Voluntary benefits

Commentary: The question about self-service benefits enrollment needs to shift from “Should we do it?” to “What do we need to do to ensure the experience is engaging, satisfying and effective?”

Among the latest inductees to the Worksite Marketing Hall of Fame is Chris Martin, president of Combined Worksite Solutions. The Hall of Fame recognizes individuals for their contributions to the voluntary employee benefits industry.

The Workplace Benefits Association has inducted Rob J. Thurston, president of HR Consulting Group (HRCG), into the Worksite Marketing Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame recognizes individuals for their contributions to the voluntary employee benefits industry.

Vision and dental benefits can be harnessed to play a larger role in employee health than the sum of their parts.

Many employees are unaware of the causes of disability leave and about gaps in their coverage, and a DI advocate inside the firm can help educate individuals about these common misconceptions.

Applying the lens of behavioral economics to benefits choices helps employers understand why employees choose or don’t choose certain voluntary benefits.

While small employers may understand the benefits of long-term disability insurance to their workforce, many have misconceptions about its cost and may underestimate the desire employees have for this coverage.

More brokers are inquiring about the product these days, and industry experts anticipate recent growth to continue as awareness spreads.

Benefit advisers can be a ‘vital’ resource for low-income earners who, according to new research, need better understanding of and engagement with their employers’ benefit offerings.

If done poorly, the introduction of voluntary benefits can lead to a frustrated workforce that doesn’t have the right insurance.

Achieving better enrollment rates for voluntary benefits depends on high-quality, relevant data.

Data suggest a strong correlation between an employee’s overall sense of confidence in the future and the benefits they participate in at work – particularly non-medical benefits such as life insurance, accident insurance and critical illness insurance.

Brokers need to change the conversations they are having with clients away from the Affordable Care Act and toward other topics, including voluntary, since little will change with the law until the next presidential inauguration, a carrier rep says.

Most disabilities, on average, can keep an employee out of work for roughly three months, and yet, only about a quarter of employees say they currently have disability insurance.

Multiple signs point to growth in voluntary benefits sales, but employers would like to see a change in how their employees sign up for the benefit, according to new LIMRA data, released Tuesday.

There’s plenty of complexity when it comes to determining premiums, and brokers can help clients understand exactly what’s in their policy.

Commentary: By reframing and renaming these benefits, you can avoid any knee-jerk reaction to or bias against “voluntary benefits,” says columnist Nelson Griswold.

There are a variety of solutions available that brokers can suggest to clients who are seeking to attract and retain millennials, who often have yet to build financial savings.

Commentary: When evaluating the nonmedical space and the products with the greatest level of applicability to an employee, auto and home insurance provide significant protection, comfort and well-being to an employee and their family.

It's the “Big B, little b” conundrum. Big B benefit plans are usually subject to ERISA and require specific administration. Little B “benefits” are those perk and extras we offer to employees to be competitive in the market or to improve employee morale.