BenefitsPro: Non-Insurance A.K.A.: Employee Perks

March 7, 2016      |      Posted on Posted in In the News
BenefitsPro: Non-Insurance A.K.A.: Employee Perks

Excerpt by Katie Kuehber-Hebert, originally featured in Benefits Selling Magazine/BenefitsPro.com, March 2016.

Perhaps the hottest trend emerging within the employee benefits space is non-insurance offerings, in part, to offset the higher costs related to traditional insurance offerings.

What’s next?

Erin Krehbiel, president of ACI Specialty Benefits in San Diego, says her 30-year-old firm has been a “trailblazer in contemporary EAP” in an “often commoditized sector.”

“We work with clients to make the EAP have greater impact, including proactive promotion and marketing,” Krehbiel says. “We promote available services in a positive manner, showcasing how the programs can meet workers’ mental health needs, lessening the old-fashioned stigma of utilizing an EAP.”

While she says other programs still use flyers with “antiquated” images and words, her company uses “more uplifting pieces” about how its EAP programs can help workers with balancing their life. They emphasize services for coaching, positive development, or handling life issues such as legal, financial, child care, elder care, and even pet care. For example, some programs provide referrals and resources for dog walkers and local grooming facilities.

“We include referrals for these types of services, so employers are not spending too much time on the job trying to research services themselves,” Krehbiel says. “A contemporary EAP not only makes the services approachable and modern, but it also allows employees to access these and traditional EAP benefits in the way they prefer—via text, mobile app, online portal or phone.”

ACI’s fastest-growing service is concierge services, “and this is where brokers are really letting money fall through the cracks,” she says.

Health care professionals working the overnight shift are one example of those who particularly appreciate concierge services for services that are normally closed at that time.

“It comes back to talent management,” Krehbiel says. “Many of these organizations are vying to be named on Fortune magazine’s list of best places to work, and offering concierge services helps them get on that list. Employers really like specialty benefit providers that are technically savvy and are willing to integrate with other partners to create innovative solutions,” she adds.