• The rise of remote work has led to changes in the benefits workers expect from their employers.

• Higher rates of resignations and job changes have prompted companies to strengthen their benefits packages to attract and retain employees.

• Just as hybrid work models are becoming more popular, flexible hybrid care packages are in high demand.

• A self-funded group captive plan with Roundstone enables businesses to position their benefits offerings to meet evolving employee expectations.

It’s no secret that the last two years have seen enormous shifts in the way people live and work. The pandemic has created new attitudes towards health and wellness. As a result, employees’ benefit needs are changing.

That means you, as an employer, may need to rethink your employee benefits program.

The World of Work Is Changing

Although its exact effects are still unclear, the Great Resignation has been happening for almost a year now. Some of this has to do with the pandemic, and some of it has to do with Baby Boomers retiring en masse as they reach age 65. Since many were senior workers at the top of their workplace hierarchy, their absence is creating ripple effects throughout the workforce.

For these reasons and more, people are switching jobs like never before. For employers, this means both crisis and opportunity: Your workers may be more likely to leave, but with an innovative benefits package, you have an opportunity to attract top talent and outclass your competitors.

Here are four things that are disrupting the way companies are looking at employee benefits. These trends can impact how companies design their self-funded health insurance plans to better meet employees’ needs.

1. The Increase In Remote Work

Perhaps influenced by the widespread work-from-home arrangements prompted by pandemic shutdowns, more workers want flexible working conditions. Remote and hybrid work situations are now widespread, and many employees don’t want to return to a fully on-site position. Related in-demand benefits include stipends for home office expenses, cell phones, and internet access.

2. Greater Focus on Work-Life Balance

As millennials represent a growing majority of the workforce, they are changing the employer benefits conversation. This group is interested in health insurance and employer-sponsored retirement accounts, but many are also looking for student loan repayment assistance.

Millennials are also acutely aware of the need for work-life balance, so many want perks like flexible hours, wellness programs, and gym memberships. They also tend to be oriented toward personal growth. Benefits that invest in their skills and training are in high demand.

3. Increasing Need for Mental Health Services

While mental health in America has been in decline for many years, the pandemic caused an acceleration in this trend as well as an increase in mental health awareness. Two years of uncertainty and social isolation have had devastating effects on the mental health of many, leading to increased rates of anxiety and depression.

As a result, demand for mental health services has grown. Expanding mental health coverage is another opportunity for employers; research shows that ROI for every dollar spent on mental and behavioral services is $4.00.

Better mental health coverage leads to better work performance, making a stronger focus on mental health a benefit for employers and employees alike. The beauty of a self-funded health plan is it can be tailored to proactively address mental health, improving care while lowering costs.

4. Caretaking Assistance

The pandemic took millions of women out of the workforce. Two years later, many of them are still there, taking care of children and other family members. The situation has highlighted how the work of caretaking has always fallen disproportionately on the shoulders of women.

As a result, many companies are expanding childcare benefits for their female employees. For mostly onsite workplaces, this may include onsite childcare. For more remote work situations, this can include flexible options like daycare vouchers and cash subsidies for childcare and eldercare. Self-funded plans can be customized to accommodate these needs to better serve your employees.

Flexibility Is Crucial

Hybrid work means employees live in varying situations. Some may be fully in-office, others completely remote, and the rest in some combination of the two. The packages they want will vary depending on their work-life situation.

Many companies are adding or expanding paid memberships to online platforms that help workers find and manage family and childcare. Others are offering online financial and wellness tools.

Whatever the needs of your employees, it’s clear that offering a one-size-fits-all benefits package is no longer the best way to attract and retain top talent. By self-insuring, employees can custom-tailor their health plans to better serve the needs of their employees.

Experience the Flexibility of a Group Captive Plan With Roundstone

Traditional brokers are more like salespeople or middlemen; they work for the insurance companies, not necessarily for you. Fully insured insurance carriers offer little flexibility to help you meet your employees’ healthcare needs. They lock you into one system for a year at a time, leaving you with few plan options and annual unexplained rate increases.

Roundstone does it differently. A self-insured group captive plan with Roundstone offers you greater freedom of choice, allowing you to customize a plan that meets the needs of your employees while minimizing your costs.

Under a self-funded insurance plan with a captive, you’ll have access to your claims data and expert guidance to help you identify cost saving opportunities and implement changes to take advantage of them. You can take control of your healthcare benefits with a long-term, strategic view, like you do with all other aspects of your business.

For more information about the difference self-funded group captive insurance can make to your business and your employees, download our free eBook.