It’s no secret that most employees do not fully understand all of their health insurance benefits, which can lead to worse health outcomes and them spending more money than they need to for some medical procedures. A recent survey of 226 executives by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services concluded that employees and employers could enjoy…
The latest trend in workplace safety best practices is tracking “leading indicators” ― or measuring performance based on the lessons learned from past events ― to reduce the chances of future injuries. Safety professionals are increasingly keeping track of near misses, hours spent on training and facility housekeeping and measuring the impact on the organization’s…
A new report has concluded that the Affordable Care Act, which took full effect in 2013, did not result in a significant change in the number of employers offering health insurance, although the rate at which small employers offered coverage declined slightly by 2.6 percentage points between 2013 and 2020. The study by the Urban…
One fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has been an increase in the number of Americans who are working from home permanently. With so many people being freed from the yokes of the office, many have chosen to move to other states for a variety of lifestyle or cost reasons. But while these arrangements can be…
The way courts have interpreted a California law — the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), which has been on the books for 18 years — has led to an explosion of lawsuits against employers during the last few years. The law has generated more than 20,000 lawsuits against employers since 2017 at an average cost…
Legislators in Sacramento have fast-tracked new legislation that will extend paid COVID-19 leave benefits for workers in California. AB 84, which Gov. Gavin Newsom has promised to sign, would require employers with 26 or more workers to provide up to 40 hours of supplemental paid sick leave for employees who are unable to work on…
Starting Jan. 15, the nation’s health insurers have been required to cover the cost of up to eight at-home rapid COVID-19 tests per month for their health plan enrollees. Insurers are taking different approaches to the mandate and, as an employer, you should communicate with your covered staff about this new benefit, how it works…
Can someone recover damages from a business if they claim that a family member caught COVID-19 at work and spread it to them? For California businesses, a court recently said that they might be able to. And courts in other states may use the decision as guidance. A California appellate court in December ruled that…
A new study has found that more than one in four U.S. workers say expensive medical bills are having a major impact on their mental health. Mental health issues have come to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic, spurring employers to expect their group health plans to do more for their workers in this area.…
Employers with 10 or more employees must post their completed OSHA Form 300A by Feb. 1 and keep it posted in their workplace until April 30. The form must be posted where the company usually posts other employee notices, like minimum wage and workplace safety notices. Form 300A summarizes the total number of fatalities, missed…