BYOD policies broaden engagement possibilities

By Kathleen Koster

Research shows increasing number of employees are bringing their personal devices to work. Currently, 80% of employees use personal technology for business use, according to a Harris Interactive study for security firm ESET. Employers need to catch up to employees' increased use of their personal mobile phones for work purposes with bring-your-own-device policies. Progressive companies have already started taking advantage of this shift, using apps on workers' cell phones to deliver enterprisewide information and create new opportunities to communicate.

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Tip Tuesday! 606 new pages of Obamacare guidance & 2 more delayed requirements

By Christain Schappel

Three days after the Obama Administration announced that it would be delaying the “employer mandate” of its signature healthcare reform law, it released 606 more pages of guidance on the legislation. The big news to come out of that guidance? Two more of the law’s requirements will be delayed until at least 2015.

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Tip Tuesday! 10 positive messages that’ll make your managers more effective

By Tim Gould

Nobody ever said being a manager was easy. Here’s an upbeat look at how your supervisory people can increase their effectiveness — and become the managers everybody wants to work for.

Mike Brown, writing on the blog Managers Are Heroes, offers a laundry list of things that’ll spark enthusiasm in managers and employees alike. Here’s a sampling of his straight talk for supervisors:

1. Demand excellence. Mediocrity is awful. If you do not demand excellence, that is what you’ll get – a department full of mediocrity. When you ask people to describe the best manager they’ve ever had – no one says “it was the slacker manager who played Words with Friends all day”… No, it was the one who pushed us – and challenged us to do things that we never thought we could do.
2. Be passionate. If you’re not all-in, why will people want to go above and beyond for you? The idea of checking your emotions at the door is ridiculous. If you’re excited about the work you’re doing and the people you’re helping – let people know. Scream it from the mountain. Passion is contagious.

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5 Ways to Avoid Time Theft in the Workplace

What exactly is time theft? When an employee deliberately wastes time for which they are getting paid, they have committed time theft. There are various forms of time theft and you may have employees who may not be aware they are doing so. It can be an indicator that a business is lacking in employee productivity and accountability.

What can employers do to reduce the occurrence of time theft? Here are five steps you can take to improve productivity and boost morale:

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Important Dates to Remember

The following checklist provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits and payroll professionals key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This reminder list does not constitute all of the deadlines applicable to employers and some deadlines may be different based on variations in plan year or plan design.

  

NR Topic (Select topic from drop-down menu)	Description	Date
Cafeteria Plans Flexible Benefits	Form 5500 filing deadline. Generally, for health plans with 100 or more covered participants, the 5500 report must be filed no later than the last day of the 7th month after the end of the plan year. This is July 31 for plans with a calendar-year plan year.	July 31, 2013
Payroll	Form 941 filing deadline.Generally, employers must file their quarterly payroll tax returns by the end of the month after the end of each quarter.	July 31, 2013
ACA Health Care Reform	Form 720 deadline.The first installment of Patient-Centered Outcome Research (PCOR) fees is due with this quarterly excise tax form.	July 31, 2013
ACA Health Care Reform	Contraceptive-preventive care safe harbor expires.The For plan years starting on or after this date, the safe harbor exemption from this mandate expires for non-grandfathered group health plans established or maintained by nonprofit organizations whose plans have not covered contraceptive services for religious reasons.	August 1, 2013
ACA Health Care Reform	MLR rebate deadline.Insurance carriers must provide any rebates related to the Medical Loss Ratio by this date. Starting in 2014, this date will be moved to September 30.	August 1, 2013
Cafeteria Plans Flexible Benefits	Summary Annual Report Deadline. For group health plans that are required to file a Form 5500, they must distribute a Summary Annual Report no later than nine months after the end of the plan year, unless an exception applies. More information is available from the DOL.	September 30, 2013 (for calendar-year plan years)
ACA Health Care Reform	Exchange Notice Deadline.All employers must send an Exchange Notice to all current employees by this date.	October 1, 2013
Medicare	Medicare Part D Creditable/Non-Creditable Coverage Notices.The annual deadline for employer notices is moved up one month in advance due to the Affordable Care Act. Notices must be sent before October 15, 2013.	October 15, 2013
Payroll	Form 941 Filing Deadline.Generally, employers must file their quarterly payroll tax returns by the end of the month after the end of each quarter. More information is available in the IRS instructions.

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Reform law ‘glitch’ to benefit smokers

by Christian Schappel

The hits just keep on coming for Obamacare. Now the feds are saying a glitch in the law may prevent insurers and plan sponsors from being able to charge the full smoking penalty to those who keep lighting up.

Under the healthcare reform law, insurers and plan sponsors are allowed to charge workers who smoke up to a 50% premium surcharge to encourage them to quit.

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Tip Tuesday! 4 steps to making difficult decisions

By Arleen Fitzgerald, L.I.C.S.W.

Some everyday choices can be a toss-up.

Art film or action flick? Tex-Mex or Thai?

You might flip a coin, draw straws or let a pal pick. But, sometimes you may face a truly tough dilemma or a life-changing choice. Is it time for Grandpa to move in with us? Should I go back to school? That's when the stakes — financial, emotional, even physical — might be high. And, it's also when you may feel stuck.

Make a thoughtful choice
No matter what your dilemma, careful consideration may help you move forward more confidently.

Try these four steps to help you determine what's best. A tip: Grab a notepad and a pencil or pen — and find a quiet spot to try this exercise. 

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