Competition for great talent has never been this fierce. Every employer is looking for an advantage in recruiting and retention.

Katie Sterling, human resources manager,
Andy’s Frozen Custard,
Principal Easy Elect pilot study partner

Digital Revolution

Winning means being in the right place. At the right time.

The digital revolution is not a revolution anymore. It’s a fact. A way of life. A global disruption that puts the customer squarely in charge of nearly every transaction. While many companies are challenged by this new reality, we don’t see it that way. We embrace it as a natural extension of our customer-focused culture. So rather than keep up, we lead.

For example, we know that most small businesses want to offer great benefits to their employees. But they don’t always have the resources to make it happen – especially when it comes to voluntary benefits like life or disability insurance. Many struggle to meet participation requirements. Others can’t enroll employees in remote locations.

Sometimes, it’s as easy as meeting people where they are

So we reached out with Easy Elect, a first-of-its-kind online enrollment system for voluntary benefits. It’s tailored for small businesses. And it’s unique, so it’s patented.

It’s appreciated, too. In our 2016 pilot study, we found that Easy Elect saved time for employers and advisors, made it easier and more intuitive for employees to make benefit decisions and boosted enrollment in voluntary benefits. To date, employers using Easy Elect achieved 10 percent higher enrollment than those who didn’t. And we’re rolling it out nationwide in 2017.

Or understanding what customers want

Additional new distribution pathways are helping customers around the world access Principal products and services through institutions and advisors they already know and trust.

That’s why we began working with Daiwa SB Investments in Japan, an affiliate of Daiwa Securities Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group. While they have strong distribution, their investment capabilities lean toward Japanese equities and bonds. Principal Global Investors is working with Daiwa to serve customers who want to invest outside of Japan. By the end of 2016, this relationship had produced more than $2.7 billion in assets under management across multiple strategies and continues to grow.

The global marketplace is changing dramatically. Disruption is the order of the day. But our commitment to meeting customers – when, where and how they prefer – is enabling us to uncover new opportunities for leadership in serving their growing needs.