Editor’s Note

With the steady rise in digital technology, sitting has become the most common posture in the workplace. Sitting can actually be extremely harmful to your health—even more so than smoking, claims various studies.

 

According to the American Heart Association, prolonged periods of being sedentary are extremely harmful. And working in an office setting can actually wreak havoc on our bodies – research links sitting for long periods to obesity, increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol levels, and musculoskeletal issues.
 
However, sitting can be hard to avoid in modern life, so what can you do about it? This month’s cover article, Balanced Active Sitting: The Latest Office Wellness Trend by Scott Bahnman, emphasizes on an ideal position, balanced active sitting, that can activate your core while sitting, and improve circulation and energy so you can be more productive both at work. Catch up with this article to know more on this healthy approach to sitting.
 
Public health laws in the UK say that enclosed workplaces and public places must be smoke-free. But beyond this, there’s not much written in law that stops your employees from stepping outside, and lighting a cigarette. But should you let them, or should you try to create a totally smoke-free workplace? Sat Sindhar’s article, Why Rolls-Royce Created A Smoke-Free Workplace, sheds light on how employers can encourage employees to quit smoking for a healthier, happier workplace in an effort to promote better health and wellbeing for their employees.
 
Year 2019 is set to be a busy year for HR and employment law. From post-Brexit immigration rule changes and gender pay gap reporting, to age discrimination at work, employers are faced with amended employment laws and new deadlines for their organization to meet. Hayley Marles, in her article, 10 Changes To Look Out For In Employment Law, talks about the key changes HR professionals and business owners need to be aware of.
 
Tax-exempt employers have a special opportunity to fix compliance concerns with their 403(b) retirement plans. They have through March 31, 2020 – the “Remedial Amendment Period” (RAP) – to retroactively self-correct compliance issues with their 403(b) plan documents, without going through the IRS’ more costly and time-consuming process that would normally be required. Tamar Rosenberg and Martin Smith’s article, 403(b) Retirement Plan Compliance Opportunity, sheds more light on this topic.
 
This is not all! We have a variety of other informative articles on employee benefits and wellness in this issue. We hope you enjoy reading all the articles and get back to us with your valuable feedback.