Changes in COBRA Part 2--What Employers Need To Do
Universal Benefit Plans Blog By Universal Benefit Plans on 3/25/2009 9:39 AM

 The new COBRA laws enacted in February will allow millions of Americans to keep their medical benefits, but they will also create an undeniable administrative burden for employers.  Here’s a little background AND what has to happen for you to meet that burden and be sure that you’re in line with the new legislation. 

On February 17th, 2009, President Obama signed the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)” into law. “ARRA” provides a ...

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Changes in COBRA Part 1- Eligibility and How it Works (for employers and employees)
Universal Benefit Plans Blog By Universal Benefit Plans on 3/23/2009 8:58 AM
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The Benefits of Benefits-- Part 1
Universal Benefit Plans Blog By Universal Benefit Plans on 3/18/2009 2:00 PM
One of the most overlooked portions of an employee’s compensation package is easily their benefits package. But, the benefits offered by an employer should be (and often are) one of the main focal points employees consider when looking for a job.

Here’s an example of why: Let’s say that two companies make great job offers, but one offers a higher salary -- $5,000 higher to be exact. Seems like an easy decision, right? Nope. The company offering the slightly lower salary has 100% employer-paid benefits with a very low deductible. Upon closer inspection of the higher salary position, the candidate sees that their 50% contribution to the benefits package ($300 per paycheck) will equal $7,200 per year – AND there’s a high deductible to meet.

To put it simply, all employees – old and new – should know the full cost of every benefit provided to them by their employer, and not just for financial reasons. Knowing the value of benefits lets employees know exact ...
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Encrypting employee information and identity theft
Universal Benefit Plans Blog By Universal Benefit Plans on 3/18/2009 12:48 PM
Although 42 of our 50 states that have passed what are called, "data breach notification laws," Massachusetts is definitely leading the charge on the issue of safekeeping critical information, and seemingly, for all benefits reform in the U.S. Massachusetts has legislated that encryption of all critical employee data be accomplished by 2010. This could save millions of dollars (and thousands of families) by virtually ending identity theft in the workplace. But is it worth the burden on corporations, both in time and financially? Are we asking too much? How are overtaxed, understaffed employee benefits teams to accomplish this?

Although one of the biggest issues for organizations and their employee benefits teams right now is that a critical data breach almost insures that you'll be slapped with one (or more) class-action lawsuits - thus becoming a huge liability issue - the costs of preventing such a breach (i.e., identity theft) can be huge. With millions of records already l ...
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Productive employees know how much they’re worth.
Universal Benefit Plans Blog By Universal Benefit Plans on 1/12/2009 12:45 PM
Productive employees also know the total cost of each individual benefit given to them. Knowing the complete value of their benefits leads employees to complain less about the benefit-related costs they incur. For instance, an employee may complain that he or she is required to contribute 100 dollars per-month to medical insurance coverage. However, when that same employee realizes that the 100 dollars is merely 10% of the total cost of the plan, he or she will appreciate the employer’s contribution of 900 dollars that much more than before. More than likely, this new level of appreciation will cause the employee to complain considerably less.

A simple way of calculating employee productivity involves taking an employee’s output and dividing it by an employer’s input (i.e. labor costs, hours worked). The components that go into an employee’s total output generally include performance related variables (i.e. dollars in ...
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Generation Y employees have entered the workforce. Has your company embraced the new technologies and communication tools necessary to attract and retain top Generation Y talent?
Universal Benefit Plans Blog By Universal Benefit Plans on 1/9/2009 10:01 AM
Generation Y adults and future working adults, drawn from among the individuals born between 1979 and 1999, increasingly view their jobs and a means of building transferrable skill portfolios and leveraging them across various industries and positions. Unlike Baby Boomers and Generation X employees, these individuals are less likely to be loyal to one company for their entire professional careers. The US government has predicted that by the age of 38, the average Generation Y working professional will have had upwards of 10 to 14 jobs.

Generation Y workers expect the workplace to be a supportive environment where goals are clearly articulated and feedback is immediately available. They are tech savvy, voracious researchers with the ability to access a limitless supply of information with the click of a mouse.

Generation Y employees are also financially savvy. A September 2008 survey conducted by Diversified Investment Advisors revealed that 37% of Generation Y wor ...
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The HR in a Box™ HR Forums allow employers to tap into seasoned policy and compliance expertise.
Universal Benefit Plans Blog By Universal Benefit Plans on 1/5/2009 9:59 AM
No HR decisions concerning policy violations or job performance ever occur in a vacuum. Wrongful terminations are often grounds for legal action, especially when injury, illness and disability are involved. HR Managers face complex scenarios every day, especially given the current economy where cost cuts and layoffs are occurring more frequently than ever.

The HR in a Box™’s HR Forum allows experienced and novice HR professionals alike to make complicated judgment calls backed by the advice and support of HR experts. The Forum’s most vibrant participants make themselves available and accessible to answer your toughest questions based on prior knowledge and past experience.

Do you ever feel uncertain because the HR decisions you’re making for your company are based on zero precedent? With the HR Forum, this will no longer be the case. Many of our participants have been human resources professionals for more than a decade and can speak from multiple experiences ...
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