Healthy workforce key insurance benefits issue
POSTED: Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 07:37 AM PTBY: Michelle Hicks
Tags: Line of Communication, Michelle Hicks
I know many benefit and HR leaders are trying to understand the specific impacts of health care reform on their plans for 2011. It’s tough right now. Open enrollment begins for most companies in just a couple of months and new rules are issued by the Department of Labor almost every day.
But while you consider [...]
To tweet or not to tweet about employee benefits
POSTED: Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at 04:09 PM PTBY: Michelle Hicks
Tags: Line of Communication, Michelle Hicks
As employers prepare for benefits open enrollment this fall, they know there is greater interest than ever from employees. Health care reform continues to make headlines in news cycles. And, those public conversations are raising employee awareness about the benefits they receive now and what they can expect to receive in the future.
Many of my [...]
Employers get relief from Mental Health Parity law
POSTED: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 08:16 AM PTBY: Michelle Hicks
Tags: Line of Communication, Michelle Hicks
Employers or plan sponsors who are trying to design health plans to be in compliance with the Mental Health Parity law were struggling with government rules issued in February. The rules would have required many to change their plan design to comply by July 1 of this year and, in doing so, possibly lose their [...]
Some suggestions on using social media
POSTED: Monday, June 28, 2010 at 07:48 AM PTBY: Michelle Hicks
Tags: Line of Communication, Michelle Hicks
If your company is still struggling to decide whether or not to engage in social media, consider some of these statistics. Neilsen NetRatings reports 80 percent of American homes now have computers. Of those, 92 percent are connected to the Internet and more than half through speedy broadband.
There are more than 200 million websites now, [...]
Be that great first boss for a teenage summer worker
POSTED: Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 06:16 AM PTBY: Michelle Hicks
Tags: Line of Communication, Michelle Hicks
Remember your first summer job? Mine was always working for my parents in their Beauty and Barber College - sweeping hair, answering phones, stocking shelves. Not exciting. But I had friends who scored the BEST summer jobs on the planet - or so I thought. Like being a lifeguard at the local pool so they [...]
Lessons from the recession about savings
POSTED: Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at 11:23 AM PTBY: Michelle Hicks
Tags: Line of Communication, Michelle Hicks
Some exciting news came out from Fidelity Investments in late May - contributions to 401(k) plans were up in the first quarter of 2010. As reported in the San Jose Mercury News, Fidelity says the average contribution rate is 8.2 percent. That’s still significantly below the 10 to 12 percent recommended by many financial advisers, [...]
When it comes to summer dress codes, think win-win
POSTED: Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 06:39 AM PTBY: Michelle Hicks
Tags: Line of Communication, Michelle Hicks
HR professionals are spending more time on strategic initiatives and less on transactional processes. For example, they are becoming better partners to the business by investigating turnover trends and developing proactive solutions to retain high-performers instead of just producing line graphs of data.
And, they are evaluating the impact of health care reform to modify health [...]
Rules on adult child coverage defined
POSTED: Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 12:07 PM PTBY: Michelle Hicks
Tags: Line of Communication, Michelle Hicks
The government has just released clarifications for employers on health care reform and the rules will likely result in higher costs for employers. Just about a week after the IRS issued a notification that allowed adult child coverage to be available tax free, Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury clarified the definition of adult [...]
HR’s role in mergers and acquisitions
POSTED: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 02:46 PM PTBY: Michelle Hicks
Tags: Line of Communication, Michelle Hicks
Early this year, McKinsey & Company predicted merger and acquisition activity would increase in 2010: “We expect large corporate buyers will be particularly well positioned to take advantage of any new wave of M&A, but we also see private-equity firms returning to the market.” And, as predicted, M&A activity is heating up.
Last week, Continental and [...]
Membership in professional groups must be maintained
POSTED: Monday, May 3, 2010 at 09:54 AM PTBY: Michelle Hicks
Tags: Capital City Communicators, Line of Communication, Michelle Hicks, Professional Organizations
On April 30, at the Esther Simplot Performing Arts Academy, the Capital City Communicators hosted the inaugural IMPACT Awards for communication excellence. More than 30 individuals and agencies took home prizes, including yours truly.
It was a wonderful evening of recognition and a chance for communication professionals to learn about the innovative accomplishments of their peers. [...]
