EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Strong benefits attract and keep good employees
At The Hilb Group, we proactively advance your long-term business strategy with a unique approach to employee benefits. We start by working closely with your team to understand your views on benefits, identify your priorities and learn your desired outcomes. Next, we outlie a strategic plan that maps to your organization’s future direction for employee management. We then utilize our proprietary 3C tactical process of cost containment, compliance and communication to optimize our benefits program for you and your employees. For more information, contact a Hilb Group team member.
Benefit Advisory
From a basic platform to our business partner model, our selection of offerings includes:
While the cost of the total rewards package and controlling the costs associated with it remains an important issue, those concerns have been eclipsed by the need for talent management. Today, the shortage of qualified employees and motivating and retaining existing employees is the top priority for most organizations. To deliver solutions that address today’s needs while looking forward to eliminate tomorrow’s problems, The Hilb Group builds Benefits Strategic Plans for clients.
Strategic planning determines where an organization is headed over the next several years – and maps out how it will get there. A solid strategic plan results from activities that:
- Assess needs and resources
- Define a target audience and a set of goals and objectives
- Plan and design coordinated strategies
- Logically connect these strategies to needs, assets, and desired outcomes
- Measure and evaluate the process and outcomes
The Objective
A Benefits Strategic Plan is specifically focused on the current and future needs of a company as it relates to its employee benefits program. It articulates how the benefits program will continue to support the attainment of the overall business plan and corporate objectives while taking into consideration tactical priorities. The main objective of the plan is to strengthen the management decision-making process by recognizing and addressing key internal and external factors that affect the business and the benefits program.
The Process
Strategic planning is a collaborative effort between benefit advisor and client. By working together to strategize and develop the essential components of a well-defined plan document, benefit advisors gain insight into clients’ business issues to ensure clearer alignment of the total rewards strategy with the overall business strategy. Because of each client’s unique environment – leadership, culture, business issues, management structure and size – our strategic plans vary by client
The Implementation
Once a Hilb benefit advisor produces a final document that memorializes the Benefits Strategic Plan, we gain client approval – and the authority to act. At that point, the plan becomes a roadmap for the near-term, governing the introduction of new products, enhancing or improving benefits communications, adjusting or implementing new administration processes, and so on. We also review each plan on a regular basis to gauge progress and ensure activities are aligned with it, and update the plan as necessary.
A well‐defined road map is an essential tool to ensure proactive management of the rewards program and its alignment with the business mission – and can be a unique competitive advantage for the company.
An attractive benefits plan is critical to maintaining top talent. Yet, rising costs due to regulations, utilization and medical trend continue to consume profits and wages alike, make it increasingly difficult to provide a package that satisfies both employers and employees. That’s where The Hilb Group can help.
Instead of simply limiting plan design choice, cost shifting or carrier shopping, we look at underlying benefit cost drivers – and how we can change them. Our focus is on giving employers and employees the control they need to lower their spending today, and over the long term, through a variety of methods.
- Claims analysis. To help you understand the cause of rising claims and opportunities to control cost drivers, we analyze data monthly and use the information for forecasting, modeling, and benchmarking – critical for effective benefits planning and negotiating pricing aggressively.
- Funding reviews. Based on your population and company culture, we’ll weigh the risks and rewards of different funding options like self-funding, stop-loss captives and multi-employer purchasing groups, and recommend an appropriate strategy for your organization.
- Wellness promotion. We can help you incorporate proven programs and incentives that drive participation for reduced benefits usage and increased productivity – and a measurable ROI.
- Consumerism options. With a variety of consumer-driven options available today, we can help you give employees access to the level of benefits – and savings – they want based on their unique circumstances.
The result? Creative solutions that maximize your plan’s value for you and your employees.
Since failure to comply can be costly, The Hilb Group’s experienced team guides you on the complex laws and regulations that affect employee benefit plans, administration and policies and procedures. Our compliance professionals, led by an employee benefits attorney, provide detailed information and advice on the regulatory landscape, including ERISA, ACA, COBRA and various other DOL, IRS, CMS and HHS regulations and guidelines.
Among the comprehensive compliance services we offer clients include:
- Assessment of deficiencies in plan documentation and/or policies, including employee notices and disclosures, Form 5500 filings, CMS disclosures, PCORI and Transitional Reinsurance Fee filings
- Guidance on the ACA, including the employer mandate, best practices, and new reporting requirements, such as Form 1094 and 1095 filings
- Assistance in preparing ACA-related documentation and forms
- Advisory briefs disseminated via email with up-to-the-minute advice on statutory and regulatory changes that can impact the operation and administration of health and welfare plans and the actions businesses need to take – and when
- Preparation and filing of Form 5500s in a timely manner
- DOL support and audit preparation, including the creation of a wrap plan document, Summary Plan Description, Summary of Material Modifications, and required employee notices and disclosures
- Total compliance and administration support for COBRA, from the preparation of the initial DOL notice to new plan entrants through qualifying event notices, coupon generation and premium collection services
Non-compliance can be costly. Trust The Hilb Group to ensure ongoing compliance and minimize potential liability.
We provide timely, critical information that keeps employers and employees abreast of the latest changes that impact their plans — and wallets.
Communication for Employers
Benefit Compliance Resources
Our employee benefits attorneys and other members of our team serve as your compliance resource. We provide answers to your compliance questions, host regular events on legislative updates, and issue bulletins on pending and enacted laws and how the changes may impact your plan. We also give you access to a desktop library of national news, federal legislative updates, and forms and documents.
Seminars & Events
A recognized leader in the industry, we lend our expertise to employers through a series of seminars, webinars and other events on pertinent topics such as healthcare reform, consumerism, wellness and compliance.
Health Interest & Employee Satisfaction Surveys
We can help employers assess employee satisfaction with their benefits programs through survey design and tools to ensure you’re delivering a valuable package that will retain and attract top talent.
Benefit Steering Committees
Decisions about benefits are often cultural – and making changes can make or break a workplace environment. Our consultants work with HR professionals to build committees and guide them toward change that complements greater organizational goals and reflects corporate values.
Communication for Employees
Interactive Support
We embrace the latest technologies to streamline processes, encourage“self service” and provide consistent, convenient communication to active employees, new hires and family members.
Web Portals
Our customizable portals deliver critical company and benefit information to employees and their dependents, including plan and rate information, plan documents and employee manuals and company policies.
Online Enrollment
Employees can enroll online instantly 24/7 in a secure, intuitive environment. Centrally managed and integrated with your other systems, the data can be used for detailed tracking and reporting activities to maximize its benefits.
Dedicated Client Service Team
We assign each client a dedicated service team that allows us an in-depth understanding of your staff’s particular concerns – and gives employees access to the same advisors each and every time they call.
Workplace Meetings
During open enrollment and throughout the year, we hold a series of meetings to address your employees’ specific questions on everything from carrier choice and plan changes to maximizing benefits and understanding how to be better healthcare consumers.
Benefit Literature
Customized to your plan and employee base, we design a comprehensive range of pieces to ease the transition to a new plan, maximize benefits and encourage self-care, such as open enrollment guides, benefits booklets and wellness program materials.
Total Compensation Statements
Demonstrating the value of your benefits program is more critical than ever. That’s why we offer personalized annual total compensation statements for employees that highlight the amount your organization spends on each employee’s behalf, including salary, 401(k) contributions, benefits, paid time off and more.
Benefit Administration
The Hilb Group’s senior administration professionals are bonded, insured and supported by in-house counsel with more than a quarter century of H&W experience and a deep understanding of ERISA. Together, they provide you with complete plan design, documentation, employee education and claims processing services that lower costs and maximize efficiencies. Selected as a complete menu or chosen as stand-alone options, such components include COBRA, Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA), Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA).