A benefits program is an investment and as with all investments there are inherent risks. Risk that the expected return will not materialize. Risk that what you thought you “bought” will turn out to be different than what you go. Risk that the cost of managing the investment significantly reduces the return. But, like any investment, […]
As corporate merger and acquisition activity continues to increase, companies need to adjust how they leverage their compensation and benefits programs. The restructuring of these programs plays a critical role in retaining key talent during the transactions, according to a new survey by Hewitt Associates. Furthermore, findings from Hewitt’s M&A survey of 103 companies revealed […]
History has taught us that health policy decisions are not only emotional, but very political. Changes to public policy are frequently made in response to the concerns raised by any number of constituents and “special interest groups”, and governments are disinclined to take bold steps to reform the health system, as the measure of ‘bold’ […]
There has been no shortage of media coverage on the current economic times and the struggle for economic survival faced by many organizations. Even with some signs of recovery starting to show, it’s hard not to feel uneasy about how all this will ultimately turn out. There’s a new economic landscape forming before us. Where […]
The prognostications of how long this economic downturn will last are as varied as the number of economists who have dared to venture a guess, but popular opinion suggests that it is going to get worse before it gets better. The Canadian economy from coast to coast has been battening down the hatches—planning for the […]
The boom times of the last decade are clearly behind us—yes we heard you the first time—and the future is unclear. But where there are challenges, there are opportunities and this has never been truer in the benefits industry. Without question, there will be pain associated with job loss, reduced benefits coverage and increased plan […]
Our economic world is changing around us. The optimism of a few short years ago has been replaced with a more negative outlook for the future. The financial markets are in disarray creating significant liquidity issues in many industries. Consumers are simply not buying because of the economic uncertainty. Organizations of all shapes and sizes […]
I recently attended a presentation by an insurer where it posed this question. It was trying to challenge the perception that benefits had become a cost-driven commodity purchase, and that focus on final premium rates and the cost of delivering these benefits (administration and claims settlement expenses) ignored the bigger piece of the pie—the claims […]