"There is no substitute for face to face or one on one explanations of employee benefits". So asserts Wesley Weisenburn, Director of Employee Relations for the Village of Downers Grove (46,000, Stephen B. Veitch, Manager) as he addresses the subject of communication between employees and their benefit providers. Continues Weisenburn, "It was precisely that belief which led to our first Employee Benefits Day and the opportunities for two-way communication it afforded".

Wesley Weisenburn, Director of Employee Relations for the Village of Downers Grove welcomes employees to Employee Benefits Day and introduces staff to the events of the day.

Diane Beckman, Community Service Officer with the Downers Grove Police Department pauses with Caroline Campbell of ICMA Retirement Corporation as she learns of the benefits associated with that program.

GRAND SCHEDULE

For its first ever Employee Benefits Day, all Village of Downers Grove staff were invited to meet with representatives of the various benefit providers serving them. These providers included Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Illinois Vision Services, ICMA Retirement Corporation and DuPage Schools Credit Union (DSCU). To accommodate the large volume of staff interested in participating in Employee Benefits Day and to provide for the level of confidentiality associated with many benefits, Weisenburn and his Employee Relations Assistant, Mary Ochoa devised a detailed schedule. Explains Weisenburn, "All employees were scheduled to attend a Benefits Overview session in the morning. This 45 minute session provided an opportunity to orient staff to the rest of the benefits sessions and highlight the opportunities the day would present. After the morning session, staff then attended the individual benefits sessions they had expressed interest in at the times they had indicated would suit them best." Incredibly, over 134 individual sessions were scheduled on Downers Grove's first Benefits Day with an additional 18 sched-

December 1986 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 23

uled the following day. "Each session was relatively short", (15 min.) explains Weisenburn, "but had the advantage of being totally private between the benefit provider and the employee. Obviously, with health care and finances being the principle focus, this privacy was the key to success."

HOW SUCCESSFUL?

"There are many ways to gauge the success of a program such as this", maintains Weisenburn, "but the surest measure is employee satisfaction. We have heard from several employees that they were able to get clear answers to complex questions during Employee Benefits Day and that their overall understanding of benefits has improved measurably. Understanding was our goal and I feel we met it in a pleasant format". Benefit providers also had comments relative to the merits of Benefits Day. Nancy Tavolino, Branch Manager for DSCU, the credit union serving Downers Grove employees, commented, "Our credit union's success is predicated on being in tune with our members. Only by staying in close communication with our members, such as through a Benefits Day, can we be sure that we are giving the types and quality of service members want and deserve. We're already looking forward to the next one".

Village Manager Stephen B. Veitch adds, "The increasing costs associated with employee benefits speaks clearly of their fiscal significance. Benefits Day was an innovative way to assist our staff understand what is available to them and to assure that they are receiving everything that has been paid for. The providers themselves have been enthusiastic about this opportunity to enter what is virtually a one-on-one exchange with their consumers."

THE FUTURE OF BENEFITS DAY

The future of Benefits Day seems to have been already written in Downers Grove. Reports Employee Relations Director Weisenburn, "We have already heard from staff that they are looking forward to next year's Benefits Day. We will consider the possibility of including spouses or other dependents at that time as they too have many relevant questions and concerns. Benefits Day is really about understanding — understanding what is available and what we, as employees, need to do to facilitate the benefits process." •

Page 24 / Illinois Municipal Review / December 1986