I’m Maureen Sanphy and I’m Office Manager and Human Resource Navigator at Robert W. Irvine & Sons, a plumbing and heating company in Lynn, MA. Managing benefits, including short- and long-term disability, is a key part of my job, and I couldn’t do it without the help of Principal.

A construction company is a busy place, and I manage a lot of the day-to-day operation of the business – from contracts, to accounts billable and receivable. I also manage benefits for our 33 employees. Having a partner to help administer them takes a huge weight off my shoulders.

When it comes to disability, there’s a lot of detail in the claims process. The claims process is one thing – filling out paperwork and sending it in – you know almost anybody can do that. But then when it comes to managing the claim and dealing with doctors and timelines, it takes a lot of time and a lot of expertise that I don’t have. That could be a full-time job for one person. I wouldn’t be able to handle it all without a company helping me. Having a partner on board really streamlines the paperwork and frees up my time to do other things.

Our paid medical leave benefit is really important to employees and also to us in retaining them. To offer short term, long term paid medical leave – people want that, people need that. It’s security. You know that if something is to happen to you and you can’t work for a month or 8 weeks benefits are there to help bridge the gap. It’s pretty important to people to know they’re not going to be left high and dry should they be injured. It’s a big deal.