A new wave of options gives employees choices in coverage with voluntary benefits

Although voluntary benefits are not a new concept, they have increased in popularity as the landscape of health care continues to change and evolve with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Traditionally, these types of benefits were offered by large employers.
Smart Business spoke with Michael Galardini, sales executive with JRG Advisors, about the growth in demand for voluntary benefits.
What are voluntary benefits?
These benefits are made available to employees on a voluntary or optional basis. Some key characteristics of voluntary benefits include 100 percent employee-paid insurance, offered through an employer with premiums paid through automatic payroll deductions. Others may include accident insurance, critical illness, auto/homeowners, cancer, disability income and pet insurance. Because these types of benefits are cost efficient and contribute to the employee’s work/life balance, they are becoming a central component of many companies’ overall benefits strategies.
Why should employers consider adding them to the benefits portfolio?
Since many employers find it increasingly difficult to provide employees with a complete benefits package, voluntary benefits have become a solution or supplement to an employee benefits program. Employers can offer these types of coverages without any added expense to the company. Implementation requires little or no administration or support. Trends also show that voluntary benefits have strong emotional appeal to employees, and they have actually come to expect them.
What are some of the advantages to offering voluntary benefits?
Voluntary benefits appeal to both the employer as well as the employee. From an employer standpoint, they offer a means of increased expense control. They provide the employer with a cost-effective way of supplementing benefit cuts or reductions that may be necessary due to budget constraints. By offering voluntary benefits, an employer can stand out from competitors in offerings and image, and thus may attract and retain valued employees.
From the employees’ perspective, voluntary benefits provide the opportunity to access a broader array of benefits in one place and the freedom to choose what best suits their needs. Voluntary benefits often have lower premiums than individual policies that employees would purchase on their own, and the premiums are payroll deducted, often on a pre-tax basis.
What should an employer consider when offering voluntary benefits in its portfolio?
First, employers wishing to offer voluntary benefits must show their support for the benefit program if they want them to be successful with the employees. Such support on behalf of the employer lends itself to motivating employees to see the value of voluntary benefits for themselves and their families. An employer should talk to employees to help determine what offerings would be most useful.
In addition, employers should carefully examine their current benefits package to determine which benefits are popular and those that are not. Most importantly, employers need to determine the type(s) of voluntary benefits that offer the most value for the lowest cost. This is crucial to the success of the voluntary benefits program due to employee’s perceived value.
As the program is implemented, employers should educate employees on what voluntary plans are available and the benefits of enrolling. Lastly, employers should follow up with employees on a regular basis to ensure that they are satisfied, and that there are no problems.
How is the success of a program measured?

Employers should review their voluntary benefits program every 12 to 24 months to gauge the program’s success and effectiveness. This can be accomplished through employee surveys to measure employee awareness, understanding and satisfaction with the benefits that are being offered. In addition, through benchmarking and reviewing participation rates among their workforce, employers can further determine if they are at industry norms with regard to enrollment, re-enrollment and persistency.

Insights Employee Benefits is brought to you by JRG Advisors