Voluntary benefits

When the pandemic hit, Benny award winner Bryan Aycock expanded his firm’s benefits programs and ramped up new initiatives to support Zynga employees.

Employees often don’t take advantage of supplemental insurance because of the difficulty of the claims process.

Considering that the vast majority of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck and 40% struggle to cover a $400 emergency expense, it’s no wonder why so many individuals consider themselves functionally uninsured despite being covered by an employer’s health plan.

Nearly 80% of the 1.1 million workers who dropped out of the workforce in September were women, according to U.S. labor statistics.

Employers can offer several resources and benefits to help reduce the stress and physical and mental health impact on employees who are caring for aging family members.

“The difference in our whole office, as far as how it looks at voluntary benefits, has totally taken a complete turn,” says Kathy Passantino, area senior vice president at Gallagher, of her colleague Dana Simms.

While employee benefits like gym memberships may feel obsolete at the moment, there are ways for employers to adapt their physical wellness benefits for a virtual environment.

Employees at the chain restaurant now have access to a suite of new mental health and wellness programs and resources.

One out of four women said they may downshift their careers or leave the workforce entirely, threatening decades of career progress for female employees.

Employees have become more anxious about their financial stability since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

There’s a great opportunity for HR professionals to better communicate with employees, at scale, regularly and easily during this year's open enrollment.

Companies are planning beyond COVID, increasing dollar limits and offering more inclusive benefits to their employee populations.

With COVID-19 creating a new normal, employees may need benefits that can help them find care for their aging loved ones so they can focus on their work.

Soltan Bryce, head of growth at Plume, discusses the specific needs of transgender employees and how employers can utilize benefits to create a more inclusive and supportive work environment.

Helping employees prepare for important life events like getting a pet is a core purpose of benefits packages. However, traditional benefit plans aren’t always designed with pet parents in mind.

After a successful virtual summer camp, one company is offering parents creative solutions to childcare challenges as school starts again.

“Many companies seek to create trans inclusive benefits packages, but their employees oftentimes don’t use the benefits provided because of fear of harassment in the process of accessing healthcare,” says Soltan Bryce, head of growth at Plume.

These advisers and strategic consultants have diverse backgrounds and a drive for excellence that goes beyond the traditional broker responsibilities.

Companies are starting to realize that they can’t leave working parents twisting in the wind, trying to figure this out individually with their supervisors — the problem is too big.

“It's still one of the most underserved communities when it comes to safe, accessible and reliable healthcare,” says Soltan Bryce, the head of growth at Plume.