Organized labor contributed nearly $450 million (Greenhouse, 2008) toward the election of Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress, so we can expect labor will have a good run, resulting in much more favorable laws, regulations and administrative outcomes than we have seen in several administrations. Conversely, while there is plenty of business lobbying, there will be far fewer voices within the ...

Whether there will be additional cuts to employee benefits and whether employers will bring back some of the reductions made because of the recession are not clear yet. However, employers are continuing to watch benefits costs - and await health care reform, which may create cost-related scenarios that employers can't yet predict. When they provided their survey responses over the summer, ...

The best way to put a dollar value on benefits as part of a job offer is to ask the prospective employer to do it for you, says management expert Lonnie Pacelli, author of The Project Management Advisor: 18 Major Project Screw-Ups, and How to Cut Them Off at the Pass. Jim Greeley, director of career services at Merrimack College in ...

A reader writes: I work at a small start-up company, and when I accepted the position my boss represented one of the perks as "we can be informal about vacation days." I'm not a slacker and didn't plan on taking advantage of it, but understandably I was happy about the attitude. However, in the seven months since having worked here, I've ...

Providing the same benefits at a lower cost can simply be a case of making changes behind the scenes, says Tom Washington In the theater world, a good stagehand should not be seen. Dressed in black, their task is to work in the background, shifting props and scenery to ensure maximum enjoyment for the audience. A similar role must be performed ...

In these uncertain economic times, it is little surprise that HR professionals everywhere have major compensation-related concerns. Most specifically, the problem is money - the sheer lack of it. For too many businesses, profits are down, making it ever more difficult to meet payroll needs - never mind about raises for next year. lOMA's Setting & Managing 2070 Compensation Survey uncovers ...

Nov. 13--City officials yesterday said that they expected to save $6.3 million annually by making some changes to health-benefit plans offered to non-unionized city workers -- including upping some out-of-pocket costs and shifting the way the city pays insurance bills. Those changes will affect 6,900 non-unionized workers and retirees. But Managing Director Camille Barnett also said that the city would like ...

The holidays can be a stressful time, full of family demands and financial obligations. This year, more people -- who have survived company downsizing or closures -- might benefit from employee assistance programs to help them through tough times. Employee assistance programs can range in scope, but generally focus on helping with issues that might affect job performance. The Employee Assistance ...

It's largely agreed that 401(k) plans are incredibly valuable in attracting and retaining top talent, improving a company's corporate image and contributing to a company's overall long-term financial health. But when the economy crashed, all bets were off. Thankfully, employees will be pleased to know that most employers have no intention of eliminating 401(k) plans from their benefit offerings. In April ...

The recession has put the squeeze on some areas of employee benefits consultancy, but steps are being taken to meet employers' changing requirements, says Sarah Coles. The past 18 months have not been an easy time for employee benefits consultants to win new business. Cash-strapped employers are often in no position to splash out on new benefits initiatives, so expensive projects ...

The search for key benefit providers must not be based on cost alone, and expert advice may be needed to locate the best candidates, says Jenny Keefe One of the great things about the employee benefits market is its diversity. But for employers looking to buy new perks, that can be a drawback. Even if they have an idea which benefit ...

Like the old saying, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life," it's never a bad time to start moving your career in a better direction. Here are 10 New Year's resolutions to help. Pay Attention in Class Treat every workday like a school day. Be sure you learn something and use it to make yourself more productive. ...

CRANSTON -- Nearly 3,000 Rhode Islanders who have exhausted their unemployment benefits and cannot find work could be eligible to start collecting again -- for up to 13 weeks -- under federal legislation that is on track to become law soon. In addition, about 1,800 people who will exhaust their benefits by the end of the year also could be eligible ...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Jobless West Virginians have claimed 91 percent more weeks of unemployment benefits so far this year than for the same period last year, a state labor official says. West Virginians had filed claims for more than 1.05 million total weeks of benefits through Sept. 12, as compared to 550,649 weeks claimed by the same point last year, said ...

About 49 percent of the nations' cities, counties and townships expect less revenue in 2010, and 21 percent expect fewer employees, according to a new survey. About 26 expect increased consolidation of local services. With shrinking budgets and fewer staff, local officials are taking several approaches to contain long-term costs associated with employee and retiree health care. The Health and OPEB ...

With the possibility of health care reform on the horizon, Hewitt Associates, a global human resources consulting and outsourcing company, finds that most U.S. employers are taking a "wait and see" approach and forgoing significant overhauls to their benefits plans in 2010. As a result, employees can expect to see few major changes to their benefits plans when they enroll ...

Confronted by a steep recession and its new economic realities, employees, now more than ever, place a greater value on their benefits. And "because cost control is a very important benefits objective for employers during these tough times, and the economy is asserting additional pressures to balance benefits expense and value, it is important that employers understand how to maximize the ...

Discounts offered through a voluntary benefits scheme can help keep staff motivated when budgets are tight, says Victoria Furness. Money may be the root of all evil, but it is also widely recognized as a big driver of employee performance and motivation. So in the current economic climate, with job cuts and salary freezes, what can employers do to keep staff ...

CARY -- Editor's note: This fall, The NandO is talking to people about the nation's health-care system: what works, what doesn't and what should be done to fix it. There is standard employer-sponsored health insurance -- and then there are SAS-provided benefits. The Cary-based software company built an on-site health clinic, staffed with doctors and nurse practitioners. If you need to ...

In these economic times, it would not be unusual to look at the cost of providing certain benefits and wonder whether there is any room to cut those costs. Whether an employer can successfully accomplish this without exposing itself to excessive risk requires understanding the nature of protected benefits under the Internal Revenue Code (Code) and the Employee Retirement Income ...