Author Archive for Joe Larocque

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Benefits Communications for Today’s Employee

Benefits Communications

Traditional Benefits Communications Not Reaching Today's Employee

We used to make this distinction about certain people being “web savvy” but these days it seems we’re all pretty web savvy – perhaps there is just different degrees.  One of my colleagues always uses the example of his 85 year old grandfather forwarding him YouTube clips to illustrate this point.

At GuideSpark we spend much of our time talking to employers about taking a modern approach to benefits communications.  When we meet with an HR professional for the first time to discuss their specific issues, many of them seem to have this sense that the world of communications has somehow passed them by.

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Published by Joe Larocque on March 15, 2010

Contrasting your FSA Employee Benefit and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit

A mainstay of employer Benefits Communications is to preach the virtues of Flexible Spending Accounts.  But is there perhaps a better tax opportunity out there for your dependent care related expenses?

Tax is an important area of focus when it comes to attaining a productive benefits education.  Before digging into the details of this particular tax opportunity, it’s important that you understand the difference between a tax deduction and a tax credit.  Tax deductions are taken “off the top” and ultimately reduce your taxable income, and, of course your taxable income is what ultimately drives the amount of taxes owed.  A tax credit on the other hand, is a dollar-for-dollar reduction subtracted from your tax liability.  If you had a $50 tax credit, it’s sort of like the government saying that they are giving you credit for having already paid them $50 in tax.

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Published by Joe Larocque on January 12, 2010

GuideSpark Financial Wellness Webinar

On December 8, GuideSpark presented a webinar called “The Need for Financial Wellness”.  In this webinar we discussed how poor financial health is affecting companies and their employees.  The webinar was well attended and definitely shows that financial wellness is becoming an important  issue at corporations across America.  In fact, the following poll shows that most attendees believed that 26-50% of employees are being negatively affected by financial issues.

Financial Wellness Poll Results

These results are not surprising based on our experience.  Financial issues are a productivity drain for corporations and is something we believe companies will begin to address in the coming years.  If you missed the webinar, please let us know and we’ll let you know when we have our next one.

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Published by Joe Larocque on December 10, 2009

Financial Wellness in 2010 – Open Enrollment Tips

As November fast approaches, you are likely beginning to receive important communications about Open Enrollment. If you’re like many employees, you may have already decided to just stick with your current elections – after all, they seem to have worked out well enough. This year, more than others in the past, taking a passive approach to Open Enrollment may be an expensive decision.

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Published by Joe Larocque on October 25, 2009

GuideSpark Announces New Hire Training and Open Enrollment Modules

Today, GuideSpark announced two new modules for its Benefits Learning Center solution.  These modules automate and streamline New Hire Training and benefits communications for Open Enrollment.  As companies continue to prioritize doing more with less, many employers are looking for more efficient and effective ways to deal with these resource-intensive processes.

Consider for a moment the staff time and dollars go into facilitating New Hire Training and Open Enrollment each year.  Many companies we’ve met with offer half-day New Hire orientations on a near weekly basis.  Not to mention the time and effort that goes into the creation of the stacks of paper that employees receive on their first day.  Open enrollment presents a similar situation.  Each year, HR staff offer a collection of live seminars to explain benefits changes, often preceded by brochures, mailers and the like.  Despite all of this effort, nearly 80% of employers believe that their employees do not have a good understanding of their benefits.

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Published by Joe Larocque on August 31, 2009

BEWARE: Usual, Customary and Reasonable Charges

I visited my childhood pediatrician until age 28.  Why?  Well, I trusted his judgment and there was just a huge amount of peace of mind that came with dealing with a physician who had first-hand experience with just about every entry in my medical history.  Dr. Blair was never once in the network of doctors offered by my medical plans and therefore I had to pay 20% more for care.  Fortunately for me, it was only 20%.

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Published by Joe Larocque on August 19, 2009

White Paper: Five Ways to Leverage Web 2.0 to Transform Benefits Communications

Today, GuideSpark announced availability of a new white paper on the ways to leverage Web 2.0 to transform benefits communications.

It may surprise you to learn that over 50% of employed Americans received a majority of their financial and health products from their employer, making employer-sponsored benefits a critical aspect of an employee’s overall financial wellness.

If there is one statistic that encapsulates the problem that GuideSpark is attempting to solve with our Benefits Learning Center solution, it is this one: “4 out of 5 employers believe that their employees don’t have a good understanding of their benefits.”

Amazing, isn’t it?

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Published by Joe Larocque on July 14, 2009

New Solution for Benefits Communications and Financial Wellness

employee-benefits-open-enrollment-forms_smallToday, GuideSpark announced two core products focused on the issues of corporate benefits education and employee financial wellness.  Over the last 18 months, we’ve had a chance to meet with many employers – from small businesses to large enterprises, from Silicon Valley technology companies to retail chains to government organizations.  Not surprisingly, each of these employers carries a similar burden – how to reduce the cost of benefits while continuing to offer a competitive compensation package.

While many HR professionals concede that their employees have a poor understanding of their benefits package, most underestimate the impact of this situation on their bottom line.  Employees who don’t understand their benefits are more likely to:

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Published by Joe Larocque on June 17, 2009