Despite Slower Economy, Employers Keeping Pay Raises Steady for 2009 U.S. companies are planning to give workers merit increases that will average 3.5 percent next year, identical to the increase workers received this year. Employees whose performance ratings exceed expectations will receive an average merit increase of 4.2 percent, while those who far exceed expectations will receive an average 6 percent increase, according to a Watson Wyatt study. Sidebar: middle management compensation.

News & Featured Articles DAILY NEWSWIRE For full links/summaries to free comp/benefits stories on the web, click here. Highlights: Minimum Wage Boost Vanishes for Some (AP) No-Frills, Onsite Health Clinic Proves Its Worth (Orlando Sentinel) Investment Information or Investment Advice? (Milliman; BusinessWeek) Committee Eyes 401(k) Debit Cards (National Underwriter) NEWLY POSTED/OF SPECIAL NOTE • DOL Proposes Rule to Improve 401(k) Fee Disclosure to Participants (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) • Gas Price Takes Toll on Employee Loyalty; Transit Benefits Help (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) • Identity Theft Protection as an Employee Benefit (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) • Survey: Backup Care Reduces Stress (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) • More Time Off, Flex Schedules, in Lieu of Higher Pay (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) Sign up for the SHRM Comp & Benefits newsletter (now 4 times monthly!) HEALTH CARE: WELLNESS • Employers Can Help Workers Avoid Heart Attacks, Stay Healthy (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) • More Employers Use Incentives for Health Management Programs (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) • Keeping Wellness Programs Out of Hot Water (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) • Wellness—and Well-Being—Depend on Fostering Good Judgments (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) • Finding Wellness's Return on Investment, (HR Magazine) • Success Record: Best Employers for Promoting Healthy Lifestyles (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) HEALTH CARE: COST/ADMIN • Convert Health Care Cost into Health Care Value (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) • Treasury Department Releases New Guidance on Health Savings Accounts (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) • Reviewing Diagnoses/Treatments, Saves Dollars (Comp & Benefits Focus Area, includes video clip) • Survey Reveals Shift to Value-Based Health Benefit Design (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) • CDHPs Help To Slow Health Cost Inflation (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) • Medical Tourism Alexandra Jung, senior vice president and practice leader at AON Inc., discusses the trend of employees going overseas for operations. • View this video TOTAL REWARDS • Smaller Businesses Employees Find Less Value in Their Benefits; More 'Voluntary' Choices Help (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) FAMILY BENEFITS • How to Care for Elder Care Givers (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) • California Same-Sex Marriage Ruling: Employee Benefit Plan Implications (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) • Top Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List Spurs Improved Benefits (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) TIME OFF • More Flexibility for Paid Time Off (Comp & Benefits Focus Area) • More States Require Employers to Let Workers Use Sick Leave for Family Care (Workplace Law Focus Area) • California Gets Guidance on 'Kin Care' (Workplace Law Focus Area)

WEBCASTS Recent Webcasts: Available 'On Demand' Communicating CDHPs to Your Workforce Presenters: Suzanne McGarey (Employee Benefit Solutions) and Lane Transou, SPHR, (Global Industries Ltd.) View this webcast Workers' Comp: Practical Overview and Recent Developments Presenter: Dr. Richard Victor (Workers Compensation Research Institute) View this webcast A Guide to Wage and Hour Compliance in 2008 Presenters: Tammy D. McCutchen and Lisa Schreter (Littler Mendelson) and Shanti Atkins (Employment Law Training Inc.) View this webcast New Challenges in Combating Absenteeism Presenter: Cornelia Gamlem, SPHR (GEMS Group) View this webcast To Outsource or Insource: New Choices for Benefit Managers Presenter: Susan King (Aon Consulting) View this webcast. New Proposed Cafeteria Plan Regulations: Steps to Take Now Presenter: Susan Relland (Miller & Chevalier Chartered) View this webcast. Benefits Update: Where We Are, Where We Are Going Presenter: Gary Kushner (Kushner & Co.) View this webcast Contain Health Care Costs Through Wellness Incentives Presenter: Michael Carter (Hay Group) View this webcast View all upcoming and currently viewable "on demand" Compensation & Benefits webcasts, here.

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