Author: McGriff Williams

Struggling with disengaged employees on your team?

Posted on by McGriff Williams in Business Insurance, Human Resources, McGriff-Williams News |


It’s always fun and exciting to go through the onboarding process of a new employee. Both you, as the employer, and the newest member of team are excited, things are fresh and new, and the future of working together is bright. Of course the hope is that those feelings will continue, it will remain a good fit for all and everyone will benefit from the partnership.

However, sometimes the honeymoon phase wears off and employees can become disengaged. Sure, part of that is natural and happens in all aspects of life. But as Jon Gordon refers to negative or disengaged employees as “energy vampiresâ€, they can be detrimental to your team, clients, and goals as a company. This negativity can be toxic and needs to be addressed sooner than later.

So what can you do as a leader to prevent and recover from disengagement on your team? Here are a few tips we’ve compiled that may be helpful if you’re noticing the morale and engagement heading south.

First, defining and understanding disengagement is important. It can be cause by things such as lack of:

  • Communication
  • Recognition
  • Trust
  • Flexibility
  • Teamwork
  • Autonomy
  • Support

Next, recognizing and identifying when an employee is disengaged can be done by:

  • Poor performance
  • Missed deadlines
  • Lack of interest in development
  • Isolation from coworkers
  • Increased use of PTO

Then, it’s time to approach the employee:

  • Address the issue head on, skip the small talk but be certain to listen well, ask questions and document conversations
  • Discovering that individual’s motivation and what makes them “tickâ€
  • Analyzing where engagement was lost and why
  • Identifying adequate skills and a plan to work to their strengths, even if it’s a change in their role
  • Come to a mutual agreement and commitment to action

The final step in this process is to work together towards a solution that will correct the problem by:

  • Create a specific and realistic development plan that includes your investment in them
  • Set goals and hold each other accountable
  • Encourage participation with the team, while keeping the personal plan confidential
  • Give consistent feedback
  • Recognize improved behavior and performance
  • Cheer them on to their potential and don’t give up!

What exactly is the American Rescue Plan of 2021?

Posted on by McGriff Williams in Health Insurance, Insurance, McGriff-Williams News |


Early in the new year of 2021, the Biden Administration implemented The American Rescue Plan (ARP) with the intent of reducing health care costs and expanding access to health insurance plans.

There are currently over 9 million Americans accessing health care through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace, which provides subsidized plans with lower premiums based on household income. Their goal is for there to be at least a few plan options available to every consumer at a monthly premium no more than 8.5% of their household income.

For example:

  • Uninsured couples earning over $70,000 annually could save more than $1,000 per month on their premium
  • A family of four making $90,000 annually will see their premiums decrease by $200 per month
  • A single individual making $19,000 annually will be able to find health insurance coverage with no monthly premium at all, saving roughly $66 per month on average

This plan also introduced an extended Open Enrollment Period that in past years ended on December 15th for the coverage to be effective the following year. For 2021, that new period was from January 15th-May 15th but has now been extended even further to August 15th and coverage can be effective on the 1st of the following month.

The ARP is reevaluating the level of subsidy that Americans qualify for based on their income. Those with new or existing Marketplace plans can visit www.healthcare.gov or call the Marketplace directly to confirm whether or not their tax credit will be increased, resulting in lower out of pocket monthly premium responsibility for the insured. You can also wait until you file your 2021 taxes next year to get the additional premium tax credit amount. However, it is recommended that you update your application and review your plan options during the allotted period up until August 15th.

There is something to keep in mind regarding coverage if you change plans during this time. It is important to consider the new plan’s deductible as it’ll likely start over. If you change plans or add a new household member, any out-of-pocket costs you already paid on your current 2021 Marketplace plan probably won’t count towards your new deductible, even if you stay with the same insurance company.

These are variables that a licensed agent or Marketplace representative can discuss as they pertain to specific situations. The website again for resources regarding the Affordable Care Act is www.healthcare.gov.

“But the chances of me needing disability insurance are low…”

Posted on by McGriff Williams in Disability Insurance, McGriff-Williams News |


Have you ever thought or said to yourself that you don’t NEED disability insurance? Think your job is low key enough that injury or illness couldn’t ever limit you from working? Do you feel like you’d be able to manage paying for your lifestyle and bills with no income, even just temporarily?

These are all valid questions and pretty important ones to spend some time on. Of course like all insurance, disability (or “income replacement†as some may refer to it as) is protection against the unknown and a bit of a gamble. But similar to life insurance, it’s peace of mind for your spouse or family – or even just yourself – that in the event you are sick or hurt in a way that you’re unable to work, you can still have some financial means to cover your obligations.

Before you can decide if you need this protection, you need to understand what your options are. There are two main types of disability insurance:

  • SHORT TERM
    • Covers 40-60% of your base salary
    • Can last from a few weeks to a year
    • Short waiting period for coverage to kick in
  • LONG TERM
    • Covers 50-70% of your base salary
    • Benefits are much longer, typically to age 65-70
    • 90 day waiting period after onset of disability

We challenge you to check out these interesting stats on disability insurance and ask yourself honestly if you still believe you don’t need it:

  • 1 in 4 people will become disabled during their working career… 1 in 4!
  • Only 48% of Americans have enough saved to cover 3 months of living expenses with no income
  • 90% of disabilities come from unpredictable health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, lupus and MS
  • 52% of disabled individuals without coverage took more than 2 years to recover financially

If insurance can be required to cover material things such as your home and car, you really should consider your paycheck something worth protecting too.

How much does Medicare cost?

Posted on by McGriff Williams in Health Insurance, McGriff-Williams News, Medicare |


The cost of Medicare can seem confusing but it’s really quite simple. Because it is very case-by-case for each individual’s situation, this is a very brief guide to reference Medicare premiums in 2021. Part A, which is for hospital coverage, has $0 premium regardless of who is qualifying or what their income and employment status is. Part B, however, is determined by income level and how taxes are filed. This chart shows the different brackets for each and the current premiums for 2021.

File Individual Tax Return File Joint Tax Return File Married & Separate Returns 2021 Monthly Premium
$88k or less $176k or less $88k or less $148.50
$88k – $111k $176k – $222k N/A $207.90
$111k – $138k $222k – $276k N/A $297.00
$138k – $165k $276k – $330k N/A $386.10
$165k – $500k $330k – $750k $88k – $412k $475.20
$500k or above $750k or above $412k or above $504.90

 

This chart is specific to Florida Blue’s current Advantage Plan and Plan G supplement but may also be helpful to show the estimated cost of both routes you can go if purchasing additional coverage to Parts A and B.

ADVANTAGE PLAN SUPPLEMENT
Medical Coverage Medical Coverage
Monthly Premium: $47.90 Monthly Premium: $180.60 (Plan G at age 65)
Part A: $0 Part A: $0
Part B: contingent on income (see above) Part B: contingent on income (see above)
Prescription Drug Coverage Standalone Part D
Monthly Premium: included in plan Monthly Premium: $73.70
Deductible: $250 Deductible: $405

 

MONTHLY TOTAL
ADVANTAGE PLAN

$47.90 (+ Part B)

 SUPPLEMENT

$254.30 (+ Part B)
Includes copays & coinsurance.

Out of pocket max: $6,500 in network/$10,000 out of network

 Part B deductible ($203) must be met.

No copays or coinsurance.

Should employees be driving their personal vehicles to the job site?

Posted on by McGriff Williams in Business Insurance, Human Resources, McGriff-Williams News |


With a (thankfully) booming construction industry these days and growth even happening outside of our home towns, travel and transportation is more of a focus than ever. Safety should always be the first concern but liability is a close second.

Some business owners may question what the right thing to do is when it comes to employees getting to and from job sites daily. Should they drive their own personal vehicle? Or should you provide a company vehicle? What do either of those scenarios look like from a coverage standpoint to be sure you and your company are protected? Here are a few tips that will hopefully help clarify these uncertainties.

Quite simply, it is not recommended that employees drive their own personal vehicles for work purposes. Work use is typically defined by going to or from a job, transporting tools or equipment, and/or other employees riding along as passengers. An accident occurring in this type of situation could be denied coverage by the vehicle owner’s personal insurance policy as well as the business policy since that vehicle is not listed there and the driver is most likely not listed either.

If you decide to provide a company vehicle to an employee, there are a few steps you can take (in addition to adding them to your policy immediately) to avoid what we call “negligent entrustment.”

  • On the written job application, include a place to list all driving violations or accidents for the past 5 years. You should also include a section authorizing the employer to obtain and review motor vehicle records (MVR) on a regular basis.
  • Before allowing anyone to drive a vehicle for company purposes, have the individual provide proof of a valid driver’s license.
  • If the individual has lived in other states during the previous 5 years, obtain drivers’ license information for those states.
  • Require all drivers to report any violations they receive or accidents they are involved in as soon as possible. This includes incidents involving personal vehicles.
  • Check all drivers’ MVRs at least once a year.

Other important factors include:
• Vehicle Condition and Maintenance
• Driver Training
• Policy of Restricting Personal Use of company vehicles (including those vehicles that go home with employees after work hours)

Evaluating the current status of your company’s fleet safety and risk management program is extremely important. And a step further, making the effort to improve those policies where needed on a regular basis will help limit your company’s exposure to a negligent entrustment judgment, as well as help control your future insurance costs.