Employer Participation in Student Loan Assistance Act H.R. 795

January 2, 2019

Nothing could be better than working for a top company that helps you pay off your student loans, right? Well, a bill was introduced by legislators on 2/1/2017 that is trying to make this a reality. This bill was introduced as the Employer Participation in Student Loan Assistance Act. In addition to the introduction of this Act, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) also released a private letter ruling. What could these events mean for companies and employees who carry student loan debt?

Employer Participation in Student Loan Assistance Act

First, this bill would amend the tax code by giving tax breaks to employers that provide educational assistance to employees. Educational assistance can be in the form of contributions to student loans through either a payment to the employee or lender.

Specifically, this act would allow employers to offer a tax-free student loan benefit in addition to a salary to its employees.

IRS Private Letter Ruling

Recently, there was a private letter ruling released by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). If you want to review the contents of the private letter ruling, it can be found here. The ruling allows employers to use 401(k) plans to help employees pay down their student loan debt. It is done by taking the employer 401(k) match to pay down student loans.

Any employee who is eligible for a 401(k) plan would be eligible for this plan. The ruling states that the plan is a voluntary program that employees must elect to enroll. Employees who choose to participate in this plan would be eligible for non-elective contributions made by the employer to their student loan debt. These contributions would be equal to what would have been contributed to a 401(k) plan had the employee opted out of the program.

What Does Student Loan Debt Assistance Mean for Employers?

When managing a business, it is imperative that you stay on top of recent news. Part of staying on top of things includes understanding what challenges your employees face. Both these aspects of operating a business and understanding the needs of your employees, however, can fall hand in hand. When it comes to student loan debt assistance, it can be a huge positive for any business. Not only does student loan debt assistance help employees achieve their financial goals, but it also brings many benefits to a firm.

Offering a student loan debt assistance program does not typically cost a company extra. The employer contributions to student loans are what a company would have typically made as a 401(k) contribution. Therefore the costs of providing 401(k) contributions and student loan debt assistance are equal. Another positive that comes from offering a program like this is that it helps with finding top talent, recruiting, and retaining all-stars. With older generations of employees retiring in record numbers and the workforce shifting to younger millennials, it’s important to take some time to examine the benefits of providing student loan debt assistance.

As many millennials have student loans and report that paying them down is a priority over saving for retirement, companies should begin thinking about reevaluating their benefits package to attract millennials. Finding ways to help this generation pay off student loans could be a big boost to a company’s recruiting strategy. Offering student loan payment assistance could put a company on the cutting edge as far as millennial professionals are concerned.

Click to Learn More About ELFI for Business

According to a benefits report by OneDigital, nearly 80 percent of employees surveyed by American Student Assistance felt that an employer-sponsored student loan repayment benefit would be a deciding factor in accepting a job. This could be a huge differentiator for an employer aiming to recruit the best employees.

The American Student Assistance survey also showed that 86 percent of employees would feel compelled to stay with an employer for at least five years in exchange for student loan repayment assistance. Considering how much companies spend on turnover (recruiting, training, and onboarding new employees), this could mean huge potential savings on talent management costs for employers.

What Does Student Loan Debt Assistance Mean for Employees?

Some companies already offer student loan assistance, but these funds are usually taxed. This type of assistance isn’t as attractive as pre-tax funds because taxes reduce the impact of payments on student loans. Tax-free repayment funds from an employer could be more effective in helping graduates pay down their student loans faster. Employees would avoid incurring taxes associated with this type of assistance.

Many Millennials also face the question of, “Should I save for retirement or pay down debt first?” Student loan debt assistance could be a solution that addresses both concerns. Young employees would have the ability to make substantial payments towards their student loan debt. With these large payments, they will be able to cut down their repayment time. That means young employees would have the ability to start saving for retirement earlier in their career instead of trying to pay down their debt.

Looking to the Future of Employment and Student Loan Debt

With the recent Employer Participation in Student Loan Assistance Act and IRS Private Letter Ruling, it seems student loan debt has become a problem for employees. Since employees are having difficulties with paying down student loan debt, it is time for employers to take action. Not only will employers benefit from offering student loan debt assistance programs, but it will most likely be at little or no cost to them.

If this act becomes a law, experts think that companies will immediately begin to rethink their benefits package and consider student loan debt assistance as a way to attract the best employees. Though it may not be easy for millennials to land a position with one of these companies, they will certainly have another factor to decide in student loan debt assistance when choosing their employer.

Interested in starting a conversation regarding your student loans? Give us a call: 1-844-601-ELFI.

5 Benefits Millennials Look For in Employers

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Education Loan Finance by SouthEast Bank is not responsible for and has no control over the subject matter, content, information, or graphics of the web sites that have links here. The portal and news features are being provided by an outside source – The bank is not responsible for the content. Please contact us with any concerns or comments.

Polish Your Company Brand

Today’s job seekers are looking for more than just a good compensation package. They want to be part of a team that emphasizes shared values and a unified purpose. A company and its workforce should have a recognizable brand with clearly communicated values. By clarifying your core values and creating a cohesive mission statement, you define your business philosophy and give new recruits a glimpse into your workplace culture. Make a deeper impression on potential new team members by going a step further: Let high-potential employees experience your company culture firsthand. Consider including activities like these in your recruitment process:

Tour of facilities & on-site amenities
Lunch with staff at the corporate lunchroom
Face-to-face meetings with company or division heads
Informal conversations with valued team members
Off-site mastermind gatherings with new and existing employees

You will reduce turnover costs when you identify new staff members who share your company values and have the potential to fit seamlessly into your corporate culture. Understanding your company’s management style and the characteristics of your most successful employees can prevent potential hiring mistakes. One of the most common reasons cited for an employee leaving a job is a “poor relationship with management.” Your company will succeed at employee retention when you understand and communicate your management style and company culture at the outset— before you have spent the resources to recruit and train the wrong candidate.

Create a Meaningful Compensation Package

A competitive salary is essential to new team members, but other types of compensation may seal the deal. Companies seeking to differentiate themselves from competitors offer compensation packages that are meaningful to their employees. In addition to healthcare benefits, paid time off and 401K fund matches, employees are looking for perks and benefits that enhance their lifestyle. A recent Robert Half survey cited these desirable additions to a company’s compensation package:

Paid parental leave
Opportunities for professional development
Profit-sharing plans
Student loan reimbursement
Dental & vision insurance
On-site amenities like childcare, gym & concierge services
Compressed workweek
Telecommuting
Flexible work schedule
Paid time off for volunteering

Many perks are an expression of your company’s culture, adding purpose and engagement for your high-potential employees. Consider sponsoring a community food drive or park clean-up. Host social events, investment seminars or concerts. You could also incorporate monthly rewards for employees who exceed expectations, such as a $50 meal certificate. This would drive your employees to perform to their highest every month and maintain workplace morale. Today’s recent grads respond to a work environment that meshes with their personal values and interests.

Sell High Potential Employees on Your Company

Once you have identified a talented candidate for hire, make the sale. New recruits who understand how they fit into your company’s culture and structure are more likely to invest themselves and stay. Boost talent retention by defining a path forward within the company. New hires want to know they will have opportunities for professional development, continuing education and the possibility of internal promotion. Show them where they could be short term, such as a year or two in the future. Seeing the growth within arm’s reach will give them the drive to perform the best they can. They are also highly focused on achieving work-life balance. If your business model permits it, offer greater work flexibility with schedules that allow work-from-anywhere options and unstructured time on the job.

Add Student Loan Repayment Benefits

Corporate help with student loan repayment is a big plus for high potential employees and a key business differentiator. ELFI for Business has the expertise to help your HR department put together an attractive hiring package with sought-after benefits like these:

Financial education
Employer contribution match
On-site consultations
Budget-friendly refinancing options

Connect with ELFI for Business right from your HR portal—or call 844.601.ELFI to discuss the positive impact these benefits have on hiring and engaging valuable team members.

Why Are Employees Leaving Your Company?

NOTICE: Third Party Web Sites Education Loan Finance by SouthEast Bank is not responsible for and has no control over the subject matter, content, information, or graphics of the web sites that have links here. The portal and news features are being provided by an outside source – The bank is not responsible for the content. Please contact us with any concerns or comments.

2019-07-03

Measuring the Costs of Employee Turnover

Best-selling business management author Jim Collins was asked during a 2001 interview if he had identified a good business response to the economic slowdown that had gripped the nation. His widely quoted answer is as relevant today as it was at the time: “If I were running a company today, I would have one priority above all others: to acquire as many of the best people as I could [because] the single biggest constraint on the success of my organization is the ability to get and to hang on to enough of the right people." Nearly 20 years later and in a highly improved economic climate, Collins’ words still encapsulate the biggest challenge facing HR departments of corporate giants and small start-ups alike: finding and retaining quality team members. In an era of competitive recruitment and job-hopping staff, your company risks losing monetary and human capital each time a valued employee chooses to leave. Employee turnover impacts your bottom line and your company's culture. To set wise employee retention policies, you first need to assess the costs of staff turnover accurately and measure the full impact of employee loss.

Direct Costs of Replacing Employees

A talented employee exiting your company costs you money. Estimates of how much employee turnover costs can vary by industry and employee salary. A study by Employee Benefit News estimates the direct cost to hire and train a replacement employee equal or exceed 33% of a worker’s annual salary ($15,000 for a worker earning a median salary of $45,000). Cost estimates are based on calculatable expenses like these:

HR exit interview & paperwork
Benefit payouts owed to the employee
Job advertising, new candidate screening & interviewing
Employee onboarding costs
On-the-job training & supervision

You can track the expenses of your company’s employee turnover using this online calculator, or create a spreadsheet to determine how actual costs add up to affect your bottom line.

Full Impact of Employee Loss

Josh Bersin, a human resource researcher, writing for LinkedIn, refers to employees as a business’s “appreciating assets.” Good employees grow in value as they learn systems, understand products and integrate into their teams. When one of these valuable employees leaves, the business loses more than just the cost of hiring and training a replacement. Bersin cites these additional factors contributing to the total cost of losing a productive employee:

Lost investment: A company typically spends 10 to 20% of an employee’s salary for training over two to three years.
Lost productivity: A new employee takes one to two years to reach the level of an exiting employee. Supervision by other team members also distracts those supervisors from their work—and lowers the team’s collective productivity.
Lost engagement: Other team members take note of employee turnover, ask “why?” and may disengage.
Less responsive, less effective customer service: New employees are less adept at solving customer problems satisfactorily.

According to Bersin, studies show the total cost of an employee’s loss may range from tens of thousands of dollars to 1.5 to 2 times that employee’s annual salary.

Strategies to Slow Employee Turnover Rates

An effective exit interview helps you and your HR team pinpoint the drivers of your company’s employee turnover. You may find that hiring practices need to be refined or employee engagement should be enhanced. Changes to the break room space, such as fresh fruit or games, will allow your employees to relax and come back to work with fresh eyes and a better attitude. This will keep up the workplace morale, shaping your company culture to include perks appealing to younger workers and will lead to increased job satisfaction. Today’s employees are career-oriented and highly motivated. Keep them on your team with other opportunities such as:

Pathway for advancement within the company
Professional development & advanced education
Flex-time & work-from-anywhere options
Management support & recognition
Lifestyle rewards or amenities like catering & concierge services
Culture of shared values & volunteerism

Add Student Loan Benefits Through ELFI

Student loan repayment tops the financial-worries checklist of many recent graduates. Older team members question their ability to pay for educating their children. New, highly desirable HR benefits like student loan contributions and financial literacy education are emerging from these employee concerns—and ELFI for Business is leading the way for employers to incorporate them into hiring packages. You can connect with ELFI directly from your HR portal and access multiple ways to contribute to employees’ student loan debt. We offer new-hire onboarding booklets, educational newsletters and onsite consultations filled with information for you and your employees. Reach out to us at 1.844.601.ELFI to add cutting-edge benefits to your HR employee package!

Learn More About ELFI for Business

NOTICE: Third Party Web Sites Education Loan Finance by SouthEast Bank is not responsible for and has no control over the subject matter, content, information, or graphics of the web sites that have links here. The portal and news features are being provided by an outside source – The bank is not responsible for the content. Please contact us with any concerns or comments.

2019-06-28

How Do You Become an Employer of Choice?

Is your company—the company everyone in your industry wants to work for or an “Employer of Choice?” Employers of choice consistently retain their highest performing employees and attract the best and the brightest over their competitors. Employers of choice have little trouble recruiting talent since college graduates line up eagerly to interview for coveted jobs. In today’s competitive labor market, the majority of companies do not qualify as employers of choice. Their workforces are in constant flux, and the cost of employee turnover is hurting the bottom line. Fortunately, that cycle can be halted and reversed. Any business can become an employer of choice by following these five strategies to transform company culture into one that (1) delivers value to employees, and (2) encourages their engagement.

Make Your Workplace a Positive Environment

If your business has been getting by with lackluster performance and frequent turnover, you’ll need a critical eye to evaluate the current culture. Try to hire for longevity and look for the best possible fit for each unique position. Employers of choice search for employees who can make a positive impact on not only their work but their team, too. With capable and involved staff, from new-hires to top management, you can build a workplace recognized for its atmosphere of trust, personal growth, and positive performance. There’s no room for micromanagement in this kind of workplace environment. Entrust your employees with a mission, direction, and goals—then step aside. Allow them to make decisions and respect their choices. In a positive environment, differences of opinion become opportunities for learning and growth.

Provide Relevant Compensation & Benefits

Competitive compensation has always been a hook to catch the attention of potential employees. Even if your business cannot support top-tier pay and benefits, you can shape your compensation package to deliver the value your employees want. Offer the best salary you can afford and supplement it with bonuses and perks that reward company performance. Recognize that today’s employees place a high value on their time—and offer flexible scheduling and remote work options. Consider turning the standard break room into a comfortable lounge where workers can relax, play games or socialize. Go beyond the traditional benefits by adding college loan contributions, paid time off for family emergencies and parental leave to your benefits package.

Encourage Professional Growth

Engaged employees have a keen interest in professional growth and career development. Employers of choice encourage this interest by supporting their team with relevant training and additional growth opportunities, including:

Professional development seminars
On-the-job continuing education
Exposure to new tasks through job rotation
Tuition reimbursement for certifications & advanced degrees
Pathways for advancement

Establish Transparency

People like to know where they stand in a relationship, job, or career. Professionals who feel uncertain about their place in the organization, workplace expectations, or their own performance may seek other opportunities with another company. Transparent communication and clearly defined expectations give your team the perspective they need to stop worrying and start investing in the job. Employers of choice also develop channels for mentoring, giving helpful feedback and praise, and rewarding performance and risk-taking. They provide opportunities for teams to voice their ideas and concerns. Feeling safe and appreciated, employees buy-in to the company culture and become engaged.

Create a Collaborative Culture

If your company is to become an employer of choice, you must develop a respectful and collaborative community. Engaged employees appreciate corporate responsibility, and they have expectations of your business that go beyond products, services, and profits. Workers want to feel their companies are good local and global citizens. Employers who embrace charitable outreach are rewarded with employees who are more confident, purposeful, and willing to work as a team. You can boost staff morale and develop a meaningful and relevant work community by sponsoring activities that include:

Food & clothing drives
National fundraisers
Community clean-up initiatives
Health & wellness fairs
Recycling events
Health awareness campaigns

Become an Employer of Choice With ELFI for Business

Today, a college degree is more accessible than ever—and more expensive. An employer contribution to student loan repayment is one of the best ways to attract loyal employees. ELFI has created a cutting-edge benefits program that is easy to access through your HR portal and includes multiple incentives for attracting and keeping top talent. Take the first step to becoming an employer of choice.

See Why Employees Leave

NOTICE: Third Party Web Sites Education Loan Finance by SouthEast Bank is not responsible for and has no control over the subject matter, content, information, or graphics of the websites that have links here. The portal and news features are being provided by an outside source – The bank is not responsible for the content. Please contact us with any concerns or comments.