businesses, a flexible workplace is possible without stretching companies to their limits of patience and resources." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)
SSA's Annual Statistical Supplement, 2007
Printed copies of this document are scheduled for release in mid-May 2008. (U.S. Social Security Administration)
Senate Passes Genetic Discrimination Bill
Excerpt: "People learning through genetic testing that they might be susceptible to devastating diseases wouldn't also have to worry about losing their jobs or their health insurance under anti-discrimination legislation the Senate passed Thursday." (AP via The New York Times; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated April 23, 2008, on Human Resources & Employment Law (PDF)
15 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding human resources and employment law. (Hewitt Associates)
Benefit Trends: Change Is the New Constant
Excerpt: "To set the backdrop for the forces at work today in employee benefits, consider this statement by a president of one firm listed in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. In a recent PBS interview, he said, 'We no longer view ourselves as an American company; we act as a global company in all of our decision-making.' Executives of two other DJIA firms recently pointed out in presentations that 'less than half of our workforce is now in the United States -- but 95 percent of our health care costs are.'" (The Wall Street Journal)
[Guidance Overview] Family Responsibilities Discrimination: Does It Really Exist?
Excerpt: "There has been an emerging focus on the legal issues related to the treatment of caregivers in the workplace with a significant increase of discrimination lawsuits on the basis of a person's caregiving responsibilities -- often referred to as Family Responsibilities Discrimination. But what is FRD? Does such a cause of action exist? This article serves to answer these questions." (The Legal Intelligencer via Blank Rome LLP)
Should California Require Small Businesses to Offer Sick Days?
Excerpt: "Hundreds of small businesses in California say they can't afford to offer paid sick days to employees, but Assemblywoman Fiona Ma believes businesses actually could save money by doing so. The San Francisco Democrat's Assembly Bill 2716 would let workers earn paid sick days that could be used to recover from illness, care for a sick relative or recover from domestic violence or sexual assault." (The Sacramento Bee)
Excerpt from 'The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker'
Excerpt: "ONE OF THE LEAST EXAMINED but most important trends taking place in the United States today is the broad decline in the status and treatment of American workers -- white-collar and blue-collar workers, middle-class and low-end workers -- that began nearly three decades ago, gradually gathered momentum, and hit with full force soon after the turn of this century. A profound shift has left a broad swath of the American workforce on a lower plane than in decades past, with health coverage, pension benefits, job security, workloads, stress levels, and often wages growing worse for millions of workers." (The New York Times; free registration required)
Programs for Retaining Older Workers Are Slowly Emerging
Excerpt: "At Pacific Gas & Electric in San Francisco, 42 percent of its workers -- and 50 percent of managers -- are eligible to retire. The company has been interviewing these people about their jobs and posting the information on an intranet database. It is pairing would-be supervisors with older ones. It may soon film experienced workers as they do their jobs, and post the films on the intranet. 'And we're taking a fresh look at our pension calculator to see if we can make it financially worthwhile for older workers to ratchet down hours rather than just leave,' said Van Ton-Quinlivan, director for work-force strategy and diversity." (The New York Times; free registration required)
House Committee Passes Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act
Excerpt: "On Wednesday, April 16, the Committee passed H.R. 5781, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2008, which would provide four weeks of paid parental leave for all federal employees. Employees will also for the first time be allowed to use their accrued sick leave for an additional eight weeks of paid leave. By combining the four weeks of paid parental leave with earned sick leave, many federal employees will now be able to get paid for the full 12 weeks of parental leave that is their right under the existing Family and Medical Leave Act." (U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)
The Workplace as Clubhouse
Excerpt: "Fat paychecks, pensions and health insurance are not enough to recruit and keep employees these days. Companies are again finding that adding a bit of social context to work is crucial to keeping employees happy and productive. That is where employee clubs come in. Workplace specialists say clubs are a way to build camaraderie and help people get to know fellow employees away from work. Companies benefit, too. Clubs help create loyal employees, reduce turnover and improve morale while costing very little." (The New York Times; free registration required)
Picking the Perks That Employees Value
Excerpt: "When it comes to employee benefits, the best plan for a small company may be to have no set plan. . . . Kahler Slater has also done something that many smaller companies haven't done: It has surveyed employees to get a sense of what the majority of them valued. Before the company began surveying employees, 'we had a clue' of what mattered to employees, 'but we didn't have a pattern,' that showed the perks employees valued most . . . . The surveys 'prioritized it in a very clear way.'" (The Wall Street Journal)
Generation Y Causing Employment Policies Change
Excerpt: "Gen Y, it seems, expects a constant flow of promotions, flexible schedules, lots of leave and more moneyas if those benefits were its right, not something to be earned. But because Gen Y represents the workforce of the future, employers are changing their HR policies in response to its demands, according to a US survey of 2546 hiring managers at HR professionals conducted by CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive." (Human Resource Executive Online)
[Guidance Overview] New Jersey Legislature Passes Paid Family Leave Bill (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "To date, the New Jersey Department of Labor (DOL) has not published regulations to guide employers when implementing the provisions of the paid family leave bill." (Dechert LLP)
Ohio Paid Sick-Leave Law Supporters Want Legislators to Act
Excerpt: "Calling it 'hypocrisy with a capital H,' backers of legislation requiring employers to provide workers with paid sick leave accused lawmakers yesterday of ignoring the bill while taking their own sick leave at taxpayer expense." (The Toledo Blade Company)
California Assembly Bill Would Mandate Paid Sick Days
Excerpt: "State lawmakers on Wednesday took the first step toward making California the only state in the nation to require employers to provide paid sick days to workers. Although paid sick days have long been a benefit enjoyed by higher-income workers, sponsors of the bill say 6 million California workers, or about 42 percent of the work force, must choose between going to work sick or missing a day's pay." (Ventura County Star)
To Reduce Sick Days by an Average of 41%, the Solution Is Easy - Walking
Excerpt: "The average white-collar employee moves a mere 3,500 steps per day – only slightly over one mile. Experts recommend a minimum of 10,000 steps or 3.2 miles of walking and moving per day." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated April 9, 2008, on Human Resources & Employment Law (PDF)
13 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding human resources and employment law. (Hewitt Associates)
How Companies Are Adapting to Absenteeism
Excerpt: "Most workers take mental-health days or call out sick to take care of family or personal issues, but many time-off policies remain mired in the 1960s, when there were few dual-income households and less desire for work/life balance. HR should rethink how to effectively manage absenteeism." (Human Resource Executive Online)
Older Workers Are Increasing Their Labor Force Participation and Hours of Work (PDF)
14 pages. Excerpt: "IN THE PAST 12 YEARS, A MAJOR REVERSAL of the long-run decline has occurred in the supply of labor at ages 60 and older and apparently in the demand also. Though it is difficult to judge the pace and extent of further gains in the labor force participation rates and full-time employment of these older men and women, there is reason to believe these trends will continue." (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Percentage of Workers Who Don't Go to Work Sick Remains at Six or Seven Percent Mark
Excerpt: "We all know people who drag themselves into work when they're sick . . . – but the reason(s) why may surprise you. According to a new poll by LifeCare, Inc., 'Other people depend on me and I don't want to let them down' was the most-cited (29%) reason. In the three consecutive years that LifeCare has conducted this poll, this is the first time this response topped the list." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Study of Employee Benefits Trends: Findings from the 6th Annual National Survey of Employers and Employees (PDF)
65 pages. Excerpt: "The 6th annual MetLife Study of Employee Benefits Trends examines the attitudes of an increasingly diverse workforce toward financial and benefits-related issues. The Study also captures the benefits practices and perspectives of both small and large companies across a wide array of industries. Over a one-month period, MetLife surveyed 1,380 full-time employees and 1,652 benefits decision-makers nationwide about employee benefits and marketplace trends." (MetLife, Inc.)
St. Louis, Missouri, Pays Big for Public Employees' Unused Sick Time
Excerpt: "Under a system virtually extinct in corporate America -- and increasingly harder to find in government -- St. Louis city employees can bank all sick days they don't take and exchange them for lump sum payments and a higher pension upon retirement." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
New Jersey Lawmakers Approve Paid Leave for Workers
Excerpt: "New Jersey moved another step closer on Monday to becoming the third state in the country to give employees the right to take paid leave to care for a newborn or a sick relative. The State Senate voted 21 to 15 to approve a bill that would offer such employees up to six weeks' paid leave. The Assembly approved the plan last month, and Gov. Jon S. Corzine said he would soon sign it." (The New York Times; free registration required)
Abstract of Winter 2008 Report of Results from the Healthy Campus Survey
Excerpt: "For colleges and universities, strategically coordinated healthy campus programs can pay off with significant return on investment (ROI), making a strong case for the investment as a smart use of often tight budget dollars. Given the ROI potential of campus health initiatives, Sibson Consulting invited colleges and universities across the country to participate in a Healthy Campus Survey. The survey captured information about current practices. It also examined the relationship between them and outcomes, such as faculty and staff turnover and vacancy rates, absence rates, health care costs and use of short-term disability benefits." (The Segal Group, Inc.)
Those Caring for Both Parents and Children Put Off Saving
Excerpt: "Baby Boomers around the globe are being squeezed financially by simultaneously caring for their parents and their children, according to research from The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Workplace the Primary Financial Supermarket for Many
Excerpt: "A MetLife news release about its Annual Employee Benefits Trends Study, said the research found that the workplace has become the dominant starting point for building a strong financial safety net. Growing financial concerns among employees are also creating a greater interest in advice and guidance at the workplace." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] State of Washington Adds Two New Mandatory Types of Employee Leave
Excerpt: "The Washington Legislature has passed, and the governor has signed into law, two new types of employee leaves that all Washington employers, regardless of size, will be required to provide. The two types of leave are Family Military Leave and Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Leave." (Perkins Coie LLP)
Corporate Housing Taking Hold As Cost-Effective Means of Providing Temporary Accommodations to Relocated Employees
Excerpt: "Designed specifically for temporary stays, corporate housing consists of fully-furnished apartments, condos and occasionally even houses. Because they are fully furnished with linens, kitchenware and weekly maid service, transferees need only bring their personal effects. They are then able to live as they would at home, cooking their own meals, doing their own laundry, and entertaining guests, all while the corporation foots the bill." (Human Resource Executive Online)
Chart of State and Local Government Workers' Access to Quality-of-Life Benefits
Excerpt: "Long-term care insurance was offered to 26 percent of State and local government workers in September 2007. Such insurance was the quality-of-life benefit most commonly offered to employees of State and local governments." (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Connecticut Bill Would Provide Paid Sick Time
Excerpt: "For the second year in a row, a coalition of labor and community groups is urging legislators to pass a paid sick leave bill that would give full-time workers at companies employing 25 or more 6 1/2 days of paid sick leave a year." (The Hartford Courant)
City of St. Louis' Sick-Day Payout Drains City of Millions
Excerpt: "In the last five years, the city of St. Louis has spent more than $4 million buying unused sick days from dozens of employees, an analysis shows. And while advocates say the generous policy helps offset low worker salaries, those who gain the most are managers who already are at the high-end of the pay scale." (AP via Belleville News-Democrat)
BusinessWeek White Paper: The Impact of Commuting on Employees
31 pages. Excerpt: "Purpose of the survey: To explore the challenges and issues that respondents have pertaining to commuting and the role they feel employers should play, as well as the strategies companies are deploying to address these issues. Additionally, to examine the role of commuter benefits as they relate to commuting issues, including level of interest and usage." (BusinessWeek; long registration form required to receive copy)
California Bill Would Mandate Paid Sick Days
Excerpt: "If you are one of the estimated 6 million California workers without paid sick leave, relief may be on the way. Assembly Member Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, has introduced a bill that would allow California workers to earn paid sick days for everything from personal illness to recovering from domestic violence." (The Fresno Bee)
A Great Place To Work - It Isn't About The Perks, It's 'Respect, Dignity, Flexibility'
Excerpt: "Although some of Fortune magazine's top 100 best companies to work for offer unusual perks such as scuba-certification classes and meditation rooms, it's not the bells and whistles that probably got them there in the first place. The real secret to being a good place to work? 'People are treated with respect, dignity, flexibility,' said Richard Hansen, CEO of Johnson Financial Group , one of three Wisconsin companies to make this year's list. 'It's really not all that complicated.' Hansen said his company's business model aims to offer its clients satisfied, motivated associates, producing low turnover rates in employees and customers." (Wisconsin State Journal)
Workers, Employers Adjust to Phased Retirement
Excerpt: "[O]nly about one-quarter of companies allow all or most workers to phase into retirement. There are tax questions and challenges around retirement benefits. For example, for employees who are phasing out, how much do they need to work? When can they start drawing on their retirement benefits while still working? How much can they take out? Do they have to leave the company and then come back as a temporary employee?" (Morning Edition via National Public Radio)
Overview of The Wall Street Journal's Retirement-Planning Guide
Excerpt: "This guidebook is . . . a blueprint for building a successful retirement. We'll show you how the various pieces -- retirement savings, Social Security, relocation, new careers, volunteer work, estate planning, health care, leisure and more -- come together as you create your plan for a personally fulfilling retirement." (The Wall Street Journal)
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