Employee Benefits Resources for Employers & HR Professionals
Managing employee benefits requires decisions involving coverage, cost, plan structure, employee needs, communication, administration, and compliance.
NDS Benefit Consulting provides educational resources to help employers and HR professionals better understand these considerations and prepare for informed benefits discussions.
Benefits Planning & Strategy
An effective benefits strategy begins with understanding what your organization currently offers, what employees need, and what the organization is trying to accomplish.
Important areas to review may include:
- Workforce demographics and needs
- Current benefits and plan participation
- Employer and employee costs
- Group health plan structure
- Dental, vision, life, disability, and ancillary benefits
- Recruitment and retention objectives
- Employee feedback
- Benefits utilization
- Communication and education
- Organizational growth
- Long-term benefits priorities
Regular benefits reviews can help identify what is working, where challenges exist, and which areas may deserve additional evaluation.
Benefits Compliance
Employer-sponsored benefit plans can involve federal and state requirements related to plan administration, notices, disclosures, eligibility, reporting, and other responsibilities.
The requirements that apply can vary based on factors such as organization size, plan structure, funding arrangement, location, and applicable law.
Employers should understand their responsibilities and involve appropriate legal, tax, benefits, or compliance professionals when specialized advice is required.
Official Resource
Healthcare Costs & Funding
Health benefits can represent a significant expense for both employers and employees.
Understanding how a health plan is funded can help employers evaluate cost, risk, flexibility, cash flow, and administrative responsibilities.
Depending on the organization and available options, approaches may include:
- Fully insured plans
- Level-funded arrangements
- Self-funded arrangements
- Stop-loss protection
- Other healthcare cost-management strategies
The appropriate approach depends on the organization’s circumstances, workforce, risk tolerance, financial considerations, and objectives.
Open Enrollment
Open enrollment is an opportunity to do more than collect employee benefit elections.
A well-organized enrollment process can help employees understand their benefits and make more informed decisions.
Employers may want to consider:
- Communicating enrollment dates early
- Explaining changes from the previous plan year
- Providing understandable plan comparisons
- Explaining employee contributions
- Reviewing deductibles, copays, coinsurance, and out-of-pocket costs
- Explaining available ancillary benefits
- Providing opportunities for employee questions
- Reminding employees to review dependents and beneficiaries
- Providing clear instructions for completing enrollment
Benefits can be difficult for employees to value if they do not understand how they work.
Ongoing benefits education can help employees understand:
- What their plans cover
- How premiums and cost sharing work
- Provider networks
- Prescription benefits
- Preventive care
- Dental and vision benefits
- Life and disability protection
- Enrollment deadlines
- Where to find benefit information
- Where to go when they have questions
Benefits communication should continue throughout the year rather than occurring only during enrollment.
Workplace Wellness
Workplace wellness can include physical, emotional, and financial well-being as well as helping employees make better use of available benefits and healthcare resources.
Employers may consider initiatives involving:
- Preventive healthcare
- Employee benefits education
- Physical well-being
- Mental and emotional well-being
- Financial wellness
- Healthcare decision-making
- Employee engagement
- Work-life well-being
The appropriate approach depends on the organization and its workforce.
Ready to Review Your Employee Benefits?
Tell us about your organization, workforce, current benefits, priorities, and concerns.
Your Employer Benefits Assessment gives NDS a clearer understanding of your organization and provides a starting point for a more informed benefits conversation.