Last month the IRS issued a private letter ruling (PLR) on a request by an employer to use their 401(K) plan as a sort of a student loan repayment program. From a Forbes report, these are the details: Here’s a quick…
Voluntary Benefits
How One Company Is Helping Employees Cope With Caregiving
As a parent, daughter and human resources director, payroll and benefits for Boston Private, I understand firsthand how difficult and stressful it is for employees to care for loved ones and still work effectively. Managing the special issues of children…
Discount Buying Program PerkSpot Gets Spotted $50 Million
As companies struggle to attract and retain talent, perks and benefits have become something of a recruiting arms race. As a result, vendors who help companies provide perks like saving money on services employees already use are hot. One popular…
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Take Your Dog to Work Day
Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of Take Your Dog to Work Day (TYDTW), the event that really launched the era of pet-friendly workplace policies. Back in 1999, Pet Sitters International had this out-of-the-box notion: What if we created an event…
Healthcare Hiring Tips Anyone Can Use
At the beginning of 2018, the healthcare industry became the largest source of jobs in the U.S. for the first time in history. The industry surpassed manufacturing and retail, which is very significant given that these industries have led the…
4 Strategies to Help Employees Improve Their Financial Wellness
A 2016 FINRA Foundation study found a full two-thirds of Americans would fail a financial literacy test. Does that stat surprise you? It probably shouldn’t, given the deck that’s stacked against most Americans. Think about what most people are facing: Busy…
Keep Your Rock Stars Without Busting the Budget
Here’s a thought bubble: Say you have a “rock star” employee, highly satisfied with his/her job, who came in young and hungry, growing into a superstar over several years with incremental raises, and one day gets woke to the fact they’re…
3 Ways Employers Can Help Grads With Their Student Debt
Congratulations Class of 2018! You have done it! Now you’re looking forward to the next chapter: beginning your career. It’s an exciting time, but in the background lurks something else – nearly $40k in student loans. At the end of…
10 Best Benefits and Perks for Working Parents
We’re only nearing the halfway mark, but 2018 has already been a big year for employee benefits. Whether part of a strategic plan, byproduct of corporate tax breaks or a little bit of both, we have seen a number of…
Engage Your Employees by Being a Rebel
In this new, supercharged, super-fast, super-competitive economy, we’re sure you’d agree that we need customers to love our brands, love our products and advocate for our companies. And surely, customer love must start with employee love. But, as we say…
Top Companies Are Making Life Easier for New Parents With Unique Programs
Mentor moms, nanny allowances and milk delivery are just a few ways that these top companies have found to make life easier for parents returning to work after the arrival of a child. In an era when it’s becoming the norm…
‘Immigration Adjacent’ Perks Are Important For Foreign Workers
Every year, we survey U.S. employers about the status of their employment-based immigration programs. This year, the Immigration Trends report revealed that more than half of employers plan to increase their foreign national headcount and that 70% consider international recruitment…
An Insurance Primer For Small Businesses That Want to Stay Competitive
For many small businesses, the struggle to compete with larger companies for talent is an uphill battle — particularly when it comes to benefit offerings. While you know recruiting and retention is important, you may not be sure if the…
Egg Freezing: Who Benefits Most?
A few years ago Apple and Facebook introduced an employee benefit that made headlines — egg freezing. Just so everyone understands what it is — the scientific name is Oocyte Cryopreservation. It allows women to freeze and store their eggs until…
3 Ways HR Can Help Employees With Their Financial Smarts
The stock market broke records and then recently plummeted; unemployment is low, wage growth is sluggish, and the cost of living is increasing. It’s no wonder Americans are stressed about their finances. According to the Federal Reserve, 44% of American…
9 Reasons to Invest in Benefits You’re Not Offering Now
So you’ve survived open enrollment. Now that you’re finished fielding 10,000 questions about health care plans, you can start looking ahead to 2018. New Year. New Benefits … amirite?! The stretch between open enrollment and the holidays is a fine…
Trend Is to Provide Support for Adoptions
November is National Adoption Month in the U.S. The choice to become a parent is one of the biggest decisions most people will ever face. Beyond the fact that you’re committing to a lifetime of loving, caring for and teaching…
5 Tips to Help Your Employees Get Through The Holidays With Less Stress
It’s that time of year again. Time to start preparing (and indulging in) lavish meals, fighting over the last Black Friday deal, holiday parties and after holiday party, and making jolly when out of town guests arrive It’s the holiday…
4 Steps Before Employees Can Bring Their Pet to Work
Without a doubt, pets have become true members of the family. No longer just “man’s best friend”, but “fur babies” that we love, care for and protect. A Fortune-Morning Consult Poll reported that 76% of pet owners consider their animals…
Are You Treating Open Enrollment as a Step-Child?
Benefits may not be the glamorous part of human resources, but for employees, benefits rank right up there with pay in importance. A mediocre benefits package can lose you a great candidate. Eight out of 10 employees would choose new…