What are voluntary benefits and why should you offer them to employees?

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An overview of voluntary benefits and how they can help you improve employee retention and satisfaction. From a presentation given to the National Restaurant Association in February, 2014.

Transcript of What are voluntary benefits and why should you offer them to employees?

VOLUNTARY BENEFITS

The

Primer

February 18, 2014 GENIUSAVENUE.COM

• Founding Partner and President of Genius Avenue

• 20+ years insurance industry and benefit expertise

-Cigna -Star HRG -Ternian Insurance Group -Genius Avenue

• Tech geek, has every kitchen gadget known to man

TAKEAWAYSFrom Today

Voluntary Benefits 101

• What are voluntary benefits?

• What to look for– and look out for.

• Why offer?

WHAT ARE Voluntary Benefits?

“Benefits that are sponsored by an employer and made available to their employees which typically pay 100% of the premiums through payroll deduction.”

TRADITIONALVoluntary Benefits

LIFE / DISABILITY

DENTALINSURANCE

VISION COVERAGE

MEDICAL DISCOUNTS

• Rx savings • Dental • Vision & hearing • Chiropractic

SUPPLEMENTAL MEDICAL

• Critical illness • Cancer • Accident • In-Hospital Cash

Percentage of companies surveyed that offer a particular benefit. Source: http://www.benefitspro.com/2013/08/14/5-most-popular-voluntary-benefits?t=voluntary

MOST PREVALENT VOLUNTARY BENEFITS

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Accident Dental Disability Vision Life

68%

80% 80%84%

94%

NON-TRADITIONALVoluntary Benefits

HEALTH• Deductible/Gap plans • Telemedicine • Wellness content • Health screenings

PROTECTION• Auto/home/travel

insurance

• ID theft protection

• Legal assistance

• Executive/Mgmt. plans

LIFESTYLE• Debit cards

• Retail savings

• Pet care

• Furniture

• Vacations

THE ACA ANDVoluntary Benefits

• Coverage mandates only apply to health insurance, not voluntary benefits.

• Reform requirements don’t apply to voluntary benefits.

• Non-discrimination testing under IRS code 105(h) does not apply to voluntary benefits.

!As a result…

Employers are rethinking their benefit strategies.

Employees looking to supplement individual options. !

*Disclaimer:  I  am  not  lawyer  and  this  is  not  legal  advice!    Remember,  I’m  an  insurance  and  benefit  technology  guy...

THE GROWTH OFVoluntary Benefits

• $6.03 billion innew premium in 2012

$2,000

$3,250

$4,500

$5,750

$7,000

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

2200

2600

3100

3500

4027 41004223

4366

4715

50385225 5249

53975657

6030

NEW VOLUNTARY SALES PREMIUM (IN MILLIONS)

• Total  in  force  premiumover  $28.5  billion  in  2012

WHO’S OFFERING Voluntary Benefits?

*MetLife’s  11th  Annual  Study  of  Employee  Benefit  Trends

58% Of employers in 2013 say providing voluntary benefits is a key benefits strategy, up from 32% in 2010*

47% Of employers who offer voluntary benefits say they are likely to increase in the next 2 years*

51%Of employees are willing to bear more of their benefit costs in order to have a choice of products that meet their needs

Voluntary Benefits

WHAT EMPLOYEESSAY ABOUT

Source MetLife’s 9th Annual Study of Employee Benefits Trends, 2011 http://www.jmooradian.com/voluntary-benefits/statistics/

60%

of employees say...

Benefit:RETENTION

Employee benefits offered are an

important reason for me to remain with an

employer.

Source MetLife’s 9th Annual Study of Employee Benefits Trends, 2011 http://www.jmooradian.com/voluntary-benefits/statistics/

61%

of employees say...

Benefit:VALUE

I value voluntary benefits as a way to

obtain benefitsthat meet

personal needs.

Source MetLife’s 9th Annual Study of Employee Benefits Trends, 2011 http://www.jmooradian.com/voluntary-benefits/statistics/

52%

of employees say...

Benefit:CHOICE

I’m interestedin having my

employer provide a wider array of

voluntary benefits.

Voluntary BenefitsWHY EMPLOYERS OFFER

Source: Towers Watson 2013 Voluntary Benefits and Services Survey !Source name: Why Voluntary Benefits are More Relevant Now than Ever, www.aflac.com

80%

of employers say...

We offer voluntary benefits to support

employees’personal needs.

Source: Towers Watson 2013 Voluntary Benefits and Services Survey !Source name: Why Voluntary Benefits are More Relevant Now than Ever, www.aflac.com

87%

of employers say...

Voluntary benefits influence employee

loyalty.

Source: Towers Watson 2013 Voluntary Benefits and Services Survey !Source name: Why Voluntary Benefits are More Relevant Now than Ever, www.aflac.com

90%

of employers say...

Strong benefitpackages influence

job satisfaction.

Voluntary BenefitsENROLLING IN

Employees need:

• Communication: 79% say a well-communicated benefits program would make them less likely to leave their job*

• Tools to compare benefits and rates

• Positive enrollment experience

*http://www.aflac.com/aflac_workforces_report/2013/benefits_fact_sheet_retail_employees.aspx

Employers need:

• Low cost / high ROI • Easy implementation • Minimal administrative

workload • Easy access to data

Paper Enrollment

Pro

Easily portable

Cons

Expensive, requires manual data entry, multiple forms, loss

Face-to-Face Enrollment

Pros

Personalized, accountable

Cons

Disruptive, intrusive, requires data entry

Telephone Enrollment

Pro

Convenient

Cons

Call centers, agents w/o knowledge, limited hours

Online Enrollment

Pro

Available 24/7 anywhere with Internet connection

Cons

Possible cost to purchase or license complex software, multiple sites for multiple benefits, not trusted resource

Voluntary BenefitsONLINE MARKETPLACE FOR

Online benefits marketplace Reach your audience where they spend much of their time.

98%Of people 18-29use the Internet1

81%Of Internet usersresearch online2

66%Of Internet users have made an

online purchase2

Sources:  1.  http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-­‐tank/2013/05/30/internet-­‐adoption-­‐becomes-­‐nearly-­‐universal-­‐among-­‐some-­‐groups-­‐but-­‐others-­‐lag-­‐behind/  2.  http://visual.ly/online-­‐shopping-­‐statistics

“An online benefits marketplace is a one-stop-shop where an organization can makeall of the benefits it offers available to its members in one convenient location, and which integrates all benefit enrollment and administrative functions on one platform.”

ONLINE MARKETPLACE FOR Voluntary Benefits

Cons

• Lack of employee engagement ifnot communicated correctly

• Frustrating experience if websiteis poorly designed

• Some solutions require licensing and managing complex and expensive software

Pros

• Improved employee enrollment experience

• All benefits & information in one place

• Abundant educational information

• Ongoing employee engagement

• Simple to enroll in multiple benefits

• Consolidated back-office functions

• Minimal administrative work

ONLINE MARKETPLACE FOR Voluntary Benefits

KEYSTo Success

• Delivered from a trusted resource

• Communication

• Support from corporate, belief in products

• Part of overall benefit strategy

• New-hire promotion

• Ongoing educationand engagement

• Great user experience

Why They MatterVOLUNTARY BENEFITS

• Freedom: The Affordable Care Act doesn’t affect voluntary benefits.

• Choice: Employees want more benefit options.

• Satisfaction: Employers will see greater employee retention and job satisfaction–and stronger recruiting.

• Simplicity: Today’s tech allows for easy benefit setup & minimal administration.

• Usability: Online marketplaces provide a superior benefit shopping experience.

Voluntary Benefits

COMINGSoon!

National Restaurant Association BENEFITS MARKETPLACE