Archives

Back to Normal: Ending COVID-19 Tolling of COBRA Deadlines

Getting “back to normal” as the COVID-19 pandemic has eased has not been simple for anyone. In terms of plan administration, the continued tolling of employee benefit plan deadlines, including those related to continuation coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), has kept plan administrators firmly planted in a “COVID-19 world,” even as […]

Using Social Media to Build a Culture of Recognition: Strategies for Employee Engagement

We all work to live (at least in part). Still, sometimes a paycheck isn’t enough. Employee recognition programs are crucial for the success of any organization, as they help foster a positive work culture and boost employee morale. These programs are designed to acknowledge and appreciate employees’ hard work, dedication, and contributions and can take […]

What is Turnover Contagion?

The term “turnover contagion” evokes two distinctly fearful concepts, at least from the perspective of employers: pandemics and retention challenges; and the link this term creates is fairly apt. Employees have been leaving their jobs in increasing numbers, even posting about the joys of quitting live on social media. Employees on the Move “Quitting has […]

Don’t Fix Weaknesses, Do Leverage Strengths

We falsely think that we are doing our jobs as managers by giving performance feedback—constructive or otherwise—to employees. Not so, according to Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall in their article, “The Feedback Fallacy,” which appeared in the March-April 2019 issue of the Harvard Business Review. Neurons Don’t Lie Feedback focuses employees on their shortcomings. Developmental […]

How Virtual Primary Care is Changing Healthcare

Just about all employers and brokers agree the health plan industry needs an overhaul. That’s one of the clear takeaways from Centivo’s late 2022 Employer & Broker Health Plan Trends Survey. Exactly how to make change happen, however, is where these groups somewhat disconnect: We found that far more employers are open to innovative ideas […]

Keys to Success for Any Employee Training Effort

Employee training can be conducted in a variety of ways, but there are several keys to success that are applicable to virtually any training effort. These are the foundational must-haves training teams should embed in any training program. Effective Communication Clear, effective communication of expectations is an important foundation for any employee training effort. It’s […]

How to Give Your Finance Recruitment Strategy a Digital Overhaul

If you’ve ever watched a sci-fi TV show or movie, you’ll know that robots and technology are shown as something to fear and run away from. In the business world, this narrative has resonated in some industries more than others. The finance industry, for example, has historically been slow and hesitant to adopt technology into […]

Case Study: Former Employee’s Private Social Media Not So Private After All

A worker sued her former employer for wrongful termination in violation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD), claiming the employer’s conduct subjected her to severe emotional distress. On March 16, 2023, the New Jersey Appellate Division ruled her private social media accounts and personal cell phone records are relevant and must be turned […]

Lifelong Passion Leads to Opportunity for Change

So many of the diversity and inclusion leaders we meet through our series on DEI leaders took circuitous, unexpected routes toward their roles. They stumbled into DEI leadership positions through twists of fate and happenstance. Erin Mitchell Richeson, vice president of inclusion and diversity (I&D) for Cox Enterprises and the subject of this installment of our series […]

HR Query: The Value of Offering Student Loan Repayment as a Benefit

Student loan borrowers are preparing to either resume payments or start making them for the first time since March 2020. Currently, federal student loan payments are scheduled to resume 60 days after June 30. That can change if the Supreme Court rules on President Joe Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan, in which case payments will […]