The Challenge: Avoid ACA Penalties without an Entire Benefits Revamp
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), which went into effect in 2014, obligated businesses with 50+ employees to offer affordable health insurance to their employees. For many businesses, this created a two-fold challenge: Not only did they have to offer compliant benefits, they also added the burden of meeting the law’s demanding reporting requirements.
The ACA’s burdens proved to be particularly demanding for one Texas-based technology services, solutions, and staffing firm – especially because it wished to maintain a lean operational staff. “We suddenly had to rethink how we’d been bringing on contract employees for years,” a company Vice President said. “We definitely didn’t want to risk non-compliance, but this wasn’t our strong suit. We didn’t know where to turn.”
After some research, the firm realized that teaming with an Employer of Record (EOR) would ensure that it could comply with all ACA regulations without having to overhaul its benefit offerings or increase its administrative bandwidth. It determined that this path was clearly the best way to mitigate ACA risk while maintaining profitability.
But at the time, there was no way the firm could know just how much more it stood to gain.
The Solution: ACA Compliance, with an End-to-End Employment Transformation
With a high volume of contract workers and the ever-present scrutiny of local, state, and federal clients, the firm needed a proven partner that didn’t rely on routine, plug-and-play solutions. “IES is willing to listen and partner,” the VP added. “I love that they look beyond simple services and work towards broader solutions.”
The client also wanted a provider that aligned with its own values – primarily, treating customer service as a top priority. Once it looked at IES’s industry leading NPS scores, it knew it had found the right partner. The VP continued, “In IES we found a business that cares about customer service as much as we do.”
IES quickly implemented a flexible and scalable EOR solution to support the client’s contract IT Help Desk and on-demand staffing workforce. IES’s comprehensive employment solution did far more than mitigate the risks associated with ACA compliance and reporting. It also assumed all employment tasks, including background checks, pre-employment compliance, onboarding, benefits administration, payroll processing, tax filing, and a full menu of day-to-day HR services. The client could once again focus on what it does best.
The Results: With Risk and Admin Relieved, Growth Came Quickly
What started as a convenient way to reduce ACA compliance risk has turned into a thriving relationship that has improved every aspect of the client’s contingent labor hiring and administration. Key results include:
Risk Mitigation
With IES, the client never has to worry about potential ACA-related penalties because of not providing compliant health benefits.
Time Savings and Reduced Admin
Thanks to IES’s EOR services, the client avoided the burdens of ACA reporting and no longer had to use internal staff to struggle with the complexities of onboarding contract employees.
Growth Support
With IES’s help, the client more than doubled its contract workforce from 300 workers each year to 700+. Growth was so strong that IES dedicated an Account Manager to consult with the client on-site to foster in-depth collaboration and strategic support.
Geographic Expansion
IES enabled the client to source and engage talent anywhere in the United States, rather than solely in Texas.
Service Continuity
IES’s ability to handle the client’s high-volume requirements enabled it to continue serving its demanding government customers without missing a beat.
Improved Sourcing
IES helped the client establish an on-demand talent “bench” of prescreened candidates available for projects as needed.
IES transformed every aspect of how the client finds, engages, and cares for its contingent workforce, leading to widespread and long-lasting benefits. “For over eight years, we have trusted IES as the Employer of Record partner for our contract workforce,” concluded the VP. “As a top staffing agency in Texas, our partnership with IES allows us to continue focusing on our clients’ needs while maintaining confidence that IES can keep up with our continued employee growth. Their passion about finding the right solution to ensure our needs are met is what differentiates them from the rest. I’m looking forward to our next stages together as we scale our business into the future.”
