I recently heard a business owner describe his company’s voluntary benefits package as a “nice to have.” If that’s the case, I say get rid of the package and save both the aggravation and administrative cost.

If you’re going to offer voluntary benefits, those benefits should be a fixed part of your employment package — part of the ala carte set of options an individual is entitled to as a result of working for the company. People don’t call a 401(k) plan a “voluntary” benefit. Why, then, should an optional life, disability, vision, and dental package be thought of as “voluntary”?

Voluntary benefits are part of a comprehensive benefits package; choosing to take advantage of them is simply optional.