10 minute read
Finding solutions for pandemic problems
By Alina Day
The Washington Hospitality Association has many different solutions to problems members experience every day. These solutions leverage the collective buying power of the association’s membership to give the same low pricing and good coverage to all members. One small business by itself can be taken advantage of or be given a higher standard rate on supplies or services. Together, the association can negotiate the lowest cost for every member, no matter the size of their business.
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Rate, cost savings and increased coverage are all important pieces of the puzzle. We also look at who powers these solutions and what their stake is in the hospitality industry. Their support of the industry as a whole and desire to see it succeed plays a critical role in who we select to be our program partners.
Allied members, those who provide services or products to hospitality and wish to provide support to the industry, also play a key role. Although they may not be direct partners to the association, they wish to see hospitality and their customers and clients thrive.
Over the last year, our partners, allied members and staff have labored tirelessly to help members stay in business and survive the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some of the ways they helped:
Provided deep discounts on supplies and worked with suppliers on supply chain shortages During the early days of the pandemic, supply chain shortages were a huge issue. Association members needed a sourcing guide and information. On May 20, 2020, we held a webinar with Randy Irvine from Harbor Foodservice, Scotty Getchell with US Foods and Kristine Bowen from Sysco on supply chain concerns. Topics included the cause of current shortages, gap expectations going forward, how to mitigate the shortages and opportunities within this environment. We spoke with our allied members about what supplies they had on hand, discounts they were offering and when they restocked. If they had high priority items in stock such as disposable masks, hand sanitizer or plexiglass barriers, we communicated this information out to the membership. We kept a live sourcing guide on our Coronavirus Guide site, updating it as soon as we received new information on availability.
In September 2020, we launched our online Buyer’s Guide, the sister to this print Buyer’s Guide. It dynamically changed our sourcing guide from a static page into an interactive search. As allied members started stocking items they may not ordinarily have such as plexiglass or cleaning supplies, it was imperative members knew this unusual source was available to fill their needs.
Washington Hospitality Association partner Office Depot offers discounted items to members. During the pandemic, they had deeply discounted highly requested items available in bulk when most suppliers where completely out of stock. These discounts were exclusively for our membership.
Waived payment processing service fees Starting April 1, 2020, if a member was using our payment processing solution and not open for business to take payments, their service fees were automatically waived. When they were ready to come out of hibernation and start taking payments again, this process was automatic with no extra hassle, calls or service provider fixes necessary.
Members told us contactless payment and POS systems that could support mobile/web ordering were essential to doing business during the pandemic. The association’s payment processing solution is powered by US Bank. Contactless POS Converge and talech waived monthly software fees and setup costs from April 1–September 30, 2020.
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We also expanded our payment processing solutions to include a new white label program. We continue to guarantee a low locked-in processing rate for five years and we increased our POS selection that can connect to our processors. This put the freedom of choice back into the hands of members.
Supported business insurance interruption lawsuits An unexpected result of the pandemic was insurance companies denying coronavirusrelated business income loss claims. On April 1, 2020, a law firm picked up this case on behalf of association member Ethan Stowell. In support of Ethan Stowell and members facing this issue all over the state, the Washington Hospitality Association joined this lawsuit on July 2, 2020. Later that year, two Washington state superior courts rejected the idea that carriers could deny coronavirus business income loss claims. This issue was later introduced as a bill in the Washington state senate as SB 5351 which unfortunately failed to pass due to strong opposition from the insurance industry.
Washington Hospitality Association allied member Miller Nash Graham & Dunn and in particular Tristan Swanson, served as members’ go to resource for all business insurance issues such as carriers not paying out to members.
Hospitality business insurance coverages The association has its own business insurance solution known as My Hospitality Insurance. Throughout this past year, we’ve performed policy audits, decreased policy amounts, found solutions for members and responded to all questions and concerns for members. The average member savings on annual premiums is 24% with the same or increased coverage.
Expanded APP manual to include coronavirus protocols
On April 28, 2020, we expanded our Accident Prevention Program for participants in our RETRO, workers’ compensation program.
New information was added to our manuals including:
New required labor poster on the coronavirus for food establishments Health department best practices Distillery sanitizer options Anti-viral cleaning list from the Environmental
Protection Agency Personal protective equipment exchange from the
Federal Emergency Management Agency Cloth face coverings
We increased our outreach to RETRO participants and HR professionals regarding education, retraining of staff and what they needed to do to stay in compliance with the new pandemic protocols.
Added new delivery solution to offset third-party delivery costs With in-person dining out of the question for much of 2020, takeout, online ordering and delivery was crucial to survival. Third-party delivery helped fill that gap for many businesses but at a steep cost. In some places, third-party services were taking 30% from each receipt. In our industry where the margin is already razor-thin, this was an unnecessary burden for those who needed delivery assistance to survive.
In late July of 2020, the association began partnership discussions with ShiftPixy. With this service, members could
move delivery in-house without paying any of those hefty insurance fees — that was all covered by ShiftPixy. They had a unique service that allowed businesses to retain control over their brand, the customer experience and food safety.
The solution launched officially in October 2020 with a pilot program members could use to try this new product and reduce their risk. The pilot program gave:
Free mobile and online ordering installation 30-days free delivery labor when five members in an area all used the service
Added new technology HRMS solution allowing members to pivot with the unpredictable labor market In our state, the future was unclear and the ability to operate member businesses changed frequently. We hoped members would be able to re-open and in-person dining would resume but month to month, we didn’t know what would happen. This, along with the mandated closures, caused a never-before-seen shift in labor.
When we brought ShiftPixy on as a partner, it wasn’t just about delivery. It was also about using technology to solve hospitality’s labor problem.
We’ve heard from members time and again that employees deeply value the scheduling flexibility of hospitality. Pick up a shift here, trade with someone there. ShiftPixy allows employers to manage their employees’ schedules, adhere to all local, state and federal labor laws, and give employees the flexibility to apply for additional shifts.
Unlike other Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS), ShiftPixy uses automation to autofill schedules and assign employees based on set parameters. A mobile app does all the onboarding and informs employees of upcoming shifts, reminds them when they’re scheduled and when open shifts are available. The technology does the heavy lifting and gets members back to running their businesses. This solution saves time and money, while also continuing to give employees the flexibility they crave. This ability was crucial especially when an operator could be open at 25% capacity one week and 50% the next. Members needed the ability to up or downscale easily.
Increased telemedicine coverage and added access to mental healthcare In August 2020, we added eight free mental health resources to our Healthcare Solutions and one low-cost telemedicine option through HealthiestYou. Our partners at UnitedHealth Group added a mobile app called Sanvello to their available services. It provided help and education for anxiety, stress and depression. Premium features were free to all hospitality workers through 2020.
Furthermore, our partner, the Hospitality Industry Health Insurance Trust otherwise known as HIHIT, worked with Kaiser Permanente to allow employers to put their coverage on hold. This meant the policy could stay open to cover the administration staff that was left and be readily available to other team members when they returned.
People still need to see doctors even during a pandemic. They still need prescription refills or consultations. Prepandemic, we already offered telemedicine options but since the pandemic those options expanded coverages and we added more choices.
Telemedicine also filled a gap left by other insurance options. Employers could continue to offer this benefit to all employees, whether they were full-time, part-time or furloughed.
Our Telemedicine options include:
Teladoc Basic 24/7/365 access to doctors by phone, video or mobile app Short-term prescription refills Non-emergency ER or urgent care visits
HealthiestYou $0 copay for all services with unlimited visits, including family members Behavioral healthcare Dermatology Back care Nutrition Expert medical services
Virtual Plus
All benefits of Teladoc Basic Low monthly premiums No charge for virtual or preventative care Specialist care Prescription refills Referrals for in-person visits
Access to bulk coronavirus PCR testing kits On July 1, 2020, we started offering coronavirus PCR testing kits through Healthcare Solutions. Tests could be purchased for $107 per test for a minimum order of 20 tests. The tests allowed for at-home sample collection, and employees received results in 24-48 hours and could track the test in real-time. Members received 20% off their order with a special promotion code.
On February 24, 2021, the pricing was lowered to $86 per test and expedited shipping was included, exclusively for members.
Waived fees on pretax-eligible expenses
Alice, one of our partners for Healthcare Solutions and HR Solutions, also waived fees for members for as long as government actions impacted a business’s operations. If government actions impacted a business’s operations, which for us meant a year of relief, Alice waived all employer fees. Alice automates pretax benefits to add money to employees’ paychecks when they spend on pretax-eligible expenses, such as out-of-pocket medical, child and adult care and community costs. Employees using Alice add an average of $583.06 to their paychecks – a free $0.25/hr. Employers also receive a substantial payroll tax reduction.
Information network: Partners came to us as soon as they learned news about grants or funds GNSA, a HRMS and payroll partner for HR Solutions, was the first to let us know about the Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program. As soon as they received additional details about the program launching and how members could take advantage of it, they shared this information with us. This information was entirely unrelated to their partnership. Their only interest was in seeing our membership thrive.
Members receive a 41% discount on payroll services and 20% off other modules when using GNSA. In addition, to payroll, they also have modules for time and attendance, scheduling, HRMS, leave and many more options.
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Access to loan assistance and tax relief
Allied members worked on behalf of members throughout the past year, from advising to lobbying Congress of their own accord:
Premier Capital Associates were available for consulting and advisory services for hotels. US Bank introduced a new credit card specifically for small businesses. This card had a 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for 20 billing cycles. US Bank also reduced pricing on two loans in 2020: Quick
Loan and Cash Flow Manager. Chase McKenzie Management lobbied Congress for hospitality tax relief on March 16, 2020.
