Recognition programs continue to serve an important role when it comes to retaining and engaging employees. According to a survey by the American Psychological Association, half of workers who do not feel valued by their employer plan to look for a new job within the next year. With regard to those who feel valued, only 1 in 5 (or 21 percent) will send their resumes to other companies. Recognition programs tie workers strongly to their workplace and they rank only second to pay when it comes to factors that keep people from looking for other jobs.  Behavioral psychologists say by looking at the human psyche, this can show employers how to build successful recognition programs. This should be done by appealing to workers' sense of value and reinforcing strong behavior. Top 10 retention strategies: Even though most workers (or 66 percent) stated that they are generally satisfied with their jobs, 25 percent said they will change jobs in 2013 or 2014. Based on a survey of more than 3,900 full-time workers ...

Last year, the departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury introduced proposed regulations that explore the provisions involving employer-sponsored wellness programs under the Patient Protection and Affordable care Act (PPACA). The proposed regulations apply to grandfathered and non-grandfathered group health plans that provide wellness program benefits, and are effective for plan years that begin on or after January 1, 2014. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), group health plans are prohibited from discrimination with regard to premiums, contributions or eligibility based on specified ‘health status related factors.” These can include medical condition, claims experience, medical history, disability and receipt of health care. The exception to this rule are wellness programs that stick to specific requirements under HIPAA. Under HIPAA laws, there are two types of wellness programs and they include participatory wellness programs and hea ...

Contingent workers have become a large and strong part of the workforce. These employees include independent contractors and staffing agency temps. Workplace experts say this means businesses should carefully consider the best tools available to manage these workers so compliance issues are minimized and productivity is maximized.  According to the Aberdeen Group in Boston, more than 1 in 4 employees were contingent labor in 2012 and that number is expected to climb up to 30 percent this year. Workplace experts say it can be risky to treat contract workers the same as full-time employees. This is due to the facts that these workers receive different benefits, are paid differently and work under different employment rules. In addition, companies should know they can open the flood gates when it comes to litigation over access to benefits and health care if employment language or job descriptions overlap. HR software providers do offer tools to track their contingent workforce population, but if you n ...

A state appeals court recently found part of the Florida’s workers’ compensation insurance program unconstitutional. The ruling which was issued by the 1st District Court of Appeal struck down a law that put a two-year limit on temporary disability benefits.  Back in 2011, St. Petersburg, Florida firefighter Bradley Westphal stopped getting disability payments. He was unable to work due to injuries, but he also did not meet the criteria to qualify for permanent disability benefits. In a 24-page opinion that the two-year limit on temporary benefits is inadequate in situations such as these, Judge Brad Thomas wrote there is “simply no public necessity, much less an overpowering one, that has been demonstrated to justify such a fundamentally unjust system of redress for injury. The natural consequence of such a system of legal redress is potential economic ruination of the injured worker, with all the terrible consequences that this portends for the worker and his or her family.” ...

Both the IRS and HHS have been issuing notices and guidance along with regulations in regard defining what is affordable coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Employers appear to be focusing on household income and what makes up affordable coverage to avoid penalties. Here’s a breakdown of the idea of “affordability” and see where we stand:  Let’s first assume that one is offering coverage that meets the minimum test value that is still being determined. If the cost for the employee to obtain “single coverage” is less than 9.5 percent of the same employee’s total compensation as determined by what they submit on their W-2, that coverage is deemed affordable. Generally, coverage must be available to cover dependents, although this excludes spouses. The cost of dependents does not determine the affordability of the coverage. This means that, as it stands, single coverage to the employee costs less than 9.5% and is affordable. The hous ...