The average age of a construction worker is now in the 40s. Baby boomers — people born between 1946 and 1964 — represent 40% of the construction industry workforce, according to the Center for Construction Research and Training. The nature of construction work presents many hazards for workers, many of which may not appear until…
If you’ve noticed a lot of employees asking for time off for a “mental health day,” you aren’t alone. A recent study found that the number of mental health leave-of-absence requests has grown by a third since the COVID-19 pandemic. And, data from ComPsych, a provider of employee assistance programs (EAPs), shows that such leave…
The 2024 International Roadcheck — a high-visibility, high-volume inspection and enforcement effort conducted by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance — is slated for May 14-16. During this annual three-day event, CVSA-certified inspectors fan out across the United States, Canada and Mexico to inspect commercial vehicles and drivers at weigh and inspection stations, as well as…
A recent study has found that employers who offer health insurance coverage to their staff had an average return on investment (ROI) of 47%, meaning that for every $1 an employer spends, it will receive $1.47 in benefits. The analysis by Avalare, a wellness plan provider, and commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, found…
Cal/OSHA has published a model plan to help California employers comply with a new law requiring that they have in place a workplace violence plan. The model is designed to provide structure for employers to create their own plans. Businesses have the option to use the model plan, create their own or use another plan…
One often overlooked cost driver to your employee benefits plans is administrative errors and oversights that are the result of sloppy record-keeping and a lack of checks and balances among your account and human resources teams. If you are not diligent in keeping up with outgoing employees, are not paying enough attention to admin details…
New Regulations Aimed at ‘Fixing’ California’s Property Insurance Market Crisis With the California commercial property and homeowner’s insurance markets increasingly stressed with fewer and fewer insurers willing to write policies in the Golden State, the insurance commissioner has floated a plan aimed at easing the crisis. The main thrust of the new proposal is to…
Pharmacy spending, high-cost claimants and newly developed anti-obesity drugs are expected to shape health benefits and affect the cost of care and health insurance for employers, according to a new report. The “2024 Employee Health Trends” report by Springbuk, an online health intelligence platform, reflects concerns among employers and insurers about runaway drug costs due…
The newest cyber and financial fraud threat facing businesses is deepfake technology, which criminals are using to extract money from unsuspecting accounts payable personnel. A finance worker at a multinational company in Hong Kong was duped into transferring $25 million to criminals who had used deepfake technology to pose as the business’s chief financial officer…
A new area of potential liability for employers was recently opened when a class-action suit was filed against Johnson & Johnson, accusing it of mismanaging its pharmacy benefit manager plan, resulting in the health plan and its enrollees overspending millions of dollars on medications. Health plans contract with PBMs to tamp down pharmaceutical costs, but…