What can a good student employment strategy accomplish?
Situation
- Multiple colleges and departments, unique student employment relationships
- No central student management policy, hiring and schedules set by departments
- Non-benefits eligible part time employees working in multiple departments
- Part-time salaried job descriptions did not clearly limit hours
Solution
- Analyze and modify job descriptions
- Construct central student employment policy followed by all departments
- Draft policy for crediting hours for GA’s
- Develop central hours monitoring system to assure compliance
Results Include
- Increase student understanding and satisfaction with funding/positions
- Reduce risk of disparate impact among protected classes
- Improved ACA compliance
- Improved record keeping at the department level and audit preparedness
- Greater understanding among departments, resulting in better communications to new students, employees requesting additional hours or positions in additional departments, etc.
A student employment strategy helps ensure student satisfaction and reduce compliance risk.
What is possible through a healthy campus strategy?
Situation
An education institution faced:
- $4M annual health care budget shortfall
- Resistance to any benefit reduction or contribution increases
- A projected health care reform excise tax in 2018
Solution
- Listen to committee
- Facilitate a shared vision with buy-in from diverse stakeholders, including skeptical faculty
- Develop a strategy and plan to avoid the excise tax through 2022
Results Include
- Minimal university budget increase
- Competitive level of benefits
- Faculty and staff were given the opportunity to maintain current contribution levels
- Achieved 80% to 90% participation in wellness programs for 4 years
- Actual cost including incentives came in under budget and projected to avoid excise tax through 2022
- Significant energy and enthusiasm for the initiative across the workforce
- Recognition for its healthy culture
An inspiring vision for a healthy campus creates a great context for change.
What is possible with a self-funded SHP?
Situation
- About 2,000 GAs in SHP
- ACA and tax issues with impending penalties
- Seeking savings
Solution
Develop a self-funded plan to:
- Tailor the program for the student health plan
- Avoid premium taxes and risk charges
- Implement best in class claims administrator, network provider, stop-loss carrier, and pharmacy benefit manager
Results Include
- The actuarial projection for the first, partial plan year savings is about $473,000
- The actuarial projection for the first, full plan year savings is about $709,000
- More control to make program changes when student needs are identified
- Ownership of data to support future decision making and program management
Self-funded plan resulted in increased value through cost savings and flexibility.
What is possible through a disciplined process for an insured SHP?
Situation
- University experienced low loss ratios three years in a row
- Long-standing relationship based on mutual trust
- University staff had administrative concerns about the insurer, hampering the relationship
Solution
- We negotiated directly with insurer
- Relieved University’s staff from a very time-consuming process
- Avoided conflicting messages to the insurer and avoided positioning staff as ’bad guy’
Results Include
- 5.5% composite rate reduction saving close to $1 M
- Risk-sharing arrangement that enabled sharing in favorable experience up to 6% premium with no downside risk
- Performance guarantees
- Renewal methodology that reduces all future premium calculations by at least 2.5%
- Identification of several financial, administrative, plan design issues to improve the operation and attractiveness of the plan.
Leverage a disciplined process to enhance value of student health programs.
What can a good workforce management strategy accomplish?
Situation
- Multiple colleges and departments, unique employment relationships
- No central workforce management policy, hiring and schedules set by departments
- Non-benefits eligible part time employees working in multiple departments
- Part-time salaried job descriptions did not clearly limit hours
Solution
- Analyze and modify job descriptions
- Construct central workforce management policy followed by all departments
- Draft policy for crediting hours for GA’s
- Develop central hours monitoring system to assure compliance
Results Include
- Reduced likelihood of ACA violations
- Improved ACA reporting capabilities
- Improved record keeping at the department level
- Increased audit preparedness, the comprehensive policy document shows “good faith effort” at compliance
- Greater understanding among departments, resulting in better communications to new employees, employees requesting additional hours or positions in additional departments, etc.
A workforce management strategy helps ensure compliance with the ACA.
What is possible through a healthy campus strategy?
Situation
An education institution faced:
- $4M annual health care budget shortfall
- Resistance to any benefit reduction or contribution increases
- A projected health care reform excise tax in 2018
Solution
- Listen to committee
- Facilitate a shared vision with buy-in from diverse stakeholders, including skeptical faculty
- Develop a strategy and plan to avoid the excise tax through 2022
Results Include
- Minimal university budget increase
- Competitive level of benefits
- Employees were given the opportunity to maintain current contribution levels
- Achieved 88% participation in wellness programs
- Actual cost including incentives came in under budget and projected to avoid excise tax through 2022
- Significant energy and enthusiasm for the initiative across the workforce
- Recognition for its healthy culture
An inspiring vision for a healthy campus creates a great context for change.
What is possible through a behavioral time off and leave design?
Situation
- A top ranked private university with 2,000 faculty and staff experienced significant use of sick leave
- Existing programs were complex, promoted entitlement
- Faced $6M annual cost and $5M in liability
Solution
Redesigned leave and disability programs to:
- Fit desired employee value proposition
- Drive accountability and workplace behaviors
- Simplify programs and administration
Results Include
- An improved workplace culture
- More accountable and reliable workforce as measured by:
- 52% reduction in unscheduled absence
- 72% reduction in extended absence
- With additional value of improved employee relations as measured by:
- 95% reduction in related employee relations issues
- 29% reduction in high performer turnover and
- 36% increased low performer turnover