5/1/2020

The Burden of Leadership Now is Real

By: Sam Mitchell

If you are like me, consistency is where you find comfort. You look for areas of your life that are here for you now, as they always were. Our goal at Sentinel is to be one of those constants in the lives of your plan participants and your organization. It’s a simple charge: to be here when you need us most. We think that matters. And, we really hope it helps.

We're on our 9^th consecutive week working remotely as we collectively combat the impact of coronavirus. Days blend together. Many of these weeks have felt like months. What once seemed like an impossibility—that we would be social-distancing for six weeks—now is likely to continue before we can even consider re-entry into something resembling normalcy. This stark realization hits us and hits us hard: our lives have been disrupted. Life is not “normal”.

Your role as a leader of your organization, facing and making decisions that impact the people that work with you, has never been more important. At the same time, the role you serve as a fiduciary has never been more important. As you begin to activate your strategy for the aftermath of this pandemic, it’s very likely that all of your time and effort will be on re-energizing your organization and your team in whatever way the future requires. The burden of leadership is real and it can feel overwhelming. Good news—we’ve got your back! We realize you may not have the time or resources to focus all of your efforts on your benefits program and your employees. It is our job to focus exclusively and tirelessly on these things, as your co-pilot in managing your benefits. It is what we do, through good times and bad.

Over the past couple of months, we have focused on introducing additional resources designed to help your employees. Each person faces his or her own financial journey in the face of this pandemic and we believe that our purpose is to help build confidence in navigating that journey.

We increased access to your plan’s dedicated financial planner/financial wellness educator for 1:1 consultation via ScheduleOnce technology, a platform that allows your participants to directly schedule a meeting at their convenience.
We hosted live webinars on timely topics, such as Navigating Through COVID-19: Focusing on Your Personal Economy.
We developed an individual-focused COVID-19 Resource Center webpage, consolidating resources and information in one place.
We launched our “5-for-5” Series, where Sentinel’s financial planners tackle five questions on the minds of participants in an easy-to-understand Q&A format.

Furthermore, Sentinel has created Plan Sponsor and Fiduciary resources designed to assist you in your leadership of your organization and benefits program.

We issued Sentinel Alerts on the CARES Act, Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and other relevant regulatory updates.
We engaged in personalized consultation on best practice implementation of the provisions of the CARES Act.
We developed a Plan Sponsor-focused COVID-19 Resource Center webpage, consolidating resources and information in one place.
We continue to provide plan-specific consultation around the impact of lay-offs and furloughs on retirement plans.
We continue to make available the necessary technology to host virtual Committee meetings and participant education.

Our priority is to continue to support you during these times of uncertainty. If you need anything from us, please ask. We are here. We can help.