How a FLARE™ Assessment Works in a Real Employer Scenario
Follow this Illustrative example to see how a FLARE™ Assessment helps growing employers identify hidden process gaps, evaluate operational and compliance risks, and build a more consistent approach to leave and benefits administration.
Illustrative Example: Mitch's Mega Gym Just Reached 50 Employees
Mitch's Mega Gym has grown quickly and recently reached 50 employees. With that growth comes new administrative responsibilities, including the need to manage employee leave requests consistently once employees meet FMLA eligibility requirements. The business has basic HR processes in place, but leave tracking, documentation, manager communication, payroll coordination, and benefits continuation have never been formally reviewed.
Find the Hidden Gaps
The assessment starts by reviewing how Mitch's Mega Gym currently handles employee absences, medical leave requests, manager notifications, payroll updates, and benefits continuation.
- No consistent process for identifying potential FMLA-qualifying absences.
- Managers are unsure when HR should be notified about employee medical leave.
- Employee leave documentation is handled informally.
- Payroll and benefits teams do not have a leave communication checkpoint.
Locate Where the Process Breaks Down
After the initial review, FLARE™ maps where the process becomes unclear or inconsistent, especially between managers, HR, payroll, benefits, and employees.
- Managers receive absence information first but do not know when to escalate.
- HR does not have a standard intake form or leave checklist.
- Payroll may continue regular pay without confirming leave status.
- Benefits deductions may not be tracked when employees are unpaid.
Analyze the Operational and Financial Risk
FLARE™ then evaluates how those process gaps could create compliance exposure, administrative rework, payroll errors, benefit premium issues, and inconsistent employee experiences.
- Missed FMLA notices or delayed employee communication.
- Inconsistent documentation if multiple managers handle leave differently.
- Overpayment risk if payroll is not updated timely.
- Uncollected benefit premiums during unpaid leave.
Recommend Practical Improvements
The assessment report provides practical recommendations Mitch's Mega Gym can implement without replacing its broker, payroll provider, or existing HR systems.
- Create a standard leave intake checklist.
- Train managers on when to notify HR about medical absences.
- Build payroll and benefits checkpoints into the leave process.
- Use a simple tracking tool for leave dates, notices, and premium obligations.
Elevate the Leave Administration Process
Finally, Mitch's Mega Gym receives a roadmap that helps turn the recommendations into a repeatable leave administration process.
- A FLARE™ Assessment Report.
- A risk score and opportunity summary.
- Prioritized recommendations.
- A 90-day improvement roadmap.
- Executive-level presentation of key findings.
Explore Everything Included in a FLARE™ Assessment
You have now seen how a FLARE™ Assessment can uncover hidden gaps, locate process breakdowns, analyze risk, recommend practical improvements, and elevate benefits and leave administration. Next, review the full list of executive deliverables included with every FLARE™ Comprehensive Assessment.
View FLARE™ Assessment Deliverables →