Bucking the Status Quo 

Sander Domaszewicz is fascinated by the intersection of art and science in employee benefits. Having helped countless clients choose employee benefit solutions and implement new digital health technologies, this Mercer consultant knows what it means to buck the status quo in benefits.

“Benefits have evolved into a way for employers to differentiate,” says Sander. “Employers are now asking: ‘How can this be an important part of our culture and business? How can it add value? How can it be an investment as opposed to a cost?’”

Sander recently sat down with his friends at Castlight to chat about game-changing innovation in digital health and employee wellness programs. You can read the full interview on Castlight’s blog. In the meantime, here the top five tips that Sander shared for companies looking to improve their offerings:

1. Pick your battles and tell a cohesive narrative – No one organization can do everything. “Companies often have many care management programs and reasonable communication capabilities, but things are often disjointed today. It’s on organizations to tie their programs together to tell a cohesive narrative to employees.”
2. Make sure your technology systems are working for you – Check your benefits and wellbeing infrastructure to make sure it’s working for you. “If you have the right technology and support systems in place, you can create a dynamic and proactive benefits and health portfolio that can make a difference in people’s lives and health.”
3. Have a feedback loop – Understanding and having a feedback loop is key to understanding what’s working for your employees and building trust. “Whether your feedback loop is anecdotal or formal, you have to understand what employees want.”
4. Don’t hide the trade-offs – There are often trade-offs when you implement new solutions, which is why it’s essential that employers do what they say, and make things crystal clear. “Don’t tell employees only about the positives with a new offering without mentioning important considerations that can impact them. They’re going to find out anyway. Often there are investments of time or cost to consider.”
5. Focus on the art and the science – Employee benefits are a science, as employers work to achieve cost savings and build the right strategy and portfolio of offerings. However, there’s also an art to all of this. Employers need to tell compelling stories, generate trust, and ultimately provide solutions that make employees happier. “The art is a little squishy, and it’s sometimes even harder to do. But it can be impactful and make a big difference.”

Author: Erika Warner-Court

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