Professional employer organizations (PEOs) provide HR solutions to hundreds of thousands of small and mid-size businesses across North America1. Some of the services offered by PEOs include payroll, benefits, HR, tax administration and regulatory compliance assistance. In addition, PEOs, because of their contractual arrangement with clients, take on a statutory role as an employer.

As a result, workers' compensation administration and management becomes one of the single most critical components in the suite of products and services a PEO provides its customers. The ins and outs of PEO workers' compensation can be quite complex and bring unique policy issuance and management issues distinct from a traditional employer's workers' compensation program. The issue of reliable coverage is also a critical factor that has tested even the best PEOs.

Serving the unique needs of leading PEOs.

Artex is proud to have provided stable, responsive workers' compensation solutions to the PEO industry on behalf of Zurich North America since 1995. We are experienced in offering the full spectrum of risk management alternatives — from guaranteed-cost to loss sensitive — and providing a design and delivery approach in workers' compensation programs that targets the unique needs of today's leading PEO industry practitioners.

Our team members are considered experts on PEOs — so much so that they have conducted training classes for state regulatory agencies and are often called upon by industry trade associations to provide guidance on workers' compensation specific matters in the co-employment arena.

Temporary staffing firms.

Artex also provides workers' compensation solutions on behalf of Zurich North America to the Temporary Staffing industry, which is responsible for sending three million employees every day to work in America's offices, factories, hospitals, warehouses and other work sites2. Staffing firms also take on a unique role as an employer, providing labor on a contingent basis to the many clients they serve. As such, central to the success of all staffing companies is the administration and management of their workers' compensation program, particularly given the fact that workers' compensation can be one of a staffing company's single largest "cost of goods sold."

A spectrum of solutions for the temporary staffing industry.

Artex offers a variety of solutions designed specifically for the temporary staffing industry.

The Artex StaffGuard Program is a highly responsive, guaranteed-cost workers' compensation program that provides agents and staffing companies unparalleled responsiveness and turnkey solutions. StaffGuard solutions include unbundled claims administration and management services, pay-as-you-go options, 24/7 online access to loss runs and certificates of insurance and more. The Artex PremierComp+ solution, often referred to as a rent-a-captive, is a more simplified approach to alternative risk transfer for clients interested in less downside risk than most captive programs. This loss-sensitive program delivers the right combination of competitive premiums, A.M. Best "A" rated security and long-term cost stability. Benefits include no capitalization, manageable collateralization and underwriting profits returned to the insured. This is a leading loss-sensitive platform for best-in-class temporary staffing operations in white, grey and some blue color classifications.

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Extensive experience.

For over 25 years, Artex has provided workers' compensation solutions to the PEO and temporary staffing industries on behalf of Zurich North America. As Zurich's exclusive program administrator, Artex manages a portfolio comprising approximately 100,000 insured small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and an equivalent $400 million in manual workers' compensation premium. Artex issues approximately 30,000 complex workers' compensation policies and endorsements annually, and its PEO, temp staffing and broker partners leverage Artex's state of the art client management platform to issue nearly 300,000 certificates of insurance annually.

Our PEO solutions.

Artex offers a middle market PEO workers' compensation program designed for a broad range of white- to gray- and light-blue-collar classifications, including light industrial, manufacturing and some artisan contractors. We maintain underwriting authority and price these transactions with our agency partners. Accounts are typically written on a guaranteed-cost or small deductible basis. We also offer a large risk PEO program, the nation's leading loss-sensitive PEO workers' compensation program for local firms to those that are truly national in scope. Organizations that qualify for this program should have a minimum of $1 million in workers' compensation premium and at least three years of audited financial statements. Eligible class codes range from white-collar to blue-collar risk.

Premium beginning at $100K

Our middle market solution accommodates a broad range of white-collar to gray-collar classifications, including light industrial, manufacturing and some artisan contractors. Accounts are typically written on a guaranteed-cost or a small deductible basis, although larger accounts can be written on an incurred loss retro in states where filings support this approach. We maintain underwriting authority and price these transactions with our agency partners. Additionally, we provide online client-management tools, including underwriting and tracking of client company additions/deletions and certificate issuance.

  • Established: 1995
  • Territory: National
  • Lines of business: Workers' compensation
  • Typical minimum premium: $100,000

Premium beginning at $3M

Our large risk solution accommodates a range of classes, from white-collar to blue-collar risks. Accounts are typically written on various loss-sensitive formats, including incurred loss retro, large deductible and, in some cases, deductible buy-back plans. Insured PEOs in this program are commonly employer services assurance corp. (ESAC) and/or certification institute-certified for Workers' compensation best practices. Artex provides online client-management tools, including underwriting and tracking of client company additions/deletions, and certificate issuance.

  • Established: 2003
  • Territory: National
  • Lines of business: Workers' compensation
  • Minimum retention: $250,000
  • Typical minimum premium: $3 million

Why Artex?

A combination of long-term specialization, unparalleled expertise and financial strength enables us to provide creative, consistent and competitive workers' compensation solutions to PEOs and temporary staffing firms.

  • Agility. Our ability to quickly respond to changing risk and economic conditions affecting our clients allows us to adjust an insurance structure to continue to stay relevant.
  • Diligence. Our proprietary online client management and underwriting systems enable us to offer optimum administrative expediency and efficiency.
  • Vision. We identify and deliver alternatives and innovative risk transfer approaches that best fit the unique insurance objectives of each of our PEOs and temporary staffing firms.
  • Integrity. We employ the highest professional standards and provide completely objective recommendations.
  • Commitment, strength and stability. Brokers and their clients can rely on our longstanding partnership with Zurich North America, rated "A+" by A.M. Best and one of the world's largest insurers.
  • Expertise. Our more than 20 years of experience constructing and managing workers' compensation programs for PEOs and temporary staffing firms has clients ranging from the nation's largest PEOs to the smaller, more entrepreneurial firms turning to us.
Sources

1The National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO)

2American Staffing Association (ASA)

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