Companies Bring Back Some Benefits as Economy Improves

Companies including FedEx Corp. have begun reinstating some employee benefits as the economy has shown signs of improvement, USA Today reported Friday.

FedEx, ranked No. 2 in the Transport Topics 100, recently told its more than 170,000 U.S. employees that beginning in January most will receive a 401(k) match that is half of the earlier rate, USA Today reported.

Remaining staffers from FedEx’s office division will have the previous match fully restored because they do not receive a company-funded pension plan, the paper said in a front-page story.

Other companies are doing things such as putting greater emphasis on employee achievements to decide salary increases and tying 401(k) matches to companies’ quarterly or annual financial performance, USA Today said.

In the past year many companies including in the trucking industry, suspended such matching benefit plans or trimmed employees’ pay due to the sluggish economy.