It’s the year of the HSA and this tax-advantaged benefit is finally getting the recognition it deserves! While health savings accounts (HSAs) have always featured a host of valuable benefits, many employees have shied away from them in the past, often due to a lack of awareness and understanding. Now (due in part to the effects of the pandemic) nearly 50% of workers surveyed are investing the time to learn more about the plans that protect their health and their wallet. In addition, 77% of employees reported their HSA gave them peace of mind over the past year!
The way people work has changed forever. Technological advancements, shifting attitudes, new priorities, and the pandemic have ushered in an era where more and more people fulfill their professional roles at home. And, this era is here to stay - indefinitely. In fact, a recent study from SHRM revealed that more than half of employees want to work remotely permanently.
Let's face it. The last couple of years have not been easy. Between budget cuts, the need to learn new technology on the fly, and other unprecedented, pandemic-related challenges, your institution’s faculty and staff have been put through the wringer these past two years. And so have you. As an HR professional in higher education, you’ve been forced to wear more hats than usual, as you plan ‘return to campus’ strategies and work to keep your teams happy and healthy as uncertainty continues to loom.
So your last team member has enrolled in their benefits, and you breathe a huge sigh of relief that open enrollment is over. But, while you should celebrate for a moment, it’s important to remember that your work isn’t done yet. Your employees will still need your support throughout the year. Here's what your employees need after open enrollment to get the most out of their benefits.
This year’s open enrollment is fast approaching, and with ‘return to work’ plans largely up in the air, you will more than likely be running it virtually. While it might sound daunting, it’s important to remember that there are many benefits to running a virtual open enrollment. For example, it helps you reach employees no matter where they are, and no matter what schedules they work. However, strong communication will be key to ensure success. In this blog, we’ll show you how to build an effective communication strategy for a virtual open enrollment - and we’re even providing a timeline to help you stay on track.
Every year, you do your best to inform employees about your company’s benefits during open enrollment. Employees have a deadline to make their selections, and your sole mission is making sure that no one falls through the cracks. But, once it’s over, that sense of urgency disappears.
While 2020 has been a challenging year (to say the least), we wanted to take some time to celebrate the wins - and we hope you found some bright spots this year too.
In this day and age, the presence of a strong employer brand is becoming more and more important to both job seekers and current employees. While the employer brand your company builds and maintains has always been integral to its success, over the past few years (and especially now), employer brand and company culture are taking center stage.
As a benefits professional, you probably focus on reducing organizational costs and satisfying employees when you design your benefits packages. You strive to provide a variety of benefits so that all of your team members are healthy and happy. You do this because it’s the right thing to do -- and because a satisfied workforce is an engaged, productive workforce.
When selecting benefits decision support solutions, it’s important to know what you are getting. A true benefits decision support solution will be smart, intuitive, quick, and thorough. It should ask questions that are easy to answer and use data and analytics to predict individuals’ health risk.
