BIZGrowth Strategies - Spring 2021

I D E A S T O H E L P G R O W Y O U R B U S I N E S S
S T R A T E G I E S
ISSUE 87 • SPRING 2021
Your Team.
WhyTalentMapping
IsEssentialtoStrategic
BusinessGrowth
EnhancingEmployee
MentalWellbeing–
IsYour
Return-to-Work
PlaninPlace?
ItShouldBe
Your Team.
4AreasofOperations
toReviewfor
FinancialOverspend
SocialStructures&Change
CreateContinued
DemandforESG
SocialStructures&Change
CreateContinued
DemandforESG
IsYour
Return-to-Work
PlaninPlace?
ItShouldBe
WheretoStart

In This Issue
CBIZ in the News
For more articles, visit
cbiz.com/news/in-the-news.
2 | BIZGROWTH STRATEGIES – SPRING 2021 CBIZ, INC.
CBZ
BizTipsVideos
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issues of BIZGrowth Strategies online,
visit cbiz.com/news/newsletters.
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or a variety of others, visit
cbiz.com/newsletter-subscribe.
You can also call us at
1-800-ASK-CBIZ (1-800-275-2249).
CBIZ
CBIZServices
BY FRANK CAMPAGNA, SCOTT KEGLER & GREG CALLAHAN
F
ew things can make you more of a hero in your organization than
uncovering hidden sources of cash. Accessing savings doesn’t have to
mean draconian measures. By taking a comprehensive and creative
approach to potential sources of refunds, credits and reductions, you may
be able to generate cash that can help your organization prepare for what
comes next. Here are four places cash could be hiding.
1.
Accounts Payable, Lease and CAM Agreements, and
Telecommunications Contracts
Cash recovery for accounts payable typically appears in either
overspending or payment areas. A careful review of disbursements can
reveal if your organization made duplicate payments to vendors, did not
apply credit memos or missed rebates and other potential cost-savings.
Reviewing lease and CAM agreements and telephone, datacom and wireless
service contracts may help optimize usage and related expenses as well.
2. Software Licenses
Software license reviews can help you reconcile the licenses you pay
for with ones being actively used, potentially saving on your technology
costs. There may also be different tiers of subscriptions that are more
right-sized for your use case.
Management Performance
4AreasofOperations
toReviewforFinancial
Overspend
U.S. News World Report
6 legal tax shelters to consider
March 22, 2021
HuffPost
Taking the home office deduction?
Know the rules for claiming it first
February 24, 2021
Forbes
Looking for a job? 6 practical tips for
job seekers in the pandemic
January 23, 2021
Management Performance...... 2
4 Areas of Operations to Review
for Financial Overspend
Employee Benefits....................... 4
Enhancing Employee Mental
Wellbeing – Where to Start
Human Resources........................ 5
Why Talent Mapping Is Essential
to Strategic Business Growth
Personal Wealth........................... 6
Social Structures Change Create
Continued Demand for ESG
Risk Management........................ 7
Is Your Return-to-Work Plan
in Place? It Should Be

CBIZ, INC. BIZGROWTH STRATEGIES – SPRING 2021 | 3
3. Insurance
Many assume insurance is a fixed cost of business
you have to pay without question. But this too could be a
source of overlooked cash. This is especially true if your
business experienced major changes due to the pandemic.
At least 60 to 120 days before your annual policy renewal,
have a serious review with your insurance broker. Provide
a detailed description of your operations, including
changes to sales, payroll, automobiles and property you
own or lease since your last policy period, along with the
risk controls you have in place for those areas. Explain
any claims and the actions you’ve taken to mitigate
future losses and be sure to define your safety and loss
prevention efforts. Also, describe other attributes that
positively impact your organization’s risk profile. You may
discover that you can save on your coverage or, at the very
least, not be surprised by any premium increases.
4. Benefit Plans
Employee benefits are a huge source of expense for
every company as leadership aims to offer competitive
benefits packages. You may be surprised to know that an
outside benefit review could alter dynamics in your favor.
Several preexisting programs exist that aggregate multiple
employers for competitive purchasing in the open market.
The three basic methods involved are:
■
Direct Contracting – Savings are created by
working directly with health care providers instead
of going through insurance companies and third-
party providers.
■
Alternative Payment Models – Working with
groups of doctors, hospitals and providers who are
highly rated may provide more affordable care.
■
Narrow Networks Centers of Excellence –
Working with a combined collection of providers
who specialize in very specific areas of medicine
may also provide more affordable access to
specialty care.
The Only Thing You Have to Lose Is Cash
Taking a creative approach to your budget and
savings opportunities can help your organization generate
additional liquidity during this transitional time. The
wide variety of options and sources for savings (or even
refunds) at your disposal is worth a second look.
GREG CALLAHAN, MBA, SPHR
CBIZ Employee Benefits
gcallahan@cbiz.com | 816.945.5198
SCOTT KEGLER, Series 79, 6, 63
CBIZ Insurance Services, Inc.
scott.kegler@cbiz.com | 610.862.2249
FRANK CAMPAGNA, CIA, CICA, CFE
CBIZ Risk Advisory Services
fcampagna@cbiz.com | 216.525.1989

DISCLAIMER: This publication is distributed with the understanding that CBIZ is not rendering legal, accounting or other professional
advice. This information is general in nature and may be affected by changes in law or in the interpretation of such laws. The reader
is advised to contact a professional prior to taking any action based upon this information. CBIZ assumes no liability whatsoever in
connection with the use of this information and assumes no obligation to inform the reader of any changes in laws or other factors that
could affect the information contained herein.
place for them to take a mental health break or have
some privacy. Also, positive messages of support from
leadership and more personal notes from a manager for
a job well done will go a long way in creating that culture.
Take Action
The following simple steps can greatly improve
the impact of your existing wellbeing program and how
employees value the offerings.
■
Inventory – Simply put, what are you paying for
today? What resources are currently embedded
within your carrier/partner relationships? Further,
what is the utilization of those resources and
benefits? There are lots of different things that
influence what kind of utilization reports you can
get – whether you’re fully insured or self-insured,
whether your EAP is embedded or standalone, etc.
– but you must get that data.
BY LACEY McCOURT
T
hese are incredibly stressful times as people are
working remotely while caring for children or elders,
feeling isolated and lonely, worrying about their
finances and job security, trying to stay physically healthy,
and more. The good news is that if you’re reading this,
it’s likely because you care about your employees’ mental
wellbeing and want to learn how you can help.
Recognize the Impact Break the Silence
The first step is for leadership to acknowledge
both the collective and individual struggles we’re all
experiencing. Let employees know it’s absolutely OK to
not be OK. Break the silence; talk about it. Employees are
much more willing to seek help if they if they know that
leadership identifies with what they’re going through.
Assess Respond to Employee Needs
Conduct a survey that assesses employee needs,
concerns, etc. Do they have the equipment, technology
and communication tools they need? What would it take
for them to feel safe to return to the office/worksite?
Do they need to adjust their schedule so they can help
children with remote learning? Not only are you getting
valuable information that you can take action upon,
you’re also sending a message that you care and want
to know how you can support them. However, you must
follow up with action – respond to the needs they’ve
expressed. And, beyond any survey, managers should
check in regularly to offer ongoing support.
For benchmark data on mental health strategies and
much more, get the report here.
Create a Culture of Caring
Think about your culture. Is it one where employees
feel valued and comfortable asking for help? Make sure
they know that just because they’re working remotely,
they’re not expected to work nights and weekends.
Encourage employees to take PTO. For those back at
the worksite, consider offering a safe and comfortable
Employee Benefits
EnhancingEmployeeMental
Wellbeing–WheretoStart
(Continued on page 5)

■
Talk to your carriers/partners – Before doing a
request for proposal (RFP), speak to your current
vendors as to what new and emerging services
are already embedded in your contract. They may
be ready for use, but you’re simply not aware of
them. Also, ask if there are any buy-up options.
■
Communication – Assess your benefits
communication plan. No matter how strong your
wellbeing program is, if employees don’t know
about the benefits or how to access them, the
program has no value. There are so many ways
to reach employees in an effective manner – far
too many to cover here. However, here are two
examples. The first is a “Do you know?” series. Each
communication discusses a unique feature/offering
of your benefit program. It’s an ongoing series that
can be done via email, a postcard sent home or
both. Another idea is providing a real-life example
of how someone within your organization (without
giving names) utilizes the plan and specific features
of it; it’s essentially a testimonial for your program.
When a coworker shares how they used the benefits,
it becomes very impactful.
We’ve obviously just scratched the surface here;
however, by implementing this guidance, your wellbeing
program can fairly quickly and easily be improved
and, as a result, so too can your employees’ mental
wellbeing.
LACEY McCOURT, MSW
CBIZ Employee Benefits
lmccourt@cbiz.com | 816.945.5500
Human Resources
WhyTalentMappingIsEssential
toStrategicBusinessGrowth
BY KRISTEN FAUST
T
alent mapping allows businesses to create
a roadmap for succession planning, future
recruiting and employee development initiatives.
By understanding what talent is needed to achieve
future business growth, it’s possible to make the right
investments today to achieve your ultimate goals.
Now an important component of successful talent
management and acquisition, businesses of all shapes
and sizes can benefit from adopting talent mapping.
What Is Talent Mapping?
Talent mapping can mean different things to different
people. In most cases, talent mapping is a strategic
solution used by businesses to plan for short-, medium-
and long-term talent acquisition. While this approach can
be tailored to your organization’s specific needs, there are
certain scenarios when it’s most impactful, including:
■ Pre-Search Planning
It can be a precursor to formal recruiting activities
to provide an environmental scan, industry
intelligence and, ultimately, name generation. This
is particularly beneficial for companies with small
talent acquisition teams or an overburdened HR
department.
■
Succession Planning
Organizations that thrive and are sustainable
are always mindful of the future. Talent mapping
can provide an evaluation of internal talent that
uncovers talent within a specific industry or
function to make informed succession planning
decisions.
■
Competitive Intelligence
Even if you’re not hiring and succession plans are
set, you can use talent mapping for other insights,
such as building out the organizational charts of
your competitors.
■
Crisis Management
If your organization has been severely affected by
the pandemic, you may want to wade through the
vast pool of available individuals who can make a
difference.
Talent mapping can be an internal process
(succession planning, crisis management) and an
external process (talent acquisition and competitive
intelligence).
Internal Talent Mapping Benefits
Training, mentoring and coaching for succession
planning. When talent mapping is utilized, these types
Employee Benefits (Continued from page 4)

Why You Should Consider Talent Mapping Now
The pool of available talent is both changing and
expanding, and visionary leaders can make the most
of it, preparing for post-crisis recovery and growth. This
is also the time to carefully review your existing key
players; stay closer to them than ever, assess their skills
and knowledge, and help them move from potential to
success with targeted development plans.
of programs can be instituted for the future benefit of
the organization so that when the need materializes, the
employee has the skills and capabilities to meet those
needs.
Being opportunistic. As the pandemic reshaped
some companies and industries, business leaders need to
think beyond survival to the opportunities that it may have
created. Of importance among these is a chance to hire
talented individuals at a time when they might have trouble
finding or keeping jobs elsewhere for no fault of their own.
External Talent Mapping Benefits
Building a talent pipeline. This enables enterprises
to make strategic hires over a prolonged period. When an
immediate need arises, the HR team isn’t solely reliant
upon building new relationships or selling opportunities to
the market; the relationships have already been identified
and developed.
Brand building can improve the employer brand and
raise the reputation of an organization. To attract top
talent today, companies must ensure that all potential
candidates enjoy positive experiences of the “brand.”
Candidates have many impressions about your company
before directly interacting with you. Candidates see
your brand and form an impression of your company via
your website, Glassdoor rating, messaging on LinkedIn,
Facebook, Twitter, etc. You want to make sure your
company has as much of a controlled and positive brand
and social presence as possible.
Human Resources (Continued from page 5)
KRISTEN FAUST
CBIZ Talent Compensation Solutions /
EFL Associates
kfaust@eflassociates.com | 816.945.5393
BY DEDE FERRY
E
nvironmental, Social and Corporate Governance
(ESG), the art of balancing potential returns with
consideration for the social conscience of the
companies with whom money is invested, has gained
momentum in today’s investing climate. With steadily
growing assets and an increased number of ESG options
available, investors have a unique opportunity to enter
the market with an investment strategy that aligns with
their personal values and can have a positive impact on
their communities.
Growing your money and making a positive impact
Personal Wealth
sounds great, but is it a winning investment strategy?
Considering some key principles and understanding your
risk is a great way to get started.
How You Can Participate in ESG
As an investor, there are two different approaches
to participating in ESG – inclusion and exclusion.
Inclusion occurs when investors actively seek
companies that are making a positive impact in the
community, such as participating in clean energy, social
justice or environmental sustainability. Once you identify
a company with a mission you support, you can add
them to your portfolio through stocks, exchange traded
SocialStructuresChangeCreate
ContinuedDemandforESG

DEDE FERRY, CFA®
CBIZ Investment Advisory Services
dferry@cbiz.com | 216.520.6631
funds (ETFs) or mutual funds. The other approach
to ESG, referred to as exclusion, is to abstain from
investments with companies that have values which
conflict with your personal or your organization’s
beliefs. Examples may include companies that sell
addictive substances or are involved with questionable
environmental consciousness.
Risk Involved
No matter how admirable an organization’s beliefs,
they are not absolvent of risk – and neither are you.
Investing carries risk, and ESG-compliant investing
practices are not always mutually inclusive to market
gains. The social consciousness of a company does
not directly correlate to its success in the market. As
with any investment strategy, it is recommend that you
diversify and properly allocate funds. ESG strategies can
be purchased through an ETF or a mutual fund. Due to
rapid growth in ESG’s span of influence, the number of
ETFs and mutual funds containing socially responsible
investments is growing. The increased availability of these
types of investments has made it possible to build a
properly diversified portfolio with ESG principles across a
variety of asset classes.
Considerations as Part of an Overall Portfolio
Not-for-profit organizations have historically allocated
larger amounts of their portfolios to ESG strategies as
compared with for-profit organizations of similar size.
This is likely because of the nature of their missions and
pressure from individual donors, committees or board
members. However, as the social structure drives toward
results in environmental protections and social justice,
ESG has become an increasingly more common practice
with for-profit organizations and individual investors. As
the undercurrent of change pushes forward, it is expected
that there will be continued demand for ESG.
As with any strategy, expect ESG strategies to go
through periods of underperformance and outperformance.
When considering investing in a socially responsible way,
make sure that ESG is part of an overall portfolio in line
with your risk tolerance and appropriately allocated. This
is the best course of action whether you are investing for
yourself or selecting investments on behalf of an organi-
zation as part of a committee.
For any investment strategy, including ESG, to
be successful, you must create balance between the
investment and return. If socially conscious principles are
important to you or your organization, consult a financial
advisor to learn the appropriate way to incorporate
ESG into your portfolio. ESG can be done well, but
diversification, asset allocation and position sizing are key
factors in determining the outcome.
IsYourReturn-to-WorkPlan
inPlace?ItShouldBe
Investing carries risk and there is no assurance that investing in accordance with the investment strategies herein will provide positive performance
over any period of time. Investors could lose money if they invest in accordance with the investment strategies discussed herein.
Investment management services to individuals, corporations, trusts, endowments and foundations offered through CBIZ Investment Advisory
Services, LLC, Registered Investment Adviser. For information about additional service offerings, please see the Form ADV 2A for CBIZ Investment
Advisory Services, LLC at adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Risk Management
W
hile it is unclear how long COVID-19 will
continue to affect businesses, it is important to
have your return-to-work plan prepared now so
that you can safely and successfully resume operations
and bring employees back to the workplace.
Plan Elements
While you will likely need to tailor your organization’s
return-to-work plan to your employee population’s unique
needs, there are several elements that all plans should
incorporate, including:
Anticipated Return Date – It’s important to give
clear information and dates as to when employees
are to return to the workplace. Be sure to be flexible
with your dates, though, as local and state orders are
frequently updated.
Personal Wealth (Continued from page 6)

©
Copyright
2021.
CBIZ,
Inc.
NYSE
Listed:
CBZ.
All
rights
reserved.
•
CBIZ-020,
Rev.
87
CBIZ PROPERTY CASUALTY TEAM
Social Distancing Protocol – A few best practices
include:
■
Instruct employees to maintain at least 6 feet of
distance from others.
■
Host meetings virtually.
■
Limit the number of people in the workplace to
essential personnel only or schedule rotating
office hours.
■
Discourage employees from shaking hands.
Employee Screening Procedures – The Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) permits
employers to measure employees’ body temperatures
before allowing them to enter the workplace. Be
sure to notify employees ahead of time that you
will be screening them to avoid any surprises.
Employee screening should be implemented on a
nondiscriminatory basis, and all information collected
should be treated as confidential medical information
under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Safety Training – Train all employees to ensure
they understand how to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Topics should include:
■
Respiratory etiquette hand hygiene
■
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
■
COVID-19 symptoms
■
Knowing when to stay home
Mental Health Considerations – The pandemic
has increased stress levels, anxiety and depression.
It’s important that your return-to-work plan includes
guidance for managing and treating employee mental
health concerns.
Process for Individual Requests – The challenges
employees face when returning to work will vary.
Therefore, your plan should include a process for
employees who make individual requests for their
return-to-work plan. Some may have underlying health
conditions that put them at greater risk of severe illness,
meaning they may not be able to safely return to the
workplace. Others may be facing childcare challenges
due to school and daycare closures. These are just
two examples of situations that you may be asked to
accommodate. If you have a standard process in place,
these requests will be easier to handle.
Common Challenges
Some of the most common return-to-work challenges
that you should prepare for include:
Changed Employee Priorities – If your employees
worked from home during the pandemic, they may want
or need to continue to do so. Be prepared for increased
work-from-home requests; you may need to revise your
pre-COVID-19 policies to meet this demand. In addition,
prospective employees may ask about this benefit. To
Risk Management (Continued from page 7)
remain competitive for top talent, consider making this
option available post-COVID.
Office Layout – Due to social distancing protocols
and heightened employee concern about health and
safety, your organization may need to reconfigure the
office layout. Use this checklist as a guide when
evaluating changes to your office.
Evolving Rules Regulations – Due to the nature of
COVID-19, rules and regulations are constantly changing.
Be sure to monitor them regularly and be prepared to
change your business practices as needed.
Don’t wait until your workplace is cleared to reopen.
Get your plan set today, so that you can get back to safe
and successful operations as soon as possible once
given the green light.
This article should be used for informational purposes only and should
not supersede applicable state or local guidance. Additionally, please
review any workplace-specific considerations, which could be more
involved, depending on the industry you operate in, when drafting your
return-to-work plan.

BIZGrowth Strategies - Spring 2021

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