Benefits

As reported by Forbes, spouses or domestic partners of U.S.-based Google employees who die while under the employ of the company will receive a check for 50 percent of the deceased employee's salary for 10 years. The surviving spouse or partner also acquires vested stock benefits, and their children receive $1,000 a month until the age of 19.

Some call them "global nomads." Others say they belong to an "international cadre." Either way, they are expatriate employees who spend a decent chunk of time (three to five years or longer) on multiple international assignments, typically moving from country to country in the process.

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act is probably not high on HR practitioners' things to ponder list, but a new push by the Department of Labor should change that.

A recent ruling by the 11th Circuit suggests that there are circumstances where an organization can offer a "non-voluntary" wellness program without running afoul of the ADA, according to legal experts.

The benefits of offering paid sick leave can outweigh the costs, even for small companies and especially for employers whose workplaces have a high risk for employee injuries, experts say.

Dealing with the new definition of a full-time employee is one of the biggest challenges organizations will face in 2014 when most of the new healthcare-reform law goes into effect, experts say.

While healthcare spending for employers should grow at a historically low rate in 2013, it continues to escalate at double-digit levels around the globe in 2012.

Americans have gotten used to defined-contribution retirement plans, which offer companies a more affordable alternative to traditional pensions but put the onus on employees to save for, and keep track of, their retirement investments.

Against the backdrop of healthcare reform, planning and prioritizing for open enrollment is more crucial than ever.

Have plan officials been asleep at the wheel when it comes to assessing the fairness of fees charged participants in their 401(k) plans?

The U.S. Supreme Court made up its mind on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Now, it's "play or pay" decision-time for employers.

Oliver Wyman's latest research shows that private exchanges are no fad -- they're a very real consideration for employers, with at least 50 percent of employers willing to leverage them for a 10 percent cost savings.

Thanks to the rise of generics, pharmaceutical-benefit costs have been dropping -- with one glaring exception: specialty drugs.

Are corporate exchanges the answer to soaring healthcare costs?

See the results of Aon Hewitt's survey of 562 organizations in its Corporate Health Care Exchange Survey and report.

Recognizing the stress involved in saving for college, employers are finding ways to pitch in.

Health insurance in the United States is on the cusp of a major transition from an employer-driven payor model to a model directly involving many more employees and consumers, says a Booz & Company report.

When I consider the topics of long-term-care insurance and caring for loved ones -- especially elderly -- I always turn to my friends and colleagues in Hawaii. Hawaii is a harbinger for what's to come in both caregiving and LTC since it is the nation's leader in the number of intergenerational households.