Category: Benefits and Compensation

This topic provides guidance on how to handle compensation issues in a way that attracts and retains the best talent and advances the strategic goals of your business. You get news and tips on what’s going on nationally and in the states, and updates on changes in regulations, possible governmental action, and emerging compensation trends.

Why Wellness Fails, Why One Program Really Works

First, says Ahlrichs, a consultant and business developer with Gregory & Appel in Indianapolis, Indiana, here’s just one example of why wellness is failing: Getting more serious, Ahlrichs describes a wellness program that’s really working well. Case Study—A New Approach to Wellness Here was Ahlrichs’ client’s situation: County government 3,500 employees Mix of white and […]

Live Generously: Being in Business to Help Others

Oswald, CEO of BLR, shared his thoughts about the article in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter: The article caught my attention for a number of reasons. I love the “Live Generously” lead. I just think it’s a great concept. Add to it the teen and business angles, and I was hooked. The article […]

Administration Loosens Individual Mandate to ‘Un-cancel’ Policies

The Obama administration on Nov. 14 proposed an administrative fix to allow individuals and small businesses losing coverage to keep their plans for another year. The fix was necessary in part because many people who lost coverage: (1) could not enroll for coverage on reform-mandated state-based health insurance exchanges due to problems with the government’s […]

Vendors Segment ‘Fiduciary’ Services as DOL Treads Water on New Definition

While most retirement plan sponsors and their vendors think being deemed a plan fiduciary is an “all-or-nothing” proposition, it is in fact becoming a growing continuum of service-provider job titles and responsibilities, one industry expert suggests. For example, a survey of 100 randomly selected, non-client plan sponsors conducted by retirement planning and wealth management firm […]

Selecting Your Outsourcing Vendor

Letke, who is founder and CEO of Integrity HR, Inc., in Louisville, Kentucky, offered her tips at BLR’s Strategic HR Leadership Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona. How Do You Identify Providers/Partners/Vendors? There are a number of helpful sources for finding outsourcing options, says Letke, including: Referrals, networking, colleagues Newspapers and magazines (HRO Today) Internet Mailings Professional […]

Outsourcing, Offshoring: Bane or Benefit?

What Is Outsourcing? Outsourcing is the contracting of an internal business process to a third party organization, says Letke, who is founder and CEO of Integrity HR, Inc., in Louisville, Kentucky. She offered her tips at BLR’s Strategic HR Leadership Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona. What’s the Difference Between Outsourcing and Offshoring? The two terms are […]

Engagement and Enablement—Keys to Comp Effectiveness

Yesterday’s Advisor featured consultant Tom McMullen’s take on the new total rewards; today, he lays out the drivers that get your employees to engagement. McMullen is Reward Practice Leader for Hay Group in Chicago. He was joined by Dow Scott, professor of Human Resources in the Quinlan School of Business Administration at Loyola University Chicago […]

Planning Ahead for Health Care Reform: 2014

Employers — particularly those that sponsor self-funded plans — have important health care reform mandates to comply with in January 2014, many of which are unaffected by the Obama administration’s stay in enforcement of the pay-or-play rules. There is still time for employers to get their health care reform fixes right. The job is more […]

A Sophisticated Merit Increase Grid

Morning says her grid takes into account three factors (market and business performance, individual performance, and position in range), plus there’s a lump sum option. Pay increases are based on three main factors, says Morning, president of Teri Morning Enterprises in Carmel, Indiana, who made her suggestions during a recent webinar sponsored by BLR®. In […]

What’s Happening to Total Rewards? New Landscape

The current global economic environment means executives are thinking about reward program management in new ways, says consultant Tom McMullen. The good news is that Hay Group studies show human capital concerns rank number one. What’s the Deal with the ‘Regular Rate’? FThe bad news is that many organizations still find it hard to maintain […]