Overview - Chapter1
To-Do Date: Mar 16 at 11:59pmTopic
Welcome to the class and our textbook, "Employee Benefits: A Primer for Human Resource Management Professionals." Understanding employee benefits practices is a worthwhile endeavor no matter whether you plan to become a specialist working in an employee benefits department, a human resource generalist, or a manager in any department. For instance, employee benefits professionals are experts in paid time-off policy design. These experts work with HR generalists who oversee all HR activities for employee groups and share developments in the employee-benefits offerings. Employee benefits professionals also work with managers who are ultimately responsible for carrying out HR policies such as approving paid time off or knowing when to encourage a distressed worker to seek help through an employee assistance program. Let’s not forget, most people work for a living and either currently have or will likely have access to at least one employee benefit.
This week, we'll jump right in to chapter one. You will gain an understanding of:
The fundamentals of employee benefits and how they fit in the total compensation scheme
The field of employee-benefits practice
Legal and regulatory influences on discretionary employee-benefits practices
The strategic importance of benefits and approaches to strategically planning a benefits program
Information used to develop strategic benefits plans
How the Pandemic impacted employee benefits
Objectives
By the end of this week you will be able to...
- Identify information used to develop strategic benefits plans
- Describe the legal and regulatory influences on discretionary employee-benefits practices.
- Explain the fundamentals of employee benefits
- Understand why a national crisis like the Pandemic can result in a fundamental shift in employee benefits.
Weekly Schedule
| Activity | Estimated time required | |
|---|---|---|
| Reading: Chapter One: Introducing Employee Benefits | 30-45 minutes | |
| Discussion: Consider the varieties of internal and external information that companies consider when planning a benefits program. Which piece of information do you believe is most important to this planning process? Least important? Explain your answers. For full credit, please respond to a classmate's post in at least 50 words. Your initial post should be 100 words. | 40 minutes | |
| Writing Assignment: If two different companies list the same benefits offerings, should you assume the value of the benefits are the same? Your submission should be at least 100 words. | 20-30 minutes | |
| Video: Watch the Pandemic-related video in this week's module to better understand how a national crisis can lead to a fundamental shift in the administration of employee benefits. | 35 minutes |