Benefits & Compensation

Employers are helping employees meet their retirement goals by customizing worker preferences and communication styles in 401(k) planning.

Employee abuse of the intermittent leave benefit receives top employer complaint according to a recent survey of 450 WorldatWork (WAW) members.

Feeling pressure at the pump, many workers are changing their commuting habits to ease the financial burden of rising gas prices, a new survey shows.

In light of the extensive news coverage given to the possibility of an Avian flu pandemic, many employers are concerned about their operations as well as potential legal obligations should such a pandemic occur. This Alert provides guidance for developing a plan to help ensure the safety of the workplace should a pandemic occur. Having operational as well as communication plans may also prepare the organization in the event of other emergencies.

Health care benefit plans’ summary plan descriptions (SPDs) are written at too high a level to allow “average participants” to identify and read important plan information, according to the results of a study recently prepared by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

Employees aren't taking time away from the office to rest, rejuvenate or relax and, as a result, they are more tired and stressed out than ever. More than one-third (37 percent) of U.S. workers anticipate not using all of their time off this year, according to a new Hudson survey of 1,914 U.S. workers.

In an article published in the January EBRI Notes, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) examines the level of and trends in assets of individual retirement accounts. The article is entitled “IRA Assets, Contributions, and Market Share.”

Many employees report they are in “very good” or “excellent” health, even though they fail to reach even minimum levels of physical activity and nutritional recommendations, a recent poll reveals.

Twenty-one percent of U.S. workers made a voluntary job change in the past year, up slightly from 20 percent who did so in 2005, according to a survey by Spherion. By comparison, Spherion data from December 2005 indicated that 37 percent of workers said they intended to look for a new job in 2006.

If 401(k)s and similar plans are the main way Americans invest for retirement, how can employers improve them? By making enrollment automatic, minimizing the use of the employer's stock, expanding use of annuities and improving employees' financial knowledge, according to the Financial Economists Roundtable, a 13-year-old group of about 50 prominent economists.