MetLife’s 12th Annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study reveals that employee satisfaction with benefits reached 50 percent in 2013 – the highest level since the Study began over a decade ago. A full report examining these findings is available by visiting BenefitTrends.MetLife.com.

U.S. workers are fiercely loyal to their workplace benefits, often citing them as on par with their salary and a key piece of why they work where they do – but a new survey finds that employers’ interest in offering voluntary benefits may be waning, at least temporarily.

Mercer, the world's leading consultancy for health, wealth and talent performance, announced that while benefits remain a critical part of the overall employee experience, the perceived value of workplace benefits among employees who participate in both health and retirement plans is starting to erode. The good news is that Mercer has identified ways to enhance both benefit delivery and choice, thereby improving employee perception of benefits.

It may be just the kind of place anyone would want to work. In one area sits a foosball table, pingpong table and video golf game to help employees break through creative blocks. In another area, slices of birthday cake adorn plates on the kitchen's island counter.

Only a quarter of employers are certain they will still be offering company-sponsored health insurance a decade from now. 

Bosses want choices, and workers want choices. Often, they don’t want the same ones. But in the case of paid time off, the two parties may find common ground.

We all find it challenging to adequately plan for a secure retirement. Will we have enough money to live comfortably for the rest of our lives? And be able to throw in a trip or two, keep the house heated, spoil the grand kids and buy a new car?

The word outsourcing has such a negative connotation. The word conjures up images of jobs going overseas, downsized departments, shuttered businesses and the downward spiral of service and product quality. To U.S. workers, outsourcing is a dirty word. 

Employers are being asked to take a much more active role in employees’ retirement-readiness. As a result, employer 401k plans and retirement education are undergoing some pretty significant changes. 

You may be surprised to learn why some employees are saying "no thanks" to program intended for their well-being.

While it’s difficult to discuss your eventual death with those you love, it’s imperative to plan for it, not only for your sake, but for theirs. Employers can offer several voluntary benefits to help make this end-of-life planning and transition easier for their employees and the loved ones they leave behind.

An overwhelming majority of Americans support a growing number of laws that provide mandatory paid sick leave for workers, according to a survey from FindLaw.com. Seventy-one percent of people surveyed by FindLaw.com say they support mandatory sick leave laws. Only 10 percent of Americans are opposed, while 19 percent were unsure or had no opinion. 

The Great Recession caused many workers to delay retirement plans or forego them completely, but an annual CareerBuilder survey shows a slightly more optimistic picture for full-time workers nearing the end of their careers. A majority (58 percent) of workers age 60 or older say they are currently putting off retirement, down from 61 percent in 2013 and a peak of 66 percent in 2010.

Worksite wellness programs have become a big business – $6 billion in the U.S. – as employers look to improve employee health and productivity while containing health costs. Half of all employers with 50 or more workers offered wellness programs in 2012, and nearly half of those without a program planned to start one.

A recent HBR blog proposed to deliver "The Cure for the Common Corporate Wellness Program." But as with any prescription, you really shouldn’t swallow this one unless all your questions about it have been answered. As a physician, a patient and a businessman, I see plenty to question in Al Lewis' and Vik Khanna’s critique of workplace wellness initiatives.

John Burke, the president of Trek Bicycle, gave a speech in Chicago on Feb. 26, in which he told his audience of Chicago business leaders that their obese employees are a liability. Burke also revealed a mandatory eight-step program for the employees of his company.

Nancy Evolga doesn't apologize for taking money out of smokers' paychecks to give to their co-workers who want to better their health. Evolga, director of human resources at Bert Fish Medical Center, has implemented a wellness program that she says increases productivity, reduces absenteeism and decreases turnover.

More and more employers are looking to wellness programs to help relieve the expected burden of the Affordable Care Act’s excise tax on their high-cost plans. While 35 percent have already taken action to add or improve these supplemental programs, approximately 47 percent say they are considering this option, according to a new employer survey from Mercer.

By IFAwebnews Staff
Corporate employers plan to spend an average of $594 per employee on wellness-based incentives within their health care programs this year, according to a new employer survey conducted by Fidelity Investments and the National Business Group on Health (NBGH).

If your employees believe your company has a strong culture of supporting their personal health, you’ve got a competitive advantage over companies that are not perceived as such by their workforce.

Active employees in sedentary jobs generally get more blood flowing through the old gray matter than those who don’t exercise. With the extra oxygen provided by their active lifestyle, these workers tend to be more productive and get more satisfaction from their work.

Employees have access to thousands of apps covering health and wellness on their mobile device. Employers and wellness vendors can offer workers hi-tech ways to track their physical activity, promote healthy eating, and inspire wellness at work. Here are five mobile apps and outreach ideas to get employees moving and engaged in your wellness program.

Benefits managers spend a lot of time and energy trying to find ways to lower their corporate health care costs, but a new study reveals that they may lack critical data about the quality of the medical professionals and hospitals that serve their employees. 

March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month – a good time to refocus attention on your company’s eye protection program. As the National Safety Council points out, "All it takes is a tiny sliver of metal, particle of dust or splash of chemical to cause significant and permanent eye damage."

In a pilot project over a 12-month period, more than half of participants in a pilot program sponsored by Onlife Health, a national health and wellness company, and Government Employees Health Association (GEHA), a national health plan for federal employees, lowered their blood pressure through education, coaching and monitoring.