In today’s competitive labor market, benefits managers are walking a tightrope: controlling rising costs while delivering packages that attract and retain top talent. According to SHRM’s 2025 Employee Benefits Survey, this balancing act is now one of the most pressing challenges facing HR leaders.
In a year defined by rising healthcare costs and shifting employee expectations, supplemental health insurance products are experiencing a notable surge. According to LIMRA’s latest workplace benefits sales data, accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity insurance sales rose 11% year-over-year through the third quarter of 2024. This growth reflects a broader trend: employees are increasingly seeking layered protection to fill gaps left by traditional health plans.
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. During this month, the public and private sectors work together to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity.
All organizations, regardless of their size or industry, are at risk of being targeted by cybercriminals. These malicious actors can conduct cyberattacks, leading to significant financial, operational and reputational damage that can be difficult or impossible to recover from. Fortunately, solid cyber hygiene practices can reduce the likelihood of data breaches and other cyber incidents from occurring, and many of these practices are relatively low-cost and easy to implement.
Homeowners insurance is one of the most essential types of coverage acquired and maintained by Americans. Moreover, it may now be more critical than ever as claims costs continue to rise.
Although vehicles in general are attractive items for criminals to steal, recent data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) confirms that certain vehicle models are hotter commodities for thieves than others.
Although we do our best at to keep the workplace safe, violence inflicted by an outsider or between employees remains a serious safety and health issue. It can occur inside or outside the workplace and can range from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and homicide. In fact, according to the United States Department of Labor, workplace violence is the fourth-leading cause of fatal occupational injury in our country.
The existence of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Oil Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule, which has been in place since the 1970s, is widely known in the oil and gas industry. However, it is important to be aware of changes and clarifications made in 2010, which are of particular interest to those in the oil and gas industry. In a continued effort to prevent oil discharges from reaching navigable waters and adjoining shorelines, the EPA made several clarifications and changes to the decades-old SPCC Rule. The following provides an overview of the basics of the SPCC Rule while highlighting important modifications.
FERPA and data privacy risks have become increasingly important issues for schools to understand and address. FERPA—the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act—is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. However, as schools collect and store more sensitive data, FERPA and data privacy risks are also evolving. To stay compliant and protect students, school administrators must understand the law, recognize common risks, and implement practical solutions.
In 2025, rising group health premiums are becoming a central concern for employers. Carriers like UnitedHealth, Anthem, and CVS Health have issued projections showing significant cost increases—driven by escalating claims severity, specialty drug costs, and continued labor shortages across provider networks.
