News Spotlight

DEI is expected to come under renewed fire. With Donald Trump poised to take office for the second time, many companies are gearing up for worsening DEI backlash, including legal repercussions for DEI programs and initiatives (Fortune).

Employee ownership addresses AI fears. As automation looms over nearly every sector, employee ownership gives workers a meaningful stake in their companies, ensuring that they benefit from AI-driven productivity gains (Yahoo! Finance).

“Right to disconnect” laws bring complications. As more countries introduce legislation giving employees the right to fully log off after work hours, both benefits and downsides have emerged (Business Insider).

Stat of the Week

According to a recent study, 73% of people surveyed in the U.S. reported that they currently have some type of caregiving responsibility, which could involve caring for children, parents, siblings, friends, or all of the above. Despite so many Americans juggling these responsibilities, many employers don’t realize the impact caregiving might have on their workers. While only 24% of employers believe that caregiving affects employee productivity, a whopping 80% of employees say that it does.

This staggering disconnect underscores just how difficult it is for employees to balance personal and professional obligations when caregiving is involved. Many workers fear repercussions should their responsibilities get in the way of their work, leading many to simply quit. For HR leaders looking to do more for the caregivers on their teams, it’s crucial to foster a culture that reduces stigma around caregiving, while offering benefits like paid care leave that allow employees of any gender or age to take the time they need to care for their loved ones.

Deep Dive Article

7 Ways to Improve the Benefits Experience for Your Employees

Today, more than two-thirds of employees (67%) are concerned about losing the value of their savings due to inflation or other market forces. While inflation has eased over the past two years, the overall economic outlook remains uncertain. As the workforce contends with a softening labor market and shifting policy trends, the need for stable benefits and resources from employers has perhaps never been greater. Strong benefits options can provide much-needed stability for workers, ensuring they can afford medical care, improve health outcomes, and increase productivity regardless of market fluctuations.

Benefits offerings have transformed dramatically in recent years, as employees increasingly prioritize hybrid work arrangements, financial well-being, workplace equity, and holistic wellness. As workforce expectations grow, employers have had to find innovative ways to hire, retain, and invest in top talent — though many companies have struggled to keep pace with rising demand.

For example, employee mental health has come into focus, driven in part by the psychological impacts and economic and societal uncertainty, as well as by the growing accessibility of virtual psychiatric care. However, as of 2023, only 43% of employees say their companies offer health coverage for mental health, while only 29% offer employee assistance programs (EAPs), and just 15% say their companies offer mental health days. With nearly one in four U.S. adults estimated to be living with mental illness today — including 36% of those aged 18-25 — it’s clear that more is needed from employers to support their teams.

In addition to providing meaningful coverage to employees, companies must ensure that their employees can easily access their benefits and understand their coverage options. Benefits enrollment and onboarding are vital processes that ensure that employees have the coverage they need for themselves and their families.

​New research from isolved found that benefits can be a source of anxiety for many employees when they are difficult to access, set up, or understand, with nearly three in four (72%) saying benefits selection is stressful. Most concerning is that half of employees (50%) would look for a new job opportunity because of a negative benefits experience, identifying the following as the most stressful elements of the benefits election process:

• Insufficient or unclear information
• Difficulty comparing plan options
• Limited time to review options
• Substantial increases in costs
• Lack of clarity around the process

“Open enrollment is more than just selecting benefits; it’s an opportunity to demonstrate to employees that their well-being is a top priority,” said Celia Fleischaker, Chief Marketing Officer for isolved. “By focusing on clear communication, proactive education, and responsive support, organizations can help ensure that every employee feels informed, empowered, and valued during this critical period. This commitment to a seamless benefits experience can have a lasting impact on both retention and overall employee satisfaction.”

Looking ahead, it’s difficult to know what the future will hold when it comes to both broader economic trends and personal financial security. To meaningfully support their teams through uncertain times, HR leaders must focus not only on providing quality benefits, but creating processes that are transparent, accessible, and supportive.

Here are seven ways companies can improve the benefits experience and reduce stress for their teams.

1. Streamline and standardize communications.

Ensure employees have access to all necessary benefits information by reaching them through multiple channels, including emails, chat tools, and webinars, keeping all employees informed. In addition to utilizing multiple channels, it’s important to regularly update employees on changes and key dates like open enrollment, adding reminders as these events approach.

2. Offer personalized and flexible options.

Benefits should be inclusive, so it’s key to cater to different life stages and employee needs by offering flexible packages with options like health savings accounts, family leave, and mental health resources. To understand the unique needs of your workforce, conduct surveys to understand employee preferences and adjust benefits offerings based on the feedback.

3. Enhance accessibility through technology.

In recent years, rapid technological advancements have transformed the way employees engage with HR functions. Making sure employees can view and manage benefits from their mobile devices helps to improve accessibility, while AI-powered benefits can reduce anxiety and confusion that sometimes come along with benefits enrollment, guiding employees through their decisions.

4. Provide strong support and expertise.

For many, healthcare and benefits can feel like confusing, inaccessible, or uncharted territory. When employees have access to strong expertise — like Benefits Specialists who help employees navigate their choices, especially during enrollment — the process can be much less daunting. Additionally, the help of a trusted, external HR partner can bring the specialized knowledge and experience that employees need while alleviating additional burdens on the overall workload of internal HR teams.

5. Take a holistic approach.

Today, employees expect their benefits offerings to consider their total health. HR teams should consider promoting wellness initiatives that cover physical, mental, and financial well-being, as well as guidance on how to use these programs. Mental health resources, especially, should be made readily available, including counseling services, mental health days, and access to therapists.

6. Simplify the enrollment process.

Enrollment is the first touchpoint employees have with their benefits — and for many it’s one of the first touchpoints they have with their employer. HR teams should ensure their process is clear and transparent, providing clear instructions and assistance before enrollment starts, including explainer sessions, FAQs, and video guides, along with automated reminders for enrollment deadlines. Most importantly, it’s essential to be upfront about costs, coverage details, and out-of-pocket expenses, so that employees can make informed choices.

7. Underscore the value of benefits.

Employees may not always be aware of the full suite of benefits available to them, so it’s key to regularly educate your team on the full value of their benefits through newsletters, infographics, and testimonials. Highlight benefits that may not be well-known but could be valuable, like wellness reimbursements, EAPs, or financial counseling, and leverage employee ambassadors to share their experience and tips, creating a positive culture around benefits.

Leverage external support to drive growth from within.

HR teams are often inundated with complex, time-consuming tasks — from benefits to payroll to overtime policies — overwhelming them with manual processes and endless spreadsheets. The support of a reliable human capital management (HCM) partner can help streamline these processes and free up HR teams to focus on more meaningful, impactful work.

A good example of this is Shared Imaging, a medical imaging service provider, whose 300 employees were struggling to enroll in benefits through different applications. Shared Imaging consolidated benefits and other HR processes with isolved, including their Benefits Enrollment & Administration solutions, streamlining processes and making enrollment much more efficient. By leveraging an HCM, Shared Imaging’s HR team was able to focus more on strategic initiatives instead of routine HR tasks, speeding up their hiring, improving candidate management, and helping to source top talent — all of which contributed to the company’s growth.

Thanks for reading — be sure to join the conversation on LinkedIn and let me know your thoughts on this topic!

Quote of the Week

“Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.”
​Madam C.J Walker​
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