United Benefit Advisors Insight and Analysis Blog

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic continues to outbreak across the globe, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has been regularly releasing new updates and developments, along with best practices and instructions for businesses to help prevent the further spread of the disease. Please note that these may change as international health groups like the World Health Organization (WHO) continue to monitor the virus’ progress.  Always refer to the CDC’s website for the latest developments.

Topics: HR Elements, Work Remotely, Work From Home, Coronavirus, Social Distancing

With Super Tuesday just in the rearview mirror and the 2020 general election looming ahead, we’re in the thick of election season. It can be a difficult time for human resources teams, as they try to navigate politics in the workplace while maintaining an open and supportive office culture. In the past, some businesses have approached this by enacting a simple company-wide “no politics” policy. But recently, HR teams have found more success taking the opposite route: encouraging their employees to stay politically engaged. 

Topics: HR Elements, company policy, Election, Politics

Day one of a brand new job can be an exciting, invigorating experience, one that can rekindle your passion for your career and act as a re-energizing reminder of why you do what you do. At least, until the HR department drops a 50-pound training manual on your desk. 

Topics: HR Elements, gamification, Employee Training, HR

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an updated Premium Assistance Under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) model notice.

Topics: Medicaid, CMS, Medicare coverage, CHIP, compliance recap, children

It’s a staple of office small talk, one of the first things we check when considering a new job, and a necessary evil for an overwhelming majority of American workers: the commute. While more and more companies are offering remote positions and flexible work-from-home options, the U.S. Census Bureau recently announced that the average commute is still hovering around 25 minutes. The fact that this hasn’t decreased significantly with the rise of telework tells us that while more Americans are working from home, more are also hunkering down for longer trips to and from the office.

Topics: wellness, workplace culture, commute, flexibility in the workplace, Work Remotely, Work From Home

Despite most companies implementing corporate wellness programs, bringing in the standing desks, and swapping out the coffee and donuts for more nutritional office snacks, the American workplace still isn’t the healthiest environment for us. The modern employee still spends most of a stressful eight-hour day sitting in a chair and staring at a screen—not exactly an active lifestyle—and employers are paying for it. In fact, the Center for Disease Control estimates that companies pay more than $3 trillion in healthcare costs to combat chronic illnesses and conditions.

Topics: productivity, HR Elements, Health Coaches, HR

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released final instructions for both the 1094-B and 1095-B forms and the 1094-C and 1095-C forms and the final forms for 1094-B, 1095-B, 1094-C, and 1095-C. There are no substantive changes in the forms or instructions between 2018 and 2019.

Topics: ACA, IRS, compliance recap, Penalty Relief

How does your HR department make key decisions? Your personal experience? Cold, hard data? An educated guess? Gut feeling? All of the above? 

Making major HR decisions is difficult. There are countless dependencies and variables, especially when you’re unsure what the future holds. That’s why more and more companies are turning to predictive analytics to predict outcomes for their business and plan accordingly.

Topics: employee engagement, recruitment, HR Elements, Workforce Analytics

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a proposed rule on the importation of certain drugs from Canada.

Topics: prescription drugs, compliance recap, FDA

In the late 2000s, major headlines concerning the economy and jobs were usually related to unemployment. Qualified people might struggle to get an interview or retain a position in a volatile job market. This was especially true for millennials graduating college at the height of the most recent financial recession in 2008. But unemployment is at a historic low here in the new decade, so it’s no longer the employee struggling to find a good fit—it’s the employer.

Topics: workplace culture, employee benefit plans, HR Elements, attracting talent