If you own a small- to mid-sized business, you probably have your hands full at work. Business owners are the brains behind the operation—simultaneously the big dreamer and the detailed-oriented glue that holds it all together. As rewarding as it is to own your own business, it isn’t without its challenges.
Administrative tasks like workers’ compensation, payroll, and other HR services are vital to the success of your business, but managing these tasks has the tendency to eat up a huge chunk of your time. Focusing on your strengths as a business owner can be difficult if it feels like you’re weighed down by the day-to-day.
So what can you do to optimize your time? Professional employer organizations (PEOs) offer support with these essential aspects of your business so that you can focus your energy where it’s best utilized. Keep reading to learn about the strategic advantage of a PEO managing workers’ comp for small- to mid-sized businesses.
Why workers’ compensation is important for small- to mid-sized businesses
Whether you have one employee or one hundred, workers’ compensation insurance is crucial in protecting your workers in the event an accident happens on the job. Workers’ comp can cover medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and even lost wages while the injured employee is unable to work.
Traditional workers’ comp may seem costly—particularly for a small business with fewer resources—but there are other options available. The benefits of having coverage if someone gets injured at work far outweigh the cost.
Additionally, workers’ compensation not only protects the injured employee financially, but it also protects you as the business owner. If there’s no workers’ comp insurance in place and an employee gets injured at work, you could be responsible for paying out-of-pocket for their medical expenses.
What exactly is a PEO?
Sometimes referred to as a co-employer, a PEO steps in to handle the administrative side of your business for you. As the business owner, you’re still in charge of decision-making, so you aren’t relinquishing control to the organization. Partnering with a PEO simply allows you to outsource aspects of your business like workers’ comp and payroll services, ultimately creating more time for you to focus your attention elsewhere.
Advantages to partnering with a PEO for workers’ comp
When it comes to workers’ compensation insurance, what are some of the strategic advantages to working with a PEO?
PEOs allow you to optimize your time for company growth
Managing workers’ compensation can be tedious and complex. When you partner with a PEO you’ll have the knowledge of experts on your side to help you make the best decisions for both your employees and your business.
When you don’t have to worry about the administrative tasks that are essential to your business, you can focus on the mission of your company. As a business owner, it’s crucial that you rely on your unique skills and strengths for the growth and success of your company. By working with a PEO, you give yourself space to do that.
You could get better coverage for your workers while saving money
PEOs function by grouping all of their clients together so that they can get the best coverage possible for the lowest cost. Depending on your financial situation as a small- or mid-sized business, the traditional workers’ comp plan you find for the same price may not have great coverage.
You only pay for the coverage you need
One of the best things about working with a PEO for workers’ compensation is the flexibility it offers in terms of coverage. Many small- to mid-sized businesses hire short-term employees on a project-by-project basis, and therefore don’t need a plan quite as extensive as traditional workers’ comp.
Pay-as-you-go programs with PEOs allow the flexibility of stopping and starting the coverage whenever it’s needed. Additionally, instead of paying an estimated premium as a lump sum at the start of the year, you can simply pay in conjunction with your payroll—taking the guesswork out of what you’ll owe.
Strategic advantages of working with a PEO
For small- to mid-sized businesses with less manpower and free time, it’s important to know when to outsource. Handing over administrative tasks to professionals could be incredibly advantageous to the growth of your company.
