
Managing employee benefits at scale is no longer just about enrollment. For organizations with hundreds or tens of thousands of employees, it’s a constant balancing act between control, efficiency, visibility, and employee experience.
As workforces become more dispersed and complex, HR leaders are asking the right questions:
- Should we keep benefits administration in-house?
- Should we fully outsource it?
- Is there a model that offers both flexibility and control?
This article explores the pros, cons, and evolving alternatives, and how Brian Patten & Associates (BPA) delivers enterprise-level support without sacrificing personalization or oversight.
In-House Benefits Administration: Control vs. Capacity
Many large employers begin by managing benefits internally. This gives HR teams hands-on control and the ability to customize communications and enrollment workflows.
But as employee counts grow, that control often comes at a cost:
- HR teams burn out under the weight of repetitive admin
- Manual processes lead to deduction and carrier errors
- Eligibility tracking becomes fragmented and inconsistent
- Onboarding varies across locations, shifts, and job types
- Strategic planning takes a backseat to paperwork and follow-ups
In-house administration may offer visibility, but it often limits scalability.
The Case for Outsourcing and Why BPA Does It Differently
Outsourcing can relieve administrative pressure, but many vendors rely on cookie-cutter software with minimal support.
BPA takes a different approach.
We support enterprise clients ranging from 500 to 26,000+ employees (like Genesis Healthcare) with a hybrid model that combines technology, service, and real-time visibility. Our model includes:
- Benefit Coaches available year-round
- Multilingual support and screen-share guidance across shifts
- Secure voice or iPad signature capture for virtual enrollment
- Leadership insights on eligibility and participation trends.
With BPA, HR teams move from reactive tasks to proactive leadership, without giving up control over their systems or communications.
Hybrid Models Are the Best of Both Worlds
We believe the best benefits experience blends automation with access. BPA’s hybrid model offers the ease of digital platforms, plus the clarity and care of real human support.
That means:
- A night-shift nurse gets enrollment help in Spanish
- A rural new hire receives personalized guidance through virtual onboarding
- A benefits admin avoids payroll sync errors with structured carrier file support
This combination reduces friction, builds trust, and delivers a consistent experience, no matter the role, shift, or location.
Financial and Operational Gains
Let’s talk about outcomes. For large employers, inefficient benefits administration carries real costs.
💸 Manual errors lead to costly rework, missed deductions, and payroll issues
📉 Poor communication leads to underused benefits and lower perceived value
📊 Disconnected systems create data silos, delays, and unnecessary complexity
With BPA’s hybrid model:
- One client eliminated over 40 hours/month in manual HR work
- Another reduced benefit-related payroll errors by over 60%
- HR teams report up to 25% more time to focus on engagement, DEI, and retention
When benefits administration runs smoothly, the entire operation gains efficiency and HR gets time back to lead.
Organizational Profiles That Benefit Most
BPA is particularly effective for:
- Multi-site organizations with limited HR capacity at each location
- High-turnover teams that need repeatable, streamlined onboarding
- Organizations undergoing M&A or rapid headcount growth
- Employers looking to reduce admin burden without sacrificing employee experience
From national care networks to field-based service brands, BPA integrates with your existing tech, simplifies workflows, and scales with your structure.
BPA in Action: Genesis Healthcare
Genesis Healthcare operates over 250+ facilities nationwide and employs more than 26,000 staff.
In 2024, BPA became their year-round benefits partner, providing support far beyond open enrollment. Here’s what that looked like:
- Supporting weekly new hire enrollments across all sites
- Replacing their employee advocacy program with year-round, responsive support
- Delivering bilingual benefit coaching and customized communication
- Maintaining synced data across payroll, HRIS, and carrier systems
As Genesis’s VP of Corporate HR shared: “They’ve been an amazing asset for our teams and employees, not just through OE, but all year.”
FAQs: What HR Leaders Want to Know
Q: Can BPA work alongside our existing payroll and HR systems?
A: Every organization’s setup is unique. Our Account Executives evaluate each client’s HR and payroll systems to create an integration plan tailored to your needs and aligned with industry best practices.
Q: How do you support employees in multiple languages?
A: Through bilingual Benefit Coaches, translated communications, and multilingual outreach across all shifts.
Q: How does BPA help with compliance?
A: BPA delivers structured workflows, detailed benefit reports, and clear guidance on dependent verification responsibilities, all on the schedule you request, so compliance stays consistent year-round.
The BPA Checklist: Are You Ready to Outsource?
You might be ready for a smarter model if:
☐ HR spends more time on tasks than talent
☐ Onboarding feels rushed or inconsistent
☐ Benefit: questions eat up hours of your week
☐ You’ve experienced eligibility or deduction errors
☐ You want to improve the employee experience, without growing your team
If you checked two or more, it’s time to re-evaluate how your benefits are being delivered.
Elevate Your Benefits Experience
Your benefits strategy should match the scale, complexity, and ambition of your organization. Whether you have 500 employees or 50,000, the real question isn’t just “What platform are we using?” It’s “Who’s making sure that it truly works for our people?”
Having BPA in your corner means not having to choose between software and service. We bring both, plus the infrastructure, insight, and human support that grows with you.
Let’s build a smarter model. Together.