Forhan Solutions

Protect Your Business from Catastrophic Claims

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 19:45:01 GMT

How do you, as the CEO of a growing small business, protect your business from catastrophic claims when you are self funded?

Employee Benefits Claims Tell a Story

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 19:15:00 GMT

Your Employee Benefits Claims are Telling a Story, are you listening?

HR Technology to Track Employee Benefits

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 19:15:00 GMT

If your provider for employee health benefits does not include HR technology, it may be time to get a new provider.

How to Survive High Cost Claims When You Are Self-Funded

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 19:15:00 GMT

Here's how to survive high-cost claims when you are self-funded.

Start your Renewal Strategy 150 Days Early

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Three Steps to Control Your Healthcare Renewals

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:50:35 GMT

Group Benefits... Costs Solved!

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:39:44 GMT

A Proven Way to Control Healthcare Spend. Be Curious. Get the Details.

Event Planning HR Style: An Employee’s First Day

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 15:50:00 GMT

A new employee’s first day with the company presents a tremendous opportunity for employers to make a first impression on that anxious, enthusiastic individual. This opportunity is important and should be treated as an event. An event that should be planned with attention to the details. And HR professionals know there are details!

The beneficiaries of such planning will be the new employee and his/her family and mostly the organization. This experience will set the tone of the culture that you want to foster.

Is it organized? Fun? Caring? Professional? Or is it unprepared? Sloppy? Disorganized?

Getting in the way of the ability to spend time on this planning are the administrative duties and transactions necessary for you to be in legal compliance with his/her employment. Are you finding it hard to be a people-person when you feel more like a paper-person with so much more to give?

There are too many vendors, too many logins and too little time.

Too little time to plan that new employee arrival. Too little time to educate employees on consumer-directed health plans. Too little time to introduce the new generation of benefits (financial wellness, student loan, employee discount programs, telemedicine, robust employee assistance programs). And too little support from vendors.

If you have visions of a new HR – a totally-integrated, strategic HR… one with fewer logins, a single point of contact for onboarding, payroll, benefits administration, enrollment, COBRA, 401(k), time and attendance, employee communication and education, then take action today.

Turn your vision into reality with us. Help your employees today and they will be raving fans tomorrow. And you can prevent a future exit interview.

Call Forhan Solutions today to free yourself up to focus on your culture, your employee’s experience and engagement.

Employee Benefits for the Ages: Can We Talk?

Wed, 12 Jul 2017 14:35:00 GMT

The late comedy legend Joan Rivers used the catchphrase “Can we talk?” in discussing various topics. She explained her use of the phrase , saying “I always try to be very honest. My humor is truly stripping everything. Bam!” she explained. She went on to describe her approach: “Let’s stop the nonsense”.

One area of Corporate America that could use a similar approach is the area of employee benefits. Insurance companies and consultants would like to talk trends, utilization, probabilities and the like, but what is missing from the conversation is the person. Not “employees” but the individual person. How the person thinks, what she fears, how and what she will choose and why. Are the needs of millennials the same as pre-retirees? No.

Would you like to transform your benefit offering into a competitive advantage?

To do this, you must structure the benefits so that she spends the benefit dollar like it was her dollar. If she makes a wise decision with her insurance card – she keeps the saved dollars. But how does she know the wise decision?

You provide a medical concierge for her… a friend in the healthcare industry. This “friend” will help her find the most cost-effective place to receive that MRI, or the tier-1 drug alternative for her plan. Or help her with a confusing medical charge that was supposed to be covered 100%.

She does not know the best plan to choose. It is so confusing! You know the best choice for her based on the cost and worst-case scenarios. But she fears the unknown or wants the “devil she knows”, so the decision is to automatically select the inefficient plan for her and the company.

But even with a medical concierge to help her, she may not have the savings needed to select the best plan for her and her family in case of an unexpected medical bill and the higher deductible.

These are real problems but problems that have solutions.

By incorporating decision-support tools that do not use intimidating industry jargon, ones that walk her through some customized “what-if” scenarios, she can see the recommended plan based on payroll cost, worst-case “out-of-pocket” costs, company subsidies into any medical account, and her likely claims. This doesn’t guarantee the best choice will be made but knowledge is power.

A real problem for most Americans is cash-flow. Plans with simple copays solve the cash-flow issue. However, these are very expensive plans and most inefficient for many.

We have grown addicted to copays that were introduced with Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Couple this addiction with a lack of savings, and a higher deductible is dangerous for someone living paycheck to paycheck. However, by incorporating an “FSA-like” account that is not a “Use-It-Or-Lose-It” account, but rather a “Use-It-Or-Save-It” account, the “What-If?” cash-flow issue is removed.

The consumer mindset is here . It’s individual. It’s personal. It’s powerful. It can be a competitive advantage for your company. Are you thinking “my employees won’t understand”, “that’s too much work”, “it won’t work here” or “my broker showed me that”?

That’s a problem that has a real solution. “Can We Talk?”

Employee Benefits: Millennials vs. Boomers

Tue, 23 May 2017 18:12:00 GMT

Millennials have surpassed Baby Boomers as the largest living generation , according to Pew Research, yet many employers continue to offer benefits that don’t motivate Millennial workers.

Part of this disconnect arises from the fact that Boomers still occupy many of the most senior management positions, and less than half of them have a spouse who works full time. In comparison, 8 out of 10 Millennials in the workforce are part of a dual-income couple.

That’s a big part of why they seek out work-life balance and self-improvement benefits. They need flexibility in where and when they work due to the complexity of scheduling two full-time careers, along with all of their responsibilities.

While healthcare is definitely still huge consideration for Millennials, one size does not fit all. Offering a traditional benefit package built around medical, dental, life, disability and 401(K) retirement planning will not set a company apart in attracting top talent. Businesses that are already offering Millennial workers what they need are outperforming their respective markets with a more engaged workforce , 22 percent higher profitability and 21 percent stronger productivity.

Some of the most attractive benefits from a Millennial’s point of view are time savers and “life hacks,” such as employee discount programs, student loan assistance and gym memberships. Jim Conti, Talent Director at Sprout Social, explained, “Millennials are looking to connect their personal and professional lives in a way that’s dynamic. They want a connection between their personal passion and what happens in the workplace.”

THE 5 MOST VALUABLE BENEFITS

PwC conducted a survey of thousands of Millennials around the world to find out how they are reshaping the future of work . The top benefits that these workers identified as the most valuable to them were:

Training and development — 22 percent
Flexible working hours — 19 percent
Cash bonuses — 14 percent
Free private healthcare — 8 percent
Extra vacation days and retirement funding — tied at 6 percent

The main takeaway is that traditional, long-term benefits have significant value for Millennials, but they often do not differentiate among the employers who are competing to attract the best talent. The benefits they care about matter more than the employer branding. Millennials prioritize personal growth and immediate returns.

4 CREATIVE BENEFIT OPTIONS

Along those lines, forward-thinking businesses have gone even further in offering highly creative benefits meant to attract the most talented Millennials, such as:

Student Loan Repayment — Forbes referred to student loan repayment as the hottest employee benefit of 2017. A recent survey found that 3 out of 4 respondents said that if a company offered student loan repayment as a benefit, that would be a “deciding factor” in whether the candidate would accept the offer.
VTO (Volunteer Time Off) — Deloitte’s 2016 Millennial Survey found that those who stayed with employers for five years or more were 88 percent satisfied with their sense of purpose. Nearly 67 percent preferred employers that encouraged them to volunteer for a cause while at work. Tyrene Hodge at media giant Cox Enterprises said, “Today, employees expect their companies to be good corporate citizens. It’s not a nice to do, it’s a business imperative.”
Life coaching — At least 34 percent of the workforce is freelancing now, while remote work and part-time positions are expanding. The basics of the employer/employee relationship have changed. In order to compensate for the lack of predictable income and traditional benefits, these Millennials seek advice on how to do achieve more with the time they have. Personalized learning plans help them put aside distractions and be more productive at work.
Mind-Body-Spiritual Wellness — A surprising number of Millennials favor fresh flowers as a major benefit at work. Organic lunches and yoga retreats also fall into the kind of benefits that Boomer executives rarely even consider. However, more than half of Millennials say they want to work in a healthy environment free from negativity and toxic behaviors.

THE QUESTION OF ATTRACTION

Eventually, every company will have to take a closer look at what kind of talent they are attracting with their benefit packages. Millennials are an incredibly diverse group, with many conflicting priorities and values. That makes flexibility the key to establishing positive employer branding and bringing in the brightest stars from this generation.

Your Talent: See The Light?

Tue, 23 May 2017 18:10:00 GMT

You know the old adage about the light ahead… “is it the end of a tunnel or a train?” It could be either, depending on your analysis of future talent needs.

The challenges lie in being able to forecast your labor needs and in attracting qualified candidates.

Identifying Your Needs

Across industry lines, the workforce is graying. Filling talent gaps left by retiring workers is nothing new. However, employers across the U.S. are in the midst of an unprecedented wave of retirements.

According to a December 2016 Investopedia article , about 10,000 baby boomers are retiring every day. While this affects some industries more than others, few organizations are immune.

So, what can you do? The first step is to take a good look at your employee population to forecast your needs. Your business plan will play a role here. If you are hoping to double production or sales over the coming years, you’ll need to create and fill new positions in addition to replacing retirees. Last (but certainly not least), expect some attrition over time. No matter how wonderful your company is, the days of “lifer” employees are a thing of the past.

Options for “New Blood”

As you’re developing your human resources strategy and plan for handling future openings, you’ll have to weigh your options for recruiting talent.

Some organizations choose to recruit new graduates to their workforce. In doing so, they can keep their salary costs down by paying entry-level wages. However, more time and resources may be needed for on-the-job training. If you instead hire experienced candidates, you’re likely to find they don’t need as much “hand-holding” or training. However, you can expect to pay higher wages.

Rather than relying solely on one type of candidate, a mix of new-to-the-workforce employees and experienced workers can provide your company valuable industry insight, along with a fresh approach to doing business.

Of course, every company is different. The best source for your future talent needs will depend on the nature of the work and roles you’ll need to fill and the training and development resources you have at your disposal.

Attracting Talent

At the end of the day, if job-seekers don’t find your company attractive, you may find yourself caught in a vicious cycle of interviewing, hiring and conducting exit interviews.

So, how do you make your business one that will help you attract and keep quality talent?

A good place to start is by talking to your existing employees — the ones you want to stay with the company. Find out what they like about working for you and, more importantly, what they see as opportunities for improvement.

Then, take an honest look at the employee benefits you offer your workers. Is your benefits package simply what is expected (medical, dental, 401(k), life insurance…)? If so, you are not differentiating your company’s value proposition. Benefits must attract and excite your target candidate, whether she’s 25 or 55.

When you’re putting together an employee benefits package, remember the type of worker you’re looking to attract and choose benefits accordingly. For example, including long-term care insurance as an employee benefit might help attract and retain 40- and 50-somethings, but it probably won’t help attract new college graduates. A recent HR benefits survey found that more and more organizations are recognizing this need and tailoring their benefits offerings to attract and retain talent.

Don’t Put Off Evaluating Your Future Needs

If you’re not sure what your future needs will be or how you can make strategic changes to attract and retain talent, there’s no time like the present to start exploring your metrics and options.

As an Employer Branding specialist, I help organizations create or support their Employer Value Proposition (EVP), to help them stand out in attracting and retaining top talent. Contact me to learn more today. Thank you for reading!

The post Your Talent: See The Light? appeared first on Forhan Solutions .

Is it the end of a tunnel or a train?

Wed, 17 May 2017 21:47:00 GMT

You know the old adage about the light ahead… “is it the end of a tunnel or a train?” It could be either, depending on your analysis of future talent needs.

The challenges lie in being able to forecast your labor needs and in attracting qualified candidates.

According to a December 2016 Investopedia article , about 10,000 baby boomers are retiring every day. While this affects some industries more than others, few organizations are immune.

As you’re developing your human resources strategy and plan for handling future openings, you’ll have to weigh your options for recruiting talent.

At the end of the day, if job-seekers don’t find your company attractive, you may find yourself caught in a vicious cycle of interviewing, hiring and conducting exit interviews.

So, how do you make your business one that will help you attract and keep quality talent?

If you’re not sure what your future needs will be or how you can make strategic changes to attract and retain talent, there’s no time like the present to start exploring your metrics and options.

The post Is it the end of a tunnel or a train? appeared first on Forhan Solutions .