Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Anne Vandeveer, President of ABV Advisors. We hope you enjoy Anne’s wisdom and perspective.

“Human beings are social creatures. We are social not just in the trivial sense that we like company, and not just in the obvious sense that we each depend on others. We are social in a more elemental way: simply to exist as a normal human being requires interaction with other people.” - Atul Gawande, bestselling author, surgeon, and public health researcher

Break out the packets, slideshows, and enrollment forms - renewal and open enrollment season for January 1^st is fast approaching! In the coming weeks, CFOs and human resources professionals will be meeting with their trusted consultants to make final decisions on their employee benefits packages for the upcoming plan year. As the numbers are finalized and decisions are communicated with the respective carriers, you can hear an audible sigh of relief that another year of renewals has come and gone. But it’s not over yet. One of the most important parts of the renewal process has just begun – open enrollment!

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs

With the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), sections 6055 and 6056 have been added to the Internal Revenue Code with reporting requirements for employers subject to the ACA’s shared responsibility or “play or pay” mandate. Under the new reporting rules, certain employers must submit information to the IRS regarding health plan coverage offered - or not offered - to employees throughout the year. This information will be used by the IRS to administer and enforce the ACA’s large employer shared responsibility penalty and the individual mandate.

Compliance is a deep sea of information, requirements, and deadlines. It can be extremely difficult to navigate. And mistakes or delays can cost your company significantly.

For those administering welfare benefits plans, one of the compliance issues you come across is the Department of Labor and Internal Revenue Service’s Form 5500. To help you understand the form and why it matters to your business, we asked Anne Vandeveer of ABV Advisors to provide some insight. Below you will find a brief guide from Anne on what you need to know about Form 5500.

Traditionally, wellness programs have been quite predictable. Your employees take a health risk assessment and participate in biometric screenings. These will stratify participants into a given health risk category. Health coaching often follows. And there is usually some amount of incentive tied to the completion of the aforementioned activities.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Dr. Eric Bricker, Chief Medical Officer of Compass Professional Health Services. We hope you enjoy Dr. Eric’s wisdom and perspective.

While there are many lessons learned from the past 8 years I’ve spent working with clients on their consumer directed health plans, three in particular stick out.

Employee engagement matters. The connection to the bottom line is clear. Yet studies by Gallup continue to report employee engagement levels at less than one-third.

How do you create a positive workplace culture where employees feel valued and engaged? It varies for every company. To shine light on the topic, we consulted a few of our fellow Best Places To Work in Indiana honorees for their advice - what makes your organization a great place to work? What is your lesson to share with other companies?

What causes the most stress for Americans? Money.

According to the American Psychological Association, money has consistently topped the charts as the number one source of stress.

Stress is one of the greatest causes for chronic disease, and chronic disease is one of the largest contributors to early death. Yet many of our workplace wellness programs are lacking initiatives to address this key stressor: financial concerns. Why is that?