Obama’s Executive Order on contractors could add to HR’s workload

By Jared Bilski

By now, HR pros have no doubt heard about how President Obama issued yet another Executive Order geared toward improving labor practices and workers’ rights. Now the real question is: Just how much is this likely to impact HR’s administrative processes? 

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7 best practices to clear up HSA confusion, lift participation

By Jared Bilski

Although health-savings accounts (HSAs) have become increasingly popular, one critical aspect of these tax-advantaged accounts isn’t anywhere close to where it should be.

That aspect is employees’ understanding of how HSAs actually work.

In fact, just 30% of HSA account-holders were able to correctly answer all of the questions on a basic HSA proficiency quiz, according to new research by Alegeus Technologies.

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DOL insider: These 3 things will determine Obama’s new OT regs

By Jared Bilski

The Obama administration is dead set on increasing overtime availability for workers. In fact, when President Obama announced his intention to amend the current FLSA overtime regs, even the DOL was surprised by the move.
Now employers are wondering exactly when those changes will take place and what the impact will be.

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Tip Tuesday! Consumer groups see PPACA preventive services problems

By Allison Bell

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) basic preventive services package famous by putting a controversial mandate -- for "free" birth control benefits -- in the package. 

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7 leadership mistakes that kill employee motivation

By Patrick Schober

It’s tempting to cut corners to save money, but cutting the wrong corners can lead to unmotivated employees. Here are seven mistakes to avoid that kill worker motivation:

1.  Giving them outdated equipment in a dingy environment. Investing in better supplies, like ergonomic keyboards, can improve a worker’s mindset. Changing light fixtures, brightening up office walls and incorporating simple office plants can go a long way towards improving mood, too.

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Sorry, these tactics to avoid Obamacare burden aren’t going to work

By Tim Gould

Some firms have come up with creative ways to skirt some of the Affordable Care Act’s labyrinthine administrative requirements. Unfortunately, according to one benefits expert, these tactics aren’t likely to work.  

At the 2014 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Conference & Exposition in Orlando, FL, Gary Kushner, the CEO of the HR and benefits consulting firm Kushner & Company, listed some of the more extreme strategies he heard employers say they planned on taking to deal with the healthcare reform law.

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Study: Benefits communication prevents turnover

By Jared Bilski

How important is effective benefits communication? So important that it could be the difference between retaining top talent or sending them searching for greener pastures.

That’s what MetLife’s 12th Annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study (PDF) recently uncovered.

According to the report, when workers think their employer does a good job with benefits communication they’re more than twice as likely to say they’re “very loyal” to their employer.

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Tip Tuesday! Key Obamacare deadlines looming: 5 steps to take now

By Jared Bilski

Many employers ask two main questions about health reform: What do I have to do? andWhen do I have to do it? But these are the wrong questions.

Employers should be asking, Why am I offering employees healthcare benefits? – and using their responses to shape their firm’s health reform compliance efforts and their overarching organizational strategy.

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Tip Tuesday! ACA reporting for employers and the IRS' new draft forms

By Keith McMurdy

Under the Affordable Care Act, there are two unique reporting requirements. The first is the individual mandate reporting requirement under Section 6055 of the Code. The second is the “pay or play” reporting requirement under Section 6056. Many employers have been wondering about how onerous these reporting requirements may be and while not finalized, the IRS did release draft forms that will apply to these requirements. There have not been any instructions issued (although they are expected in August) and they are not final and probably will not be until sometime later this year. But for now, they provide some insight into what information employers will have to collect.

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