Vendor Management

Health care reform: Mark your calendar with these milestones

08/24/2010

When President Obama signed health care reform legislation in March, the clock started ticking on a series of changes that HR professionals will be dealing with for at least the next eight years. Here’s your timeline of what to expect.

What you should look for in a health benefits broker

07/27/2010

It’s probably the toughest part of a benefits administrator’s job: choosing next year’s health insurance plan. If they’re lucky, benefits pros have powerful allies in that high-stakes game: insurance brokers. But some brokers are little more than order-takers. If you’re starting to think your broker is part of the problem and not part of the benefits solution, maybe it’s time to look for a new one.

4 key trends transforming employee assistance programs

06/29/2010

Employee assistance programs are on the rise as employers cope with higher health care costs—and employees cope with the stresses of an uncertain economy. An expert says four trends will drive EAP change in coming months, bringing cost savings for companies and better care for workers.

37 ways to lower your health care costs

06/15/2010

Average employer-paid health benefit costs have increased about 6% per year for the last five years. At least in the short term, the new health care reform law may make the problem even worse. All the more reason to act now to get your health care costs under control. Here are 37 strategies worth trying.

6 talking points to get management buy-in for your HR budget

06/15/2010

When it’s time to present next year’s HR budget, get the C-Suite’s attention with these six talking points. They’ll show you mean business.

Fed contractors must post labor rights notice starting June 21

06/08/2010

In two weeks, you must begin posting a new notice of employees’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act if you’re a government contractor doing $100,000 or more in business with the federal government or a subcontractor with contracts worth more than $10,000.

Look for these 5 qualities when choosing a wellness provider

04/19/2010

Looking for a vendor to start or take over your organization’s wellness program? U.S. Preventive Medicine offers a five-item shopping list to guide your decision:

Miami-Dade, vendor settle—and whistle-blower gets $1.25M

03/11/2010

Miami-Dade County has agreed to settle a long-running legal dispute with the Wackenhut security firm, and one of the biggest winners is a Wackenhut worker who blew the whistle on the company. The battle began in 2005 when Michelle Trimble accused her employer of billing the county for 300 hours of work a week that no one was performing. The alleged overbilling amounted to $4.5 million per year.

What should we do about gifts from vendors?

12/08/2009

Q. Sometimes our vendors provide modest gifts for our employees. How should we handle these?

The do’s and don’ts of giving and receiving holiday gifts

12/01/2009

Q. Are there any legal issues regarding employee gift-giving during the holidays? What about giving or getting gifts from vendors?