Showing Employees that they are Appreciated and Supported

General Info:

The relationship between the employer and employees in this general trade company was one that most employers and employees aspire for. Mutual respect.

The employer never asked for the employees to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself.

He paid them as much as he could afford, threw a summer picnic and Christmas party, and his truck was often at the employees’ driveways early on winter mornings - he’d plow/shovel their laneways whenever he could.

And the employees never complained, didn’t ask for raises, and would go the extra mile on any project.

But over time the employer started to become aware of the costs the employees were paying for family dental bills, chiropractor, basic prescription, and in one case a high-cost drug.

He wanted to see if, as the employer, he could help reduce their burden.

Their Challenges:

Challenges for this business included:

1. Providing coverage that reflected how the employer felt about his employees. Coverage that not only met day-to-day needs but covered catastrophic issues.
2. The program had to be cost-effective. The employer was already giving back as much as possible so it couldn’t be ‘Cadillac cost’.
3. The benefits program had to be easy to use. Although the employees were smart, nobody in the company liked doing paperwork, and no employee wanted to look after the benefits administration.

How NextGen Helped Them:

Aside from retention and attraction, the biggest reason employers seek to implement benefits is to reward employees, better support them and provide peace of mind - just like this employer.

Here’s what NextGen Benefit advisors did to help:

1. Developed a benefits program that was tailored to the day-to-day needs of the employees and their young and growing families. Implemented the types of catastrophic coverage, that if ‘knock on wood’, a major health issue occurred, the employee and family would be protected.
2. NextGen found ways to add cost-reducing efficiencies that didn’t reduce value to the employees. NextGen kept their benefits at the right level instead of inflating them beyond reasonable needs. This resulted in a meaningful benefits plan within budget.
3. NextGen completely took the work off of their desk, all the employer had to do was provide basic information, and NextGen advisors took the lead. Provided the employees and their families with easy to use online portals accessible through a phone app. Direct benefit claims were established and all support information was at the employees’ fingertips. This business didn’t have to appoint an employee to look after the benefits program and all employees and family members felt fully supported.