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Compensation & Benefits

ARPA effect: Defections from your health plan?

03/16/2021
More Americans could qualify to buy health insurance from the Affordable Care Act’s state health insurance exchanges, thanks to a provision tucked into the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. As a result, millions of workers could start shopping for coverage in the individual marketplace.

New coronavirus relief law affects HR’s work

03/16/2021
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 does more than provide for $1,400 stimulus checks and expanded unemployment benefits. It reaches into the HR function, extending employer subsidies for paid time off, offering government help to pay COBRA premiums and increasing the amounts employees may shelter from taxes in dependent care accounts.

Fix common pay errors before DOL investigates

03/11/2021
Managing restaurant employees isn’t easy. And unless HR provides frequent and accurate guidance, front-line managers may be tempted to devise their own questionable methods for simplifying scheduling and paying staff. Don’t let that happen.

HR’s next crisis: Managing the return of covid-19 ‘long-haulers’

03/09/2021
With covid-19 vaccination rates climbing and the worst of the coronavirus pandemic starting to recede, employers are becoming more optimistic that the world of work could soon return to normal. But the coast is not yet clear.

Pandemic harms women’s retirement readiness

03/09/2021
Women are saving less for retirement than men are, a trend that the coronavirus pandemic has made worse.

What’s in the Senate’s version of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

03/08/2021
Saturday, the Senate amended and passed the latest round of pandemic relief—the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319). The bill now goes back to the House, which must vote again.

Vaccine incentives: Maybe legal, maybe not

03/04/2021
Some employers have begun offering incentives for employees to get the covid-19 vaccination. At first glance, that sounds like a great idea. However, there are legal complications that may not be obvious.

Employers focus on wellbeing, caregiving benefits

03/02/2021
Most employers know their efforts to support employees during the pandemic have fallen short, and they are adjusting benefits to do better this year, according to a new survey by Willis Towers Watson.

EEOC withdraws proposed rule on wellness program incentives

03/02/2021
Remember back in January when the EEOC issued a proposed rule that would have strictly limited the kinds of incentives employers could offer to encourage employees to participate in wellness programs? Never mind.

DOL expands eligibility for pandemic unemployment benefits

03/02/2021
The U.S. Department of Labor has issued guidance to state unemployment insurance agencies that expands the number of instances in which workers may be eligible for pandemic-related unemployment assistance.