featured posts:
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Alight Solutions: 2017 Progress Report & 2018 Vision
Dec 14, 2017, by NelsonHall AnalystIt has been 10 months since the announcement that Aon was divesting the businesses within its Outsourcing segment to private equity firm Blackstone, and 6 months since Alight was formally launched as a new company, which makes it an ideal time to review its progress and where it is headed in 2018. By all accounts, it was a smooth transition, with client retention remaining high.&n[...]
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The Journey for HR Services in 2018: Part 2
Dec 06, 2017, by NelsonHall AnalystIn my last blog, I laid out 2018 predictions for two areas of talent management: recruiting and learning (see here). This blog looks at what to expect over the next year for payroll services and benefits administration. Trending topics in these areas over the last year included cloud, compliance, configuration, and consumerization. Payroll The payroll landscape has shifted away[...]
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The Rise of Intelligent Automation in Benefits Administration
Nov 08, 2017, by NelsonHall AnalystRelative to other HR services, the application of intelligent automation in benefits administration is lagging, but is slowly making progress. With respect to RPA, Conduent and Alight are among the first movers, with both using bots for manual calculations in pension administration. In addition, Alight has deployed bots for low-level transactional work that is typically offshored, and in[...]
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Benefits Optimization: The Focus of the Participant Experience in Benefits Administration
Oct 25, 2017, by NelsonHall AnalystOver the last few years, developments around the participant experience for benefits administration services have been focused on helping employees become more effective consumers as they make their benefit selections (the “consumerization” era). In 2016, the next stage of evolution of the participant experience emerged as suppliers shifted their focus to utilization (the[...]
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The Gig Economy & the Challenge for HR
Sep 22, 2017, by NelsonHall AnalystThe gig economy has been a recent trending topic. While the concept of gig workers is nothing new, the attention being paid to it is, especially since this is an area whose growth has been facilitated by the digital marketplace. Here, I take a quick look at the challenges gig workers present for HR. Gig workers present a challenge on several fronts, especially when it comes to managing[...]
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A Closer Look at the Modern Approach to Multi-Process HR Services
Jul 31, 2017, by NelsonHall AnalystThis is the second of two articles on the multi-process HR BPS market. NelsonHall’s latest market analysis report on the multi-process HR BPS market recognizes two types of strategies adopted by vendors taking a modern approach to multi-process HR services: intelligent technologies and cloud-based HR services. Here, I take a quick look at both strategies. Intelligent technol[...]
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Trending Now in HR Services
Jun 30, 2017, by NelsonHall AnalystAs H1 2017 comes to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on recent key activity and where the market is headed for the rest of the year and beyond. Here, I round up what’s trending now in payroll, benefits administration, recruitment, and learning. Payroll The most common theme in the payroll market is global and multi-country activity. NelsonHall estimates tha[...]
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Equifax Expanding Horizons with Verifications, Workforce Analytics, & ACA Subsidy Management Services
May 03, 2017, by NelsonHall AnalystEquifax Workforce Solutions’ 2017 client forum was themed “Expanding Horizons”, and here I take a quick look at three areas in which Equifax is expanding its HR solutions. Expanding Verifications Business Equifax’s verification services business is expanding beyond the U.S., launching first in Canada, followed by the U.K., and then Australia. Curre[...]
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Facts & Implications of Aon Hewitt’s Sale to Blackstone
Feb 16, 2017, by NelsonHall AnalystLast week Aon Hewitt announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell nearly all the businesses within its Outsourcing segment (including benefits administration, HR BPO, and Workday cloud HR services) to Blackstone. Initially, it may appear that this is a step backwards from some of its prior acquisitions, including Hewitt in 2010 for benefits administration, Exult in 2004 for HR B[...]
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HRO: A Year in Review & 2017 Preview
Jan 06, 2017, by NelsonHall AnalystFollowing several years of growth, the HR outsourcing market continues to ride the crest of the wave, and is gearing up for a prosperous 2017 following investments across all service lines. We will shortly be publishing an in-depth blog on HRO predictions for 2017, but first I take a quick look at what happened in 2016 to lay the foundations for things to come, specifically in payroll services[...]
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A Closer Look at Benefits Administration in H1 2016: Part 3
Sep 29, 2016, by NelsonHall AnalystIn the third and final blog in the series examining the benefits administration market, I take a quick look at what health & welfare (H&W) services vendors have done recently to improve the participant experience. Historically, choice within employer-sponsored health plans has been limited, and the need to provide an engaging participant experience was non-existent. Employers’[...]
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A Closer Look at Benefits Administration in H1 2016: Part 2
Sep 19, 2016, by NelsonHall AnalystNelsonHall’s Targeting Benefits Administration Services market analysis report, which will be published later this month, finds that the top driver for organizations outsourcing benefits administration is to improve the participant experience. Accordingly, both retirement and health & welfare (H&W) services vendors have been investing heavily in their respective areas to enhance [...]
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A Closer Look at Benefits Administration in H1 2016: Part 1
Sep 13, 2016, by NelsonHall AnalystIn this, the first of three blogs on the current benefits administration outsourcing market, I take a brief look at what’s been happening in H1 2016. Benefits administration accounted for ~40% of HRO contract activity in the first half of 2016, with a heavy emphasis on renewals and contract extensions. Approximately 90% of contracts were from private sector organizations, with a stron[...]
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Approaches to Global Benefits Market Converge
Apr 07, 2016, by NelsonHall AnalystOver the last few years, the global benefits market has continued to evolve as vendors have launched offerings to address the needs of multinationals. Essentially, there have been two main approaches: Providing global brokerage and consulting services Providing a global technology offering with optional local administration services. The global brokerage and consulting model has been [...]
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Fidelity’s Private Health Exchange Offers Holistic Benefits Admin Experience for SMEs
Feb 05, 2016, by NelsonHall AnalystFor the last year, Fidelity has quietly been operating Fidelity Health Marketplace, a private benefits exchange, for a small number of SMEs in Massachusetts and New York. Fidelity Health Marketplace is a natural progression for Fidelity, which has been providing H&W services to large market organizations since 1995. Fidelity Health Marketplace is a one-stop shop that assists companies with [...]
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HRO: 2015 Highlights & the Shape of Things to Come
Nov 30, 2015, by NelsonHall AnalystAs the year winds down, it’s a good time to reflect on the significant activities in the HRO market in 2015 and consider the likely shape of things to come in 2016. Overall, HRO contract activity is up ~11% y/y in 2015. Renewals and contract extensions account for 25% of that activity, vendor changes ~20%, and new deals 55%. Regional and global multi-country contracts continued[...]
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2015 Activity Reveals Key Strategic Focus Areas for Benefits Administration in 2016
Sep 21, 2015, by NelsonHall AnalystThough we’re only just into fall, the nature of activity in the Benefits Administration market in 2015 provides important pointers to key strategic focus areas in 2016. In the U.S., the emphasis will continue around Health & Welfare (H&W) services, stemming from the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In 2015, tier two H&W specialists such as Businessolver and TASC launched ACA reporti[...]
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Early Signs that 2015 will be a Boom Year for Benefits Administration
Feb 19, 2015, by NelsonHall AnalystBarely two months into the year and there has been lots of activity across the benefits administration market, including new contracts, contract expansions, and M&A activity. Contracts have come out of the U.S. and Europe, including the U.K. and the Netherlands. U.S. activity has come from both the private and public sectors, with deals ranging from as few as 800 employees to mor[...]
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What is the Fate of Benefits Administration?
Oct 08, 2014, by NelsonHall AnalystConcerns have been expressed about the future of the traditional benefits administration market with the advent of private health insurance exchanges: will the market move from a B2B model to a B2C where benefits administration as we know it will disappear? Rest assured, while the benefits administration market will undergo some transformation, it will not disappear entirely for the follo[...]
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Benefits Administration Vendors Need to Demonstrate Expertise & Strong Technology to Win New Clients
Feb 22, 2017, by NelsonHall AnalystNelsonHall’s latest Benefits Administration Services NEAT vendor evaluation included customer interviews to ascertain current satisfaction levels and future expectations across a range of criteria. Below is a selection of some of the findings from our interviews with benefits administration customers. Principal issues & operational priorities Some of the more prominent issue[...]
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ADP Stays Focused on Client-Centric Innovation
Sep 29, 2015, by NelsonHall AnalystADP recently held its seventh annual industry analyst event in NYC at its Innovation Lab in Chelsea, providing a current business update, news of recent developments, and insights on what’s to come. Overall, there has been growth across ADP’s cloud-based platforms, including RUN, Workforce Now, Vantage HCM, and GlobalView HCM, with the total number of clients reaching ~5[...]
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ADP Integrates Private Exchange Offering in Holistic Approach to HCM
Aug 07, 2015, by NelsonHall AnalystOver the last few years, ADP has ramped up its capabilities beyond payroll to focus on other areas of HR, including benefits administration and RPO, making it well-equipped to handle the main HR functions. This is important because many organizations, from SMEs to large companies, are looking to minimize the number of suppliers they deal with – though only if quality of service is not c[...]
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Willis & Towers Watson Merger Creates Global Benefits Contender
Aug 04, 2015, by NelsonHall AnalystThe recent merger of Willis Group and Towers Watson has created a global advisory and brokerage firm valued at $18bn. The deal was met with raised eyebrows by several financial analysts, who argued that Towers Watson shareholders were being short-changed in a deal with significant strategic risks, all for the benefit of revenue synergies and the tax savings that will result from moving its tax hea[...]
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Private Exchange Update: What the First Three Years Reveal
May 11, 2015, by NelsonHall AnalystIt seems like yesterday that the concept of a private health insurance exchange was novel: it’s hard to believe that active exchanges have been available from benefits consultancies for three years, and that retiree exchanges are nearly 11 years old. Here’s a quick update and review of how the private exchange landscape has changed in this short time. Active exchanges are mu[...]
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Financial Incentives for Retirement Readiness: The Rising Sophistication of DC Admin Tools
Apr 30, 2015, by NelsonHall AnalystFinancial planning for retirement readiness is a big concern for many individuals, and the stress is often magnified the closer one gets to retirement. For years, organizations and DC administration providers have been honing different approaches to address this. One of the biggest challenges in establishing a model that works stems from diversity within the workforce. Earlier approac[...]