Pub. 11 2022 Issue 6 33 Moren says individuals are being more open about their mental health struggles as stigmas are being lessened. She says the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to look inward and evaluate their physical and emotional health. Employers have been receptive to that shift by offering plans to help connect individuals with various resources and counseling services as needed. The COVID-19 pandemic also spurred increases in telehealth services to allow healthcare providers to meet with patients virtually. More insurance carriers are including telemedicine as part of their plans. However, Moren says more could still be done to educate people about what their insurance plan covers because employees aren’t always aware that telemedicine services are included. “It is a tool that sometimes is underutilized,” Moren says. Benefits For Your Pet The demand for enhanced employee benefits offerings is going beyond the employee. As such, employers have begun offering benefits coverage for employee pets. Plans typically offer discounts on animal food, prescriptions, preventatives, toys and treats. Pet plans might also include savings on veterinarian services and access to after-hours consultations. Communicating Your Offerings The importance of adequately communicating new benefit offerings or changes to existing plans cannot be understated. Companies are starting their open enrollment sooner and ending it later than they have in years past. Benefits managers also are incorporating more follow-up time to ensure employees fully understand what is being offered and their options regarding various plan options. Employers also see value in communicating with employees about benefits offerings throughout the year as opposed to what has been traditionally done only during open enrollment. This creates more opportunities for feedback as well. Moren suggests communicating known plan changes as soon as possible to allow ample time for information to be shared and questions to be answered. She says in-person meetings are a good avenue for relaying information because they create dialogue opportunities and allow people to have questions answered or to address concerns on the spot. Electronic communication can be effective, too, as long as information is made readily available and communication is provided in a timely manner. In some cases, text messaging is being utilized as another communication avenue. Moren says automated reminders about plan enrollment have become a popular way for employers to communicate important information with their employees. “We seem to be able to reach more people via text because they always have their phone on them,” Moren says. So, what do your benefit offerings say about your bank? Syndeo is an industry-leading outsourced human resources provider serving banks across Kansas. Our strategy is to ensure clients have the tools and resources to comply with the HR-related aspects of employment law requirements. Contact us to learn more about our services. Josh Heck is Syndeo’s marketing manager. Reach him at jheck@syndeohro.com or at (316) 440-9940.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODQxMjUw