Elevate Your BenAdmin RFP to Drive Improved People & Benefits Experiences

Elevate Your BenAdmin RFP to Drive Improved People & Benefits Experiences

18 July, 2023

Employer-sponsored benefits play a key role in any organization’s ability to achieve its people-related goals, whether it be through building a positive workplace culture, better attracting and retaining talent, supporting diversity and inclusion, or improving employee health and wellness.

But the success of your benefits program is about far more than plan design. To be truly successful, your people need to be able to recognize the value of their benefits, understand how to choose and use the best benefits available for their unique situation, and then make the connection between these benefits and your company culture.

Research has shown that employees cite the need for better benefits as a top driver for finding a new role. However, 58% of U.S. workers who quit their job in 2021 said the benefits offered by their new employer were the same or worse than at their last job.

This raises an important question: If your employees understood the value of the benefits program they already had, would they have jumped ship?

This data and many similar studies make it clear that employees need help understanding the value and impact of their HR and benefits programs.

HR and benefits leaders also need support in the form of a strategic partner to help them leverage the value of their benefits to help them meet their people-related goals and the goals of their overall organization.

Finding the right strategic partner starts with your RFP.

As the impact of your benefits program continues to broaden, so does the influence of your benefits administration technology and service partner.

To help you take a more strategic approach to evaluating a potential BenAdmin vendor, we have developed key RFP questions and prompts designed to help you find a partner that can improve your people and benefits experience, and ultimately, your bottom-line results.

Download our strategic guide for insight into how you can expand the breadth of your BenAdmin RFP to find a partner that can holistically support the organization you are today and the one you strive to become in the future. 

Using Positive Benefit & People Experiences to Combat K-12 Educator Burnout

Using Positive Benefit & People Experiences to Combat K-12 Educator Burnout

10 May, 2023

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and If you’re a caregiver to a school-aged child, you may have attended a celebratory breakfast or contributed to a classroom gift in honor of the millions of educators across this nation who are shaping future generations.

Teaching is consistently cited as one of the most rewarding paid professions in the U.S., and the gratitude shown towards educators during events like Teacher Appreciation Week undoubtedly helps teachers feel recognized, reinforcing the meaning of their work. However, the cost-reward balance of a career in education has reached a critical tipping point, and many educators say that they continue to feel that their well-being is not prioritized by their employers.

In fact, research conducted by McKinsey & Company found that 75 percent of educators say they put more into their job than they receive, and 69 percent say that their total compensation does not reflect their qualifications, efforts, value, or output.

Unfortunately, many educators do not recognize the true value of their total compensation, whether it be in the form of healthcare benefits, mental health resources, pensions or retirement plans, or other wellness programs.

Additionally, communication challenges can plague this unique, deskless workforce, making it all the more critical that districts ensure that their people understand and leverage the support available to them.

K-12 Educators are Leaving Their Posts at an Alarming Rate

Unfortunately, the number of K-12 educators is dwindling at an alarming rate, a trend that began even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 2020, new issues emerged and existing ones were amplified, driving an estimated 55 percent of educators to consider leaving the profession earlier than they had planned.

The same study, conducted by the National Education Association, also found that a disproportionate number of those looking to leave the education field “are Black (62%) and Hispanic/Latino (59%) educators, already underrepresented in the teaching profession.”

Not only is teacher turnover high, but the pipeline to replace those teachers is in jeopardy as well. The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) says that enrollment in colleges of education has been steadily declining for the past decade. The AACTE says that concerns about pay and working conditions have been a long-standing contributor to the decline, but recent increases in educator-reported stress, legislative pressures and public scrutiny on curriculum, and increased shortages driving unsustainable classroom sizes are predicted to continue to drive a recurring cycle of teacher shortages and exits from the field.

Those considering leaving the field represent just one piece of an alarming cycle of staff shortages, workplace stress and burnout, and eventual turnover that is expected to impact educators and students for years to come.  

The Impact of Educator Burnout & Turnover on Student Learning

A recent data analysis conducted by Chalkbeat shows that more teachers than ever left their posts last year. Their analysis also saw a troubling uptick in teachers leaving their classrooms mid-school year, making it even more challenging to replace them, and creating additional stressors for educators forced to absorb the workloads of exiting teachers.

While employee turnover also skyrocketed across the private sector during The Great Resignation, experts say that turnover in public education is much more meaningful and detrimental to a district’s ability to make up for pandemic-era learning loss and build a strong sense of community across its students.

“Teacher attrition can be destabilizing for schools,” said Kevin Bastian, a researcher at the University of North Carolina. Bastian’s research found that successful, effective teachers were increasingly leaving their positions as well, leaving an even greater void across many districts already struggling with limited resources.

Research conducted by Stanford University has cited the negative impacts of teacher turnover on student achievement, most negatively impacting underfunded districts and those with high proportions of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch. Learning loss is cited to be fueled by issues like losing relationships with trusted educators, an influx of early career or inexperienced teachers, and in many cases – no replacement teachers at all.

What is Driving Educator Turnover?

Data across time and different survey groups show that workplace stress is the most common reason cited for leaving public education before retirement.

While high rates of workplace stress and burnout are impacting American workers across all professions, the impact is disproportionately high amongst those in education. A 2021 study conducted by RAND Corp. found that 25 percent of teachers reported symptoms of depression. Declining mental health was not just concentrated to teachers – school administrators are also experiencing not only their own workplace stress, but also the stress of supporting the mental health and well-being of their teachers.

A 2022 Gallup Poll on occupational burnout listed teachers as one of the top two roles experiencing ongoing workplace stress and burnout, and 44 percent of K-12 teachers say they very often or always feel burned out at work. Female teachers are disproportionately represented as experiencing constant workplace burnout at 55 percent.

McKinsey & Company research compared the top reasons educators reported wanting to leave their current role or the profession altogether against those looking to stay in their roles.

The top factors driving teachers to leave include:

  1. Compensation
  2. Expectations
  3. Well-being
  4. Leadership
  5. Workplace Flexibility

Research also shows that “the quality of a teacher’s work environment plays a major role in determining teacher retention, satisfaction, and effectiveness.” Teachers who do not feel supported in their work are not only more likely to leave the profession, but to isolate from their school community.

How Can You Improve District & Educator Outcomes Through a Positive People Experience?

McKinsey & Company found that the top factors that would drive educators to stay in their current roles are meaningful work, colleagues, compensation, and community.

So, how can districts retain their workforce – especially those who cite compensation, unreasonable expectations, and an inability to protect their well-being as top motivators to vacate their role? Even with limited budgets and resources, there are ways districts can support their people and improve educator outcomes through positive people and benefit experiences.

1. Make it easier to understand and access the mental health resources you already offer.

Data shows that employer-sponsored mental health support improves teacher resiliency and decreases feelings of workplace stress. However, the National Education Association says that nearly 35 percent of educators report not knowing what mental health resources are available to them or how to access them.

This is not an issue exclusive to education. Benefit education gaps persist across the private sector as well. Only 49 percent of employees say they can accurately recall their benefit elections, making it critical that all employers make it as easy as possible to understand, access, and engage with the benefits available to them.

Executing a strong, year-round benefits communication plan will draw attention to the programs you already offer, driving improved adoption, ease of access, and improved well-being.  

2. Build a strong community.

Districts that build strong communities across teachers, administrators, students, and parents will go far in being able to retain their educators and drive positive outcomes for their workforce. Among those educators who say their school community has influenced them to stay in their role, 87 percent attribute their longevity to colleagues who show genuine concern and support for one another.

Experts also encourage districts to increase teacher connection points not only with students, parents, and each other, but also with leadership. Studies point to the positive impact on satisfaction and sense of purpose when leaders connect with their teachers and students through coaching, feedback, and mentorship programs. Experts also recommend removing administrative burdens often placed on teachers wherever possible.

3. Leverage technology and individualized health data to drive centralized and personalized benefit experiences.

Educators are susceptible to the same communication overload as any other American worker, but they spend the vast majority of their contracted workday in front of a classroom, not in front of a screen engaging with email or other types of online communication.  

Additionally, K-12 educators have decentralized communication channels – especially as it relates to email communication. Separate email addresses often exist for district or city communications and touchpoints with parents, closed communications with students, and personal email addresses for union communications make it even harder to keep track of important messages. This is in addition to other decentralized, online communication channels for things like school closures due to weather. This can lead to communication fatigue, and can cause educators to ignore channels not dedicated exclusively to their work output.

Personalized benefit communications from one centralized access point increases benefits communication engagement, which has a positive correlation to improved benefits adoption and engagement.

Additionally, leveraging technology that uses individualized health data can support the delivery of messages that are personalized for that individual. This makes it possible to send tailored communications, whether tied to diabetes management or pre-natal care, helping your people to better navigate their individual healthcare journey in ways that lead to improved employer and employee outcomes through increased health and wellness.

4. Make it easier for educators to understand the value of their benefits as part of their total compensation.

While many teachers cite compensation as a reason they have left or are considering leaving education, for many, this refers to salary alone. As the cost of living rises and financial uncertainty looms, it is clear why teachers are focused on take-home pay as a standalone metric of compensation.  

Experts encourage districts to emphasize the value of the total compensation offered to K-12 educators. While pensions and other long-term retirement plans are a strong incentive for many teachers to remain in their roles, for younger generations it can be hard to prioritize long-term financial health against the need to care for themselves and their families today.

This makes it critical for districts to communicate the value of their total benefits offering. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the value of a teacher’s benefits program is on average equal to 45 percent of their annual wages. That compares to just 19 percent in the private sector. As healthcare spending continues to climb (even more quickly than the rate of inflation) the monetary value and impact of a rich healthcare program can quickly outpace a wage bump gained by leaving their current role.

Providing total compensation statements can help provide greater visibility into your employer value proposition. Additionally, providing year-round insight into the performance of their health plan, incurred savings, and even access to preventative care and resources also makes it easier for your people to understand the full impact of their benefits coverage.

Let’s appreciate our teachers beyond Teacher Appreciation Week.

The negative impacts of workplace stress on mental and physical health are widely documented, and perhaps nowhere more clearly than when it comes to our educators. Supporting our teachers through benefits and positive people experiences will go far to better support the well-being of this critical workforce.

A Behind the Scenes Look at Empyrean’s Annual Conference

A Behind the Scenes Look at Empyrean’s Annual Conference

21 April, 2023

Last week, Empyrean welcomed over 150 attendees to EVOLVE23, its annual invitation-only conference. This year’s event was held at the Hyatt Regency Downtown Savannah along the city’s famed waterfront.

The theme for EVOLVE23 was “Connecting Benefits, Enriching Lives”, which aligns with the organization’s corporate mission. Educational programming presented throughout the conference was centered around the critical connections between people experience, benefits, and positive HR and organizational outcomes.

The clients, prospects, partners, and sponsors in attendance were also provided with insights from Empyrean CEO Rich Wolfe about the future of Empyrean, and how the organization’s recent acquisition of Enspire has played a part in Empyrean’s go-forward vision. Wolfe also shared his own passion for connecting benefits and enriching lives, and why engaging, personalized benefits and people experiences are critical to overall organizational success.

Educational Programming

The event featured many dynamic, industry experts presenting on topics designed to provide strategies and techniques needed to effectively leverage benefits to improve and ensure employee trust, psychological safety, and physical wellness – all of which lead to happy, energized teams and successful organizations.

EVOLVE’s conference content also delivered key insights into finding HR, benefits, and organizational success while addressing the needs of their populations with economic efficiency.

The educational content covered at EVOLVE23 was delivered by both individual speakers and through expert panels featuring Empyrean’s clients, internal subject matter experts, and partners.

Featured speakers at EVOLVE23 included:

For a full list of conference educational programming and session descriptions, please click here.

EVOLVE23 in Review

In addition to a jam-packed slate of educational programming, EVOLVE23 also offered many opportunities for networking and fun, including a client reception at the Georgia State Railroad Museum and time spent along Savannah’s famed riverfront.

More information about EVOLVE24 will be released Summer 2023.

Learn more about how Empyrean can help you connect benefits and enrich lives at your own organization.

About Empyrean
We believe that everybody deserves a workplace culture that supports their total well-being through benefits. Since 2006, Empyrean has provided hundreds of employers of varying size, industry, and benefit plan complexity with the innovative technology and best-in-class service necessary to accelerate their benefits strategies and bring their benefits programs to life. Empyrean’s platform and services are designed to create connected employee benefit experiences that enrich lives, strengthen employer brands, and improve workplace cultures for over 5 million people. With our +YOU solution, clients can deliver a holistic employee experience to help HR and benefit leaders simplify the work technology stack for all of the HR initiatives designed to improve employee productivity, well-being, and retention. Visit us at goempyrean.com.

Empyrean Releases Full Agenda for EVOLVE\23

Empyrean Releases Full Agenda for EVOLVE\23

23 March, 2023

Connecting Benefits, Enriching Lives

Empyrean has released its full conference agenda and speaker lineup for EVOLVE\23, which will feature some of the industry’s top thought leaders and HR and benefits experts.

DATE: April 12-14, 2023

LOCATION: The Hyatt Regency Savannah

The theme for this year’s event is “Connecting Benefits, Enriching Lives”, which is also Empyrean’s corporate mission. Thought leadership content covered during the conference will explore the connection between people experience, benefits, and positive HR and organizational outcomes.

The event will feature two dynamic, high-energy keynotes as well as several expert panels. These sessions are designed to provide the strategies and tools needed to effectively lead the charge in using benefits to improve and ensure employee trust, psychological safety, and physical wellness – all of which lead to happy, energized teams and successful organizations.

Conference speakers will also provide actionable insights and strategies that will empower attendees to create personalized, connected, life-enriching benefits experiences that address the needs of the individual while also addressing populations with economic efficiency.

Platinum event sponsors Securian and LifeLock will also share critical information about how to improve people experience through benefits.

Conference Keynotes: EVOLVE\23


Opening Keynote: From Populations to People – Creating Remarkable Experiences One Individual at a Time 

Joey Coleman
Customer & Employee Engagement Expert

The opening keynote will be delivered by Joey Coleman, an employee engagement and customer experience expert who has worked with organizations like Whirlpool, NASA, Volkswagen Australia, and Zappos to design and implement their internal and external brand experiences.

Content covered will include:  

  • Why your employees are your most important customers.
  • How to improve employee experiences to reduce churn and increase engagement. 
  • Delivering personalized interactions at scale.
  • The three elements of long-term employee engagement.  
  • Becoming a more strategic organizational contributor by focusing on people experience and engagement.

Closing Keynote: The Power of a People-First Approach: Aligning HR, Benefit, and Organizational Success 

Mark Stelzner
Founder / Managing Principal at IA HR

While the insights shared at EVOLVE\23 will help attendees better leverage benefit programs for organizational success, it is critical for benefit and HR leaders to understand how to communicate this value up to the C-Suite.

As the role of strategic HR and benefits leaders continues to evolve, so do the demands on those in these positions. HR and benefit leaders are not only responsible for ensuring that their people understand how to choose and use their benefits, but that they also recognize the importance of these programs and how they support every individual’s total health and wellbeing – at work and in life.

This session will examine how HR leaders can survive and thrive during times of unprecedented change, all while continuing to provide essential physical, mental, and emotional support for their people. It will also dive into the many ways that this support advances every aspect of their organizational success, leveraging outcomes that speak to leadership and the C-Suite. 

Expert Panels


Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Through Financial Wellness Strategies 

Across the US, people are feeling financially insecure. Whether they’re having difficulty saving, paying off debt, planning for future expenses, or simply managing the cost of everyday life – financial wellness plays a huge role in the mental, emotional, and even physical well-being of today’s workforce.  

A recent survey conducted by PwC found that 56% of employees are stressed about their finances, 49% of which said that money concerns have had a major impact on their mental health in the past year. Financial instability causes widespread uncertainty, and financially strained employees are twice as likely to look for employment elsewhere.

As organizations look to provide resources, programs, and aid for their employees, it is critical to recognize that traditional financial wellness programs are not always inclusive, and may not properly support employees across different backgrounds, incomes, and geographies.  

This session will cover:  

  • An exploration of the growing scope of financial wellness programs, including student loan, home buyer, and caregiver assistance.  
  • Programs and educational resources valuable to employees throughout varying life stages.  
  • How to better support under-represented populations.  
  • Empowering low-wage workers with tools that meet them where they are. 
  • Tax-advantaged accounts and programs.   
  • Promoting financial wellness programs to help candidates and employees understand how to leverage them to their benefit.  

Lifestyles + Life Stages: Optimizing Benefits Value by Meeting Your People Where They Are  

Each member of any given workforce approaches their health, wellness, and financial planning goals differently, depending on what matters to them at that moment. Throughout any employee population, there are also different styles and preferences tied to communication, especially for those working outside of a traditional office environment.  

This session will take a deep dive into how HR and benefit teams can help their team members see the value of their benefits at their unique life stage – whether they are just entering the workforce, expanding their family, or approaching retirement – through targeted, meaningful employee communication and education.  

This session will cover: 

  • Strategies to better understand employee populations, including what they value, how they prefer to communicate, and how and when they absorb information.  
  • Why benefits personalization matters, and the science behind engagement with individualized messages and prompts.  
  • How to position benefits by life stage, including how a particular benefit could have different advantages depending on the age of the participant.  
  • Strategies to promote benefits to ensure everyone at every life stage understands how to enroll in and use the best benefits available to them.  
  • Communication preferences across the generations and how to flex to each style. 
  • How to improve benefits education and fluency across your populations.  
  • Reaching “deskless” and frontline workers in non-traditional office environments.  
  • How benefits personalization can support a DEIB strategy.   

Creating Connected People & Benefit Experiences Across a Dispersed Workforce: A Client Case Study with NexTier  

Learn how NexTier Oilfield Solutions was able to significantly improve their people engagement and retention rates across their dispersed, deskless workforce by using personalized benefits and communication experiences.

The Future is Now: How Empyrean’s Vision Aligns with the Future of Benefits  

During this session, Empyrean’s Chief Strategy Officer, Jim Priebe, and Chief Information & Technology Officer, Kelly Clark, will share Empyrean’s go forward vision as we advance our mission to connect benefits and enrich lives.

Throughout the discussion, Jim and Kelly will talk through the various macro and micro factors influencing the space, including areas where Empyrean will make a concentrated investment in using our technology, security, infrastructure, and services to solve for the evolving challenges impacting Empyrean’s clients.

*Wagmo Pet Insurance is also a Bronze sponsor of EVOLVE\23.

Please contact our events team for more information about this invitation-only conference.

Empyrean Acquires Employee Communications and Engagement Platform and Launches +YOU, a Holistic Solution That Improves Employee Productivity, Wellbeing, and Retention

Empyrean Acquires Employee Communications and Engagement Platform and Launches +YOU, a Holistic Solution That Improves Employee Productivity, Wellbeing, and Retention

19 February, 2023

Houston, TX. [Feb. 20, 2023] Empyrean, (www.goempyrean.com), a company committed to building better corporate cultures through benefits, today announced the acquisition of employee communication and engagement platform Enspire.

Through the acquisition, Empyrean adds an expanded people-centric dimension to its innovative benefits administration technology and compassionate support services. Called +YOU, the new solution integrates Enspire’s employee communication and engagement technology with Empyrean’s benefits administration platform to become a fully customizable and employer-branded people experience — a single front door to an employer’s suite of tools for employee productivity, wellness, communications, and benefits.

“The combined value of Empyrean and Enspire sets a new standard for the way organizations support and communicate benefits and other HR initiatives with their people,” said Rich Wolfe, CEO of Empyrean. “Our new +YOU solution advances our ability to create a better people experience throughout the entire employee lifecycle. Clients can put their brand and culture centerstage while eliminating the need for employees to search across disconnected carrier and wellness apps or the company intranet to find the resources they need. We bring it all together, all in one place.”

As part of Empyrean, Enspire will continue offering a stand-alone communication and engagement platform for employers.

“Enspire solves employee needs by integrating all employee communication and resources enterprise-wide into one custom-branded employee app,” said Amanda Wiles, Enspire CEO and Founder. “Improving employee experiences and productivity results in a positive company culture and impressive employee retention.”

Today, Empyrean clients leverage the company’s well-established and proprietary AI-enabled benefits technology. This technology provides employees with personalized benefits recommendations and guidance based on the individual’s own health data while offering visibility into likely future healthcare needs and associated costs. With Enspire’s technology, employers can offer their people a single connection point for all of their HR initiatives and take advantage of a simplified, self-service digital hub to easily deliver personalized employee notifications or targeted campaigns. The integration of technology from both companies will ultimately create more opportunities to connect people to the benefits they need, right when they need them, through a mobile application that they will want to use every day.

With Empyrean’s new +YOU solution, employers will also have access to advanced data analytics that track employee engagement, retention, satisfaction, and benefits utilization. Enspire’s approach to employee communications has helped companies reduce turnover by as much as 50%.

“We have been a customer of both Enspire and Empyrean, separately, for many years, and have seen a tremendous increase in benefits adoption and engagement from our highly dispersed workforce,” said Felicia May, Benefits Director at NexTier Oilfield Solutions. “We attribute that change to the power of having a single company app, empowered by Empyrean’s benefits administration capabilities. I can’t wait to see what’s to come now that these two innovative companies have joined forces.”

Benefits consultants and advisors deploying Empyrean’s new +YOU solution for their clients will see increased levels of benefits engagement, adoption, and utilization. Clients already using Empyrean’s benefits technology report two times the adoption rate of voluntary benefits offered. With the new capabilities, Empyrean expects that level of user engagement to escalate even further, making it an unrivaled strategic partner to HR organizations and companies looking to engage and retain employees.

Learn more about +YOU from Empyrean.

About Empyrean
We believe that everybody deserves a workplace culture that supports their total well-being through benefits. Since 2006, Empyrean has provided hundreds of employers of varying size, industry, and benefit plan complexity with the innovative technology and best-in-class service necessary to accelerate their benefits strategies and bring their benefits programs to life. Empyrean’s platform and services are designed to create connected employee benefit experiences that enrich lives, strengthen employer brands, and improve workplace cultures for over 5 million people. With our +YOU solution, clients can deliver a holistic employee experience to help HR and benefit leaders simplify the work technology stack for all of the HR initiatives designed to improve employee productivity, well-being, and retention. Visit us at goempyrean.com.

About Enspire
Enspire is a private employee communication and engagement platform that integrates all employee communication into one app custom built to reconnect your employee experiences with your brand. Enspire provides a digital communication platform, team of digital strategy experts, and an analytics engine for engagement intelligence proven to advance employee engagement, productivity, and retention. Visit us at enspire.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Tony Spangler
817-798-3371
tony@thestarrconspiracy.com

Why Your People Experience Matters More Today than Ever Before

Why Your People Experience Matters More Today than Ever Before

15 February, 2023

A Connected and Personalized People Experience Can Help You Overcome 2023’s Top Employer Challenges 

The past few years have presented challenge after challenge for employers, making it harder than ever for HR teams to support their people and reach their goals. Workforces are more dispersed than ever, turnover is high, engagement is low, and it continues to be a candidate’s job market.   

But regardless of these challenges, organizations committed to creating connected, personalized people experiences have been able to strengthen their employer brand, and with it, raise their levels of engagement, retention, and the overall well-being of their people.

What is a People Experience?

Organizations are made up of people; individuals working towards a common goal but each with their own unique perspectives, backgrounds, experiences, and motivators.  

The way your teams experience and connect to your company culture and benefit programs influence everything from engagement to retention to performance – each of which has a tremendous impact on HR and organizational success.    

A strong, strategically executed people experience and benefits strategy should be leveraged by HR and benefits leaders to advance all people-related goals. The key to leveraging benefits success to advance your broader HR goals is delivering these life-enriching benefits through a personalized, connected people experience.  

Today’s Top Employer Challenges  

Here are some of the top challenges employers are facing today that can be improved by offering a strong people and benefits experience.  

Talent Attraction

Even through today’s economic uncertainties and highly publicized layoffs, the January 2023 jobs report showed that the unemployment rate continues to hover around 3.4 percent.  

Even before they apply for a position, your potential new hires begin to engage with your employer brand. A strong candidate experience drives your ability to attract talent, and your Talent Acquisition teams need reliable tools to leverage your company culture and benefits programs to compete in today’s competitive market.  

Engagement & Retention

A recent study conducted by Monster.com found that a staggering 96 percent of U.S. workers will be looking for a new job in 2023. Forty percent of those surveyed say they need to find a higher-paying position due to inflation and rising costs of living.  

Employees often overlook the value of their total rewards package and other workplace benefits like a strong culture, flexible work arrangements, and opportunities for professional development and advancement.  

To engage and retain talent, it is critical that you deliver positive, personalized experiences that make each person within your organization feel valued and supported as the individuals they are – or your talent will look elsewhere without hesitation.  

It can be hard for people to recognize the value you bring as their employer. A rich benefits program has been traditionally a disconnected one, experienced through different carrier apps, your intranet, and even corporate email.  

A connected and centralized people experience brings together all that you offer as an employer – better demonstrating to your teams just how you’re supporting them in both work and in life in a way that is tailored to their unique situation, lifestyle, and life stage.  

Increased Benefit Expectations 

Today’s consumers have nearly unlimited choices when it comes to purchasing items they need and want.  

Benefits and healthcare are no different, putting employers and the entire health system under more pressure than ever to transform the consumer experience and provide transparent, easy-to-navigate health and wellness experiences.  

A positive benefits experience not only drives well-being for your people, but also demonstrates the value of the benefits you offer as their employer. Connecting benefits into one experience empowers your team to choose and use the best benefits for them while optimizing their value.  

Benefit Education Gaps   

Even as people demand more from their benefits programs, benefits education gaps persist. According to a recent Aflac study, nearly 3 in 5 employees spend less than 30 minutes researching their benefits, with 24% of those surveyed reporting spending less than five minutes.  

Your employees need year-round guidance on choosing and using the best benefits available for their unique situations and circumstances. Creating personalized messages and experiences guides your people towards better benefit enrollment, adoption, and utilization decisions, improving the wellbeing of both your people and their loved ones.  

Centralizing benefit experiences and communication points also increases levels of benefit engagement while offering more opportunities to educate your people about how to find and use the best resources available to them in ways that improve overall benefits and workplace satisfaction.  

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging 

The positive influence of diverse and inclusive workplaces on organizational success has been well documented. Diverse and inclusive workplaces are tied to:  

  • Higher revenue growth 
  • Greater readiness to innovate  
  • Increased ability to recruit a diverse talent pool  
  • 5.4 times higher rates of employee retention  

No matter how rich your benefits program is, you may be delivering it in an inequitable, non-inclusive way. Your people need to understand how the benefits you offer specifically support them today in their current situation while setting them up for success tomorrow.  

Unless benefits are delivered in a way that feels personalized for each member of your population at any life stage or circumstance, no one will feel like they belong.  

Dispersed Workforces 

Whether you have an in-office, hybrid, or remote-first workplace, or if you have a high population of front-line and deskless workers, today’s workforce is more geographically dispersed than ever before.  

Employers that are strategic and thoughtful about how to engage workforces scattered across different locations by creating one centralized, accessible communication channel will find the most success in connecting their people to their culture.  

Lack of Financial Security Impacting Employees  

U.S. workplaces lose an estimated $500 billion dollars each year due to lost productivity tied to personal financial stressors plaguing their employees.  

Due to the rising cost of consumer goods, more than a third of all American workers report that they made a difficult healthcare decision in the past year, including having to choose between paying for a prescription or medical treatment and other household bills.  

More than 84 percent of employers report increased retention as a result of their financial wellness benefit offerings. As your people navigate rising expenses and other financial insecurity, they are relying on you to help them make informed and educated financial wellness decisions that are right for them today and in the future. Employees value this type of support and guidance, and a connected people experience can help them optimize the financial wellness programs you offer.  

Are you ready to change the way you think about your people experience?

If you’re ready to change the way you think about your people experience, we can help.  

+YOU is a single entry point that connects your people to your company culture and all the benefits and resources you’ve invested in to support them – from one centralized place.  

Learn how NexTier leveraged +YOU to connect its dispersed, deskless workforce amidst 41% headcount growth.

Empyrean Welcomes Tim Purkis as Director, Sales – Public Sector to Their Growing Sales Team

Empyrean Welcomes Tim Purkis as Director, Sales – Public Sector to Their Growing Sales Team

02 December, 2022

Houston, TX. [Dec. 2, 2022] Empyrean, (www.goempyrean.com), a leading technology and service-centric employee benefits administration provider, has announced that Tim Purkis has joined the organization as Director of Sales, Public Sector.

“Tim joins us with over 15 years of deep industry experience, specifically helping organizations in the public sector solve their benefits-related challenges,” said Mike Lee, Empyrean’s VP, Sales. “Public enterprises face many obstacles not experienced by private entities, and these are issues that Tim has vast experience in solving.”

The majority of Purkis’ career has included time spent in sales positions of increasing responsibility with companies like Businessolver, Vimly, Mass Mutual, and Benefitfocus, acting as a true partner and advisor throughout the benefits lifecycle and journey.

Purkis has helped countless state and local municipalities, higher education institutions, public school districts, and other entities solve unique benefits-related challenges faced by organizations in the public sector. 

“Empyrean has a rich history of surpassing client expectations and with a clear focus on the public sector space, the sky is the limit,” added Purkis. “Our very high retention rate and even higher NPS score (especially on the implementation side) give me a great amount of confidence in our ability to deliver on our clients’ needs.”

Purkis joins Empyrean during a time of accelerated growth, as the organization continues to add new clients across the west coast and all U.S. markets. Amidst this growth, Empyrean has launched several new and enhanced offerings, including customized microsite capabilities and an upgrade to their mobile app, EmpyreanGO.

Recently, Empyrean launched a free, interactive online Benefits Maturity Assessment designed to help HR and Benefits leaders understand the full impact of their benefits function. Derived from data collected in an Empyrean-sponsored research study conducted by HR analyst firm NelsonHall, the assessment measures the sophistication of a benefit function against five key indicators identified in their joint research.  

Tim earned a B.S. from Utah State University and an M.A. from the University of Phoenix. He resides in California with his wife and four sons. Tim and his wife are passionate volunteers, and in 2005 founded Friends of NICU, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing the financial resources necessary to help parents of NICU patients spend more time with their babies.

About Empyrean

Since 2006, Empyrean has provided employers of varying size, industry, and benefit plan complexity with the innovative technology and best in class service necessary to accelerate their benefits strategies and bring their benefit programs to life. Empyrean’s platform and services were designed to create connected employee benefit experiences that enrich lives, strengthen employer brands, and improve workplace cultures.

Today, more than 4.6 million participants across the U.S. rely on Empyrean’s cutting-edge systems and top notch support teams to inform and guide their benefit enrollment and utilization decisions. Focused on total employee health and wellness, Empyrean is dedicated to delivering a scalable and tailored benefits experience for all employees and their families by combining innovative technology with employee-centric services to empower participants to better understand, access, and engage with their benefit programs not just at enrollment time, but on a year-round basis. 

Empyrean’s technologies and services empower employees to not only better understand the value of the benefit programs offered to them, but to then connect with these benefits in a way that drives better outcomes for themselves, their families, and their organization. 

Headquartered in Houston, TX, Empyrean has additional office locations in Minneapolis, MN and Nashville, TN, as well as remote teams located throughout the U.S. 

Empyrean is a subsidiary of Securian Financial (www.securian.com). 

MEDIA CONTACT:
Brienne Driscoll
Head of Content & Communications
Empyrean
bdriscoll@goempyrean.com

Empyrean Adds Peter Magazzu to Rapidly Expanding Sales Organization

Empyrean Adds Peter Magazzu to Rapidly Expanding Sales Organization

04 November, 2022

Houston, TX. [Nov. 4, 2022] Empyrean, (www.goempyrean.com), a leading technology and service-centric employee benefits administration provider, has announced that Peter Magazzu has joined the organization as Director of Business Development. In this role, Magazzu will concentrate on the continued expansion of Empyrean’s presence across the Mid-Atlantic, developing employer and broker relationships in this region.

“Peter joins us with extensive experience in the benefits industry working with plan sponsors, brokers, and carriers,” said Chris Rossi, Empyrean’s VP Sales for the eastern region. “He is one of several key hires we’ve added to the Empyrean sales team in 2022, and his strong leadership and collaboration skills make him a great addition to our team.”

An industry veteran, Magazzu has developed his career in the insurance and benefits space with companies including Fidelity Investments, ADP, and Businessolver.

“In my over 20 years of professional experience, I’ve seen great technology. But Empyrean’s ability to combine innovative technology with their service-first approach is unique and what employers are looking for,” added Magazzu. “We have an experienced client-centric team at Empyrean and I’m excited to show customers the value we can bring to the table.”

Magazzu joins Empyrean during a time of accelerated growth, as the organization continues to add new clients across the east coast and all U.S. markets. Amidst this growth, Empyrean has launched several new and enhanced offerings, including customized microsite capabilities and an upgrade to their mobile app, EmpyreanGO.

Recently, Empyrean launched a free, interactive online Benefits Maturity Assessment designed to help HR and Benefits leaders understand the full impact of their benefits function. Derived from data collected in an Empyrean-sponsored research study conducted by HR analyst firm NelsonHall, the assessment measures the sophistication of a benefit function against five key indicators identified in their joint research. 

Magazzu attended Curry College of Milton and resides in the Greater Boston area.

About Empyrean

Since 2006, Empyrean has provided employers of varying size, industry, and benefit plan complexity with the innovative technology and best in class service necessary to accelerate their benefits strategies and bring their benefit programs to life. Empyrean’s platform and services were designed to create connected employee benefit experiences that enrich lives, strengthen employer brands, and improve workplace cultures.

Today, more than 4.6 million participants across the U.S. rely on Empyrean’s cutting-edge systems and best in class support teams to inform and guide their benefit enrollment and utilization decisions. Focused on total employee health and wellness, Empyrean is dedicated to delivering a scalable and tailored benefits experience for all employees and their families by combining innovative technology with employee-centric services to empower participants to better understand, access, and engage with their benefit programs not just at enrollment time, but on a year-round basis.

Empyrean’s platforms and services empower employees to not only better understand the value of the benefit programs offered to them, but to then connect with these benefits in a way that drives better outcomes for themselves, their families, and their organization.

Headquartered in Houston, TX, Empyrean has additional office locations in Minneapolis, MN and Nashville, TN, as well as remote teams located throughout the U.S.

Empyrean is a subsidiary of Securian Financial (www.securian.com).

MEDIA CONTACT:
Brienne Driscoll
Head of Content & Communications
Empyrean
bdriscoll@goempyrean.com

Kimberly Longerbone Joins Empyrean as Vice President of Information Technology

Kimberly Longerbone Joins Empyrean as Vice President of Information Technology

27 October, 2022

Houston, TX. [Oct. 27, 2022] Empyrean, (www.goempyrean.com), a leading benefits administration technology platform and service provider, has announced that industry veteran Kimberly Longerbone has joined the organization as Vice President of Information Technology.

As a leader in the technology field, Longerbone will use her wide-ranging IT background, extensive healthcare experience, and IT service management knowledge to drive the strategic development and execution of Empyrean’s technology. With a proven track record of building and leading world-class, service-oriented IT organizations and operations, she will contribute to Empyrean’s growth by mobilizing automation and innovation through proven service delivery models.

“Kimberly brings an invaluable mix of operational leadership experience and a dynamic technology background that spans all areas of IT,” said Empyrean’s Chief Information and Technology Officer, Kelly Clark. “She will be critical to the development and execution of Empyrean’s vision and priorities.”

Prior to joining the Empyrean team, Kimberly served as the Assistant Vice President of Infrastructure, Security & Data Services at Health e(fx) and worked at Hennepin Healthcare Systems where she led Enterprise Technology and Applications, as well as IT Customer Care. She has also held similar leadership roles at UnitedHealth Group/Optum, IBM, and Xcel Energy.

This month, Empyrean launched its new online Benefits Maturity Assessment designed to help HR and Benefits leaders understand the full impact of their benefits function. Derived from data collected in an Empyrean-sponsored research study conducted by HR analyst firm NelsonHall, the assessment measures the sophistication of a benefit function against five key indicators identified in our research. 

“Empyrean is a fast-paced, rapidly growing technology company that is a market leader in the benefits space,” said Longerbone. “The potential for growth and value creation is tremendous, given the dedicated and passionate people that make up the Empyrean family. Technology is an integral component of service delivery, and I am incredibly excited to be a part of the team.”

Kimberly earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degree from Minnesota State University. She holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, as well as numerous certificates in ITIL Service Management and Asset Management. Kimberly was a recipient of CIO Magazine’s “Ones to Watch Award” in 2018 and resides in Minneapolis, MN.

About Empyrean

Since 2006, Empyrean has provided employers of varying size, industry, and benefit plan complexity with the innovative technology and best in class service necessary to accelerate their benefit strategies and bring their benefit programs to life.

Empyrean’s platform and services were designed to create connected employee benefit experiences that enrich lives, strengthen employer brands, and improve workplace cultures. Focused on total employee health and wellness, Empyrean is dedicated to delivering scalable and tailored experiences that empower participants to better understand, access, and engage with their benefit programs not just at enrollment time, but on a year-round basis.

Today, more than 4.6 million participants across the U.S. rely on Empyrean’s cutting-edge platform and top-notch support teams to inform and guide their benefit enrollment and utilization decisions.

Headquartered in Houston, TX, Empyrean has additional office locations in Minneapolis, MN and Nashville, TN, as well as remote teams located throughout the U.S.

Empyrean is a subsidiary of Securian Financial (www.securian.com).

MEDIA CONTACT:
Brienne Driscoll
Head of Content & Communications
Empyrean
bdriscoll@goempyrean.com

Celebrating the Women of Empyrean

Celebrating the Women of Empyrean

26 August, 2022

Women’s Equality Day commemorates August 26, 1920, the day the 19th amendment was signed into law giving women the right to vote in the United States.

Today and every day, we celebrate the women who make Empyrean great. We asked some of these amazing women to reflect about what workplace gender equality means to them and to share their perspectives on everything from women who have inspired them to advice they would give anyone growing their own careers.

Colleen Waymel
Chief Operating Officer
Empyrean team member since 2012

What does Women’s Equality Day mean to you?

Women’s Equality Day means taking time from our busy lives to remember, be thankful, and celebrate the incredible distance we have (all!) come and the remarkable people and events that have made that progress possible. 

It means acknowledging the many incredible people – women and men – who have inspired us to be who we are today. And it means keeping our sights set on the future that we need to aspire to achieve for ourselves and for our children and grandchildren.

Who are some females that have inspired you during your life – both personally and professionally?

There are so many amazing women I can point to, but my grandmother and mother stand out as they were both STRONG working professionals, great moms (but not perfect people), and anything but conventional. 

I grew up never questioning my opportunities as a woman because I saw the two of them doing what they did with so much class, strength, and care. My grandmother was a college graduate, a divorcee (when divorce wasn’t prevalent), and independent working mother of two. To add to the mix, my father worked from home (before working from home was a thing) so he could be with my three siblings and me while my mother worked outside the home in an active career in politics.

What moment made you most proud to be a woman of Empyrean?

I am proud to introduce myself as COO of Empyrean and to be in a position of influence over such a great organization and team of people. I recognize there is still room for continued growth for more women at Empyrean, and my role gives me the unique opportunity to represent others and show strength for women in leadership – not just at Empyrean but in the market as well.

I’m incredibly proud to not only represent Empyrean, but also all women with the hope that I am inspiring someone in the same way my grandmother and mother inspired me.

What does workplace gender equality mean to you?

It means we all freely share our thoughts, views, and opinions without the typical stereotypes associated with gender. It means we find creative ways to support our working parents/caregivers so they can continue to contribute and thrive at work. 

Do you have a special message you’d like to share with the group?  

We all face obstacles of some kind. We can’t always control what happens around us, and we may not fully eliminate the obstacles, but we should never let them stand in our way. This quote from Christian D. Larson says it all – “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.”

Trisha Martinez
Team Manager, Service Center
Empyrean team member since 2015

What does women’s equality mean to you?

To me, women’s equality means that I can be who I am as a person and not feel like I am beneath anyone else. I can express my values and passions, and ultimately meet my individual goals without facing the stigma that I cannot do something just because I am a woman.

Who are some females that have inspired you?

My mother has been my biggest inspiration. I would not be the dedicated, hardworking, and intelligent woman I am today without her continuous support. Growing up, my mother transitioned from a stay-at-home mom to a hard-working woman in the workforce holding multiple jobs. Seeing her grow and achieve her goals inspired me to be the best version of myself – and made me realize that I can achieve anything I set out to do in life.

What’s something (in life or at work) that makes you feel empowered?

I feel empowered by positivity. Whether that’s in the workplace or not, giving and receiving positivity every day boosts my motivation and pushes me to do better and go farther than I have before.

Valenda Chancey
Compliance Manager
Empyrean team member since 2014

Who are some women that have inspired you during your life – both personally and professionally?

Personally, I give full credit to my mother for inspiring me from a young age. She was my first example for how to exhibit grace, tolerance, and patience when facing adversity. (Now, I’m not saying I’m successful in doing all these things at all times, but as the saying goes ‘Momma tried!’)

She was a stay-at-home mom and raised four children while my dad was the ‘breadwinner’. We had much more time with mom as a result, and she provided many life lessons that remain ingrained in me today. 

Professionally, I vividly remember the first time I had a female manager early in my career. It was in the 80’s, when it wasn’t as common to see women in leadership roles. My manager was the only female Vice President in the company, and her reputation preceded her – she was tough!

In hindsight, I recognize that she was tough for good reason. She led her team by example – always. She was a great mentor at a time when we still wore business suits to work daily, complete with closed toe high heel shoes and hose! While times (and dress codes!) have changed, the work ethic and life skills I learned early on, from two great women, still inspire me today.

How has workplace gender equality evolved during your career? 

Goodness – where do I start?!? Things have evolved and changed significantly from when my career began to now! 

I think we’re seeing more positive changes play out in a big way in recent years, with actions such as not requiring gender designation at all, or making it an optional disclosure on everything from surveys, to job applications, to benefit election sites.  

What moment made you most proud to be a woman of Empyrean?

I just realized my 8-year anniversary working with Empyrean earlier this month. I use the word ‘with’ rather than ‘at’ or ‘for’ because my experience here has consisted of (and continues to involve) collaboration with so many different teams and talented co-workers. There’s the saying, “there is no ‘I’ in teamwork.” In my experience at Empyrean, there is no gender relevance in teamwork either. We are all working toward one common goal, and that’s to provide our clients with stellar service.

Vinita Tyagi
Benefits, Compensation, & HRIS Manager
Empyrean team member since 2017

As our Benefits, Comp & HRIS Manager, is workplace equity important in the work you do? If so, why?

I think that compensation and benefits are the lead indicators of how much value a company puts on workplace equity. Our policies and practices are guiding us to ensure that Empyrean is a place where a woman (or for that matter any individual) can come in and put in their best work without being held back by their gender identity.

I can proudly say working at Empyrean each day I am able to reinstate our organization’s belief in workplace equity.

Who are some women who have inspired you?

I have been privileged to know many strong women in my life. Some are part of my family, others are close friends, some I have known professionally and have the honor to work with. Each of these women have inspired me, taught me, and guided me in the interactions I have had with them.  

Do you have a special message you’d like to share with the group?

To all my fellow ladies – the strength that we seek is within us. Spend your energy and resources in developing yourself and not in external validation.

Olivia Lopez
Sr. IT Project Manager
Empyrean team member since 2022

Who are some females that have inspired you?

My mother and older sister have inspired me so much. My mother always taught us to be strong women and encouraged us to do and pursue whatever we wanted to in life. She supported us every step of the way – including whatever decisions we made professionally and in our personal life.

My sister is one of the strongest people I know. She has worked tremendously hard – and continues to work hard – for everything she has earned in life. She is one of the first few Spanish captioners in the U.S. and also owns her own successful business!

What moment made you most proud to be a woman of Empyrean?

Honestly, the day I was offered this position. Knowing Empyrean believed in me enough to come into a new EMPO to manage a variety of complex projects was an incredibly meaningful day for me.

Do you have any advice for women entering career paths / industries that have been historically male dominated?

Don’t doubt your worth or your own potential to achieve your goals. No matter what obstacle you may face, you can get through it if you work hard enough and want it bad enough.

What is the most important piece of advice you were given during your career?

This may seem simple, but these words of advice from a CIO that I previously worked under have stuck with me throughout my career – “Be intentional in whatever you do.”

Carla Kimble
Sr. Implementation Manager
Empyrean team member since 2016

What does workplace gender equality mean to you?

Workplace gender equality means that everyone has access to the same opportunities, and that those opportunities are based on your qualifications, abilities, and contributions – not your gender.

Who are some females that have inspired you?

My grandmother and mom are my biggest inspirations. They both became mothers in their teens, but they didn’t let that stop them from accomplishing their goals. They both attended college and surpassed all the stereotypes that one would project on a teen mom.

My grandmother became the first black RN in neurosurgery at the VA hospital in Dallas, TX, and my mom has traveled to over 14 different countries as a PM. Both while married and raising their children. They are the epitome of perseverance and proof of just how much you can accomplish with a lot of hard work and determination.

What is your proudest Empyrean work accomplishment?

My proudest work accomplishment at Empyrean is not limited to one moment. I feel like my role as an Implementation Manager suits me perfectly in that each successful go-live/project completion is an accomplishment.

Every project presents a unique set of challenges. Each challenge presents opportunities. To be able to navigate both with the client to achieve a positive outcome is always an accomplishment.  

Alysah Leos
CSR Lead
Empyrean team member since 2020

What does women’s equality mean to you?

Women’s equality means having the security and support to take up space. Having the freedom to BE and flourish as a human – without social judgement, financial disparity, or fear of harm by others. Being whoever you want to be and being represented.

This includes allowing men to take up space as well, and share responsibility for roles that may have at one time been viewed as outside of “traditional gender roles”. It means supporting others and sharing responsibilities that should not be defined by gender.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Be unapologetically you!

What’s something (in life or at work) that makes you feel empowered?

Learning makes me feel empowered. Whether it’s learning a new client at work, new disc golf techniques, or learning how to better myself as a human. Gaining knowledge and having the ability to pass it on is one of the most rewarding and empowering things I do for myself.

Katie Carroll
Sr. Consumer Marketing Manager
Empyrean team member since 2022

What does Women’s Equality Day mean to you?

It means treating everyone with fairness and respect and recognizing that every single person has unique needs.

It means that my daughters won’t be told something they are passionate about or interested in is “for boys”…like I was.

In your role, you speak directly to participants using our platform. Do you feel like your work helps women overcome inequities in healthcare?

I myself have had trouble navigating the healthcare system in the past, and that has influenced how I guide our participants. For example, I still have large hospital bills for the birth of my second child. I’m also navigating how to cover occupational therapy costs for my 4-year-old.

At a bare minimum, my focus is to ensure that every participant understands what benefits are available to them and how to use them. From there, we can help women learn how to use benefits to their advantage and enable them to thrive both physically and mentally. I think we have become so accustomed to just surviving that we have lost sight of what it means to truly thrive.

As a working mother, how does Empyrean support you?

I’m given the space to not feel pressured to figure out a “work/life balance”. I have many things going on in my life and working for Empyrean is just one of them. Some days this means working during baby nap times or not having to worry when preschool is closed (again) and I have both kids at home. If the work is moving forward, then I am empowered to balance my schedule as needed. I wish every parent had this type of support, especially in the early years of parenthood.

What is the most important piece of advice you were given during your career?

Your voice is your superpower, and your voice is more powerful that you realize.

Speak up, share those new ideas, fail, learn, it’s all part of the human experience. Stop worrying about what people think, they are too busy dealing with their own things anyways. 


Happy Women’s Equality Day!

Pet Insurance Enrollments Surged by 56% in 2022

Pet Insurance Enrollments Surged by 56% in 2022

Today is National Dog Day, which was first celebrated in 2004 across the country to increase awareness about dogs in need of rescue and to encourage pet adoption.

Now celebrated annually on August 26th, members of the 69 million U.S. households who have at least one dog recognize the day by taking to social media to post photos of their pups and share information about local animal shelters and pet rescues. 

As a nation, why are we so obsessed with our pets?

The benefits of pet ownership are evident. According to a pulse survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association (APPA), 75 percent of pet owners surveyed reported that spending time with their pet helps them manage stress levels while increasing their sense of well-being.

From the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, pets quickly emerged as the ultimate work from home companions. Office closures, social distancing, and lockdowns forced Americans to spend much more time at home, leading to a surge in new pet adoption and ownership across the country.

As of March 2021, more than 23 million American households had brought home a new pet since the start of the pandemic. With more than 70 percent of U.S. households owning pets, the majority of which pay more than $2,000 annually in pet care, many employers are offering supplemental benefits to assist employees with pet care costs.

Data from the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) shows that there has been yearly double-digit growth in pet insurance enrollments since the mid-2010s. Empyrean’s 2022 enrollment data shows a dramatic 56.37 percent increase in pet care benefit adoption over 2021, with almost 35 percent of plan participants offered the benefit electing coverage.

As more U.S. households welcome pets home each year, employers can expect employees to continue to seek ways to offset the financial costs associated with pet ownership – especially during times of economic uncertainty.

Pet Benefit Solutions – An Empyrean Preferred Partner

Pet Benefit Solutions is a valued partner in our carrier network, integrating directly with the Empyrean platform to create simplified administrator and employee benefit experiences. Comprehensive coverage under Pet Benefit Solution’s Total Pet Program includes veterinary care, pet product savings, and pet care services.

There are several key advantages for employers looking to offer pet insurance benefits through Empyrean’s partnership with Pet Benefit Solutions, including:

  • Simple and straightforward employee enrollment directly in the Empyrean platform
  • Easy setup and streamlined administration
  • Coverage for all pets with no pre-existing condition exclusions, waiting periods, or deductibles
  • Flat rate family pet plan coverage for multiple pets
  • Simple billing processes with no reconciliation needed
  • High employee participation and engagement rates

Please contact our team at info@goempyrean.com with any questions regarding the Empyrean platform or our ability to integrate with your preferred pet insurance carrier.

Happy National Dog Day!

Empyrean Adds Kelly Knick to Channel Enablement Group  

Empyrean Adds Kelly Knick to Channel Enablement Group  

19 August, 2022

Houston, TX. [Aug. 19, 2022] Empyrean (www.goempyrean.com), a leading technology and service-focused employee benefits administration provider, has announced that Kelly Knick has joined the growing organization as a Director of Channel Enablement. In this role, Knick will focus on building and nurturing broker and carrier relationships across the country.

“Kelly has been a wonderful addition to our organization and has been able to make an immediate impact with our broker partners and carriers,” said Chris Rossi, Empyrean’s VP of Sales. “She will be instrumental in spearheading our channel enablement efforts alongside the rest of our channel enablement team.”

Knick is an industry veteran, spending the majority of her career in the BenAdmin technology and service space. Prior to joining the Empyrean team, she served in sales roles at both Benefitfocus and Nayya.

“I am excited to get to focus on our Channel Partnerships here at Empyrean,” Knick added. “If there is anything I have learned working with large employers, it’s how much value and trust there is in an employer’s established broker and carrier relationships.”

The addition of Knick comes at a time of sustained growth for the organization, including the continued development of strong partnerships across the benefits ecosystem.

Throughout 2022, Empyrean has had a continued focus on creating tailored, personalized, and connected benefit experiences that result in better outcomes for participants, employers, and brokers and advisors across the country. This focus has included the development and enhancement of several Empyrean technologies and services, including updates to employee mobile experiences, rollout of new communication platforms, and enhancements to Pilot+, Empyrean’s decision support and healthcare navigation tool.

Knick earned a B.A. from the University of Maryland.

About Empyrean

Since 2006, Empyrean has provided employers of varying size, industry, and benefit plan complexity with the innovative technology and best in class service necessary to accelerate their benefit strategies and bring their benefit programs to life.

Empyrean’s platform and services were designed to create connected employee benefit experiences that enrich lives, strengthen employer brands, and improve workplace cultures. Focused on total employee health and wellness, Empyrean is dedicated to delivering scalable and tailored experiences that empower participants to better understand, access, and engage with their benefit programs not just at enrollment time, but on a year-round basis.

Today, more than 4.6 million participants across the U.S. rely on Empyrean’s cutting-edge platform and top-notch support teams to inform and guide their benefit enrollment and utilization decisions.

Headquartered in Houston, TX, Empyrean has additional office locations in Minneapolis, MN and Nashville, TN, as well as remote teams located throughout the U.S.

Empyrean is a subsidiary of Securian Financial (www.securian.com).

MEDIA CONTACT:
Brienne Driscoll
Head of Content & Communications
Empyrean
bdriscoll@goempyrean.com

Empyrean Announces EVOLVE\23 – April 12 – 14 in Savannah, GA

Empyrean Announces EVOLVE\23 – April 12 – 14 in Savannah, GA

03 August, 2022

Connecting Benefits, Enriching Lives

Empyrean is excited to announce that EVOLVE\23 will be held from April 12-14 at Savannah’s Hyatt Regency along the city’s historical riverfront.

The theme for our upcoming EVOLVE conference is “Connecting Benefits, Enriching Lives”, a topic closely aligned with our mission to deliver optimized and connected benefit experiences to the over 4.6 million people who rely on the Empyrean platform every day.

Conference programming will be developed and presented by HR and benefits industry experts, with content anchored around the realities that employee populations are made up of real people, each with a unique background and personal story. These stories determine what employees need from their benefits program to thrive both inside and outside of work.

Our dynamic sessions will provide participants with the strategies and insights they need to tackle the ongoing challenges tied to supporting individual benefit needs while also addressing populations with economic efficiency.

EVOLVE\23 will also explore how to ensure employees understand how to choose and use their benefits, including how to create personalized, connected, life-enriching benefit experiences that result in high levels of employee trust, psychological safety, and physical wellness, all leading to happy, energized employees and successful organizations. 

DATE: April 12-14, 2023
LOCATION: Hyatt Regency – Savannah, GA

Event registration will open in Fall 2022, and additional conference details will be shared at that time. For now, we invite our clients to mark your calendars for this engaging event!

The Growing Role of Financial Wellness Programs in Support of Total Employee Wellbeing

The Growing Role of Financial Wellness Programs in Support of Total Employee Wellbeing

27 July, 2022

Human resources and benefit leaders continue to navigate one of the most volatile and fast moving business and economic landscapes many of us have ever known. The Great Resignation, increased levels of caregiver responsibilities, financial uncertainty tied to the ongoing pandemic, inflation, and other macroeconomic factors have brought an even stronger focus on the need to support total employee wellbeing in the form of financial wellness benefits.

With 62 percent of employers reporting that they feel “extremely” responsible for the financial wellness of their employees, organizations are taking this challenge more seriously than ever. Back in 2013, just 13 percent of employers said they felt this same level of obligation to their teams.

Companies that offer financial wellness programs have an opportunity to play a vital role in bridging the gap between work and financial health. The advantages of supplying this level of support for employees is well documented, with improved outcomes in areas like employee engagement and productivity, recruitment and retention, cost containment, and workforce management and diversity.

Caregiving Needs Can Threaten Financial Wellness


As employers develop their benefit strategies, it is critical to consider programs that support the needs of employees serving as caregivers – especially those in the sandwich generation caring for both children and older adults.

More than one in five U.S. adults have acted as unpaid caregivers in the past 12 months, a statistic that often goes overlooked by employers as only half of employed caregivers say that their manager is aware of their caregiving responsibilities. Demographic trends indicate the need for caregiving will continue to increase, negatively affecting employers due to rising employee stress levels, decreased productivity, and increased rates of absenteeism.

Employers can help employees balance work and caregiving responsibilities while protecting their financial health by offering tools and programs designed to meet their needs, helping to improve emotional, financial, and physical wellness across their employee populations.

Offering benefits like caregiving support services, paid family and medical leave programs, and flexible work schedules and arrangements can help foster an inclusive and supportive environment for employees that serve as caregivers.

Carrier Partner Spotlight: Prudential


Prudential Financial continues to be one of Empyrean’s strongest carrier partners, and together we are committed to helping our clients’ employees get the financial protection and support they need as they navigate life’s challenges. Through simple and efficient delivery, we make it easy for employers to provide options that help their teams work towards both short and long-term financial goals while simplifying the enrollment process and improving overall employee experiences.

With operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America, Prudential provides customers with products and services that include life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management.

There are several advantages for employers looking to offer Prudential’s financial wellness benefits through the Empyrean platform, including:

  • Easy setup and administration
  • Zero cost implementation for employee-paid products
  • Expanded employee choice
  • EOI Connect and EOI decision status update API capabilities
  • Streamlined data integration and reduced production-ready timelines due to standard EDI templates

Access the full Prudential report, “Why Employers Should Care About Caregiving,” to learn more about how to provide increased financial wellness support to the caregivers in your organization.   

For more information about the Empyrean and Prudential partnership, please contact us at info@goempyrean.com.

Empyrean is an independent third-party administrator and is not affiliated with Prudential.

Group Insurance coverages are issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, a Prudential Financial company, Newark, NJ.

1060059-00001-00

Empyrean Welcomes Ken Gooch to Their Sales Team as Director of Channel Enablement

Empyrean Welcomes Ken Gooch to Their Sales Team as Director of Channel Enablement

18 May, 2022

Houston, TX. [May 18, 2022] Empyrean, (www.goempyrean.com), a leading technology and service-focused employee benefits administration provider, has announced that Ken Gooch has joined their expanding sales team as Director of Channel Enablement. In this role, Gooch will focus on building valuable partnerships to accelerate Empyrean’s growth across all U.S. regions.  

“As an industry veteran, Ken’s ability to establish and nurture long-lasting partnerships is nothing short of exceptional,” said Stephanie Haney, VP of Sales. “With his can-do attitude, industry knowledge, and ability to drive revenue growth by building third-party relationships, Ken is going to be instrumental in spearheading Empyrean’s channel enablement efforts.”

Gooch has held a variety of noteworthy positions throughout his career with Unum, MetLife, and Aetna. For the past decade, he’s been focusing on strategic business development to increase market share in the Voluntary Worksite space. This involved aligning with top national consultants, brokers, enrollment and communication firms, and benefits administration companies.

“My entire career has revolved around building sustainable partnerships that optimize operational efficiencies and deliver customer satisfaction and profitable growth,” said Gooch. “I’m excited to be joining the Empyrean team, and look forward to working with some of the same carrier and broker partners that I’ve been developing relationships with for years.”

Gooch joins the Empyrean team at a time of heightened market expansion and strategic positioning. As a leading employee benefits administration provider, Empyrean’s tech + service approach is designed to empower organizations to create a culture of wellbeing through the delivery of their benefit offerings. In early 2022, Empyrean released its yearly Benefit Trends Report, outlining the top five trends influencing the state of employee benefits today.

Gooch resides in Frisco, Texas.

About Empyrean

Since 2006, Empyrean has provided employers of varying size, industry, and benefit plan complexity with the innovative technology and best in class service necessary to accelerate their benefits strategies and bring their benefit programs to life. Empyrean’s platform and services were designed to create connected employee benefit experiences that enrich lives, strengthen employer brands, and improve workplace cultures.

Today, more than 4.6 million participants across the U.S. rely on Empyrean’s cutting-edge systems and top-notch support teams to inform and guide their benefit enrollment and utilization decisions. Focused on total employee health and wellness, Empyrean is dedicated to delivering a scalable and tailored benefits experience for all employees and their families by combining innovative technology with employee-centric services to empower participants to better understand, access, and engage with their benefit programs not just at enrollment time, but on a year-round basis.

Empyrean’s platforms and services empower employees to not only better understand the value of the benefit programs offered to them, but to then connect with these benefits in a way that drives better outcomes from themselves, their families, and their organization.

Headquartered in Houston, TX, Empyrean has additional office locations in Minneapolis, MN and Nashville, TN, as well as remote teams located throughout the U.S.

Empyrean is a subsidiary of Securian Financial (www.securian.com).

MEDIA CONTACT:
Brienne Driscoll
Head of Content & Communications
Empyrean
bdriscoll@goempyrean.com

LET'S TALK