Unum HR Trends podcast
In its second season, HR Trends considers the future of work as we enter a new phase of the pandemic. Business leaders, HR thought leaders, and Unum experts share their insights on the growing importance of behavioral health at work, how tech is transforming HR practices, the expansion of leave policies, what role benefits play in a labor market turned upside down by the pandemic, and what the future of work means for employees and employers alike.
Dr. Jarik Conrad
Vice President of Human Insights at UKG | Executive Director, UKG Workforce Institute
“People are struggling,” says Dr. Conrad. “IQ is down since the ‘70s; emotional intelligence has been going down; chronic conditions are on the rise. We need to figure this out because these are our people, our employees, our customers.” Hear why he believes HR needs to get more sophisticated at understanding people on an individual level. Erin Casey, Vice President of Platform Partnerships at Unum Group, moderates the discussion.
Jeff Williams
Vice President, Enterprise and HR Solutions at Paychex
Along with Polly Nicholas, Senior Vice President of Unum Solutions at Unum Group, Williams explores the challenges HR will face in 2024, including the multigenerational workforce, burnout and how “40% of employees can’t come up with $400 today.” He urges HR to be bold: “We can’t go in the boardroom meek; we need to go in with ROI and a point of view.” Listen to learn about HR tech solutions that help meet this mandate.
Stacey Harris
Chief Research Officer and Managing Partner at Sapient Insights Group
According to Harris, the most important question for 2024 is “Do we have the data?” Hear about Sapient Insight Group’s newest research and why Harris believes transformational leave management is a key HR priority this coming year. “Don’t just do change management,” she says, “manage the change. Employees are burning out. Give your executives a reality check.”
Mark Stelzner
Founder and Managing Partner at IA
Organizations change every 90 days, says Stelzner, and transparency and consistency will be key to helping employees thrive in 2024. If organizations are open about what they do and don’t know, who they are and who they aspire to be, employees can self-direct and HR can enable. Listen to learn how HR can lean into leadership this coming year.
Jess Von Bank
Global Leader, Solution Provider Services at Mercer
With generative AI and cutting-edge technology, HR professionals have an opportunity to reimagine the world of work for future generations. However, Von Bank believes HR professionals must first change their mindset and become business transformation agents. Listen as she reflects on emerging technology and how HR can lead a revolution to fuel change.
Hebba Youssef
Chief People Officer at Workweek | Founder and Creator of “I Hate it Here” newsletter
With five generations in the workforce, HR teams are grappling with how best to support their diverse employees. Tune in to hear Youssef share advice for fostering authentic, meaningful connections that will help employees thrive as well as ways to better support women in the workforce. Swapnil Prabha, Vice President of Workforce Wellness Solutions at Unum Group, moderates the discussion.
Jason Averbook
Senior Partner and Global Leader of Digital HR Strategy at Mercer
Every HR organization is undergoing perpetual transformation. “We live in a world where change is no longer the enemy — it has to be the strategy,” Averbook says. “Building an agile muscle is a mindset HR has to have in 2024.” Listen as he explains how tools like generative AI can help us rethink everything we do if we’re ready to “perpetually unlearn.”
Jeanne Achille
Founder and CEO of The Devon Group | Chair of the “Women in HR Tech Summit” at the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition
Listen to Achille discuss this year’s Women in HR Tech Summit and how it has evolved to include broader diversity topics, such as pay equity and inclusion. With today’s multigenerational workforce, Achille says inclusion and belonging should be a major focus for HR in 2024.
Jessica Miller-Merrell
Founder and HR Trainer/Coach at Workology
Miller-Merrell delivers an inspiring message for HR: “Be the change you want to see and challenge those around you to be inclusive and supportive.” HR has a critical role to play in workplace wellness, including leaning into conversations about domestic violence. “Normalize these topics,” she says, and create systems to get employees what they need. Swapnil Prabha, Vice President of Workforce Wellness Solutions at Unum Group, moderates the discussion.
Shelley Zalis
Founder and CEO of The Female Quotient
Hear Zalis talk about the five dimensions of a well-rounded life and how to protect those “slices of the pie” to succeed in work and at home. Learn about “life-stage accommodation” and why it is so important for employers to offer inclusive policies that show empathy and care. “When purpose meets passion,” Zalis tells HR, “you are unstoppable.” Chelsea Lugiano, Customer Engagement Manager at Unum Group, moderates the discussion.
Rich Lappin
Vice President, Platform Strategies at Unum Group
Fresh off his standing-room-only talk at the Workday Rising and HR Tech conference session, Lappin explores the real-time data integrations offered to Workday® customers through Unum Total Leave and Unum HR Connect. Tune in to hear how the constantly changing workforce and complex compliance landscape have increased the importance of employee leave in 2024.
Jamie Aitken
Vice President, HR Transformation at Betterworks
How can we modernize outdated performance management processes? Listen as Aitken discusses strategies to improve employee performance and in turn strengthen the performance of the company. One example, equipping managers with the tools to become more effective coaches.
Robin Schooling
HR Leader and Advisor | Blogger | Host of the “DriveThru HR” podcast
Schooling takes listeners into the macro-level conversations she’s hearing at this year’s HR Technology Conference & Exposition. HR practitioners are finally showing more interest in technology, she says, but they must keep exploring ways to effectively and responsibly use those tools. Those who don’t may get left behind in 2024.
Heather Bussing
Employment Lawyer | Writer | Law Professor | HR Tech Speaker
Listen in as Bussing discusses pay equity and the gender gap. She shares advice from her conference session about looking at the work — comparing “skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions” — to get the pay right. To help employees thrive in 2024, she says, HR pros need to be more efficient and intentional.
Steve Boese
Co-founder of H3 HR Advisors | Program Chair of the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition
Tune in to hear Boese review his 15 years at the HR Tech conference and the innovative ideas he’s seeing at this year’s Pitchfest, where startups bring new ideas to the fore. According to Boese, one of the top challenges for HR in 2024 is embracing technology more meaningfully. “AI can’t teach us how to love,” he says, so we must find ways to use technology while preserving the human touch.
October 10, 2023
Clare Morin speaks to Jenn Lim, bestselling author and speaker, known for her work on happiness and workplace well-being, and Swapnil Prabha, Vice President of Workforce Wellness Solutions at Unum Group focusing on employee benefits and mental health. They discuss topics related to authentic leadership, mental health and workplace wellbeing.
Authentic Leadership: Lim emphasizes the importance of authentic leadership in today's working world. She defines authentic leadership as being true to one's authentic self and emphasizes that it involves self-awareness and addressing both strengths and weaknesses. "Just be real and be weird and like everyone's weird in their own way. And why not cherish that and celebrate it" says Lim. [11:55]
The Greenhouse Model: Lim introduces The Greenhouse Model, which focuses on first nurturing one's own wellbeing and values. She says, "I went to more of this metaphor of growth. No matter who we talk to in the world, there's no one that wants to not grow." Lim emphasizes that authentic leaders should start by grounding themselves and understanding their purpose and values. [16:55]
Tools for Thriving: Lim discusses tools for thriving in the workplace, including fostering psychological safety, creating a sense of belonging, embracing accountability and building meaningful connections. Lim highlights the importance of aligning individual and organizational values: "So therefore we have a new social contract together." [19:35]
Looking Ahead: The discussion concludes with a focus on the future of work. Lim suggests that leaders need to prioritize wellbeing and encourage teams to find meaning and balance in their work. Prabha emphasizes the importance of shaping company cultures that support mental health and wellbeing. She encourages leaders to ask for help and hold their partners and solution providers accountable when it comes to employee benefits and mental health support. As Prabha says, "I want to see what are the clinical outcomes? Is my employee population actually getting better?" [26:05]
Featured speakers
September 18, 2023
Curt Burghardt and Denise Ferguson, Unum HR leaders and people analytics experts, explore how real-time data connectivity with leave and absence information transforms efficiency, transparency and downstream processes for employers managing leave in Workday®.
People analytics is more than just basic reporting. With the data available to Unum as Workday users, the company has begun using that data to influence decision making across the organization. For example, Unum can correlate learnings from its employee engagement surveys with employee data in Workday to identify trends that can help solve problems with retention and engagement. [03:49]
Real-time connectivity simplifies leave processes. The ability to integrate data from Unum's leave management solution with an employer's Workday system has greatly simplified the complexity of leave management processes. [06:42]
Simplicity saves time and creates a better experience. Chasing down errors in leaves and pay takes "an astronomical" amount of time, according to Burghardt. And headaches like those can come at the worst possible time for an employee who is taking leave for challenging reasons. "Making the experience as seamless as possible in those moments that matter, when an employee is at their worst" — that's a win, according to Ferguson. [08:33]
Connectivity helps solve the challenge of intermittent leave. Intermittent leave is famously complex and time-consuming for employers, especially if they are using manual processes. Correctly coding absences is tricky, with cascading effects — including compliance issues — if done incorrectly. [10:24]
Unum's connection to Workday is powered by Unum HR Connect, which also streamlines and automates enrollment, evidence of insurability, billing and portability. Learn more.
WORKDAY and the WORKDAY logo are trademarks of Workday, Inc., registered in the United States and elsewhere. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Featured speakers
August 29, 2023
New research from LIMRA and EY shows that workplaces have reached a "generational tipping point." Millennials and Gen Z employees now make up the majority of the workforce — and are on pace to constitute 60% by 2031.1 These younger workers (42 years old and under) have different benefit preferences from the Baby Boomers and Gen X cohorts for whom benefits have traditionally been designed, and greater needs when it comes to benefits education and enrollment. LIMRA's Kimberly Landry joined John Stibal from Unum and Michael Stachowiak from Colonial Life to discuss how HR should react to this profound generational shift.
A much broader view. According to Landry, LIMRA's second annual Benefits and Employee Attitude Tracker (BEAT) study shows that younger employees still want core benefits above all else. But they also want their benefits package to include a wider variety of supplemental health, wellness, mental health and other benefits. "The benefit programs of the future need to be more customizable and provide more options for employees to pick and choose from," says Landry. [02:02]
More choice means more confusion. As employers offer a larger number of benefits, they will need to increase their efforts to educate younger benefit consumers, according to Stachowiak. Stibal agrees that education is important to making informed decisions because with choice, "your employer is not making the decisions for you any longer." [04:00]
More benefits are more important. According to the LIMRA/EY Harnessing growth and seizing opportunity: 2023 Workforce Benefits Study, employers and employees both assign a high degree of importance to a fairly long list of benefit options. To compete effectively for talent, employers need to show that their benefits portfolio contains a wide range of choices to fit employees' differing needs. "About half of the employers in our survey told us they expect to be increasing the number of benefits that they offer in the next five years," Landry says. [06:30]
Disability awareness is down, indicating an education opportunity. One troubling finding in the LIMRA research is the relatively low importance participants assigned to disability insurance. Stibal says that's where education comes in. "The GoFundMe strategy is a strategy, but not a good one for the long term," he says. "Employers need to make sure people understand where their risks lie and what they need to do to shore up those risks." Stachowiak points out that the multigenerational workforce combined with the rise in benefit choices means that "a one-size-fits-all benefit education program just isn't going to be effective moving forward." Employers will need to tailor their approaches to their particular employees and benefit programs. [08:47]
The biggest change since last year? Importance of leave. Employer perception of the importance of paid family and medical leave benefits jumped 26% over last year, as shown in the LIMRA/EY study. "Paid family leave sounds simple, but it's really, really complicated for employers," says Stibal. Between complying with multiple federal, state and local leave laws and creating a good experience for employees administering leave is a challenging issue for employers. Employers may want to outsource leave management to a carrier who can provide a good combination of technology and human support. [13:00]
The "Wheel of Wellness." LIMRA looked at benefit priorities across five dimensions of wellness: physical, mental, financial, professional and societal. Across the generations, younger employees placed more priority on societal wellness (volunteer opportunities, charitable donation matching, etc.) and mental health. Landry and Stibal believe mental health benefits are going to be a key area for employers to strengthen. [18:10]
Employees want personal assistance. Stachowiak says that employees increasingly want human assistance in benefits enrollment, whether in person or over the phone. Landry confirms this, "Two of the top five preferred benefits communication methods were digital experiences. But the other three were all in-person approaches," she says. [23:00]
How does all this factor into enrollment? As employers offer more benefits and as employees need more education, it's important to be mindful about how you roll out your benefits enrollment. Some best practices:
Featured speakers
June 28, 2023
Two new reports illustrate that employee expectations are high and getting higher. A March 2023 Unum survey shows that 87% of employers recognize that their employees expect more from them in terms of care and understanding.1 And the latest "BEAT" study from LIMRA shows that employees overwhelmingly value paid time off and other leave and insurance benefits, even more than flexible work schedules.2 In this episode, two of the foremost U.S. leave experts — Unum's Ellen McCann and Angel Bennett — discuss the implications for employers in this tough post-pandemic labor market.
Employers are catching up. According to Ellen, it's great seeing employers recognize the rise in expectations that's been evident over the last couple of years. If the pandemic had any silver linings, one might be that employees began to realize their need for time off, and they expect this time going forward into the new normal. For their part, employers began to realize the correlation between employee retention and having a robust leave program. [01:47]
Diversity is driving change. The pandemic also highlighted just how diverse our workforce is, said Angel. Employers need to recognize that a diverse employee population needs different types of leave programs. And they also need to shift their focus away from trying to minimize the impact of leave on the company, and toward how it will benefit the employee experience. [04:30]
Complexity is here to stay. The complexity of the legal landscape for leave is going to keep increasing. According to Ellen, "One absence could have five or six different protections attached to it, and employers have to understand how they all work together. Do they run at the same time or concurrently? Do they run consecutively? How do I put this puzzle together for my employees?" [06:03]
Paid leave is getting hotter. "We're seeing growth in unpaid leave laws in many states," said Ellen, "but we're also seeing a lot of energy focused on paid leave." Unum added 23 new unpaid leave laws to its leave management service last year. And 11 states and DC have passed paid family and medical leave programs. States are experimenting with novel ways to attack the same problem: that a huge percentage of American employees don't have enough paid leave. Employers are going to have to figure out what their responses to these programs will be, particularly to those programs that are voluntary. Will not participating put them at a competitive disadvantage? [07:11]
Employers can't do it alone. This complexity means that employers not working with a leave management partner have a huge amount of work to keep up with. It's especially helpful to have a partner who is keeping watch on upcoming legislation so the employer doesn't get caught off guard. [09:40]
Companies that outsource free up time. According to the Unum survey, 51% of employers likely to expand their leave offerings in the coming year or two.1 These companies tend to be those that are currently outsourcing leave, suggesting that they are seeing the benefits of working with a partner. Angel says it's clear that employers realize they have to evolve their leave programs to remain competitive. Parental leave, bereavement leave and caregiver leave were among the most requested type of leave, according to surveyed employers,1 showing that employers have to think beyond disability benefits. Supporting employees on leave and researching new leave programs can be a time sink for HR, which is another reason to outsource leave to an experienced partner. [10:37]
Care impacts the bottom line. Employees' increasing interest in bereavement and caregiving leave ties back to their desire for more care from their employers, according to Ellen. This can be a new concept for employers. "This whole concept of care is kind of a squishy concept that some employers really couldn't embrace before the pandemic, and now they're saying, 'Nope, my employees expect more from me.' They're recognizing that their role is not just to give someone a paycheck — it's to support that employee, financially, emotionally and in terms of their family obligations." According to Ellen, employers are realizing that when they provide this support it improves their bottom line, in part because it results in fewer employees quitting and helps employees stay healthier. [14:38]
One key message? Angel: "Think beyond paid parental leave — think about having something that's more inclusive to people at different stages of their life." Ellen: "Look at how you're applying those policies in your workforce to make sure you are being inclusive and equitable. For example, look at how you're defining when the employee can take family medical or caregiver leave. In an era of changing families, let the employee decide who's important enough to them to take that leave. This will make your employees feel valued and included." [17:28]
Featured speakers
March 8, 2023
Megan Rapinoe is the captain of the U.S. National Women's Soccer Team, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion. On March 2, she was named in TIME’s 2023 Women of the Year list of extraordinary leaders working toward a more equal world. In this episode, Megan joins Unum leave expert Ellen McCann for a frank and lively discussion on pay equity, inclusive leave policies and other ways employers can demonstrate care for employees facing challenging times.
The call to "be more." After the national team's second World Cup victory in 2019, Rapinoe challenged everyone to "step outside of yourself, be more, be better, be bigger than you've ever been before." Applying this to the HR context, she said it is a charge to make an impact on your organization and on the lives of your employees. [02:46]
The rise of the care opportunity. Employee needs and demands for support from their employers are growing and are key drivers of attraction and retention. According to Ellen, leave is critical in this equation: "Companies focus so much on employees at work. What about those times when our employees can't come to work?" Paid leave is one way employers can support employees' whole selves, not just their work selves. Paid leave has a positive ripple effect across the entire economy and helps lower-wage workers most of all. [07:33]
The importance of inclusive policies. Employers show caring by implementing leave and benefit policies that are inclusive and equitable, addressing the needs of all caregivers and relationships, not just parents and children. [11:19]
Pay equity as a signal of caring. Equitable pay shows employees that employers care about them as individuals. For companies to focus on pay equity, senior leaders must truly care about the issue, set the tone for the organization and take concrete action, not symbolic steps. Having diverse leadership is critical as well. Trusaic, where Megan is Chief Equality Officer, provides a tool for ensuring companies meet their ongoing pay equity goals. [12:18]
Pay equity as a driver of attraction and retention. In a still tight labor market, employees have new power to negotiate pay. The pay equity fight won by the U.S. National Women's Soccer Team has had far-reaching effects on the environment worldwide, and women are more aware than ever of what they deserve and what they require. [19:32]
Steps to an effective pay-equity program. Think through where your company has been and where it wants to go, identifying areas where it is still falling short and why. Apologize for mistakes in the past. Make pay equity an authentic priority and act to fulfill your promises. According to Megan, trust and equity make for happier workers, a better company and a healthier bottom line. [23:39]
The importance of the employee experience. Caring and inclusiveness extend to the experience employees have while accessing the benefits you provide. Recognize that not all employees want the same experience. For example, while many employees are happy with an all-digital experience, many still want hard copies and interpersonal interaction. That said, invest in technology that demonstrates care. For example, Unum ensures quick payment of benefits by connecting with Zelle, which can deliver payments with 24 hours. [29:18]
Featured speakers
January 27, 2023
Belonging is one of the most important aspects of the employee experience in today's world of work. We talk to two powerful HR leaders, Khady Gaye of United Airlines and Kimberly Bowen of Unum, about how you can help create a culture of genuine care.
What does it mean to belong at work? Belonging is the feeling of being valued and appreciated for who you are. The pandemic accelerated the importance of belonging in the workplace, forcing us to intertwine our personal lives and work lives and share them with each other. Now employees expect employers to take an interest in the totality of their lives, and employers can only be successful if they create comfort, connection and a safe space in which to be vulnerable and authentic. [05:00]
Creating belonging is now non-negotiable. Belonging is table stakes now. It's the fuel that drives performance, and employees are demanding to feel valued and cared about as people. Supporting employees in every aspect of their lives is no longer the ceiling of what an employer should provide; it is the floor. Every organization should make sure that belonging is embedded into the fabric of their culture. [11:00]
Go beyond current offerings to satisfy employee expectations. For today's employees — especially Gen Z — diversity, equity and inclusion are top on the list of expectations. Offerings like EAPs are fine, but employers need to do more to show employees they understand their lives and are willing to offer what they and their families need. If you make a better work environment for everyone, you don't have to focus only on underrepresented groups. That workplace must be a safe space for everyone to bring their authentic self to work. Without that, people will disengage. [14:22]
Tips for HR. Model the behavior. Use your voice to speak up to others in your organization and help them see how they can be better at fostering belonging and inclusion. Be intentional. Recognize that fostering belonging is a business strategy, and as such, it needs to be embraced and led by leaders at all levels of the organization. Take proactive steps to know the people in your organization, like setting up regular meetings with people who don't report directly to you, just to get to know them as human beings. Doing so will help you get their buy-in when it might otherwise be difficult to do so. [18:20]
Key insights on belonging. If you build inclusion, diversity will come. If you lead with empathy, belonging will come. The world has been shaken up, so have the courage to be yourself, create more dialogue and pay attention to the critical aspects that create a culture of belonging. [34:00]
Featured speakers
December 14, 2022
Leave has never been more important to employees than it is right now. But HR has also never had more on its plate. Listen as Unum leave experts discuss the policies, practices and technology that can make the difference between a best-in-class employee leave experience and one that misses the mark, putting your attraction and retention efforts at risk.
A perfect storm. Rising employee expectations, a tough labor market and increasing legal complexity are creating a perfect storm for leave management professionals. HR's role has become increasingly strategic, and they can't spend time being bogged down in managing administrative tasks. [02:52]
Emerging importance of employee experience. Nationally, employers have shifted from focusing on paid leave to making the leave experience easier and more personalized. [05:35]
Bad experiences work against your recruitment and retention goals. If you have great policies, but people don't know about them or you make it hard to use them, that's a bad experience. Education and ease of use are critical to success. Employers also need to have holistic policies that address their entire employee population, instead of just focusing on families with children. For example, caregiving needs are growing for employees with aging parents. [07:32]
Combine self-service, planning tools and human interaction for the best experience. Compliance is important, but don't forget that every leave represents a challenging life event for employees. Make sure they have the information and resources they need, easily accessible and on multiple channels, to feel confident in taking leave. Solutions like Unum Leave Logic reflect the need to craft experiences that mirror the ones employees are using outside of work, as consumers. [10:15]
Look for ways to take the burden off HR's shoulders. Solutions like Unum Total Leave can scale your processes, freeing you from Excel spreadsheets and repetitive tasks so you can take the time to create a positive, personalized experience for your employees, while ensuring you're in compliance with all relevant laws. The result will be higher retention and more people returning from leave ready to work. [14:06]
Featured speakers
October 18, 2022
Employee benefits have taken a huge leap in importance, according to two new studies from the insurance-industry research group LIMRA. Listen as LIMRA’s Kimberly Landry and Unum Group’s Cindy Nevers discuss five mega trends expected to change the industry — and enrollment tips for employers to implement now. The full reports are available to LIMRA members, and previewed in this special episode for HR Trends listeners.
Featured speakers
Jason Averbook
CEO and Co-founder of Leapgen, and Polly Nicholas, Senior Vice President and Head of Solutions at Unum
In the new world of work, “being human” has never been more important. Employers sit at the center of the families and communities they serve, and it's an exciting time to see how the prioritization of workers can help fuel humanity at scale. Listen as Jason and Polly discuss the importance of infusing humanity into the digital world of work, while proving that HR programs do what they set out to do.
Kathi Enderes
Senior Vice President of Research, The Josh Bersin Company
The conference saw the release of new research from The Josh Bersin Company: The Global Workforce Intelligence Project. Kathi discusses such findings as the looming shortage of nurses, with insights on improving the employee experience to keep nurses in their jobs. And what creative solution is Amazon employing to help solve the shortage? Listen to find out.
Swapnil Prabha
Vice President of Workforce Wellness Solutions
Swapnil stops by to talk about keeping people at the heart of HR tech. She discusses how Unum’s Behavioral Health solution centers people by being a full life-cycle solution meant for those anywhere on the mental health spectrum. And she talks about the grit HR leaders will need as the new normal of work becomes more defined. Listen to learn more.
Denise Chase
Executive Director of the Mom Project
Navigating the transition from working professional to working mom is no mean feat. Denise Chase of The Mom Project stops by to talk about her own journey, as well as how The Mom Project is changing the script and accelerating female workforce participation. Listen as she discusses best practices for getting parents back in to the workforce and increasing their productivity.
Adam Gordon
Co-founder, PTO Genius
Burnout is at epidemic levels in the U.S. and innovative companies are tackling this problem head-on. Adam — a winner of the HR Tech Product of the Year — discusses the deeply personal stories that led to his company’s creation. “Time off hasn’t been touched in decades,” he says. “There has to be a better way to optimize and utilize it.” Listen to find out how is AI being leveraged to improve employee experience.
Jess Von Bank
Head of Brand and Vendor Services, Leapgen
Jess believes we currently have an opportunity to remake work on more equitable terms. Employers need to remove barriers for people — working moms being a prime example — instead of always demanding that people overcome those barriers. She believes gender and race pay gaps should be considered corporate criminal behavior. And why does she says technology by itself is not the solution? Listen to find out.
Tim Sackett
President of HRU Technical Resources
As a talent expert, Tim weighs in on the high level of venture capital investment being directed at HR tech and what it means for the future of attracting and retaining employees. Listen to hear him discuss why HR needs to improve quantitative success metrics and devise new ways to access and develop talent in a labor shortage that is not going away anytime soon.
Ellen McCann
AVP of Leave Solutions, and Amanda Neely, Director, Solutions at Unum
“Employee leave needs to be revolutionized,” says Ellen McCann. Listen to this acclaimed national thought leader as Amanda Neely presents some key questions employers have about leave. We cover the vital importance of employee education, how digital access allows employees to do their own scenario planning, and how tech opens up holistic experiences like lactation rooms and mental health support.
Robin Schooling
podcast host of DriveThru HR
As a talent strategist in this tight labor market, Robin gives her insights on finding ways to encourage internal mobility and expanding the candidate pool by looking at skills instead of job descriptions. And why is Robin skeptical of candidate-matching software? Listen to find out.
Polly Nicholas
Senior Vice President and Head of Solutions
Rich Lappin
AVP of HR Connect Solutions at Unum
Live from Workday Rising! Why is an insurance carrier at Workday Rising? Rich and Polly relate how Unum was the first carrier to become a software partner with Workday®, allowing the two systems to directly exchange data in real time without file feeds. Listen to learn how Unum HR Connect helps Workday users reclaim time spent on benefits administration, leave management and evidence of insurability.
Steve Boese
HR Technology Conference Co-chair and Co-founder of H3 HR Advisors
The HR Tech conference is no longer about the latest gadget — it’s about the end results. Listen as Steve discusses how businesses can draw a straight line from employee well-being to increased productivity, talent retention and absenteeism reduction — with programs and software that create huge impacts for employees and their families alike. He also discusses what’s next for HR tech in 2023.
September 7, 2022
The swift rise in inflation and worries about a potential recession have taken a financial and emotional toll on employees. In this episode, financial and wellbeing experts — Martha Leiper, Carl Gagnon and Laurie Mitchell — share their insights about what’s driving inflation and the practical steps organizations can take to support the people that power their business.
Several factors are increasing the inflation pressure on the economy. Many businesses are grappling with rising supply costs and shortages, as well as a tight labor market and wage inflation. And businesses are having to pass those costs to their customers. [7:12]
Workers are often not aware of their employer’s resources. Most employers offer some resources for emotional and mental health wellbeing and it’s important to build awareness around them before workers get to a place of severe stress. [12:48]
Know your risk tolerance. Take control of what you can. A time of turmoil is not a time to panic and sell your investments, because you will be selling at low valuation. "If you’re close to retirement, you should be out of the more volatile securities,” said Martha Leiper. “But if you’re young in your career, don’t panic, these types of times tend to create good buying opportunities, and the markets will correct, and your savings will grow over time.” [13:59]
Diversify savings to ride economic cycles. Offer employees more saving options to respond to different needs, such as building an emergency savings fund and asset diversification for their retirement plans. [17:13]
Engage employees in different ways. Find a balance in addressing the benefit needs of a diverse workforce. And offer workers easy options to engage, including in-person, phone and virtual. [22:09]
Design programs across the spectrum of total rewards. Employees want to engage, but they’re also concerned about their personal privacy. “Whether you’re dealing with financial or mental health — it’s about engaging the employees to use the tools that are there and being pleasantly surprised at what those tools can offer an employee,” said Carl Gagnon. [24:36]
Featured speakers
August 8, 2022
The pandemic didn’t create the need for workplace transformation, but it definitely accelerated it. Listen as two experts in industrial organizational psychology discuss the importance of creating an employee experience that fulfills the evolving needs of the 21st-century worker, and how purposeful employee listening can have a powerful effect on an organization’s ability to create a superior experience for their customers.
What is industrial organizational psychology? It’s the study of how business shapes humans and humans shape business — or how to maximize systems and experiences across all parts of the talent lifecycle to encourage people to be their best at work. [3:30]
Why is the employee experience so important right now? A huge portion of the workforce is now actively thinking about what’s important to them at work, what motivates them, what brings them joy and satisfaction. Employers need to understand these desires — in terms of culture, environment, career development, etc. — so they can keep the employees they have and attract those outside the organization who are looking to make a change. [6:00]
Is this all because of the pandemic? The big trends affecting the workplace now — with people wanting more flexibility, inclusion, diversity and autonomy — have been bubbling up for years. What the pandemic did was drive the need for solutions. [7:30]
Where does the customer come in? The experience you provide your employees directly affects the experience they provide for your customers. Investing in employees and listening to them helps you embed your mission as their North Star, and results will follow. [10:00]
What does “employee listening” really mean? Employee listening is the process of collecting, paying attention to and responding to feedback from your employees. Employees will only invest their time in providing feedback if it is acknowledged and if you respond by taking what actions you can. You must also be sure to communicate the actions you’ve taken. [13:30]
What are some best practices for implementing an employee listening program? Generally, employee listening takes the form of employee surveys. You need to balance the frequency of your surveys with your ability to take action. As your process matures, you can increase the frequency, or add in feedback from the entire employee journey. Be sure you understand your infrastructure for feedback and taking action, as well as your culture. These will determine how quickly you can effect change. [18:00]
Featured speakers
May 27, 2022
In the first episode of season two of the HR Trends podcast, Clare Morin speaks to Brian Kropp, Chief of Research and Distinguished Vice President at Gartner, and Polly Nicholas, Senior Vice President and Head of Solutions at Unum Group, about the fundamental shifts happening in HR and how business leaders who respond to the holistic needs of their employees will win the talent and retention game.
Featured speakers