 Returning to in-person work is a top priority for many workplaces. As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lessens, employers are eager to get employees back in their buildings. But that comes with a series of complications.
 The IRS has set the maximum amounts employees can funnel into their health savings accounts and health reimbursement accounts (HRAs) for the 2022 policy year.
 Research has found that employers who offered their workers stand-alone vision benefits experienced $5.8 billion in cost savings in the aggregate over four years due to reduced health care costs, avoided productivity losses, and lower turnover rates.
 With so many people having been relegated to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers are now wrestling with how to proceed as it starts to wane. Many companies are considering implementing hybrid, flextime work schedules after seeing success with remote work.
 For a growing number of employers, voluntary accident insurance plans may play a part in rounding out employee benefits packages to help employees pay for unexpected costs. Accidents can happen to anyone—and the reality is that accidents do happen. In fact, more than 80 million people in the United States seek medical treatment for injuries each year.
 Open enrollment is something you probably only think about a few times a year. For employees, it might be even less often. That’s why it’s important to touch on benefits throughout the year—to ensure employees are making the most of them. Here are five steps for providing employees with thoughtful, year-round benefits engagement:
 Thanks to stresses brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, employee assistance programs have become more popular and crucial than ever before.
 The COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up call for HR departments in 2020. Suddenly, employees were looking to HR teams for guidance in areas not typically considered their responsibility. This was a turning point for many workplaces—now, HR is expected to understand public health challenges swiftly and manage them efficiently.
 There are new Summary of Benefits and Coverage notice requirements for health plans starting with the 2021 coverage year.
 In the last month of the Trump administration, the Labor Department finalized a regulation to clarify for employers which workers are employees and which are independent contractors.
|
