{"id":344,"date":"2018-05-23T21:38:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-24T04:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/?p=344"},"modified":"2022-02-06T21:42:30","modified_gmt":"2022-02-07T05:42:30","slug":"hr-managers-here-are-three-useful-tips-to-help-you-efficiently-manage-employee-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/2018\/05\/23\/hr-managers-here-are-three-useful-tips-to-help-you-efficiently-manage-employee-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"HR managers: Here are three useful tips to help you efficiently manage employee benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"344\" class=\"elementor elementor-344\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-cb17d61 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"cb17d61\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e36062a\" data-id=\"e36062a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1de6848 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1de6848\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post-info\"><ul><li>By\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.immixgroup.ca\/manage-employee-benefits.html#\">Howard Cheung, Account Executive, Immix Group<\/a> \/ May 23, 2018<\/li><\/ul><\/div><p>Employee benefits are an integral part of both the employee-value proposition and the overall working experience. As an HR manager, you might well ask, \u201cJust how deeply should I be involved in employee benefits?\u201d<\/p><p>Let&#8217;s be frank. The discipline of <a href=\"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/index.php\/2021\/07\/13\/hybrid-traditional-flexible-employee-benefits-a-sample-design-for-smbs\/\">employee benefits<\/a> can be overwhelmingly complex. It takes in administrative processing, financial analysis, reconciliation and compliance. And, given that the cost of benefits is huge, you may even be responsible for negotiation and auditing.<\/p><p>To help you efficiently manage <a href=\"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/index.php\/2021\/10\/29\/top-8-faqs-for-business-owners-when-implementing-an-employee-benefits-plan\/\">employee benefits<\/a>, here are three tips:<\/p><h3>Use and take advantage of online technology<\/h3><p>Check with your broker to set up your <a href=\"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/index.php\/2020\/10\/01\/business-owners-how-to-design-the-best-group-savings-plan-for-your-company\/\">group plan<\/a> with:<\/p><ul><li><i class=\"fa fa-caret-right\"><\/i>\u00a0a plan administrator&#8217;s online platform<\/li><li><i class=\"fa fa-caret-right\"><\/i>\u00a0members&#8217; online platform<\/li><li><i class=\"fa fa-caret-right\"><\/i>\u00a0a mobile app for members.<\/li><\/ul><p>At a minimum, most insurers have an online administration platform to do a majority of traditional tasks: enrolment\/termination\/changes for members; viewing invoices; viewing coverage; etc. As for implementation of benefits, don&#8217;t sift through hundreds of paper applications. Instead, ask your broker if they can support electronic enrolment of members.<\/p><p>Encourage employees to use the members&#8217; online platform to check coverage balance, replace lost cards and use best practices for travel\/special claims. As well, more and more insurers have mobile app support. This allows easy, at-their-fingertips access to all of their benefit details. The more self-servicing resources provided to members, the less manual work falls to the HR department.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><h3>Implement an employee assistance program (EAP)<\/h3><p>A key role of HR is to support employees in cases of workplace crises stemming from a variety of factors: mental illness, personal issues, financial stress, substance abuse, etc. All these can lead to performance issues and absenteeism. As well, they put a lot of stress and burden on the HR department.<\/p><p>Fortunately, a strong EAP is a powerful partner for HR and can help address all of the above with minimal disruption to business.An EAP is designed to assist employees in resolving the above issues via: counsellors over the phone or online; referral services; and wellness resources. Many EAPs also offer coaching and assistance to managers and HR in dealing with employee issues, such as workplace conflicts.<\/p><p>The key <a href=\"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/index.php\/2021\/01\/15\/the-best-time-to-review-your-benefits-program-is-now\/\">benefit of such a program<\/a> is that it is anonymous and confidential, with expert resources for employees. Often political and privacy factors are at play that prevent <a href=\"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/index.php\/2021\/11\/17\/3-action-steps-employers-can-take-to-reduce-employee-financial-stress-and-increase-financial-literacy\/\">employees from seeking help through their employer<\/a>. As issues continue to linger, performance and ultimately the efficiency of the business will be adversely affected. All businesses, small or large, should consider taking advantage of a strong EAP as a cost-effective solution in alleviating workplace crises.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><h3>Work with a dedicated benefits broker<\/h3><p>Benefits can involve many layers of management. It is a good idea to work with an <a href=\"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/index.php\/2020\/12\/04\/employee-benefits-what-you-need-to-know-about-discounted-group-benefits-pricing\/\">employee benefits<\/a> brokerage that has a dedicated team for servicing and consultation. This means\u00a0<em>not<\/em>\u00a0using the insurance company or an independent financial advisor without an in-house team. By contrast, a dedicated benefits service team can help coordinate and negotiate claims that could otherwise be declined by the insurer.<\/p><p>A specialized benefits broker can provide better insights; they have a wider range of tools and better pooling arrangements with insurers. These advantages lead to optimizing the <a href=\"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/index.php\/2021\/04\/20\/renewing-employee-benefits-in-2021-here-are-things-to-know-going-forward-to-keep-costs-down\/\">cost of your employee benefits<\/a> program. This is especially important at renewal time, when a benefits broker can make sense out of your multi-page renewal report and guide you through the nuances of benefits analysis.<\/p><p>At Immix Group, we believe implementing the above three tips will significantly optimize the administration of benefits in HR. As <a href=\"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/index.php\/2022\/04\/19\/part-2-the-hybrid-work-model-is-working-from-home-an-employee-benefit\/\">employee benefits<\/a> specialists, we work closely with HR so that\u00a0<em>we<\/em>\u00a0are the ones doing the brunt of the heavy lifting in:<\/p><ul><li><i class=\"fa fa-caret-right\"><\/i>\u00a0market surveying<\/li><li><i class=\"fa fa-caret-right\"><\/i>\u00a0benchmarking<\/li><li><i class=\"fa fa-caret-right\"><\/i>\u00a0financial analysis<\/li><li><i class=\"fa fa-caret-right\"><\/i>\u00a0negotiation with insurers<\/li><li><i class=\"fa fa-caret-right\"><\/i>\u00a0securing pooling arrangements<\/li><li><i class=\"fa fa-caret-right\"><\/i>\u00a0auditing.<\/li><\/ul><p>When benefits are efficiently managed, both you as the HR manager and your workforce are better able to focus on running your business.<\/p><p><strong>Further reading<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bhsonline.com\/blog\/when-disasters-strike-your-eap-protects-your-business-and-your-team\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Article on how an EAP protects your business and your team when disaster strikes<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2afeab4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2afeab4\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-431b996\" data-id=\"431b996\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-86e090f elementor-widget elementor-widget-global elementor-global-227 elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"86e090f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script src=\"https:\/\/apps.elfsight.com\/p\/platform.js\" defer><\/script>\n<div class=\"elfsight-app-83f14fdc-92b5-4456-9af4-0934ad166639\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-332e84c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"332e84c\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b671500\" data-id=\"b671500\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ac2648f elementor-widget elementor-widget-global elementor-global-287 elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ac2648f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Howard-683x1024.avif\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1986\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Howard-683x1024.avif 683w, https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Howard-200x300.avif 200w, https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Howard-768x1152.avif 768w, https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Howard.avif 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" title=\"\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-66 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-17dcf32\" data-id=\"17dcf32\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-17374e4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-global elementor-global-290 elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"17374e4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><span class=\"cert\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/howardch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Howard Cheung BBA<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\nEmployee Benefits Consultant, Immix Group: An Employee Benefits Company\n<strong>A<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2602.5699178039927!2d-123.12053598382099!3d49.28454617855886!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x54867181f97930d5%3A0x9797e526e8704198!2s888%20Dunsmuir%20St%20%23450%2C%20Vancouver%2C%20BC%20V6C%203K4!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sca!4v1583124389424!5m2!1sen!2sca\" target=\"new\" rel=\"noopener\">Suite 450 &#8211; 888 Dunsmuir St. Vancouver V6C 3K4<\/a><\/p><p>\n<strong>Ph<\/strong> <a href=\"tel:6046885559\">604-688-5559<\/a><\/p>\n\n<p><strong>E<\/strong> <a href=\"mailto:info@immixgroup.ca\">info@immixgroup.ca<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>W<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.immixgroup.ca\/\">www.immixgroup.ca<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By\u00a0Howard Cheung, Account Executive, Immix Group \/ May 23, 2018 Employee benefits are an integral part of both the employee-value proposition and the overall working experience. As an HR manager, you might well ask, \u201cJust how deeply should I be involved in employee benefits?\u201d Let\u2019s be frank. The discipline of employee benefits can be overwhelmingly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":345,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-emloyee-benefits"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=344"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":760,"href":"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344\/revisions\/760"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immixgroup.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}