According to ManpowerGroup, employers can improve their talent retention rates by defining success upfront, which is outlined in its recent paper "Hire and Retain the Best Talent With Success Mapping.

While most employers are vigilant in ensuring workplace safety, says Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health, sometimes it can fall off the radar for employers that dont deal with it on a daily basis.

According to research conducted by the Mayo Clinic, a smoke-free workplace can reduce the numbers of heart attacks.

If all employees had access to paid sick days, it could save $1 billion in yearly medical costs, according to a report released by the Institute for Women's Policy Research.

Forty-five percent of employers believe educating employees on benefits is a top priority among management, as more senior leaders are taking on advocate roles, according to the Employee Benefits Accountability and Consumerism 2011 survey by WorldatWork.

More than 20 cents of each revenue dollar for employers are going toward health care costs that are undermanaged, according to the nonprofit Center for Health Value Innovations Health Value Accelerator, an online tool that creates a value-based benefit design centering on both engagement and accountability.

According to experts at Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, there are five workplace trends that employers, HR professionals and brokers should be aware of in order to be prepared for 2012.

Despite veterans facing a higher than average unemployment rate, 20 percent of employers say they are actively looking to hire veterans over the next year, and another 14 percent are actively recruiting National Guard members, according to a study conducted by Harris Interactive in partnership with CareerBuilder.