We’ve created this list to help administrators manage their company’s Employee Benefits Plan.
The following 10 Best Practices are our own opinion. However, over the past 30+ years, they’re what we’ve seen be the most useful for saving you time and stress.
1) Understand all the details of your Employee Benefits Plan.
2) Know how to administer the plan, including:
- Review and pay the premiums
- Enroll employees and set up payroll deductions
- Terminate employees from the plan
- Update employee information pertaining to the plan in a timely manner (e.g., salary)
3) Complete hiring forms with new employees at the time of hire. Book a meeting at the end of their probationary period to ensure they’re enrolled in the plan on time.
4) Communicate the plan to new hires before their start date and when they pass probation. Provide a brief plan overview. (Both verbal and written.)
5) Contact the employee once they pass probation with a 30-day warning for them to enroll in the plan. Book a meeting accordingly to complete a benefits enrollment.
6) Make sure employees know how to use the plan. (Online access, submitting claims, etc.)
7) Understand which employee benefits can be waived and when.
8) Review the plan annually with employees and update:
- Salary (discuss eligibility for NEM for LTD if their salary is increased)
- Employment status
- Family status (marital or dependents)
- Contact information
- Banking changes for claim payments
- Beneficiary information
9) Update employee deductions on payroll when there are premium changes due to:
- Renewal increase
- Salary-tied benefits
- Change of coverage type (single family waived)
10) Remind employees to use their plan. For example, book an annual educational seminar with us.
To view or download a PDF of these 10 Best Practices for Plan Administrators, click here.
