Childcare can be an employee’s most expensive work-related expense. Fortunately, there is a benefit program you can offer that will at least provide tax relief to employees who use daycare providers. The program is the Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP). If you can’t offer a DCAP, employees also can use the Dependent Care Tax Credit...
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Self Funding 101 For Employers
Many employers are taking advantage of self funding to reduce costs, particularly medical costs. A self funding 101 lesson for employers is contained in a new report by Sun Life Financial U.S. Tn their Top Ten Catastrophic Claims Conditions report, Sun Life compiles the costliest medical conditions covered by its stop-loss insurance from 2012-15. The...
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Weight Discrimination on the Rise
The majority of American adults are overweight or obese, yet studies have found that weight discrimination is increasing. One recent study found it was as prevalent as racial discrimination. The study mentioned above used a subjective measure, individuals’ perceptions of being discriminated against for their weight. But studies using more concrete measures, such as pay...
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Understanding Consumer-Driven Health Plans
Insurers developed consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs) to help employers take control of their employee healthcare costs. What are the different CDHP types and what features do they offer? What Is a “Consumer-Driven Health Plan”? Consumer-driven health plans combine a high-deductible health insurance plan with some form of health savings account. These include HSAs, healthcare reimbursement...
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Is Your Website Discriminatory?
Poorly designed websites can create unnecessary barriers for people with disabilities, just as poorly designed buildings prevent some people from entering. And that could constitute discrimination and a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its amendments. Most employers should know Title I of the ADA, which applies to all employers, public and...
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Understanding Your Terrorism Coverage
When you renewed your commercial property or business package policy, your insurer might have included a notice regarding terrorism insurance coverage. What’s this all about? Your policy might contain two types of terrorism endorsements, or policy additions that provide extra coverage. One would exclude coverage for terrorism-related losses if the federal Terrorism Risk Insurance Program...
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Healthy Aging in the Workforce
The workforce is aging, so understanding the specific needs of older workers can help you keep them healthy and on the job. Here’s what you should know. Several years ago trend-spotters started talking about the “brain drain” that would occur when skilled Baby Boomers start to retire. More recently, the upheaval in financial markets and...
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Title VII Non-discrimination Protections Apply to LBGTQ Individuals
The EEOC has concluded “sexual orientation is inherently a ‘sex-based consideration’ and an allegation of discrimination based on sexual orientation is necessarily an allegation of sex discrimination under Title VII.” Translation: Title VII nondiscrimination protections apply to people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer. No federal law expressly bars discrimination against people...
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Drones in the Workplace
Real estate agents use unmanned aircraft systems, or drones, to photograph properties. Amazon promises that it will soon be using drones to deliver packages from its warehouses to your doorstep. And drones could help employers manage risk. In loss control: Drones can access areas out of reach of traditional video cameras, making them a valuable...
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Alternative Dispute Resolution and Your Legal Rights
In alternative dispute resolution (ADR), a neutral third party helps parties to a dispute reach a resolution outside of the court system. The most common types of ADR are mediation, arbitration and mini-trials. Mediation lets two or more parties solve disputes through the use of a mediator, a trained neutral third party. The mediator opens...
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