FORSITE’S LATEST APP INNOVATION HELPS EMPLOYEES NAVIGATE CARE AND BUILD HEALTHIER HABITS

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN, MAY 3^rd, 2021 – The need to evolve the way companies communicate with their employees and prioritize their benefit & wellness experience is apparent. Forsite’s latest innovation, Employee Experience Platform (EXP), reimagines the approach for companies seeking to revitalize and sustain their workforce in today’s market. 

Built on over 20 years of benefits & wellness experience, this new app-first technology helps employers engage their employees and their families in a revolutionary way. The platform combines smart company communication, with robust benefit & wellness education.

The app features a real-time company newsfeed, a bulletin board that links to important company documents, benefit information, individual wellness dashboards and frequently delivers employee health and benefit education. It also has the ability to send notifications to the employees’ phones alerting them of new app activity, and keeping them in-the-know and immersed in their company culture.

Forsite Benefits & Wellness’ CEO and innovation leader, Michael Troup, shared, “I’m excited to be able to continue to use technology and our expertise to proactively engage individuals in better healthcare consumerism and healthier lifestyles. What makes this app so different, is for the first time, we as the consultant can talk directly to the employees and families about their available benefits, navigating the healthcare market, and inspiring healthy choices.”

This new app technology is available to all organizations looking to make a difference in their employees’ day-to-day lives. To learn more about this latest innovation visit www.forsitebenefits.com/exp or attend one of the two informational webinars held on Thursday, May 6^th at 8:15 AM CST, or Tuesday, May 18^th at 12:15 PM CST.  

Unicorns, flying pigs, golden eggs, and a money tree. What do these have to do with your company’s Employee Benefits you ask? Absolutely nothing. But now that I have your attention let us talk about the benefits you, as an employer, offer and how you communicate those benefits to your employees.

Whether you are a company of under 50 or a fortune 100, benefits are typically promoted at onboarding for new hires and once a year at open enrollment. That is where it usually stops. Seriously! Outside of Payroll, your second or third greatest expense to be in business is only addressed one to two times per year. Not only are employee benefits expensive for you as the employer, but a big decision for us employees too. So, would you say addressing employee benefits 1-2 times a year is sufficient? I do not think so.

From newly hired team members to seasoned employees nearing retirement, every employee will have unique healthcare needs for their stage of life. If you provide employees sufficient education on how they can intelligently navigate healthcare, not only will employees save money, but claims will be mitigated which effect the cost of the employer-sponsored benefit plan.

When it comes to a stage of life and the healthcare education provided for said stage, the largest gap that we see, and employers often attest to, is among retirement ready employees.

Staying on the employer-sponsored benefit plan is rarely in the best interest of a retirement ready employee or the employer. With age, employees typically see more claims and complicated health issues that will weigh heavily on the company’s benefit plan. Alternative health insurance could save an eligible employee nearing retirement some financial strain and equip them with the options they need for their wellbeing. In turn, the employer could be spared high dollar claims that would affect their plan premium.

Because of these truths, your retirement ready employees knowing and understanding all healthcare options available to them is in the best interest of both the employee and the employer.

Have you ever been in a business meeting and heard a co-worker unenthusiastically explain the reasoning behind a specific policy, process, or procedure with “we have always done it this way”?  These seven infamous words that, when wielded in a professional conversation, have been viewed as an acceptable answer that allows the path of least resistance: doing nothing. Instead of the amygdala triggering the hormones for fight or flight when the threat of change is identified, it unfortunately relies on the 3^rd f: freeze.

Today’s business climate is dynamic and continually morphing, and if your organization and team members are not following suit, it won’t take long to fall behind or worse.  2020 has been a year overflowing with strong resistance to forced flexibility (one of my favorite COVID Era terms), so you can understand the frustration many business leaders face when entertaining the idea of evolving their organization on a voluntary basis. 

With the talent market as tight as it is, and the knowledge that your workforce would rather get a paper cut and pour lemon juice on it than transition to online timecards, the struggle for employers to avoid upsetting the apple cart is real, but is it necessary?  With proper planning and guidance, we’d argue that it is not, and we’ll attempt to unpack that. 

What Causes Resistance to Change?

Humans are creatures of habit, so it is in our nature to fear change.  The uncertainty that change brings registers almost like an error in the brain and the ensuing involuntary threat to neurobiological needs like personal security, autonomy and control set the alarm bells ringing like the robot in Lost In Space (Danger, Will Robinson!!).  

To add to that, people consciously feel that the ways they have been thinking and going about their tasks for quite some time are actually the best way to operate, and the time invested in honing these skills has led to strides in quality, time, and economical efficiencies (or has it?). 

Overcoming Resistance to Change: The 3 F’s.

Now that we have addressed some of the factors that cause resistance to change, and we have conversely identified that evolution is imperative for a business to sustain, what do we do now? 

Through researching this topic, I came across an equation called Gleicher’s Formula, which simply explains how to overcome (R)esistance to change by identifying (D)issatisfaction, creating a (V)ision for the future, and implementing (F)irst concrete steps to turn vision into reality or D x V x F > R. To simplify things, I’ve modified this a bit into:

(F)rustration x (F)uture Vision x (F)irst Steps > (R)esistance or F x F x F > R

Here is a common example of what we see in our business. Considering the yearly increased costs of healthcare and the complexity of our industry, it is always beneficial for business leaders to keep a pulse on market trends and test the waters for opportunities they may be missing.  Yet, many companies continue to operate their health benefits program the same year after year and expect different results.  They claim there is nothing they can do to change the annual cycle, but I would argue the real hesitation stems from their own aversion to change that is deep rooted in their fear of disruption in their workforce. Let’s look at an example of how to navigate considering this change.

Frustration: Why change?

If your team members feel they are completely satisfied with their current benefits situation, there will be zero chance of participation in change. A few of the pain points you will have to drive home are:

·  Inflated healthcare and pharmacy costs

·  Lack of understanding of benefits

·  Confusion in navigating the system (along with limited providers)

·  Price transparency

·  And complex, paper-driven processes

Many employees have become so numb to this being normal, that they don’t even realize they should be frustrated.  Therefore, it is imperative for leadership teams to circumvent learned behavior and build awareness that there is a problem to create a catalyst for obtaining a brighter future and a picture of what that looks like.

Future Vision: What are you changing for?

In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey’s 2^nd habit of “beginning with the end in mind” is a great starting point for successfully navigating change.  Your team members will need a clear picture of how a transition will benefit them to get their attention and engagement. 

In this case, you can help your employees see themselves as educated consumers with easy access to appropriate paths of preferred healthcare in a streamlined method to obtain and utilize their benefits. 

All of this is well and good, but money talks.  When you let them know that all these things will put more money back in their pockets and allow their employer to grow and offer them more opportunity, they will be on their way to ignoring their involuntary responses and yearning to learn how to get there.

First Concrete Steps: How do we change?

It is said that the easiest way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. For your changes to take place, your employees will need guidance on what bite to take first, then second and so on. 

1.  Start with something easy, such as communicating low-cost options for care, procedures, and prescriptions.

2.  Second, move onto more education-intensive topics including levels of care, and simple technology-driven access to benefit information and online enrollment. 

The key is to have a sequential process of realistic steps to take on a daily and weekly basis resulting in an employee population who envisions their future state as realistic and sees a leadership driven path to turn that vision into their new reality.

Understanding Change

We understand that contemplating change can be daunting, actually changing can be unthinkable, and leading a change can be downright horrifying, but it doesn’t have to be.  What we have found (and research supports) is that it is not the actual change that people are afraid of.  It is a misunderstanding and skewed perception between the thought of modifying an engrained mindset (or activity), the reality of reward (incentive) delivered when modifications are implemented, and a path of digestible steps on making your vision come to fruition.

Most companies are frustrated with their current healthcare landscape, but sometimes long-standing relationships with traditional benefits brokers and a perceived aversion to change still outweigh strategic business decisions. If you are interested in making the future of your benefits program look different but are held back by the thought of where to start, our team at Forsite would love to chat.

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Even as things start returning to some sort of normalcy in day to day operations, societal indications show that the impact of COVID-19 on “business as usual” will be seen well into 2021.  With the ripples of the Coronavirus continuing to form, Employers are faced with challenges of managing the on-going fluctuation and frustration of their workforce.

Now more than ever, employers are struggling with employee recruitment and retention, and employees are looking to their HR and Leadership teams for organizational evolution that has their best interest at heart.  Businesses who continue with the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality of employee engagement are going to be left scratching their heads wondering why their biggest assets are funneling out the door and they can’t recover from this pandemic.

Why is an employee benefits consulting company talking about employee acquisition and retention challenges?

The answer’s quite simple and straightforward, but often overlooked by organizations: Employee Benefits play a key role in whether people decide to come to work for, or leave, a specific business.  In support, annual data from recruiting experts like Glassdoor and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) continue to show that 60%+ of job seekers report Employee Benefits (Health Benefits ranking #1) and Perks as major factors in considering a job offer.

Check out this article by Jennifer Jones, 'Why Employee Experience Shouldn't Stop Short of Health Benefits'.

Whether we like it or not, times have changed, and the COVID-19 landscape has brought many of the gaps in structure and understanding of traditional employee benefit programs to the surface.  Strategic organizations understand that their team members are the biggest driver of their future growth and success.  Along with that, these businesses understand that the way they assemble and promote their Employee Benefits programs will impact the quality of their Associates.  When correctly aligned, Employee Benefits and recruitment can solidify a company’s position as an Employer of Choice on the cutting edge of the talent war. 

How can your employee benefits program tie into employee engagement and your sustainable growth strategy moving forward? 

To keep it simple, we’ve narrowed our solution down into the 3 pillars for benefit evolution that will improve employee engagement and overall employee experience:

1.  Educate: Let’s face it, the world of employee benefits can be complex and confusing.  As costly as insurance benefits are, it is imperative to ensure your employees understand what they are receiving and have streamlined access to the information they need to be intelligent healthcare consumers whenever they need it and wherever they are. Companies must ensure their employees are educated healthcare consumers and that important information reaches all employees in simple, easy-to-understand terms.  The result of employee benefit education is more informed employees who are engaged and satisfied, become better benefit consumers, and help to mitigate your company’s risk that leads to future claims. 

How can you achieve educated, engaged, satisfied employees?

a.  Offer them direct access to timely benefit experts and resources

b.  Give on-demand mobile access to pertinent benefits materials at a single point of entry

c.  Provide proactive communications for cost saving RX/Medical alternatives

2.  Engage: The days of having one in-person meeting a year at open enrollment are over.  Not only is this method expensive for employers and unsafe in current times, it is ineffective and often does not include all parties involved in benefits decisions. Employers must revamp their open enrollment strategy to guarantee accurate and practical employee benefits information can be easily accessible and absorbed by their team members. It is important that employers utilize technology to communicate with their employees on platforms where they are already spending their time, such as a smartphone, computer, or tablet. 

Are you wondering how to improve employee engagement? We believe employee engagement begins with how an organization presents their company sponsored employee benefits program. Take the following steps to modernize your open enrollment approach.

a.  Ensure your employees have access to materials that will make them the best healthcare consumers they can be. Seek a proactive, real-time option for effective healthcare system navigation

b.  Make open enrollment easy, safe, and educational by enrolling in an online, app-based enrollment and benefit election tools

c.  Let your employees know that you care about their wellbeing. Secure innovative health and wellness offerings for your employee population's physical, mental, emotional and financial wellbeing

3.  Empower: As companies look at a roster of team members from millennials to baby boomers, a one-sized fits all approach to benefits won’t cut it.  Employees are yearning to have the autonomy to choose the most effective and affordable program for their unique family dynamics.  The needs of a single 25-year-old, a 45-year-old with a family of four, and a 55-year-old empty nester will be drastically different.  On top of having options, your current and future workforce want a voice in continued changes that will inevitably occur for your employee benefits program to remain relevant.

Gather information on employee benefits services for your employees’ to feel empowered when making benefit decisions that are best for their unique situation.

a.  Explore Forsite’s access to non-traditional healthcare options based on stage of life for member/family that will mitigate financial risk for the employee and the company alike

b.  Ask about Forsite’s creative options to customize coverage and direction of employee investment

c.  Invest in technology and population health solutions to encourage and incentivize healthy behavior change such as a corporate wellness program

It’s no secret that all employers have challenges with talent and, since their inception in the 1940s, company sponsored employee health plans have played a huge role in helping to solve this dilemma.  We believe the problem is that in the last 70+ years, employers have transitioned from looking at this part of total compensation as a “benefit” to employees to simply an “expense” to the employer. 

Over the last 16 years, Forsite Benefits has been on a mission to flip the script and has helped our clients contain costs in their programs with an employee-first approach.  By focusing on Employee Education, Engagement and Empowerment to create the best possible employee benefits scenario for their team members, Forsite clients have seen a ripple effect that comes backwards to impact overall organizational, financial, and cultural health in their business.

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One of the leading employer challenges heard from leadership teams today is helping employees make educated decisions about their health care plan; more specifically, the need for employers to help employees with retirement. 

As your employees experience all stages of life from marriage to children or retirement, they are faced with health care plan decisions that, when chosen incorrectly, can cost them unnecessary financial strain. Unfortunately, employees are often uninformed, overwhelmed, and left feeling frustrated when navigating their health care plan.

A recent study done by Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance (NEWMA) looked specifically at retirement-age employees.

This study shed light on the increasing concern employers have for helping their aging employee population make informed healthcare decisions. With roughly 10,000 American employees reaching retirement age each day it’s a significant portion of your workforce that will need this support.

So, how can you help retirement age employees make informed healthcare decisions as an employer?

Check out this employee education piece on how to navigate health insurance for retirees under 65 before Medicare eligibility.

At Forsite Benefits, we continuously look for ways to make sure retirement-ready employees know all their options and how to find the best benefits for the least amount of cost. That’s why Forsite benefits developed Life Stage Support. Through our advocacy a Forsite Benefits Life Stage Support Counselor will work one-on-one with willing employees to coach them through selecting their best available health care plan option, saving them from unnecessary financial strain.

Be sure to check out the full article for more insight on what Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing groups need to know when it comes to their retiring employee population.

If you are interested in learning more about mitigating risk by finding the best coverage for your employees needs through our Life Stage Support services, please reach out to Charles | csvihlik@forsitebenefits.com.

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GOBankingRates recently released survey results showing that the majority of Americans believe their greatest financial concern is healthcare. Respondents were asked to prioritize six challenges that the U.S. faces from most to least significant. Healthcare costs took the cake. In fact, Kristen Bonner, the research lead for the Financial Burdens Survey, stated, “Every age group, with the exception of people under 24 years old and people over 65, chose healthcare costs as most significant more than any other factor.”

Perhaps that isn’t astonishing if you’re overseeing your corporate health benefits. The rising costs of health care and insurance are well documented. No doubt that the efforts to stem the tide have been far and wide, including the government’s intervention of the Affordable Care Act over the past several years. We could go around for hours on ways to alleviate this major issue. However, I want to offer two practical strategies that can have an immediate impact on your employee’s perception of healthcare.

First, knowledge is key. Educating a person about their insurance benefit, regardless of what it is, is proven to increase satisfaction. A person cannot appreciate what they don’t know. This concept isn’t new. Dating back to a 2008 study by the insurer UNUM, over 80% of employees who rated their satisfaction high with benefits education, also felt better about their workplace.

Ironically, standard open enrollment practices tend to fly in the face of effective education. Whether it’s the limited time spent talking about the programs, or the fists full of paper, employees can feel rushed and overwhelmed in trying to understand what they’re receiving. Which is not exactly a great starting point. Instead, boil the message down to what is simple, relevant and practical. Oftentimes, this means cutting the industry jargon. Being transparent with costs is a key piece to an educated (and satisfied) employee.

It’s not just about content and approach, delivery needs to be considered also. People learn differently, so using the proper mechanism is as important as the message itself. Think through your employee population and how they best receive information. Be sure to include multiple channels to reach the largest portion of your population. Emails, videos, blogs, and mail are all viable options when used properly.

Second, trying to address a global issue like rising healthcare costs at your organization’s level can feel like trying to quell a raging sea while aboard a raft. It’s difficult to control. So focus on what can be controlled – personal health.

Coincidentally, at the root of the raging sea of healthcare is a population struggling to proactively manage its own healthy behaviors. Maybe that comes across anecdotal. Yet, it is the truth. Avoiding healthcare costs altogether comes through the tried and true diet and exercise regimen.

It reminds me of an employee at a local company I was working with a few years back. His story was a commonsense win. He was an overweight, pre-diabetic that was about to be prescribed insulin and a host of meds to manage his illness. Facing the hard reality of the costs associated with his new condition, he took it upon himself to improve his diet and get physically active. He turned his trajectory around 180 degrees, losing weight and bringing his cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose levels to normalcy. Not only did he reach optimal health, but he avoided thousands in healthcare costs. The employer also won with one less expected risk contributing to their health plan expense. By building an effective wellness strategy you can drive similar results in your entire population.

In this emerging landscape where healthcare costs are the primary concern on the minds of so many, it’s imperative to have the right strategies in place. By putting together a clear communication plan and an emphasis on empowering personal health, you can lessen fears and spur loyalty.