Questions and Answers of Employee Benefits

4. How is Starbucks using training to benefit the company during difficult economic times?
3. What are intangible assets? How do they relate to training and development?
2. What steps are included in the training design model? What step do you think is most important? Why?
1. Describe the forces affecting the workplace and learning. How can training help companies deal with these forces?
6. Identify appropriate resources (e.g., journals, Web sites) for learning about training research and practice.
5. Discuss the key roles for training professionals.
4. Describe how much money is spent on training in U.S. companies and how the money is used.
3. Describe the amount and types of training occurring in U.S. companies.
2. Discuss various aspects of the training design process.
1. Discuss the forces influencing the workplace and learning, and explain how training can help companies deal with these forces.
Some cities and states have passed laws that provide paid family or medical leave.Should the Family and Medical Leave Act be revised to require paid leave? Explain why or why not.AppendixLO1
Discuss the pros and cons of choosing an integrated paid time-off policy instead of multiple specific paid time-off policies—for example, sick leave, vacation, and so forth.AppendixLO1
Explain the criteria to qualify for unemployment insurance benefits.AppendixLO1
How are the OASDI and Medicare programs financed?AppendixLO1
Name and briefly describe the specific benefits in the OASDI program.AppendixLO1
Name the three broad categories of programs established under the Social Security Act of 1935. Briefly describe each one.AppendixLO1
Under what circumstances should employees be ineligible for public or private disability and life benefits? Discuss the rationale for your answer. Are the expenses associated with providing public
List and describe the types of claims in state workers’ compensation programs. Is there redundancy with employer-sponsored private insurance? Explain your answer.AppendixLO1
Compare the main objectives of state regulation of workers’ compensation programs and employer-sponsored disability and life insurance plans.AppendixLO1
Identify three types of life insurance plans. Briefly describe the differences among them.AppendixLO1
Discuss the basic concept of insurance. How does this concept apply to disabilities and life?AppendixLO1
Explain the pros and cons of flexible work arrangements.AppendixLO1
In which ways do accommodation and enhancement programs benefit employers? In which ways do they benefit employees?AppendixLO1
Why are unfunded plans the riskiest from an executive’s perspective? How can companies justify the use of unfunded plans?AppendixLO1
What are the main objectives of nonqualified plans?AppendixLO1
Should companies dictate what employees can do after work hours? Explain your answer.AppendixLO1
List and describe three specific benefits cost-control methods. What are some of the drawbacks to using one or more of these methods?AppendixLO1
What is the “good business sense” of benefits communications?AppendixLO1
Discuss how IRC Section 125 plans create advantages for employees and employers.AppendixLO1
Companies always face budget constraints, preventing them from offering every possible benefit. Identify one accommodation and enhancement benefit that you believe is most important and another that
Some companies do not include educational benefits in their benefits plans. Discuss reasons why this may be the case.AppendixLO1
Do you think it is ethical to offer financial incentives to employees who participate in a wellness program? How about penalties for choosing not to participate? Explain your answers.AppendixLO1
Discuss the differences between EAPs and wellness benefits.AppendixLO1
Discuss the funding mechanisms for NQDC plans.AppendixLO1
Briefly describe the consumer-driven approach and explain the role that spending accounts or arrangements play in this approach.AppendixLO1
Describe the differences between pension plans and welfare plans.AppendixLO1
Some people argue that there is too much government regulation of employment, while others say there is not enough. Do you think there is too little or too much government regulation? Explain your
A major theme of this chapter is that employers need to know the dollar value that employees place on benefits. Explain concisely why this type of information is important for employers to have. What
One reason employers offer benefits is that the benefits may be cheaper for the employers to provide than it would be for the employees to purchase on their own.Even if a particular benefit is
How do perceptions of employee-benefits plans influence organizational justice and organizational citizenship behavior?AppendixLO1
What are psychological contracts? Discuss the main features of psychological contracts and how they develop. Discuss how employees’ psychological contracts might be violated and the consequences of
Discuss the concept of social exchange as it relates to the employment relationship.How does this concept apply to employee-benefits practices?AppendixLO1
Describe the differences between strategic benefits plans and benefits practices.Should strategic benefits plans be developed before setting benefits practices? Explain your answer.AppendixLO1
Companies possess limited budgets to fund employee benefits. From an employee’s perspective, which employee-benefits practices should be funded? Which are easily dispensable? Now respond to these
Offer some suggestions for how companies might lessen the entitlement mentality among employees toward employee benefits.AppendixLO1
Explain the differences between COBRA and HIPAA.AppendixLO1
What is the main purpose of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, and why has it been necessary?AppendixLO1
Describe the principles of fee-for-service plans and managed care plans. What are the similarities and differences?AppendixLO1
Summarize three broad health-care plan design alternatives.AppendixLO1
Most companies award vacation and sick-leave time according to seniority. Should companies base the allocation of these benefits on employee performance? Discuss the rationale for your
Summarize the main requirements of the PPACA. Do you think that the government should require that every person has health insurance? Explain your answer.AppendixLO1
Discuss the differences between individual coverage and group coverage, fully insured plans and self-funded plans, and single coverage and family coverage.AppendixLO1
Explain why mobile employees might prefer cash balance plans over defined benefit plans.AppendixLO1
Summarize two concerns regarding cash balance plans.AppendixLO1
Are employees more likely to favor defined contribution plans over defined benefit plans? What about employers? Explain your answer.AppendixLO1
Describe three criteria of the 13 minimum standards on which plan status is determined to qualify retirement plans for preferential tax treatment.AppendixLO1
Describe three equal employment opportunity laws.AppendixLO1
Describe how employee benefits fit into the total compensation function.AppendixLO1
Describe the reporting and disclosure requirements for executive compensation and benefits.AppendixLO1
Having studied employee-benefit practices in this book, do you believe that treatment of executives is fair compared to that of employees of lesser ranks? Explain your answer.AppendixLO1
Respond to the following statement: “Flexible benefits plans are more trouble than they are worth.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Provide a rationale for your answer.AppendixLO1
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
Define the purpose of Medicare, and briefly contrast the two options an eligible person has for receiving Medicare benefits.AppendixLO1
Discuss the main differences between retirement systems in the United States (taking into account legally required and discretionary programs) and one other country discussed in this chapter. Does it
Discuss the main differences between health-care offerings in the United States and one other country’s practices discussed in this chapter. How do these differences affect companies’ ability to
Describe how employee benefits fit into the total compensation function.
Offer some suggestions for how companies might lessen the entitlement mentality among employees toward employee benefits.
Companies possess limited budgets to fund employee benefits. From an employee’s perspective, which employee benefits practices should be funded? Which are easily dispensable?Now respond to these
Describe the differences between strategic benefits plans and benefits tactics. Should strategic benefits plans be developed before setting benefits tactics? Explain your answer.
Consider the varieties of internal and external information companies consider when planning the benefits program. Which piece of information do you believe is most important to this planning
Discuss the concept of social exchange as it relates to the employment relationship. How does this concept apply to employee benefits practices?
Discuss how changes in the demographic composition of the American workforce will affect the employment relationship from the employer’s perspective. What possible impact will these changes have on
What are psychological contracts? Discuss the main features of psychological contracts and how they develop.
How do employee benefits form a part of employees’ psychological contracts? Discuss how employees’ psychological contracts might be violated and the consequences of these violations for employers.
Discuss the different types of justice perceptions employees hold about the employer and the firm. How do a firm’s employee benefits practices contribute to employees’ justice or fairness
What is organizational citizenship behavior? Discuss some of the employer outcomes of organizational citizenship behavior. How can employers use employee benefits practices to encourage employee
One reason employers offer benefits is that the benefit may be cheaper for the employers to provide than it would be for the employees to purchase on their own. Besides the insurance examples
One reason employers might offer a particular employee benefit is to aid in recruiting certain types of workers. One example given in the text is a tuition reimbursement program to attract highly
Small employers are less likely than large employers to offer health insurance to their employees. One reason for this is that health insurance tends to cost more for small employers than for large
A major theme of this chapter is that employers need to know the dollar value employees place on benefits. Explain concisely why this type of information is important for employers to have. What
Explain why the impact of a benefit cost increase on employee cash wages will generally depend on whether benefit costs rose for all employers in a market or for just one employer. Give some examples
Describe the difference between pension plans and welfare plans.
Some people argue that there is too much government intervention, while others say there is not enough. Given the presentation of laws and regulations in this chapter, do you think there is too
Use your familiarity with employee benefits practices to identify an area of practice that would benefit from government regulation. Describe the rationale for your answer.
Explain the difference between COBRA and HIPAA.
What is the main gist of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 and why has it been necessary?
Describe three criteria used to qualify pension plans for preferential tax treatment.
Explain why mobile employees might prefer cash balance plans over defined benefit plans.
Compare the main objectives of the federal and state regulation of employer-sponsored health insurance practices.
What is the most influential event in the history of employer-sponsored health care benefits?Explain why.
Discuss the basic concept of insurance. How does this concept apply to disabilities and life?
Compare the main objectives of state regulation of workers’ compensation programs and employer-sponsored disability and life insurance plans.
What benefits do companies receive when they provide disability and survivor benefits for nonwork-related occurrences?
Discuss the basic concept of social insurance as provided by Social Security programs.
Describe the differences between FICA and FUTA.
Would you modify any of the eligibility criteria currently used to qualify the unemployed for unemployment insurance benefits? Explain why.
List and describe the types of claims in state workers’ compensation programs. How much redundancy is there with employer-sponsored private insurance? Explain your answer.
Under what circumstances should employees be ineligible for public or private disability and life benefits? Discuss the rationale for your answer. Are the expenses associated with providing public
Discuss the pros and cons of choosing an integrated paid time-off policy instead of multiple specific paid time-off policies—for example, sick leave, vacation, and so forth.
Most companies award vacation and sick-leave time according to seniority. Should companies base the allocation of these benefits on employee performance? Discuss the rationale for your answer.

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