By working with anadvisor who shares your own hope for your benefits plan, you take ahuge step closer to a plan that can become a strategic advantagefor your business. (Photo: Shutterstock)

When you're spending thousands upon thousands of dollars onbenefits and seeing unimpressive results, being discouraged anddisappointed is completely reasonable. Great health care has thepotential to bring a lot of positive effects to your business,including improved employee retention rates, better talent recruitment, and reduced absenteeism. Inorder to receive the maximum impact, though, you need to stopsettling for what your current benefits plan is and start imaginingwhat it could be.

Related: Open your mind to change to improve your benefitsplan

A positive mindset is one of the most important qualities anemployer can possess when searching for ways to improve their plan,and here's why.

Rejecting an undesirable standard

In life and in the benefits industry, you should never settlefor less than you deserve. That's just what many business ownersare doing when it comes to their benefits plans, though. For years,employers have endured paying 5-6 percent more for their plans witheach renewal, even though the quality of their plan has stayed thesame or even decreased. There are better options out there, butmany business owners remain stuck in this benefits rut, convincedthat this standard is truly the best that they can get.

In order to achieve better outcomes for your plan (and yourbusiness), you must first decide that you, your employees, and yourcompany deserve better than the suboptimal status quo that so manyemployers settle for. By raising the bar for what you want out ofyour benefits plan, you take the first step towards turning yourplan's potential into an improved reality.

The hope for something better

Teaming up with the right benefits advisor is crucial for abenefits plan that can help your business grow. Your advisor'semphasis on a positive outlook for your plan is just as importantas your own desire to search for better options, and you shouldnever settle for a broker who tries to convince you that the planyou have is the best you can get.

An optimistic advisor will:

• Listen to and understand your current challenges –Understanding your starting point is the first step to movingforward, and a great advisor will take the time to learn about yourcurrent struggles so they can offer a personalized solution insteadof a one-size-fits-all "fix."
• Offer creative and innovative solutions – Big improvementsusually require big changes. A broker who suggests small tweaks foryour plan may sound like the safer option, but the results theydeliver will likely keep your plan stagnant.
• Provide flexibility – As your business evolves over time, soshould your benefits plan. An advisor with a positive outlook willconstantly be looking for ways for you to get the most out of yourplan, and that means working with you year-round, not just whenit's time to renew.

By working with an advisor who shares your own hope for yourbenefits plan, you take a huge step closer to a plan that canbecome a strategic advantage for your business.

Tools for a fighting chance

Your advisor may not be able to solve all your employees'medical problems on their own, but they can provide tools to bothimprove the quality of their health care and make it moreaffordable. In order to optimize their solutions, though, you needto be able to:

• Be open to unconventional ideas
• Trust their approach
• Implement their tools and strategies

The path to a benefits plan that can help your business reachits full potential can only be paved with a willing, enthusiasticattitude from both you and your advisor. If your advisor candevelop a plan and you can take the necessary steps to implement itinto your business, you'll be well on your way to giving youremployees high-quality, cost-effective care that can drasticallyimprove their quality of life.

Looking forward, never back

Don't despair when low-quality, high-cost benefits are no longersustainable for your business. Instead, get excited about all thepossibilities an improved benefits plan could offer your company.By rejecting the status quo in the benefits industry, working withan advisor who has high hopes for your future, and being willing toimplement the tools and strategies they provide you, you cantransform your plan from a burdensome expense into a greatstrategic opportunity. The desire for better benefits can blossominto one of the best decisions you could make for yourbusiness.

Jim Blachek is co-founderof The Benefits Group.

Read more: 

• Make employees feel visible and engaged, even intimes of change
• Creative plan design: Overcoming theobstacles
• How investing in change can help you build a betterbenefits plan

Dig Deeper