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.

Stand Up for Wellness Training

A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that adults who sat for 11 or more hours per day had a 40 percent higher chance of dying prematurely over the next 3 years compared with those who sat for fewer than 4 hours per day. University of Sydney researchers reviewed the habits […]

SPIN Sells CFO on Turnover Tactics

What skills would a good consultant need to sell turnover? Here are the key four, says Ahlrichs, who is owner of ExpertSpeaks, and a consultant and business developer for Gregory & Appel. Think Strategically Always be looking forward over the horizon to where organization is going, says Ahlrich. Anticipate ways to create value for clients. […]

Employers Should Eye New Reform Standards for Essential Health Benefits and Actuarial Value

New reform standards for health plan value and coverage are important for employers, first because they will determine the kind of insured coverage that small employers buy. But grandfathered and self-funded employer health plans also need to know the rules to avoid penalties under health reform. The proposed rules, which HHS announced on Nov. 20, […]

IRS Eases Rules for 401(k) Hardship Withdrawals, Loans Tied to Hurricane Sandy

Plan sponsors in areas Hurricane Sandy affected may want to prepare for an increase in loan or hardship withdrawal requests after the IRS on Nov. 16 said it temporarily will relax its rules that apply to such emergency funding for retirement plan participants.  The IRS announced the relief in Announcement 2012-44. Hurricane Sandy should be […]

Talking Turnover with Top Management

Start with this simple distribution chart, says Ahlrichs, who is owner of ExpertSpeaks, and a consultant and business developer for Gregory & Appel. Distribution of Producers Which ones do you really want to keep? If we agree that we want to keep the top 16%, says Ahlrich, then we need to address turnover. That means […]

The 3 Critical Categories for Salesperson Success

To accurately predict whether an individual will succeed in sales, you (and/or your assessment tool) need to extract information in three critical categories, says Anderson, who is president of the Selling Skills Institute, and developer of the proprietary Shift Thinking Selling Methodology. Anderson offered his tips at a recent BLR/HRHero webinar. Here are Anderson’s three […]

The 7 Most Common Mistakes in Sales Recruiting

Lacking a system to recruit top talent from outside your industry Hiring salespeople who can sell instead of those who will sell Not knowing how to identify superstar sales candidates Not asking the right questions at the interview Hiring to availability instead of for excellence Not having a great employee referral system in place Advertising […]

2012 Holiday Pay Practices Infographic

A new BLR Holiday Practices Survey examines employer practices for providing paid holidays and paying nonexempt employees during the 2012 holiday season and provides information on planned paid holidays for 2013. A total of 1,936 organizations participated in the survey, conducted in October 2012. The infographic also links to answers on frequently asked questions (FAQs) […]

Administration Delays Deadline for States to Commit on Reform Exchanges

States will get one more month, until Dec. 14, to notify federal regulators whether they will set up and run their own health insurance exchanges, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told two governors in a letter dated Nov. 15. Without the extension, the deadline for signaling intent would have been Friday, Nov. […]

ERISA Rules Do Not Forbid Dropping Fund Transfer Option, Another Court Finds

Eliminating a participant option to switch to a defined benefit plan from a defined contribution offering does not violate ERISA anti-cutback provisions, even if participants’ accrued — but unclaimed — benefits are reduced. The recent ruling in Andersen v. DHL Retirement Pension Plan (Case No. 2:12-cv-00439-MJP WL 5389141, U.S. Dist., Western District of Washington Nov. […]