Table of Contents
Employee retention gets expensive fast. Business owners spend time looking for the right employee, then face the next challenge: keeping that person on the team.
At Short & Stevens Law, we work with business owners on contracts and succession planning, and this issue comes up often. One service that can support employee retention is estate planning offered as a workplace benefit.
That idea stands out for a simple reason. Many companies already offer health insurance and a 401(k). Estate planning feels different. It gives employees peace of mind and sends a clear message that the company cares about the person behind the job title.
Why employee retention calls for a benefit that stands apart
Business owners are always looking for the right employee. Finding the right person takes effort. Keeping them requires even more.
We’ve helped a few clients set up estate planning for their employees. The feedback has been strong. Business owners were pleased with the results, and employees were happy with what they received.
Part of the appeal comes from differentiation. A company can say more with this benefit than with another standard line item on a benefits sheet. Offering estate planning tells employees that the employer is thinking about their lives outside work, their families, and the stress that comes with not having a plan in place.
That message matters.
Many employees carry a quiet fear that they are replaceable. They may think the company values the role, not the person. Estate planning pushes against that feeling. It says, in a direct way, “We value you.”
Why estate planning is personal to employees
Estate planning helps give employees peace of mind. If something happens to them or to someone they love, they are not left scrambling. They have documents in place. They know what the plan is.
Additionally, a business owner benefits when employees are not thrown into total disarray during a health event or family crisis. Employees with a plan are better positioned to handle hard moments with more clarity.
We facilitate the estate planning process in the workplace
Estate planning can be hard for busy employees to finish. Even with virtual meetings available, the meeting still takes time out of the day.
Fortunately, we offer solutions.
Seminars
Short & Stevens Law can come to the office and speak to employees together. That seminar can cover the basics:
- What estate planning means
- What a power of attorney means
- What a will means
- What a trust means
- What may fit different personal situations
This group format saves time. It gives everyone a foundation at once. It makes the next step easier.
Individual meetings
After the seminar, employees can meet one-on-one right in the workplace. This reduces the need for extra travel and a separate trip across town.
Estate planning tends to linger on people’s to-do lists. It is one of those jobs people know they should handle, yet keep pushing off. Bringing the meeting into the workplace lowers that friction.
Finish with signing support
The next step is signing. Once the documents are prepared, there is usually a signing appointment, which may include notaries and witnesses.
Short & Stevens Law can come to the workplace for that stage too. This keeps the employer from losing more labor hours. It makes the full process easier to finish from start to signature.
Why efficiency matters to the employer
A business owner does not want employees taking chunks of time off for multiple appointments. The office-based format cuts down on that problem, offering the following benefits:
- Less travel time for employees
- Less time away from work
- One seminar for many employees at once
- Individual meetings handled onsite
- Signing handled onsite with the needed support
That makes the service easier to roll out across a team. It turns estate planning from “something employees should get around to someday” into something the company can help them complete in a practical setting.
Flexible ways to offer the benefit to your employees
Short & Stevens Law offers flexible solutions. There is no single payment model for employee estate planning. That matters, since every estate plan is different.
We offer several ways employers can handle the cost:
- The employer covers the full cost
- The employer covers the consultation fee
- Employees receive a group discount and pay for their own plans
- The employer pays half, and the employee pays half
- The employer pays a percentage of the cost
This gives business owners room to choose a setup that fits their budget and goals. A company that wants a strong retention play may choose full coverage. A company testing the idea may start with consultation coverage or a shared-cost model.
What business owners are really offering
Employees want compensation, benefits, and stability. They want to feel seen as people, too. Estate planning speaks to these parts of the employee experience.
For a business owner trying to improve employee retention, that is worth attention. A benefit does not need to be flashy to matter. It needs to be useful, thoughtful, and easy enough for employees to set up.
FAQs
Can estate planning really work as an employee retention benefit?
Yes, it helps give employees peace of mind and helps an employer stand apart from other workplaces offering only standard benefits.
Why would employees value estate planning through work?
Employees may value it for two reasons: peace of mind and convenience. They can learn what wills, trusts, and powers of attorney mean, then complete the process with less travel and less disruption to their day.
How does Short & Stevens Law deliver this service to a business?
Short & Stevens Law can come to the workplace, give a seminar to the group, hold individual meetings at the office, prepare documents, and return for signing with notaries and witnesses.
What topics are covered in the employee seminar?
It depends on the seminar. The seminar can cover estate planning basics, powers of attorney, wills, trusts, and which options may fit different situations. The goal is to give employees shared baseline information before individual conversations.
Does this save employees time?
Yes. Employees do not need to spend as much time traveling to appointments or taking extra time away from work when the process is handled at the office.
Does this save the employer time, too?
Yes. Group education, office-based meetings, and office-based signing reduce time away from the workplace.
Do employers have to pay the full cost?
No. An employer can pay the full cost, cover the consultation fee, split the cost with employees, pay a percentage, or offer access to a group discount.
Why is pricing flexible?
Every estate plan is different. That makes it hard to promise one fixed amount before meeting with the employee and learning what kind of plan is needed.
What message does this benefit send to employees?
It tells employees the company cares about more than the position they fill. The benefit can help employees feel valued as people, not just as workers.
What response have companies had to this approach?
A few companies have implemented the plan with us, and the results have been positive, both for business owners and their employees.
What to do next
- Review your current benefits and ask whether they truly help with employee retention
- Decide whether you want to offer estate planning as a full-paid, shared-cost, or consultation-based benefit
- Think through which employees you want to include in the first rollout
- Consider whether an onsite seminar would remove friction for your team
- Choose a payment structure that fits your budget
- Contact Short & Stevens Law to discuss how an onsite estate planning benefit could work for your business
