3 reasons to outsource disability and absence management
There’s a lot to consider when managing employee leaves, from the staff and time needed to track and administer absences, to the expertise needed to stay compliant with ever-changing regulations. Today, more employers of all sizes are turning to external resources to help manage employee absences. Many outsource their Short Term Disability (STD) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) administration to the same vendor, and are more likely to report positive outcomes on employee experience, direct cost reduction, and return-to-work rates.
Here are the reasons why:
Stay compliant and help save money.
Federal and state leave regulations continue to evolve, and keeping up with these changes can be a challenge. Without the right expertise interpreting and managing complexities across leave types, organizations could face costly and disruptive investigations, fines, or even lawsuits. Outsourcing helps to prevent these outcomes by providing the right knowledge and experience to your organization: A team of legal and compliance professionals monitors and responds to leave complexities, while a platform continuously tracks federal and state leave regulations to keep organizations compliant.
Lift the administrative burden from existing staff.
Coordinating different leave types and tracking intermittent leaves can be a handful to manage. Outsourcing helps ensure a centralized management of federal and state leaves, company leaves, insured and self-funded short-term disability, and State Paid Family and Medical leaves. If the resource offers a self-service portal, you should also have the ability to quickly and easily access intermittent leave reporting and tracking.
Improve the employee experience and increase productivity.
Outsourcing helps ensure employees have the tools and support they need during often difficult times, helping them get the support they need to return to work sooner. The resource should offer convenient claim intake options, either online or over the phone, and assign a central point of contact to guide your employees through the process. In addition, the resource should make available flexible mobile claim updates, a single certification for all STD and leave types and notification of claims decisions via employee’s preferred contact method.
Consider outsourcing absence management with Guardian
Guardian can help you take a closer look at how your absence management efforts are serving your employees, and your business. We have the tools and resources you need to help create the best possible employee leave experiences while optimizing efficiency and ensuring compliance.
