We are a small consulting firm in Texas with plans to expand soon.

We need a benefits package BEFORE we recruit so that our potential new staff know what is available. No one we have talked to so far is willing to give us information without specifics about our staff, which or course, we don't yet have.

Can someone give us VERY GENERAL information about benefits packages, what they might look like/cost and how they are administered?

Samples would be nice.

Steve Evans
Evans Technology Applications
steve_e_eta@hotmail.com

Steve, I would start with my insurance broker. They should know what is available in your area. Talk to the existing employees-owners-partners and find out from them what they would like.

What are your future competiters offering? You will be competing with them for employees.

If you have a preset budget for benefits, break it down to an amount per employee per month. That is an easy measure when you're putting together a package.

Good luck.

Steve:
The availability of a "Benefits Package" and what flexability you will have in designing it will depend largely on how many employees you are going to end up with.

How many current employees do you have?
Do these current employees have a benefits package?
How many employees do you plan to add, and during what time frame? If you can give some insurers this figure they should be able to at least tell you what types of benefits they would be willing to offer you, but without a census, they can't quote a future group of employees.

If I knew the answers to my above questiosn, I might be able to make some other suggestions.

My other suggestion, find an independent insurance broker/agent that specializes in employee benefits and talk to them. They will talk to you for free if they can see potential.

Steve. Make up a hypothetical list with the type of employees you are hoping to attract add some that you might have to take if you cant get who you really want. Use this data to make up the census and have agents quote. They dont have to know that you dont have the employees as yet. You should also get a CHPA spreadsheet which would allow you to do some of the pricing yourself.