Case Study: IRIS Increases Employee Count by 70% in 12 Months

Tzedakah House helped IRIS (Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services) onboard more than 90 benefit-eligible employees from 2023 to 2024. IRIS empowers refugees and immigrants to become self-sufficient and integrated into their new communities.

THE CHALLENGE

RAPID GROWTH & EMPLOYEES BECOMING ELIGIBLE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY

In 2022, IRIS had fewer than 50 employees and was hiring just a handful of folks each month. Tzedakah House would schedule meetings with each new employee to educate them on the benefits. In 2023, IRIS started to hire in droves, and quickly reached 100 employees, frequently adding double-digit team members per month. With a waiting period of 1st of the month after date of hire, it became challenging to have enough time to introduce folks to the benefits program, provide them with enough time to make decisions, and enroll them.

HOW TZEDAKAH HOUSE HELPED

CREATING AN ORIENTATION VIDEO NEW HIRES COULD WATCH PRE-HIRE

Open Enrollment meetings had been conducted virtually over the last few years, and Tzedakah House would record them in case folks were unable to attend. By sending the recording out afterward, employees could watch at their leisure and more easily share the information with their family. Tzedakah House applied this strategy toward the new employees.

Tzedakah House Broker Luke Devoe put together a presentation geared strictly toward new employees. While Open Enrollment tended to focus on what was changing, this video was focused on introducing folks to IRIS. It explained when benefits begin, the process to elect or waive coverage, each benefit they were being offered, and much more.

This video was provided to the Human Resources team at IRIS and uploaded to their internal YouTube channel. During the recruitment process, the video would be provided so that prospective employees could get an understanding of what IRIS offered from a benefits perspective. If they end up joining IRIS, they're one step ahead already.

If an employee is hired prior to the 15th of the month, Tzedakah House still offers a personalized meeting (even if they've already been provided with the video). If an employee is hired after the 15th, their instructed to watch the video and reach out to Tzedakah House with any questions they may have. Participation in IRIS's medical benefits has increased 37% since.