As human relations challenges have shifted to human capital management (HCM) issues, WORKTERRA has met its clients needs with an easy-to-use, quickly implemented platform for the full employee lifecycle. WORKTERRA's cloud-based technology delivers the simplicity and flexibility required for managing benefits and compliance.
When it comes to employee benefit programs, the needs of employers can be complex. Potential issues include the breadth of benefit programs, how employees enroll in them, and which type of employee is eligible for which type of benefit. That complexity is multiplied as companies grow and develop operations at multiple locations throughout the United States. Benefits from state to state often vary, pay rates vary, and eligibility rules for benefits vary. If a company has acquired other companies, legacy rules often affect benefits as well. Such complexity demands an effective solution.
"The unique requirements of each client can be very difficult to support without creating custom software," says David Rhodes, CEO of WORKTERRA. "We are able to accommodate those needs due to the flexibility built into our software. Knowing from the beginning that every company has different requirements when it comes to employee benefits our goal was to make the software as flexible as possible, that way we are able to grow as the needs of our clients grow. In doing so we are able to meet the needs of a very diverse group of clients across all geographies across the United States and Canada as well as vertical industries; construction, public sector, health care, you name it. It takes very special software to meet the needs of all those groups."
According to Rhodes, the flexibility ingrained in WORKTERRA's software is also ingrained in its people. "We call it our 'yes' culture," he says. "We try to say yes whenever possible, and we try to emphasize that with our employees. We have these things called 'yes' bucks. If somebody does something that is customer service or customer-centric oriented, we give the employee a yes buck. They can collect those over time and turn them in for a day off or a camera or something like that."
Two employee benefits that are becoming more popular are pet insurance and tuition reimbursement programs according to Rhodes. As employers compete for talent, employee benefit program offerings evolve to meet the times. "Tuition assistance is something that is really gaining a lot of traction," he says. "Employers are helping employees repay their student loans. Over time, these voluntary benefits have become much more prevalent."
WORKTERRA grew out of Employee Benefit Specialists, which was founded in 1987 to provide benefits administration, communications services, and top-rated benefit programs to business clients. In September 2016, WORKTERRA was acquired by CareerBuilder but continues to maintain its WORKTERRA staff of nearly 90 employees at its headquarters at Hacienda, where the company has been located since 2000.
The acquisition was a good match for both the companies involved and their clients, according to Rhodes. "WORKTERRA and CareerBuilder share a strong obsession around innovation, creating forward-looking technology, and delivering the features and benefits that people crave," Rhodes says. "Now our brands offer unmatched solutions across pre- and post-hire HCM needs."
For more information about WORKTERRA, please visit http://www.workterra.com .