WHAT DOES A BENEFITS MANAGER DO?
The Benefits Manager oversees the analysis and recommendations for benefits programs, ensuring optimal use of budgeted dollars while maintaining compliance. Furthermore, implements new and improved plans, develops communication materials, and ensures effective administration within HRIS and supporting systems. Additionally, manages the database for reasonable accommodation requests, ensuring adherence to policy and external regulations.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Benefits Manager
1. Benefits Manager Duties
- Analysis: Assist with the analysis, evaluation, development, and communication of workers’ compensation program.
- Evaluation: Oversee internal safety committee administration and implement initiatives to improve the safety of the workforce.
- Development: Ensure efficient processes are in place and recommend improvements as needed.
- Communication: Oversight of open enrollment including reviewing, evaluating, and implementing the plan design, changes, and cost.
- Oversight: Ensure benefit guide and all means of benefit communication are up to date and implement changes.
- Administration: Ensure accurate file transmission between vendors.
- Initiative: Review benefit plan reports and identify areas of improvement.
- Efficiency: Provides updates regarding benefit plan performance.
2. Benefits Manager Details
- Support: Supporting the management of benefits programs and onsite services across LatAm.
- Management: Managing vendors and key stakeholders to deliver a benefits service.
- Analysis: Analyze, interpret, and consolidate data as a practical approach to building robust processes and policy around benefits management.
- Communication: Engage and communicate with employees, understand their needs, and deliver benefits to them.
- Team management: Manage a team of benefits specialists across the LatAm region.
- Research: Support Benefits programs involving the research and implementation of plans and programs as well as managing competitive benefits offered in the region.
- Compliance: Ensure existing benefits are compliant with local legislation.
- Establishment: Establish and develop measures to improve efficiency and accuracy in plan management.
- Design: Manage the design and implementation of benefit programs and work with LatAm People and Operations teams to support the smooth running of benefits programs.
- Review: Review the process by which plans are managed and develop an excellent benefits experience for Googlers.
3. Benefits Manager Responsibilities
- Support: Support compensation and benefits team and ensure standards comply with company policies and/or other regulations.
- Analysis: Analyze, review, and obtain approval for changes to compensation and benefits for the employees based in India.
- Development: Assist in the development of home country policies and procedures to support the compensation and benefits function.
- Participation: Participate in market and salary surveys.
- Monitoring: Monitor reviews of compensation and benefits packages to maintain the company's position as a leading employer.
- Communication: Coordinate communication of compensation and benefits information to employees and other HR groups.
- Assistance: Answer employee queries on compensation and benefit matters.
- Preparation: Help prepare government filings, plan audits, or other tax-reporting requirements.
- Compliance: Ensure compliance with Data Privacy and Protection Guidelines.
4. Benefits Manager Accountabilities
- Workflow Direction: Direct workflow of Benefits department.
- Communication Creation: Create and distribute all benefits-related communications.
- Administration Oversight: Oversee all aspects of pension administration.
- Guidance Provision: Provide guidance for health and wellness initiatives.
- Plan Development: Develop and implement plan design and document changes.
- Enrollment Oversight: Oversee annual open enrollment.
- Issue Resolution: Manage and resolve any benefits-related issues and inquiries.
- Relationship Management: Manage and influence complex partner relationships to ensure all dimensions of the Global Benefits Strategy are effectively communicated to leadership teams and support organizations.
- Program Administration: Administer programs including health, dental, vision, auto, STD, LTD, and other voluntary plans.
5. Benefits Manager Functions
- Insurance Management: Responsible for the Insurance plans roll out and ensuring the effective implementation.
- Benefits Management: Managing the existing benefits plan and acting as a contact person for the business.
- Portal Maintenance: Maintaining the Benefits portal and booklet to be up to date with current offerings.
- Plan Review: Reviewing, improving, and implementing the benefits plan to meet the business needs.
- Payroll Coordination: Liaising with payroll providers to ensure the correct implementation of the payroll cycle routine.
- Legislation Compliance: Ensuring changes in law, pensions/insurances updates, and ad hoc tax treatments are correctly reflected in payroll.
- Tax Reporting: Submit to Tax Authorities necessary for the correct implementation of fiscal benefits.
- Employee Engagement: Collaborate with the Communication Team and Country HR to properly communicate with eligible population.
- Collaboration: Liaising with Rewards Team to ensure benefits plans are properly included from a cost perspective.
6. Benefits Manager Overview
- Employee Interaction: Interact with awesome employees on benefits-related topics on the phone or email.
- Administration Management: Manage administration and process flows for all FMLA, LOA, and Disability programs.
- Billing Reconciliation: Reconcile and complete monthly benefits billing for all lines of coverage.
- Payroll Adjustment: Adjust payroll deductions for team members on leave.
- Legislation Monitoring: Assess and stay abreast of applicable leave laws and regulatory changes.
- Policy Recommendation: Provide recommendation for policy and process modification.
- Administration Processing: Process termination, status changes, and monitor COBRA Administration.
- Enrollment Assistance: Assist with Open Enrollment process for group insurance plans.
- HR Collaboration: Partner with the HR team on generalist issues
- Expertise Offer: Offer expertise and knowledge of benefit programs to enhance the SAGE Team Member experience.
7. Benefits Manager Tasks
- Review and Analysis: Review, analyze, and make recommendations on benefits programs and their administration.
- Data Comparison: Review competitive data and compare to company programs.
- Cost Analysis: Review costs and make recommendations to ensure benefits budgeted dollars are applied most effectively.
- Recommendation: Recommend new and modified plans.
- Implementation: Install improved new plans and changes by preparing announcement materials for communicating new plans to associates.
- System Integration: Assure company compliance and benefits programs are built and designed in core HRIS and supporting systems to maximize self-service and efficiency.
- Communication Development: Develop and implement communication and training materials to ensure that key stakeholders are informed of the processes for requesting reasonable accommodations.
- Database Management: Manage the database by which the Company case manages all non-occupational health reasonable accommodation requests.
- Compliance Assurance: Ensure adherence to policy and external regulation to mitigate risk and ensure the Company is acting in compliance.
- Logistics Management: Manage all logistics related to the annual Open Enrollment process.
- Assistance Provision: Assist with questions related to health and welfare benefits.
8. Benefits Manager Roles
- Customer Service: Maintains an atmosphere of friendly, enthusiastic customer service with an emphasis on taking care of the customer.
- Leadership: Leads and develops the benefits team, supervises work, and assesses staff performance.
- Trend Monitoring: Monitors benefit trends and competitive practices to offer best practice recommendations.
- Program Oversight: Oversee the Company’s relocation benefits program.
- Collaboration: Collaborate with internal departments to refine existing processes and procedures and develop new efficiencies.
- Reporting: Provide meaningful reporting to management.
- Rapport Building: Establish and maintain good rapport with co-workers, supervisors, and others.
- Project Management: Organize implementation of corporate projects and new business, as they relate to group benefits issues.
- Communication: Write and speak clearly and succinctly in a variety of communication settings.
- Confidentiality: Maintain a high degree of confidentiality with sensitive information.
- Prioritization: Effectively prioritize and perform a variety of simultaneous tasks in a high-pressure environment.
- Emergency Response: Respond to calls on urgent matters involving including after business hours, on weekends, and holidays.
9. Manager Benefit Additional Details
- Issue Resolution: Assists team with issues by interpreting benefit policies and procedures and manage escalated benefits issues from Associates.
- Research: Receives and researches claims appeals and recommends resolutions.
- Support: Provides backup and assistance for claims questions and resolutions.
- Process Management: Assist director in development, implementation, and administration of department processes.
- Quality Control: Ensure robust quality controls that lead to a high degree of accuracy, efficiency, and compliance.
- Collaboration: Collaborate with other department managers to facilitate interdepartmental communication and procedures and ensure that company objectives and client expectations are met.
- Contract Review: Review in collaboration with Legal Counsel service provider contracts ensuring all terms are met and in compliance with the contract agreement.
- Training: Train and manage department Associates to ensure that department actions comply with federal, state, and local legal requirements by studying existing and new legislation.
- Relationship Building: Expedites delivery of services by building and maintaining working relationships with benefit providers.
- Performance Management: Oversee performance management of Associates as well as time & attendance and other time off requests.
10. Manager Benefit Essential Functions
- Cost Analysis: Analyzes and monitors costs and trends.
- Reporting: Delivers reports for management that will reflect such studies on a monthly, quarterly, annual, and ad-hoc basis.
- Program Participation: Participate in the development and implementation of new and/or revised plans/programs.
- Enrollment Oversight: Oversees ongoing and annual enrollment for health and welfare plans.
- Vendor Management: Works with vendors, actuaries, and consultants regarding the administrative processes of each plan.
- Report Development: Develops and maintains reports to be used for annual valuation, semi-annual and annual plan testing, and annual reporting.
- Project Management: Assists with and/or supervises special projects such as vendor evaluations, cost studies, research, evaluation of plan design, communications, etc.
- Communication Development: Develop communications materials for all plans/programs.
- Training Assistance: Assists with development of and maintains Benefits training materials.
- Training Facilitation: Facilitates training/assistance to Benefits Team.
11. Payroll and Benefits Manager Role Purpose
- Payroll Management: Ensuring maintenance and development of the Payroll system to enable data integrity and accurate data collation.
- Compliance: Remaining compliant with legal, regulatory, and taxation matters.
- Statutory Reporting: Being responsible for completing all statutory returns and HMRC matters.
- Audit Compliance: Complying with internal or external audit requirements and meeting and/or exceeding inspection standards.
- Compensation Support: Supporting with annual pay and reward cycles, including salary review, performance-related pay/bonus awards.
- Reward Strategy: Continually reviewing and updating the reward offer, understanding what motivates and engages employees, as well as driving efficiencies where possible.
- Collaboration: Working in collaboration with HR Business Partners and the Finance Team to ensure pay & reward processes and policies are aligned to core principles.
- Benefit Management: Managing pension and life assurance schemes (specifically).
- Legislation Interpretation: Interpreting pension legislation changes and ensuring drive the best for people.
- Education Provision: Provide retirement and financial benefit program education and awareness presentations to employee and/or manager groups.
12. Benefits Manager General Responsibilities
- Benefits Administration: Administer employee benefits programs such as medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and voluntary benefits for all offices.
- Status Management: Provide assistance with all status changes (new hire, termination, transfers).
- Eligibility Coordination: Determine benefit eligibility and coordinate to ensure enrollment in statutory and non-statutory plans.
- Transfer Management: Manage the process from beginning to end for employees transferring between international locations.
- Issue Resolution: Assist employees and dependents with benefits questions and claims issues to ensure a quick, equitable, courteous resolution.
- Data Analysis: Work with brokers to provide benchmarking and market data trends, within the industry, to support benefit offerings by location.
- Problem Resolution: Resolve administrative problems with carrier representatives and brokers.
- Project Collaboration: Working with retirement and/or health and wellness benefits colleagues to participate in local, regional, or global benefits projects.
- Program Analysis: Perform analysis to understand the impact of programs and leverage data for strategy and program decisions.
- Vendor Management: Direct third-party vendors on analysis projects.
13. Benefits & Payroll Manager Key Accountabilities
- Payroll and Benefits Management: Responsible for ensuring efficient, accurate, and timely processing of semi-monthly payrolls and day-to-day benefit and payroll operations.
- Decision Making: Making decisions, initiating ideas, and troubleshooting issues related to the benefit and payroll services and systems.
- Supervision: Supervises the activities of the benefit and payroll staff by ensuring adequate documentation of work procedures and schedules, issuing written and oral instructions, training personnel, analyzing and resolving work problems, and assisting staff in solving work problems.
- Reporting: Prepares reports and analysis for senior management.
- Compliance Management: Supervises appropriate applications and ensures compliance with Federal and State payroll and benefit laws and Company policies.
- Process Improvement: Implements process improvements and maintains strict confidentiality.
- Unemployment Inquiry Handling: Respond to unemployment inquiries.
- Database Maintenance: Ensure accurate database by instituting processes that track and audit all new hires, changes, terminations, leaves, deductions, and acquisition integrations.
14. Benefits Manager Roles and Details
- Benefits Planning: Plan and implement cost-effective and competitive benefit programs and associate policies.
- Legislation Compliance: Ensure alignment with the needs of the organization and current healthcare legislation.
- Negotiation: Negotiate health and welfare benefits renewal contracts.
- Contract Management: Manage the procurement of vendor contracts and comply with annual Information Security Compliance.
- Regulatory Knowledge: Utilizes knowledge of benefits regulations, internal policies, and practices to effectively and efficiently manage key benefits.
- Enrollment Management: Manage annual Open Enrollment processes and timelines to ensure associate elections and benefits changes are processed correctly.
- Communication Strategy: Develop and manage the benefits communication strategy, including open enrollment and ongoing vendor communications.
- Performance Monitoring: Monitor performance and development of benefits team members and their processes.
- Review Preparation: Prepare and deliver quarterly and annual performance reviews.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Develop business relationships with internal customers to gain the best understanding of business needs and challenges.
15. Benefits Manager Responsibilities and Key Tasks
- Coordination Oversight: Oversee the coordination of disability, personal, medical, military, and family leaves of absences in accordance with federal and state laws and in accordance with company policy.
- Issue Resolution: Act as the next level of research into problematic claims/issues as it relates to the health care plan, unemployment, and workers’ compensation.
- Vendor Management: Manage relationship with all benefit vendors and ensure appropriate communication and collaboration is in place.
- Documentation Management: Ensure proper documentation is in place for assigned functions including worker’s compensation, OSHA, file maintenance, etc.
- Support Provision: Provides support and assistance with merger and acquisition activities.
- Procedure Development: Develops and maintains administrative procedures relative to the functions of this position.
- Vendor Oversight: Manage deferred compensation vendors with respect to service, delivery, communications, and key performance measures.
- Stakeholder Interaction: Interfaces regularly with executives, funds management, vendor finance, HR, and business representatives on critical incidents and complex situations.