Work / Life Issues

Stuart bike commuter confronts unexpected hazard

11/10/2008

High gas prices have driven many commuters to consider alternative transportation, and many are choosing to get to work on their bicycles. That can be risky business …

New Benefit: Bike Commuters Get Reimbursement Incentives

10/21/2008

Employees who ride their bikes to work will soon be eligible for a $20-a-month, tax-free reimbursement from their employers for bicycle-related expenses, thanks to a measure tucked into the $700 billion bailout bill Congress passed Oct. 3. Learn more about this new benefit, which could become wildly popular in a era of perpetually high gas prices.

Time to pay attention: the next work/life benefit?

10/03/2008

The average worker spends about two hours every day dealing with unnecessary interruptions, which cost businesses $590 billion a year in lost productivity. HR professionals can help solve this problem. In fact, it could be the latest work/life benefit: time to pay attention.

Can ‘Kiddie Wellness’ Programs Cut Your Organization’s Health Costs?

09/16/2008

Children account for 20% to 25% of employer health care spending, and rates of diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity are soaring among America’s kids and teens. Here are five tips for including employees’ children in your company’s wellness programs …

What’s Working: 6 Hot Compensation & Benefits Best Practices

09/16/2008

On-site scuba lessons, desks on wheels, employee shopping sprees and unlimited time off are just a few of the ways innovative employers recruit, reward, retain and refresh workers. See if any of these best practices—some simple, some extravagant—inspire you to take a fresh look at your company’s perks.

Brown-bagging increases as gas prices remain high

09/05/2008

High gas prices may keep employees at work, says a survey by employment law firm Jackson Lewis. More than half of the employees that participated in the poll said they’re eating lunch at their desks more these days instead of eating out or running personal errands …

8 strategies: Make flex plans work for you

09/02/2008

Your organization wouldn’t offer flexible work arrangements such as flextime and compressed workweeks if management didn’t believe the benefits outweighed the costs. Yet surveys show that few organizations have formal and consistent policies in place to manage their flex programs.

How to comply with Colorado’s 3 newest workplace laws

09/02/2008

The Colorado Legislature passed several laws during the most recent legislative session that will directly affect Colorado employers, and more changes may be on the way. HR professionals need to update workplace policies and procedures to comply with these new worker rights and employer obligations …

Proving the ROI of wellness programs just got easier

08/28/2008

Every employer seems to be jumping on the wellness bandwagon in an effort to curb health care costs. But it’s always been hard for HR to prove its wellness investment is worth it. Reason: the inability to nail down a return on investment (ROI) on wellness programs. Now, a host of new approaches and tools have come to the rescue …

Indiana employers respond to higher gas prices

08/26/2008

The LaPorte District of Indiana’s Department of Transportation (INDOT) has instituted a four-day workweek for operations workers to battle high fuel costs. INDOT hopes the move will bring 10% savings on fuel, utilities and fleet maintenance costs …