Jena McGregor, Washington Post The U.S. Department of Labor says the new overtime rule issued this week would give some 4.2 million additional workers either more money – or more free time. But business groups and lawyers who represent employers say one thing these workers are likely to see a lot less of is flexibility on the job.

Lena J. Weiner, HealthLeaders Media HR departments can avoid summer staffing snafus by creating and enforcing adequate time-off policies. Pro tip: Carrots are usually more effective than sticks.

Jesse Byrnes, The Hill A new poll finds the vast majority of Americans age 40 and above support paid family leave. Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) want the mandatory federal leave available to care for a child or a relative to be paid, according to The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey released last month.

Nate Randall, BenefitsPro An industry expert reflects on his career managing, analyzing and creating everything related to employee benefits for companies with a genuine desire and drive to apply innovative, forward-thinking approaches to change and improve the way employee benefits are delivered. Here are his three takeaways that helped these companies make the biggest impact possible with their benefits and employee experience programs.

Scott Woolridge, BenefitsPro Despite countless efforts at reform by businesses, government and consumer groups, health care costs continue to be very high in the U.S. as compared to other nations. The reasons are too complex to cover in one article, but three health care experts shared some thoughts on where we stand with health care costs and what employers and individuals can expect in the near future.

Joanne Finnegan, FierceHealthcare Just like patients, all staff members are not the same. And while it might be tempting to follow the golden rule in how you treat all staff members, that's a mistake. Rather than treating each staff member as you would like to be treated, the secret to successful interactions is to focus on how they want to be treated.

Marlene Y. Satter, BenefitsPro Headlines may tout an economic recovery, and some studies may find Americans’ financial situation improved, but that’s not playing out when it comes to their retirement plans.

Paula Aven Gladych, Employee Benefit News If the retirement age doesn’t rise along with life expectancy, millennials will spend as many years in retirement as they do in the workforce, according to a recent white paper by CREATE-Research and Principal Financial Group. Moreover, this generation also carries the highest risk of outliving their savings.

Alan Kohll, Forbes Employee wellness can be incredibly beneficial for your company. Not only can a wellness program help you save on insurance costs, but it can help improve employee morale, boost productivity and build a resilient workforce. With all of those benefits on the line, it’s a shame that many managers really aren’t getting the most of their wellness programs.

Henry Albrecht, Switch and Shift Employees are hungry for flexibility. When they get it, however, it’s not always the dream benefit they thought it would be. After all, some of the best ideas happen on walks, in the shower or at a kid’s ballgame. Taking time to jot ideas down reduces employee stress. But mixing personal and professional lives without guidelines can also cause stress.

Will Bridges, Switch and Shift With a quarter of the population being affected by mental health issues each year, it is clear that these issues do not discriminate on the grounds of socioeconomic or family history. This shocking statistic highlights the importance of looking into what can be done in the workplace to make sure that those suffering do not do so in silence and ensuring that employers are encouraged to promote mental health in the same way they would physical health.

Anne Marie Kirby, Employee Benefit News It’s no secret that companies are paying more for health care, driven by a number of factors. Most companies' efforts to address this have focused on programs designed to change employee behavior. However, health and well-being are influenced by many uncontrollable factors both at and away from work; and to effectively change employee wellness, program providers need to better understand the influences of the complex systems in which people work and live. This is where design thinking can play a critical role.