Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
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.
Health reimbursement arrangements that are not integrated with group health coverage will violate health reform’s prohibition on annual benefit limits, the federal government recently clarified. HRAs that are integrated with individual policies will be seen as “nonintegrated,” thereby violating the ban on annual limits, the agencies implementing health reform stated. And if employees don’t sign […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, benefits consultant Scott Haas, CLU, RHU, offered his tips on negotiating reduced pharmacy costs; today, how to manage generic drugs, plus how do download a free white paper that will help you strategize for the coming “workforce meltdown.” Haas, who is vice president of Wells Fargo Pharmacy Consulting, spoke to BLR about […]
Here’s what’s on comp managers’ minds, says Neelman: Evaluating market competitiveness, especially if pay has been stagnant at your organization Keeping on track with your strategic plan, typically refocusing on growth Increasing attention on incentive pay and pay to performance Using compensation dollars more effectively Differentiating pay based on performance, even if differentiation is modest […]
Looking for healthcare savings? (Who isn’t?) Start with a look at your prescription drug costs, says Scott Haas, CLU, RHU, vice president of Wells Fargo Pharmacy Consulting. Haas and his colleagues sought a way to get drug costs down for clients. They peered beneath the surface and didn’t like what they found, Haas said in […]
Plan sponsors may take heart at a district court’s ruling supporting the interpretation of plan language by one of their own — but a partial dissent could spell more claims for equitable relief. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a ruling for the plaintiff in a surviving-spousal benefits suit and supported the defined […]
[Go here for yesterday’s Q&A] How does an employer know whether the coverage it offers is “affordable”? If an employee’s share of the premium for employer-provided coverage would cost the employee more than 9.5% of that employee’s annual household income, the coverage is not considered affordable for that employee. If an employer offers multiple healthcare […]
Oswald, CEO of BLR, offered his thoughts on karma and leadership in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter. Here’s what he said: “Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.” […]
Haas, who is vice president of Wells Fargo Pharmacy Consulting, spoke to BLR about the problem of generic drug pricing. To attack the problem, Haas and his team at Wells Fargo created a unique procurement strategy. “About 4 years ago, we listed every generic drug—and there are about 2,750 of them—by their specific identifying codes. […]
In the case of most employers, these requirements will be simple to implement, Simon says. But in the case of employers that are on the borderline of being covered or on the borderline of providing minimum essential and affordable healthcare coverage, the requirements can become very technical. Some of the questions and answers are presented […]
Who Has Access to Flex Options? In the financial services companies questioned, professional-level and non-exempt staff usually have access to the same array of both regular flexible work arrangements (including flextime, telework, compressed workweeks, and part time) and occasional flexibility (shifting work hours on a daily basis or just occasionally, occasional work at home, and […]