Customer Success Story

No Time to Train, No Room for Error: H&W Benefits Support for a Global Packaging Company

Strategic Benefits Advisors case study regarding health and welfare benefits support for a global packaging company, showing glowing amber glass bottles being formed and transported on an automated manufacturing conveyor line.
Challenge

Filling a critical benefits team gap

When a key member of a large packaging company's benefits team left the organization, years of institutional knowledge were gone, and benefits open enrollment was weeks away. The work ahead was specific and time-sensitive: long-term disability (LTD) applications needed processing, health savings account (HSA) deductions had to be reconciled in payroll, and open enrollment guides had to be reviewed for accuracy before they reached employees. None of that could be handed off to someone still getting oriented.

The internal team was already managing a full workload, and leadership was rethinking how the benefits function structured. For a company with more than 15,000 U.S. employees, the margin for error was narrow. They needed someone with strong analytical skills and an attention to detail who could start immediately and work with minimal supervision.

Solution

Embedded support across benefit workstreams

SBA placed an experienced benefits professional with the company's team three days per week, working under the direction of the benefits manager. The arrangement included both on-site and remote days structured around payroll cycles and open enrollment deadlines. The engagement was built to flex, giving SBA the ability to focus on whichever project was most time-sensitive.

On the processing side, SBA reviewed LTD applications and issued approval letters, verified HSA deductions against payroll, supported insurance claims analysis, and confirmed COBRA notifications had gone out correctly. Open enrollment communications ran in parallel: SBA reviewed open enrollment guides for rate accuracy, updated benefits communications before distribution, added content to the benefits portal, and validated group rate summaries and presentation decks prior to sharing.

Results

Continuity through a high-stakes transition

With an experienced resource embedded in the benefits function, the company closed the coverage gap without missing a beat. Claims processing, payroll reconciliation, and compliance notifications continued on schedule, and open enrollment communications were accurate and on time. The result: a successful enrollment cycle, sustained compliance across LTD, HSA, and COBRA workstreams, and no disruption to employees during a critical transition.