At Totem, we take immense pride in our longstanding relationships with Public School Districts, a journey that spans over three decades. It’s just one way we stand true to our mission to be there for everyone.
Our commitment to excellence, expertise and tailored solutions allows us not only to understand the unique needs of each Public School District but also to address them effectively.
Totem helps Public School Districts be the employer of choice by offering better benefits for your employees, your HR staff, and your bottom line. We understand that your HR and Benefits staff are overwhelmed. Between recruiting and retention challenges, outdated technology and a limited budget for your employee benefits, you may feel stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Totem has extensive experience partnering with Public School Districts to relieve the burden of benefits and allow you to focus on being there for your employees.
We know you’re wondering — how is working with Totem different from other brokers?
Our employee-centric consulting approach is unlike any other. We provide year-round employee support and valuable benefits that results in increased and unmatched employee satisfaction. Additionally, our comprehensive benefits administration services absorb a significant workload for your HR team, allowing them to focus on critical initiatives such as recruiting and retention.
Comprehensive Support for All School Districts
Totem takes pride in offering a full suite of services for all our school district clients. This includes:
- Innovative Benefits Consulting with creative plan design and tenacious carrier negotiation
- Comprehensive Benefits Administration
- Best-in-class Technology
- Enrollment and Employee Support through our in-house, non-scripted Benefits Service Center
- Communication and Engagement Services with multi-pronged outreach
We consistently report current and historical Open Enrollment engagement data, showcasing the increased service center engagement and telephonic support experienced by each client over the years.
Empowering Employers of Choice
Totem is dedicated to helping Public School Districts become employers of choice. By offering better benefits for employees, HR staff, and the bottom line, we empower our clients to stand out in their commitment to their workforce.
Our unwavering dedication to our clients drives us to constantly explore new ways to provide additional support, ensuring their continued success. At Totem, we work diligently to be your trusted partner in creating a better future for education through comprehensive and innovative solutions.
Totem is the ideal benefits partner for Public School Districts. Below are a few examples that illustrate our value working with new customers.
Building Trust: A 4,000-Employee GA School District
One of our notable success stories involves a 4,000-employee Georgia school district. The district sought our services primarily for our renowned benefits administration platform and administrative support. In response, we developed a custom payroll reporting and balancing process, streamlining operations with Munis-compatible files.
Our commitment to innovation became evident as we included State Health Benefit Plan deductions in client payroll reporting, optimizing the entire process. Over time, our services expanded to cover leave without pay assistance, Affordable Care Act 1095-C and employer reporting, retiree billing with an online premium remittance option, and an employee recruiting and retention video.
Achieving Remarkable Results: A 1,700-Employee GA School District
In 2019, Totem acquired a new client, a 1,700-employee Georgia school district. Our partnership led to significant benefits plan improvements, including:
- 28% savings for employer-paid life insurance premiums.
- Up to 40% savings for voluntary life insurance premiums, resulting in a 24% overall coverage increase.
- 13% savings for Short Term Disability premiums and up to 60% savings for Long Term Disability premiums.
- Introduction of new products such as critical illness, accident, hospital indemnity, identity theft, and universal life with long-term care, with 15% of employees electing new benefits.
We enhanced the client’s experience by launching a new benefits website and enrollment platform, achieving an impressive 99.9% employee participation during the initial Open Enrollment. The introduction of a service center, providing telephonic enrollment and assistance with benefits questions, further increased employee engagement.
Our commitment goes beyond the basics. For all of our clients, Totem has continued to add services, such as new hire outbound calls, enrollment reminders, exit interviews, proactive benefits education, reminder campaigns, and payroll reporting.
If you’re a Public School District HR team member and feel it’s time to explore a new benefits partner for your employee, we’d love to connect with you. Click here to contact a Totem team member today.
