A new study shows 72 percent of 401(k) plans offered target-date funds in their investment line-up at the end of 2011. That number is compared with 70 percent at the end of the year in 2010 and 57 percent at the end of 2006. This study was jointly done this past December by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and the Investment Company Institute.  But experts say the adoption rate with participants has moved at a much slower pace. And research shows at the end of 2011, only 13 percent of the assets in the EBRI/ICI 401(k) database were invested into target-date funds. That number was up from 11 percent in 2010 and 5 percent from back in 2006. Also, 39 percent of 401(k) participants held target-date funds at the end of 2011—as compared with 36 percent in 2010 and 19 percent from 2006. The study shows when it comes to new or recent hires, target-date funds fared better. With regard to this, 51 percent of account balances of recently hired employees in their 20’s were invested in balanced f ...

According to a recent study, following a routine eye exam, 2.4 million people have been identified as having a chronic disease. According to the study by the Human Capital Management Services Group, companies that offer vision benefits saved $4.5 billion in healthcare costs due to early detection.  That means that employers who are looking for ways to help lower healthcare costs and improve employee health might want to consider looking a little closer into vision health plans. Health experts say increased communication between eye doctors and primary care physicians can also result in common chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension being diagnosed sooner as opposed to later. Coordinated information learning can be a win-win for everyone. In addition, vision care experts also have the chance to see signs of chronic disease even before primary care doctors do—insurance experts that’s because people are much more likely to get an eye exam each year as opposed to the dreaded ann ...

Annual reviews should be the end result of a year’s worth of coaching and performance feedback. Annual reviews are one of the top ways to lose an employee. Avoid these mistakes to help turn annual reviews from potential pitfalls into a celebration of work effort. Don’t have any surprises at annual reviews Springing unexpected negative feedback on an employee during an annual review, will normally be perceived by the employee as the revealing of a year-long lie. If an employee is not receiving feedback during the year, they usually presume their work is at least adequate. A supervisor that is disappointed in the work of an employee, yet waits until the annual review to reveal the disappointment, is creating a negative bomb to deal with. Employees should be made aware of how their work is holding up during the course of the year. It works to the benefit of both the employee and the employer. If the poor work is documented, and remains poor, the company is compiling documentation to use in support ...

According to workplace experts, if you have less than 10 employees, you might want to consider having a weapons policy in place. This policy should be like other policies you have in place and serve as a guide to acceptable behavior and the standards you expect of your employees.  Generally speaking, private companies are allowed to dictate what is allowed inside of their facilities—however some state laws allow workers to bring weapons into work if they keep it locked in their cars in the parking lot. However, guns stored in this way have to be kept hidden and if a weapon is visible or stolen and used to commit a crime, its owner could be held liable for negligence. Gun owners need to make sure they have proper licensing or certifications their specific state requires and employers should be diligent about making sure employees who bring guns to the parking lot have permits that are in order. In one court case, a plaintiff stated that the federal Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act bans al ...

Research shows more than half of American companies offer employees access to 401(k) or other defined contribution plans. That means each year, more than $118 billion is spent in match contributions. New data information released from the Federal Reserve and the IRS, and then analyzed by HelloWallet, shows that many plan participants are not willing or not able to use their defined contribution plans just for retirement savings. In fact, the data shows more than 25 percent of households have taken funds from their defined contribution accounts for non-retirement spending. That number totals more than $70 billion in withdrawals every year.  The report, written by HelloWallet, found the majority of that $70 billion is driven by cash-outs. Seventy-three percent of people surveyed reported everyday basic financial problems as reasons why they have taken funds out of their defined contribution accounts. In addition, less than 8 percent of breachers report taking early distribution due to the fact that they ...