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Special Section on Benefits on Disability Management
Total Absence Management: Practical Solutions to Prevent and Minimize Employee Absence 
by Anne Ritter
A well-implemented total absence program is a win-win for everyone. For employees, it can streamline the process for reporting claims, close the gaps in getting paid and get them back to work more quickly. On the company side, total absence management offers savings of 10-30%, increased productivity and a happier, healthier workforce.
Legal Liability Under an IDM Program
by David L. Wolfe and Timothy J. Stanton
Integrated disability management (IDM) programs offer employers a simple, strategic approach to managing health and lost time. However, components of these programs also present potential liabilities under federal, and sometimes, state law. This article reviews the sources of these liabilities and summarizes techniques for minimizing the risk to employers (and managers individually).
General Articles
Employee Retention--What Can the Benefits Professional Do?
by Christopher Ryan
Employee retention, a primary concern for many firms in the current business environment, is most effectively viewed as a strategic problem, one that demands a team approach. The benefits professional should be a vital member of that team, helping to design an employment proposition that will allow an employer to attract and retain the most competitive workforce.
Worldwide Business Trends Create New Leverage for Voluntary Benefits
by Julian Romeu
The recent growth of interest in voluntary benefits has coincided with a decline in resources available to administer benefit programs. Fortunately, technology offers employers a solution to this resources dilemma in the form of portals, which allow employers to provide choice and access to voluntary benefits without concerns about increasing the workload for the benefits staff and without causing confusion among employees.
Health Benefits: Employer Liability and the Need for Change
by Christopher H. Coulter, CEBS
The cost of health care benefits has been rising much faster than overall inflation recently, and employees are increasingly dissatisfied with the programs being offered. This has left many human resources professionals searching for a better way. Against this background, attempts to increase employer liability pose serious threats. While some employers might consider abandoning health benefits to avoid this expanded liability, other alternatives may be more appealing and may be equally effective at limiting liability.
MNT: An Innovative Employee-Friendly Benefit That Saves
by Eric Larson
In an effort to address the rising cost of health care within employee and retiree populations, many large employers are turning to an innovative health care solution: the registered dietitian and medical nutrition therapy and prevention. Research and case histories show the effectiveness of this approach.
Liquidity-Related Plan Asset Issues
by Brian B. Murphy, Mark K. Johnson and W. Paul Zorn
By about 2025, most baby boomers will have retired, which will put a tremendous strain on public sector pension plans. Many will experience negative cash flows, and liquidity will be an increasing concern. Asset/liability studies can help measure the effect of this risk on system funding and contribution requirements, resulting in more informed asset allocation choices and benefit policies.
Retirement Plan Technology Delivers Big Benefits to Small Business
by Robert F. Clark
Retirement plan technology has made it possible for small businesses to be "competitive" in the benefits they offer employees. Small firms that have upgraded their plans have found they are able to offer programs that are less expensive for them and richer for their employees. Integration and Web-based technology have also facilitated employees' retirement planning.
Mildly Ill/Backup Child Care: A Benefit for Employees and Employers
by Stephen LoJacono
As the number of working parents continues to grow, many companies are shifting toward an environment that supports family needs. Mildly ill and backup child care are key tools that companies can use to recruit and retain employees as well as a way to curb unscheduled absences.