Helping our US clients navigate healthcare reform.

 

US Benefits

Helping you navigate through health care reform. Some of the specific benefits services provided include:

• Evaluation of benefits programs and market trends
• Development of benefits strategy and operational guidelines
• Marketing and vendor selection for benefits programs
• Competitive analysis of benefits plans and practices
• Merger and acquisition consulting, both pre and post-acquisition
• International account management services
• Access to information on competitive best practices
• Inpatriate consulting
• Multinational pooling and financial management consulting
• Assist in emergency medical evacuation and repatriation
• Advise on compliance and non issues
• COBRA continuation
• Policy provisions
• Include take over provision for transferring employees from domestic to international plan and visa versa

 

Executive Compensation Consulting

Watermark Consulting offers a full complement of consulting services to assist companies in the design, implementation and support of Total Rewards programs that help attract, retain, motivate and reward executives, employees and Directors. We work with executives, compensation committees and boards on these matters. Watermark conducts custom salary surveys for organizations and Associations alike.

Watermark Group helps organizations by designing executive rewards programs that motivate business leaders to achieve outstanding business results.

The issue has never been more critical as companies strive to attract motivate and retain their top talent. We help our clients by creating executive rewards programs that are based on fair and objective measures.

Watermark conducts custom executive compensation review that can help your company determine the competitiveness of your executive total rewards program. These reviews are essential to recruit and retain qualified executives. Surveys can be conducted to detail information about total compensation including: competitive salary, short term, long-term incentive and perquisites. This analysis can be used as the basis for an annual compensation review or used as a tool to set total remuneration when hiring executives.

When it comes to Director compensation, changes in the regulatory environment including Canadian Securities Administrators disclosure practices and filing requirements and Sarbanes-Oxley Act provide a tremendous amount of increased director liability. These new disclosure requirements heighten the need for competent directors and their need to be much more involved with the oversight of company affairs.

Directors Compensation plays a critical role in the attraction, retention and the motivation of talented directors. We will help you design a plan so that highly qualified directors are attracted to your organization and assist with the demanding responsibilities that are required of them. We help companies and boards design and implement a wide range of director total reward programs including cash compensation and stock-based incentives. Watermark Human Capital can help your organization by designing a Directors rewards programs that motivate business leaders to achieve outstanding business results.

We assist our clients with the following:

• Executive compensation review- annual and forensic reviews
• Short and long-term incentive plan design, stock option and performance plans
• Executive perquisites plan consulting, executive life, critical illness, and disability
• Ad hoc plans- including retention and recruiting strategies
• Total pay philosophy - assist in the set-up compensation philosophy and guiding principles
• Executive succession planning

Director Total Rewards

• Board compensation review
• Committee compensation review
• Board and committee chair compensation
• Director equity programs
• Equity ownership opportunities and requirements
• Committee charters
• Committee policies and procedures
• Compliance assistance
• Conduct periodical review of directors’ compensation programs

 

Employee Consulting Services

We provide our clients with superior benefit advice and brokerage services. Working together in a seamless way to understand your business, culture, and values, we assist in designing, communicating, and implementing benefits programs based on their business needs, both globally and locally. Watermarks Benefits Practice provides consulting service on a broad range of specialized services.

We provide consulting advice in the following areas:

Plan Design

• Review of current plan design
• Recommend best practices and plan benchmarking
• Advise and recommend specific benefit strategies that meet your employee and corporate needs
• Recommend options for all benefit programs
• Review of contractual provisions
• Review tax status of programs
• Recommendations to efficient cost sharing arrangements
• Merger and acquisition consulting

Benefit Plan Marketing

• Preparation of RFP
• Conduct Benefit Plan marketing
• Analyze proposals
• Vendor recommendation

Financial Review

• Review financial agreements and costs
• Evaluate financial performance including; cost, design and setup
• Recommend alternate financial arrangements

Employee Communications & Plan Administration

• Assist in plan implementation including:
• Development of enrollment materials, including customized letters and forms
• Design employee surveys and moderate focus groups
• Design employee communication packages
• Corporate, Government & Legislative Compliance
• Provide consulting assistance with federal, provincial and regulatory compliance issues

Product Advice

• Private medical insurance
• Income protection (disability) insurance
• Critical illness
• Health and dental programs
• Long term care
• EFAP