By Janet Schmidt and Kent Mattson, Ameritas

Every day, human resource (HR) professionals face a world with many challenging responsibilities that often are overwhelming. One of these areas is the oversight and administration of employee benefit programs. HR strives to provide benefits that help employees with their health care protection needs and educational programs to keep them healthy, both physically and financially.

HR professionals have many benefit issues on their minds, including how to:

• Offer complementary benefits packages that help them recruit and retain quality employees
• Educate employees on the value of their benefits and changes in those plans and remind them of preventive care options available with their health and wellness plans
• Proactively encourage employees and family members to participate in wellness programs and focus on healthy behaviors to enhance the quality of their lives

There are many choices for insurance benefits, and often it is not easy to find the right mix for employees because of varying demographics. The complexity of the process is simplified when HR professionals work with trustworthy producers and insurance carriers. The following six secrets provide direction for evaluating potential partners, reviewing benefit proposals and improving communication of benefits.