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Q:
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What advice would you give to a customer looking to hire a company like yours?
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A:
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HR is an intimate part of your business. It is important that you have a comfortable flow of communication with the person you choose to consult with. Choose a consultant who won't judge you or make you feel bad for not understanding or following compliance or Insurance in the first place. Choose someone who understands that running a small business is hard and complicated. Choose an ally. Someone to be a real partner. Choose someone who is genuinely interested in your business and industry. If they seem well prepared with at least a little knowledge about your business, the chances of a successful relationship are going to be higher. And finally, choosing a consultant you trust is much better than choosing one you like.
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Q:
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What is the most common type of project or service your company provides?
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A:
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Health Insurance cost containment. We are experts at finding outside of the box ways to create the most cost-effective and stable strategies for your Employee Benefits, especially Health Insurance. We also communicate on a personal level with employees about how they can save money while using their Health Insurance.
We also write many Employee Handbooks and conduct personnel file audits.
We spend a lot of time helping companies with staff reduction and reorganization during mergers and times of economic hardship.
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In what ways is your company environmentally friendly?
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We combine high tech with a high touch approach. We provide clients with a paper-free HRIS for managing benefits and HR. We have electronic benefits education and enrollment tools. We keep a low footprint by traveling only when necessary and keep a small office space in a LEED Certified building that is adjacent to public transportation.
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Q:
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What would you like your customers to know about your company?
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A:
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We are an agile and creative team. If you have a project in mind and you are not sure if it is in our wheelhouse, your best bet is just to ask. More times than not, it is a project we are happy to dig into.
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Q:
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What is your company best known for?
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Responsiveness and competency.
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Q:
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What separates your company from the competition?
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A:
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We understand the challenges most small businesses face. Just because your business is small doesn't mean your worries and problems are. Small businesses often face the same challenges large corporations face but with fewer people to help and a smaller budget to work with.
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Q:
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Does your company offer a warranty or guarantee?
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A:
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As long as you are an active Benefits client, updates to Plan Documents are unlimited. As long as you are an active Fractional Human Resources client with a renewing monthly contract, we offer unlimited Employee Handbook updates and logging.
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Q:
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What questions do customers most frequently ask you? What is your answer?
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A:
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Q.In MN, can I fire whoever I want, whenever I want, for any reason I want to?
A.Sort of. It is important to develop the habit of proper documentation. You can further protect yourself with a well thought out and compliant Employee Handbook. In addition, having a documented strategy in place for reducing staff based on business needs and revenue is very smart. Lawyers love a good "Hostile Workplace" lawsuit as much as a discrimination lawsuit. It is best to make sure you are keeping yourself safe from both using proper and consistent documentation strategies. That said, a solid hiring and onboarding process can help prevent the uncomfortable moment you realize someone is not a good fit for your organization.
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Q:
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Does your company offer discounts to senior citizens or veterans?
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A:
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We have special pricing programs for a variety of groups and organizations.
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Q:
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Describe a project or service that your company recently completed (include challenges, costs, and innovative solutions).
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A:
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A client with a self-insured health plan that would normally be well-performing had 2 really bad years in a row. The problem was mainly in their pharmacy costs. Their Stop Loss carrier was insisting they add 30% more in their claims fund at time of renewal in order to cover their ever-increasing cost of pharmacy. For a small business, that kind of increase is impossible to accept. We approached a TPA that would allow us to build a custom plan with a pharmacy carve-out. The carve out had a 2 month lead-in period and 3 different cost-effective solutions that would cover all of the employees on expensive medications. We were able to lower their costs by at least 40% while saving employees money on out of pocket pharmacy expenses. They will renew at the same premiums with a nice cushion in their claims fund.
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Q:
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Is your company a member of any associations?
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A:
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National Association of Health Underwriters; Society of Human Resource Management
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