We are in the midst of an unprecedented situation with global scope and an uncertain end. Despite these trying times, TASC is open for business.
Here at TASC, we are very certain of what is in front of us and the task at hand. We remain steadfast to our long-term vision. We are anchored to our mission and to our values. Now—as always—we are confident in our ability to serve our customers, even as we adapt to uphold the health and well-being of our employees and our communities.
TASC is taking a conservative, community-minded approach to help slow spread of COVID-19. As of March 20, we have limited the number of essential personnel who come into our Madison headquarters. Those who do go in are restricted to specific areas of the building, following the social distancing guidelines from the CDC and WHO. Everyone else is working from home.
We are fortunate to have embraced a remote workforce long before it became necessary. It has served us well in the past and it serves us well today. Our employees are 1,200 strong, spanning the nation and innovating new ways to make healthcare more affordable, education more attainable, and giving more impactful.
The essential attributes for TASC’s remote employees are:
- Dedicated workspace,
- Reliable broadband access,
- Proper equipment, including computers, telephones and headsets,
- Authorization to access remote tools,
- Educated on how to use remote tools, and
- Conforming behavior to leadership directives.
We recognize that the remote work environment is currently challenged by extraordinary circumstances. People are both cohabitating and coworking; many parents are also juggling dependent care and/or homeschooling in addition to their jobs. It’s not easy, and it’s stressful.
At TASC, we pride ourselves on being adaptable. We encourage employees to collaborate with their supervisors to adjust to their (temporary) situation. For example, an employee could transition to an evening shift if they are unable to work during normal business hours. Or a customer care representative could take on a more administrative role if they are unable to be on a landline phone. This flexibility is critical in keeping our people gainfully employed with living-wage benefits.
Furthermore, TASC continues to provide innovative benefits for our employees and our Universal Benefit Account® customers. In response to this global crisis, we have quickly rolled out new offerings, and updated existing offerings, for employers to assist their employees – at no additional cost to our customers through the end of 2020.
Our Emergency Response Benefits include:
- Emergency Expense Reimbursement Account (NEW): covers unforeseen expenses during emergencies or difficult circumstances, including medical expenses, medical testing and treatments, as well as dependent care costs.
- Emergency Expense HRA (NEW): reimburses all 213(d) medical expenses resulting from a public healthcare crisis, including additional co-pays, prescriptions and other out-of-pockets costs.
- Back-up Care Reimbursement Account (NEW): helps pay for unexpected dependent care costs when regular care falls through.
- Emergency Loan Account (NEW): generates interest-free loans that are repaid within 12 months through payroll deduction.
- Employee Crisis Fund Account (NEW): provides grants to qualified employees facing financial hardship from a personal, regional or national crisis. Employer-funded account that can accept employee contributions.
- Home Office Account: reimburses the cost of qualifying home office equipment and supplies.
- Work Clothes Account: reimburses purchase of uniforms and/or safety items, such as safety goggles or protective shoes, required to do the job.
- Individual Giving Account: enables charitable donations, funded by employees, to United Way or other nonprofit agencies. Employers may choose to match their employees’ contributions.
This is just a sample of the financial and flexible support TASC delivers as we improve the health, wealth and well-being of our employees, their families, our customers and our communities. To learn more, visit tascresponds.com.
TASC CEO Blog 