Category: Human Capital Management

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jessica Tiller
jtiller@pughandtillerpr.com or 443-621-7690

San Francisco, CA and Beachwood, OH (10/12/2022) — Benefit Advisors Network (BAN) – a national network of independent employee benefits firms – has partnered with Sparrow, the first high-tech, high-touch leave management solution for employers. This strategic partnership will enable BAN to provide a superior leave management solution that BAN members can offer to their employer clients. 

Under the terms of the new partnership, Sparrow’s leave management solution will be offered to all of BAN’s 120+ member firms in the U.S. and Canada.

“We are thrilled to enter into a partnership with Sparrow and cannot wait to offer their services to our members. As if employers weren’t tackling enough issues over the past few years, employers are also faced with the complex maze of employee leave policies,” says Bobbi Kloss, Director, Human Capital Management Services for Benefit Advisors Network. “There are currently federal leave laws such as the FMLA, ADA, and USERRA, as well as religious observations. In addition, there are 396 state-specific and 67 county-specific leave laws that change regularly. It has become nearly impossible to navigate this regulatory landscape with in-house expertise alone, which is why we are partnering with Sparrow to provide these services to our member clients.”

“In the last 10 years, navigating federal, state, and local leave regulations has only gotten more complex,” says Deborah Hanus, Co-founder, and CEO of Sparrow. “As companies across the US accommodate remote work, managing leave without compliance errors has become a major pain point for people teams. Sparrow’s high-tech, high-touch approach ensures that employee leave is stress-free.”

“Companies are recognizing that leave benefits and management of administration are an important component of a comprehensive benefits program to attract and retain talent. These companies rely on their benefits advisors to recommend best-in-class solutions in this emerging space,” said Paul Park, Chief Revenue Officer of Sparrow.

Continues Park, “Our partnership with BAN will allow Sparrow to extend our reach to clients who are dealing with increasingly complex workforce demands and their employees who expect a white glove level of support during a critical moment in their lives.”

About Sparrow
Sparrow is the first end-to-end leave management solution for modern employers to care for their people during major life events. Sparrow’s high-tech, high-touch approach automates the most painful parts of employee leave management, while our world-class leave specialist team ensures a premium experience for all types of leaves across the United States and Canada. By partnering with Sparrow, caring companies, such as Headspace Health, Figma, and Aurora, reduce compliance risks, enhance the employee experience, and contain costs.

Learn more at trysparrow.com and LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

About Benefit Advisors Network
Founded in 2002, BAN is an exclusive, premier, international network of independent, employee benefits brokerage and consulting companies. BAN delivers industry-leading tools, technology, and expertise to U.S. and Canadian member firms so that they can deliver optimum results to their employee benefits customers. BAN intentionally limits membership because of the highly collaborative interactions. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.benefitadvisorsnetwork.com.

The new BenefitsPRO and ADP report outlines how the role of HR has grown at a time when companies are scrambling to attract and retain employees, who have a range of new issues and options.

By Scott Wooldridge | October 04, 2022 at 08:23 AM | Published by BenefitsPRO

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many work-related challenges and changes over the past two years, bringing a new focus on the importance of human resources departments, a new survey from BenefitsPRO and ADP has found.

The new report is titled: “A Seat at the Table — how the Pandemic Changed HR’s Influence, Outlook, and Priorities,” and outlines how the role of HR has grown at a time when companies are scrambling to attract and retain employees, who have a range of new issues and options.

Nearly three years after COVID-19 first disrupted the world’s economy, the report says, “HR remains front and center, with HR leaders now advising from the C-suite at 7 in 10 organizations, as companies reimagine their work models, cultures, and recruiting strategies to match evolving employee expectations.”

Increasing influence — and changing roles

The study, which surveyed more than 100 HR professionals, underscored the growing importance of HR. Close to two-thirds (59%) of those surveyed say that HR’s influence has increased in their companies as a result of the pandemic. More than 1 in 3 (37%) of those surveyed say HR leaders have joined the C-suite at their organization in the past three years. The report points out that HR now has a senior leadership voice at 72% of companies.

With the growing influence comes growing budgets, the report suggests, with 74% of HR professionals expecting an increase in HR spending over the next 3-5 years at their organizations. Respondents expect increases in a number of HR areas, with health care benefits (58%), compensation (36%), HR technology upgrades (32%), training and development (31%), and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs (24%) topping the list of priorities.

The need for specialized HR experts is growing as well, the report says. More than 4 than 10 HR leaders say their companies have added specialists in technology, flexible work, recruiting, or compensation. The report notes that Pauline Sobelman, director of client experience at AHT Insurance, says a changing regulatory environment may spur more specialization. “Many companies have traditionally relied on HR generalists,” Sobelman says. “Now, as more legislation comes up at municipal levels, not just the state level, it’s becoming extremely difficult to be a generalist and keep track of the regulations. With the liability attached to getting it wrong, companies are finding they need dedicated people with specialized expertise in-house as well as outside experts they can call on.”

New challenges, new solutions

The rise of DEI issues is just one area where companies are responding to the concerns of employees. The survey finds addressing DEI issues is a top-three priority for survey respondents (48%), following recruiting (74%) and retention (60%).

To meet new challenges, employers are looking at new approaches to HR, with 66% saying their organization is likely to explore adding innovative benefits as a result of the pandemic. These could include tuition reimbursement, fertility benefits, flexible work arrangements, wellness programs (including financial wellness), and pet insurance.

As many reports note, mental health benefits are also getting increased attention. “Employers are taking a total rewards approach as they compete for talent,” says Bobbi Kloss, director of human capital management services for Benefit Advisors Network. “It’s important to have not only a health and welfare package that’s competitive but also policies and programs that support employee wellbeing and work-life balance. When considering benefits options, I like to conduct employee engagement surveys that ask employees about their need and what keep them from being most productive at work.”

Related: Meet Gen Z: How to reach them with new tools and new approaches

These changes are also an attempt to respond to the needs of younger workers, who have grown up in a digital world where traditional work hours and work roles may seem less appealing. The survey finds that 51% of Gen Z workers expect their organization to enhance or expand its benefits programs. The report adds that voluntary benefits may play a central role in helping companies add benefits options and value for employees.

Online platforms with decision-making tools spur better-informed choices

By Lin Grensing-Pophal, September 23, 2022, Published by SHRM

The process of signing up for benefits options during open enrollment has largely been automated, with online enrollment platforms replacing paper forms. Now, more employers are seeking to improve the online enrollment experience by adding decision-support tools and guides to make the process more user-friendly.

“The pandemic was the final chapter for paper-based enrollments,” said Ralph Labarta, Tampa, Fla.-based chief technology officer with Engage PEO, a professional employer organization providing HR services nationwide. The lockdowns physically separated enrollees from the resources they typically used during the enrollment process, he noted. In their place, better online tools have emerged to help employees compare and filter benefits selections.

While electronic enrollment is now a mature technology, Labarta added, “enhanced decision-making tools that help enrollees select products and coverage levels are becoming increasingly important.”

A Boon for Small Businesses

Wesley Mace, Baltimore-based chief operating officer at Kelly Benefits, a provider of benefits administration and payroll services, said small businesses, in particular, have benefited from the growth of digital enrollment tools, which have “markedly increased employee engagement” in the enrollment process.

“Smaller organizations found [digital enrollment] tools not only helped in distributing information to remote employees but also increased productivity for those who had previously been tasked with administering manual enrollments,” agreed Bobbi Kloss. She is the director of human capital management services for the Cleveland-based Benefit Advisors Network (BAN), a national network of independent employee benefits brokerage and consulting companies.

Jason McMahon, a Queensland, Australia-based digital strategist with Bambrick, a direct response digital advertising agency, noted that digital open enrollment platforms can track employee involvement with the enrollment process, “showing what may have interested them, or resonated with them—and what didn’t.”

These analytics give employers “detailed information on employee touchpoints, which is just impossible to find in a printed guide,” McMahon said.

Cutting Through the Complexity

Benefits are complex and employees have long been overwhelmed by the amounts of information they need to make informed decisions, said Chad Wilkins, executive vice president of Webster Bank in Sheboygan, Wis., and head of the company’s HSA Bank division. One way to help people get the most out of their health care dollars, he said, is to provide access to an online calculator that lets employees compare various health plans, taking into consideration premium levels and past or anticipated health care expenses. Digital calculators can also factor in employee contributions to a health savings account (HSA) and show the implications of using pretax HSA dollars versus after-tax dollars to pay out-of-pocket medical costs, he noted.

“We find that when [employees] use decision-support tools and a health care plan calculator, 20 to 30 percent of people will make a different decision on their health plan, and possibly save thousands of dollars based on those decisions,” Wilkins said.

“If the digital enrollment process is easier, then the process can support a broader inventory of offered benefits,” Labarta said.

Fostering Engagement

Another reason to go—and stay—digital: Employees are overwhelmingly familiar with the “Amazon experience,” said Casey Hauch, managing director of communication and change management a consultancy WTW. “Amazon knows what I like, and what I need to order and what my interests are,” she noted, and organizations have that same ability to use data about the plans employees are enrolled in, their coverage tiers, who they’re covering, etc., to communicate personally via an online communication portal.

This allows employees, Hauch added, “to deliver up content that is relevant to them, increasing the odds that they will be interested and engaged—and that they’ll make the optimal benefit choices for their needs.”

Diversity and Environmental Considerations

Labarta has also seen an increase in requests for enrollment platforms and decision-support tools that support multiple languages. “The broader and more inclusive these tools can be, the better,” he said.

Digital tools also have a positive impact from an environmental standpoint, “cutting down on the need for printing benefit enrollment forms and materials that may simply end up in wastebaskets,” Hauch noted.

Taking a Hybrid Approach

“There’s an acceleration happening in terms of leveraging digital tools to reach people wherever they are,” Hauch said.

But digital platforms have value even in physical settings, where they can connect with people who have busy and varied schedules, she noted.

That doesn’t mean that print can be eradicated altogether, Hauch added—manufacturing employees, for instance, don’t always have ready access to computers. But she’s seeing a trend toward cutting back. For instance, instead of a 42-page guide, a company might print a postcard with a QR code to send to employees’ homes.

Even in a digital world, Labarta cautioned, don’t completely let go of person-to-person support. “Voice, chat and e-mail support combined with scheduled call-back options must be in place to meet the varied enrollee demand preferences at critical points in the enrollment process,” he advised.

Some enhanced decision-making tools also include phone-based benefits coaches who can be contacted at the last stages of the enrollment process to help enrollees finalize their selections, he explained, combining the benefits of high-tech with high-touch personalization.

Lin Grensing-Pophal, SHRM-SCP, is a Wisconsin-based business journalist with HR consulting experience.

Published August 30, 2022 by USA Today | By Rayna Song

Employees sometimes need to handle tough situations at work, such as asking for a pay increase or deciding to leave the company. But there are time-tested ways to help ensure a smooth and professional process that gets workers where they want to be and employers ready for a new hire.

Experts advise that you consider your achievements and skills before talking with your supervisors about a raise, notify the company two to six weeks before you leave and change your environment if you feel drowsy at work.

How to ask for a raise

You should keep a record of your achievements that have impacted the company positively and focus on your skills that allow you to stand out from your colleagues. Before going to your manager, you should also check how competitive your salary is compared to the industry.

The achievements could be small, such as sending successful client emails, said Michelle Hay, global chief people officer at business solutions provider Sedgwick, but they could help you to negotiate better when asking for a raise.

“Employees need to self-evaluate on how they are adding value beyond what is expected of them. If an employee comes to the table with proof points of why they feel they qualify for a raise, it creates a more fluid discussion and demonstrates professionalism,” Hay said.

How to give notice at work

If you are in an executive position, you should plan to notify the company four to six weeks before leaving, said Bobbi Kloss, director of human capital management services at Benefit Advisors Network, a network for benefit consulting companies. However, if your position is less senior, you could notify the company two weeks in advance. 

“Employees should ensure that along with proper notice, a positive attitude toward finishing up tasks, preparing supervisors for what is left, and perhaps training the replacement will go a long way,” Kloss said.

The notification period depends on how much work needs to be transitioned, said Elisabeth Duncan, vice president of human resources at communication technology platform Evive, and workers who are leaving should make themselves available to help with this transition.

How to make time go faster at work

If you don’t enjoy the job and wish for time to go faster, you could try to change your attitude toward the job, so that you feel you are helping the business progress, Kloss said. You could also try to find a new job you feel passionate about.

Duncan said you could set little goals and celebrate these achievements in meaningful ways, so that you could focus more on the celebration rather than the work aspect. You could also focus on skills developed in the position, she added.

“Being able to give yourself perspective on why you’re in a job. Is it a stepping stone? Does it open a door? Does it give you a networking connection? And if you’re in one of those jobs, look around and see what you can do to leverage your time,” Duncan said.

How to stay awake at work

Sleeping enough and eating a healthy diet provide the foundation for having energy at work. But you could try different methods to stay awake, such as changing the work environment or going for a workout.

“When you give your mind a break, it can actually be sharper. It’s like draining a battery. If you step away and let it recharge, it then can function at full speed,” Duncan said.

How to boost morale in the workplace

Building relationships with colleagues and celebrating achievements could boost overall morale, Duncan said, as morale is something collective influenced by everyone on the team. 

Employees should also have honest conversations with managers about their motivations and work together to boost morale, Hay said. Some employees might feel more motivated with incentives, while others might enjoy team activities.

“Managers should encourage employees to take breaks throughout the workday, and sometimes that means leading by example, whether not responding to emails when on vacation or after working hours,” Hay said.