Headlines about "Work-life issues"

Gathered from the web by the editors at BenefitsLink.com.
[Guidance Overview] Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts -- Human Resources -- Updated July 2, 2008 (PDF)
14 pages. Excerpt: "These charts summarize selected federal legislation that would affect employee benefit programs. The bills included on the charts are based on judgments regarding the prominence of the issue, the likelihood of enactment, and the influence of the sponsors." (Towers Perrin)

Decent Pay, Benefits, Job Security, Make Public Sector Jobs Attractive in Uneasy Economy
Excerpt: "As the nation's economy continues to suffer, schools, villages and other areas of the public sector are being viewed as good places to work with traditional pensions and lower-cost health-care benefits making up for what can be reduced annual salaries. That public-sector interest is backed up by national employment trends charted by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2007, the most recent available." (Daily Herald)

2008 Presidential Election: Candidates' Employment Proposals (PDF)
9 pages. Excerpt: "[T]he candidates have proposed changes to employer-paid leaves of absence, the rules governing union elections, minimum wage . . . ." (Hewitt Associates)

Sun's 'Open Work' Program Sheds Light on Telecommute Savings
Excerpt: "'Not only did we find that the energy used by working in the office was about twice as much as what was used when working from home, which was a significant difference, but we also found a huge impact [from] the energy consumption used in the commute,' . . . ." (Computerworld Inc.)

Relocation Policy Changes Show Employers Controlling Costs
Excerpt: "Recent relocation policy changes cited by employers participating in a recent survey indicate a greater focus on controlling costs. According to Prudential's Move Forward newsletter, adopting or increasing pre-decision counseling for homeowners (46%) is the single biggest reported change among those surveyed companies that have made, or plan to make, relocation policy revisions. Companies want to help homeowners effectively conduct risk-assessment that includes understanding the limits of the relocation policy, but are also increasingly focused on reining in downstream cost exposure by guiding homeowners in their purchase decisions." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)

Breastfeeding Accommodation in California Enforced
Excerpt: "From the Sacramento Bee via CCH Workweek, comes the news that the California Labor Commission last week fined a Santa Clara-based company $4,000 for violating state law that requires employers to reasonably accommodate employees who are breastfeeding. The law requires that employees be given reasonable privacy and reasonable breaks to allow them to express milk." (Workplace Prof Blog)

Leave Benefits in the United States, Updated May 7, 2008 (PDF)
24 pages. Excerpt: "The report closes with results from a federal government survey of the average direct cost to businesses of different types of leave." (U.S. Congressional Research Service)

Is It Worth Ramping Up Relocation Packages to Entice People to Move?
Excerpt: "In the Weichert study, 27 percent of companies said they are increasing relocation benefits in 2008 to entice new hires into new locations. In a similar study of 50 companies surveyed by Valhalla, N.Y.-based Prudential Relocation's Global Consulting Group, 58 percent said they have made changes or plan to change their relocation policies to address today's market." (Human Resource Executive Online)

[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated June 25, 2008, on Human Resources & Employment Law (PDF)
9 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding human resources and employment law. (Hewitt Associates)

[Opinion] Susan Mangiero Asks: Will Tubbies Get Fewer Benefits?
Excerpt: "While I'm the last to make a value judgement about weight, some disturbing thoughts come to mind. How are longevity patterns (and the related cost of offering healthcare benefits and a traditional pension) impacted when plan participants are officially deemed overweight? Do employers experience lower costs if their pension plan covers mostly unhealthy participants? For employers that offer both health insurance and a defined benefit plan, do they deem an 'optimal' mix of healthy versus not so healthy plan participants? (This assumes that healthier individuals who live longer push pension costs up but keep a lid on healthcare benefit expenses.) Should employers figuratively serve 'in loco parentis' or does this expose them to allegations of discrimination?" (Pension Risk Matters)

Employers Pump Up Mileage Reimbursement, but Offer Little Relief for Costly Commutes
Excerpt: "Americans are likely to get only modest help from employers in easing pain at the pump. Two recent surveys show the primary way companies are responding has nothing to do with getting to work." (Workforce Management; free registration required)

Fifth Report of Results from Sibson's 2006 Rewards of Work Study: Keys to Retaining and Engaging Employees in Different Age Groups (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "For the last decade, Sibson Consulting has focused our Rewards of Work Study around gaining an understanding of how employees feel about their work. What motivates employees? What retains them? What attracts them? These questions have represented the core of what Sibson Consulting considers the 'Rewards of Work.'" (The Segal Group, Inc.)

Employers, Employees Split on Benefit Program Perceptions
Excerpt: "A new MetLife survey shows a significant disconnect between employers' views about their workplace benefit program and the perceptions of employees.' (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)

Ampad Implements Programs to Help Reduce Employee Commuting Costs
Excerpt: "Ampad CEO Don Meltzer stated, 'In a recent management meeting, our leadership team discussed the impact of the rising price of gasoline on our employees. The daily drive to and from work is probably the largest fuel cost they face. We implemented new employee programs in an effort to help our employees offset some of these escalating costs.'" (BusinessWire)

More Employers Are Offering Group Legal Plans to Employees
Excerpt: "Prompted by the national mortgage mess and myriad other legal issues that people face, an increasing number of employers are following in Fujitsu America's footsteps by offering group legal plans to employees. Under these programs, employees sign up for payroll deduction to pay the fee -- usually around $200 annually -- to have access to attorneys." (Workforce Management; free registration required)

[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated June 18, 2008, on Human Resources & Employment Law (PDF)
10 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding human resources and employment law. (Hewitt Associates)

Supreme Court Eases Age Bias Suits for Workers
Excerpt: "The age-bias ruling, written by Justice David H. Souter, acknowledged that 'there is no denying that putting employers to the work of persuading fact-finders that their choices are reasonable makes it harder and costlier to defend' age-bias accusations and that the ruling 'will sometimes affect the way employers do business with their employees.'" (The New York Times; free registration required)

A Supreme Court Victory for Older Workers
Excerpt: "The Supreme Court ruled for older workers Thursday in a closely watched age discrimination case, placing on employers the burden of proving that a layoff or other action that hurts older workers more than others was based not on age but on some other 'reasonable factor.'" (The New York Times; free registration required)

[Guidance Overview] IRS Guidance on Proper Income Tax Withholding for Nine Common Supplemental Wage Payment Scenarios
Excerpt: "For each of the situations discussed, the IRS assumes that there is no constructive receipt or constructive payment of wages before the actual payment of wages, that no amounts are required to be included in income under section 409A before the actual payment of wages, and that all payments are made on or after January 1, 2007." (Littler Mendelson P.C.)

Helping Employees Fight Rising Fuel Costs
Excerpt: "Helping employees fight increasing gas prices doesn't have to cost you anything but a little time; however, if you have the budget available, small incentives may mean a lot to employees. These can include raffles for gas gift cards for carpoolers; train tickets for commuters; even movie tickets or restaurant gift cards, since employees are probably cutting back on entertainment with the extra cost of gas." (The Precept Employee Benefits Blog)

Imagine a Month of Mandatory Paid Leave
Excerpt: "BKD forces partners . . . to truly unplug. 'We basically won't talk to partners when they're on sabbatical,'. . . . 'If they call, we will not forward their phone calls. We turn off their E-mail.' When clients call looking for a partner who's away, the receptionist reminds them that the person is on sabbatical and directs the call to a manager. Hultz says the program helps ensure that partners don't get burned out and that managers and junior staffers get a chance to test their skills while a partner is away; it also gives BKD a recruiting edge." (CFO.com)

State of Administration Policy on H.R. 5781 – Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2008 (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "Given the significant benefits already available to Federal employees and the more comprehensive option proposed by the Administration to fill the short-term disability gap, the Administration does not support passage of H.R. 5781." (Executive Office of the President)

Web Resource Helps United Services Automobile Association Employees Help Themselves
Excerpt: "The Personal Balance Tool (PBT), developed in 2006 by USAA, Harris, Rothenberg International (HRI) and ValueOptions, is a web resource that more than half of USAA employees use to address a variety of personal concerns that will impact their work life." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)

Some Companies Provide Loans, Grants and Counseling to Workers Mired in Mortgage Debt
Excerpt: "In the wake of the mortgage crisis, a small but growing number of workers are getting help avoiding or coping with foreclosure from an unlikely source: their employers. So far, a handful of companies -- from small manufacturers to large companies like home-financing behemoth Fannie Mae -- are offering assistance, such as interest-free loans, grants and support in securing rental properties. They're also beefing up their employee-assistance programs, or EAPs, and adding more educational seminars on personal finance." (The Wall Street Journal)

Benefit Cost Comparisons Between State and Local Governments and Private-Sector Employers (PDF)
Pages 2-6 of 12 pages. of Excerpt: "Major reasons for the differences in total compensation costs between state and local government employers and private-sector employers are the different composition of their respective work forces and the different nature of public- vs. private-sector work." (Employee Benefit Research Institute)

West Virginia State Employees Can Start Cashing in Sick Days July 1
Excerpt: "The Legislature this year passed a bill that allows eligible state workers to trade their sick days for cash in an effort to ease debt from members of the Public Employees Insurance Agency. Certain state employees hired before 2001 can convert unused sick days into free PEIA coverage after retirement." (Charleston Daily Mail)

Telework: A Green Solution for the 21st Century's Employee Crisis
Excerpt: "Experts have debated at length the cost/benefit analysis of telework from productivity, security, and work-life standpoints, but one thing is for certain. Rising energy costs and the trickling economy have lead to a nationwide cash crunch. New data suggests that telework can contribute strongly to reducing pollution, energy consumption and overhead costs for companies." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)

[Guidance Overview] Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination Clarifies Position on Maternity Leave Law and Application to Male Employees
Excerpt: "Consistent with its current guidelines and the plain language of the statute, male employees who become parents (whether through birth or adoption) remain ineligible for the eight weeks of maternity leave provided by the MMLA to women who give birth or adopt a child." (Seyfarth Shaw LLP)

Family Responsibilities Discrimination Lawsuits Increase
Excerpt: "A growing number of workers are filing lawsuits, some as class-actions, against organizations they say punish them for attending to family and caregiving responsibilities." (Human Resource Executive Online)

A Benefits Primer for Young People Starting Their First Job
Excerpt: "[I] offer a proper primer on health insurance, taxes and retirement plans for employees starting their very first jobs." (The New York Times; free registration required)

Downsizing Maternity Leave: Employers Cut Pay, Time Off
Excerpt: "Employers are cutting back on post-childbirth pay for mothers and offering shorter leaves, on average, for both moms and dads, compared with a decade ago." (The Wall Street Journal)

[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated June 11, 2008, on Human Resources & Employment Law (PDF)
10 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding human resources and employment law. (Hewitt Associates)

[Guidance Overview] Paid Sick Leave in the Nation's Capital (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "Washington, D.C. is poised to join San Francisco and New Jersey1 in requiring employers to provide paid sick leave benefits to employees, but an internal inconsistency in the new D.C. law may make implementation by employers difficult." (Groom Law Group)

[Guidance Overview] New Federal Law Prohibits Employment Discrimination on the Basis of Genetic Information (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "[The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA)] applies to all employers that are covered under Title VII. GINA prohibits these employers from discriminating on the basis of genetic information in hiring, firing, compensation, promotion and other personnel decisions. It also prohibits retaliation against covered individuals for exercising their rights under GINA. These nondiscrimination provisions go into effect November 21, 2009." (Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.)

U.S. Life Expectancy Has Reached 78 Years
Excerpt: "Despite the good news, the USA ranks 29th in life expectancy among the United Nations' member nations. Tops is Andorra, which has an average life expectancy of 83, followed closely by Japan, Sweden, Australia and Switzerland." (USA TODAY)

[Guidance Overview] IRS Grants Tax Relief to Victims of Storms and Tornadoes in Missouri, Georgia, Colorado and Iowa
Excerpt: "The IRS has announced special tax relief for taxpayers within . . . ." (Wolters Kluwer)

Factsheet: Update on the Aged 55+ Worker: 2007
Excerpt: "This fact sheet by Sara E. Rix of AARP's Public Policy Institute highlights the employment situation of workers aged 55 and older and those under age 55 in 2007, reporting on employment gains and losses, the growth in full-time employment, age discrimination in employment, and labor force projections." (AARP)

Tech Workers Would Trade Pay Cut for Telecommuting OK
Excerpt: "If they could work out of their homes, 37% of U.S. technology workers would take a pay cut of up to 10%, a new survey found." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)

[Guidance Overview] California's New Hands-Free Cell Phone Law Affects Employers (PDF)
3 pages. Excerpt: "Beginning July 1, 2008, California drivers are prohibited from using hand-held cell phones while driving. Employers who have employees driving on company business -- which is nearly every company -- will need to make some changes. This is a brief summary on the new 'rules of the road' for a typical employer." (Snell & Wilmer LLP)

Workforce Protections Subcommittee Field Hearing: 'Family-Friendly Leave Policies: Improving How Workers Balance Home and Family'
Links to hearing testimony are provided. (U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor)

A Quarter of U.S. Employees Care for an Older Adult
Excerpt: "One in four employees currently cares for an older or disabled adult. Of those employees, nearly half (44%) have missed work time to care for a loved one, finds a new national survey of working adults conducted by work-life benefits firm Workplace Options." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)

Vacations Are Good for You, Medically Speaking
Excerpt: "Using information from the Framingham Heart Study, which started in 1948, researchers looked at questionnaires women in the study had filled out over 20 years about how often they took vacations. Those women who took a vacation once every six years or less were almost eight times more likely to develop coronary heart disease or have a heart attack than those who took at least two vacations a year, said Elaine Eaker, a co-author of the study and president of Eaker Epidemiology Enterprises, a private research company." (The New York Times; free registration required)

[Opinion] A Career Killer for HR Pros—The Employee Free Choice Act
Excerpt: "This piece of legislation would cripple the competitiveness of American business, limit the rights of employees and eliminate the need for independent-thinking HR pros, all in one easy-to-sign law." (Workforce Management; free registration required)

U.S. Economy not Affecting Overseas Assignments
Excerpt: "Despite U.S. economic stress, the vast majority of multinational corporations surveyed by GMAC Global Relocation Services are optimistic about their global business outlook and have no plans to reduce overseas business assignments." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)

[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated June 4, 2008, on Human Resources & Employment Law (PDF)
10 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding human resources and employment law. (Hewitt Associates)

[Guidance Overview] Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts -- Human Resources -- Updated June 4, 2008 (PDF)
14 pages. Excerpt: "These charts summarize selected federal legislation that would affect employee benefit programs. The bills included on the charts are based on judgments regarding the prominence of the issue, the likelihood of enactment, and the influence of the sponsors." (Towers Perrin)

[Guidance Overview] Washington, DC's 'Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act' Receives Congressional Approval (PDF)
Pages 3-4 of 4 pages. Excerpt: "The District of Columbia Accrued and Safe Leave Act of 2008 took effect on May 13, 2008. The Act applies to all DC employers, for profit and not for profit, regardless of the size of their work forces." (Dow Lohnes PLLC)

Work/Life Balance Holds Steady
Excerpt: "The uncertain economy hasn't negatively affected work/life balance policies on the whole, according to a recent study. But not all of the news isn positive. Paid-time off for maternity leave has decreased and some of HR's focus has shifted from work/life to wellness initiatives." (Human Resource Executive Online)

[Guidance Overview] Washington, D.C. Passes the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act of 2008
Excerpt: "Effective November 13, 2008, mandatory sick leave provisions will apply to even the smallest employers." (Littler Mendelson P.C.)

'Learning 401(k)s' an Innovative Way to Encourage Employees to Increase Their Knowledge
Excerpt: "[A]nnouncing a corporate learning program is hardly earth-shattering news. But in this case, IBM created its new learning initiative to give employees who have been with Big Blue more than five years a 50 percent match of up to $1,000 contributed -- to do whatever they want with the money, as long as it's used for learning. In the extreme, if an IBM employee wanted to use his or her matching dollars to take cooking lessons or learn to speak Chinese, that's perfectly fine under the program's guidelines." (Human Resource Executive Online)

[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated May 28, 2008, on Human Resources & Employment Law (PDF)
10 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding human resources and employment law. (Hewitt Associates)

Employers Help with Adoptions
Excerpt: "Companies that offer adoption benefits do so out of a sense of inclusiveness, and to make themselves more competitive employers. Federal law guarantees up to 12 weeks of unpaid family leave, but little else directs private employers to accommodate adoptive parents. Laws regarding additional benefits vary from state to state." (AP via Philly Online, LLC)

Look Before Making a Relocation Leap
Excerpt: "With a fear that jobs are harder to come by, you may be tempted to pick up stakes and relocate at the first offer you encounter. But experts say that it doesn't always make sense to move for just any job. For one thing, moving isn't cheap. Many employers will pay at least part of the relocation costs, but employees should get as many details as possible about their relocation package before committing." (MarketWatch)

Employers Turn to Four-Day Work Week to Save Gas
Excerpt: "When Ohio's Kent State University offered custodial staff the option of working four days a week instead of five to cut commuting costs, most jumped at the chance, part of a U.S. trend aimed at combating soaring gasoline prices. 'We offered it to 94 employees and 78 have taken us up on it,' said university spokesman Scott Rainone." (Financial Week; free registration required)

California Lawmakers Sign Off on Mandatory Paid Sick Leave
Excerpt: "On Wednesday, the California Assembly passed a bill that would require paid sick leave for all workers, poising California to be the first state to adopt such a requirement, the Sacramento Bee reports." (California HealthCare Foundation)

What Is Your Firm Doing About Rising Fuel Costs? Survey Results
Excerpt: "With the rising cost of fuel – and, for many, the cost of getting to work – [PLANSPONSOR] asked readers what, if anything, their firm had done to help folks deal with those rising costs." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)

The New Job Sharers
Excerpt: "In addition to women seeking a greater measure of work/life balance, the most recent entrants to the ranks of job sharing include older workers phasing into retirement, Gen Y employees who don't want to work so hard, and disabled workers." (Workforce.com)

Telecommuting Could Save Money for Workers and Employers
Excerpt: "Telecommuting, or using computer technology to work from home, was a buzzword in the 1990s, but it's debatable whether the trend truly caught on. As the nation struggles with soaring gas prices, air pollution and traffic congestion, telecommuting is appealing to many workers." (The Augusta Chronicle)

Retirement and Health Care Most Changed Benefits from a Decade Ago
Excerpt: "The Families and Work Institute's 2008 National Study of Employers (NSE) reveals stability in the practices, policies, programs, and benefits provided by a nationally representative group of U.S. employers over the past decade." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)

Middle East Demographics Drive HR and Benefits Change
Excerpt: "The formation of HR functions in the Middle East region is in such a period of growth, that it may well be leapfrogging traditional Western models, particularly with respect to the use of technology. This begs the questions of how HR strategy and policy will develop, and what will best practices look like for this developing market. It will be interesting to see in what ways the leapfrogging is most beneficial and what successes can be transported back to the rest of the world." (Mercer LLC)

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