BCBusiness

U nderstandably, a benefits package is regarded by many employers as a necessary part of business, but the Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan is grounded in the belief that a good plan actually benefits any business's bottom line. That's because a comprehensive benets package is highly sought by professionals faced with multiple job prospects. "As a way of attracting and retaining new talent, a quality plan is a powerful tool," says Ramon Solinas, president and senior advisor atSolinas & Associates Insurance Services Inc. and regional marketing director for B.C. for the Chambers Plan. He adds: "In fact, a 2018 survey by Sano Canada showed that when asked if they would prefer a $5,000 annual raise or a comprehensive benets plan, 63 percent of employees surveyed chose the latter." Of course, benets packages are almost as varied as the number of businesses in Canada, and the not-for-prot Chambers Plan was developed specically for small businesses, which have traditionally had the hardest time getting employee benets (it provides services to rms in more than 900 Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade across the country). The Chambers Plan also fully reects the ve key attributes the Chambers of Commerce believes are essential to any good package, namely: • Coverage (customization allows for the selection of benets instead of those in a bundle that may not be needed); • Premium stability (the Chambers Plan is a pooled plan where premiums are based on the average of claims across all participants, thus spreading the risk); • Guarantees (the Chambers Plan offers guaranteed renewable coverage or benets that don't require medical questionnaires); • Claim payments (the Chambers Plan provides efcient and convenient payment options); • Longevity (the Chambers Plan gives participants a voice in the plan's evolution, with options to control costs today and in the future). Solinas cites other portions of the plan that would be of great interest to either existing or prospective employees of small businesses. "For example, our Business Assistance Service is included free in every plan," he says. "This gives owners access to professional accounting, legal and human resource experts—all of whom understand the challenges small businesses face." The plan also, via its Best Doctors service, allocates 50,000 medical specialists at the ready for every Chambers Plan participant, which connects seriously ill individuals and their treating physicians with world-renowned specialists. Yet another useful element of the plan is its health and wellness mobile app, which enables participants to log in at any time and get more details about the plan, how much they've spent, or even submit claims remotely. "We've taken a holistic approach to group benets and, frankly, the Chambers Plan benets any small business's bottom line because its high quality and breadth of services is attractive to high quality prospective talent," says Solinas. For more information about services and benets, or for a free quote, go to www. chamberplan.ca. + CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE GROUP A Benets Plan is the Starting Point If employees are taken care of, it will be reected in the bottom line Created by BCBusiness in partnership with Chambers of Commerce Group PHOTO ISTOCK A recent survey showed that the majority of employees would prefer a benefits plan to a nominal pay raise

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