The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits went up by a larger than expected rate last week, according to The New York Times.
Claims for state unemployment insurance benefits increased to 478,000 in the week that ended Oct. 18, from 463,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said.
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The most confusing part of getting my first job out of college wasn't getting used to the structured days, it was deciphering the health care plan options that were offered in my benefits package. Years later, the choices make a little more sense but they still aren't 100 percent clear, and one thing is for sure: health care is more expensive. Hewitt Associates estimates that total health care spending will cost eight percent more than it was last year, and not paying attention to whether or not your plan is best for you could mean you are spending more than necessary.
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Employer-provided napping pods are great and all, but there's one new work perk gaining popularity that would help employees more than providing a place to rest. A handful of large employers including IBM and Pepsi have arranged for their employees to have access to one-on-one counseling sessions with financial planners. Some mid and small size firms are following suit: Even though the benefit is costly for employers, they believe it will help keep their workforces happy by reducing a big stress in their lives.
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If you want to spark a debate, just gab about America's health and child care systems. While many countries offer new mothers a year of maternity leave, most American women get three months maximum. And in regard to financial benefits, there are few.
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Many of you admit that you go to work sick because you're too busy to miss work, but for 46 million US workers it's not the workload that's keeping them from taking time off, it's that they don't have the benefit of paid sick leave. Advocates of proposed state bills mandating paid sick leave are hoping legislation would expand existing benefits and add new ones.
Come November, voters in 12 states, including California, Connecticut, Minnesota and West Virginia, will have the chance to share their feelings about proposed state laws that would enforce businesses to offer paid sick leave.
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Only a handful of my friends actually use all of their vacation time, and I admire their ability to do so without feeling guilty. In a culture that promotes around-the-clock availability, it seems unusual that workers take all of the vacation time they've earned. Do you usually use all of the time off that you've accumulated or do you find it difficult to get away?
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We celebrated Bastille Day with a variety of flaky croissants this morning, but it's likely many French citizens are enjoying their long Summer vacations and traveling over the holiday.
We might all have a little more joie de vivre if we had as many days off as the French. Do you know what the law says about how much time off French workers are entitled to?
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Before you're even given an assignment at a new job it's likely that you'll be handed a packet of benefit information. Your human resources director will walk you through the different plan options and explain the biggest differences between types of insurance plans, but you will undoubtedly have lingering questions afterward. No matter how savvy you are the little nuances could mean unsightly surprises for your pocketbook and incompatible plan restrictions for your needs.
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Some of the biggest domestic news last week was the announcement that California's Supreme Court overturned the ban on gay marriage. The ruling means that same sex couples will be able to obtain California marriage licenses and will be treated with the same state rights as heterosexual couples. In terms of benefits and taxes, CA has already been more inclusive of same sex couples than other states, and to find out exactly how the new ruling will affect these areas just
Because gay marriages won't be recognized by the federal government, certain rights will still be withheld from same sex couples that choose to tie the knot.
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Several Human Resources departments at companies across the US have made the controversial move of pulling the plug on their employees' diets laden with sugar and fat, at least while they're in the office. Donut themed breakfasts and processed food-filled vending machines are falling out of mode in favor of more natural and nutritious goodies.
According to BusinessWeek, HR employees have been spending time together learning "how to implement lean-worker campaigns, biggest-loser contests, and strategic-eating seminars."
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