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.
Clare talks us through what's coming from our recent interviews at the HR Technology Conference 2022 in Las Vegas.
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.
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. Key Takeaways Several factors are increasing the inflation pressure on the economy. Many businesses are grappling with rising su...
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. Episode details: What is industrial organizational psychology? It’s the ...
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. Key takeaways As the line between work and home have become blurred, it’s caused a reconsideration ...
To close out the first season of the HR Trends podcast, Clare Morin welcomes futurist Ravin Jesuthasan, co-author of the new book Work without Jobs , and Greg Till, EVP and Chief People Officer of Providence Health Systems. They discuss how the pandemic has accelerated ten years of transformation in two years, and what the future holds for workers and employers. Key Takeaways The pandemic put the tech-fueled transformation of the workplace on hyperdrive. “Alvin Toffler wrote about in 1970 that w...
On the heels of the Supreme Court’s stay of the private employer vaccine mandate, OSHA has withdrawn its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) while it works on a permanent rule. In the meantime, employers remain responsible for keeping employees safe from COVID-19 at work. Ellen McCann joins guest host Nate Smith to discuss this latest development. OSHA withdrew the ETS but has not abandoned the idea of an employer mandate. On January 25, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) an...
What should employers know about federal COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandates, after the January 13 Supreme Court ruling? Legal expert Ellen McCann walks HR listeners through the current status of the three federal mandates and what employers should do now to ensure a safe workplace. Background: The three federal mandates. They are (1) the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) or private employer mandate , (2) the Centers for Medicare & Medi...
To ring in the new year, CEOs from the American Psychological Association and MaineHealth join host Clare Morin to discuss why investing in behavioral health in 2022 is not just good for your employees but also good for your business. Key Takeaways The psychological fallout of the pandemic has only just begun. The pandemic unleashed a tsunami of stress that will continue to be felt even once COVID-19 is gone. (3:50) This is a long-term project for employers. Military studies have shown that peop...
As a follow-up to Episode 34 on the federal vaccine mandate , Unum employment law and compliance expert Ellen McCann joins guest host Nate Smith with updates for employers on OSHA’s most recent guidance, outlining what employers need to know, what clarifications occurred with OSHA’s guidance and important timelines to consider.* - Employers with 100 or more employees will need to choose which route to take . Under OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard, employers can choose between requiring 1) All...
Enrollment season is upon us – and perhaps has never been more important. There is an increased demand for better benefits, and an enrollment experience that integrates innovative technology with authentic, individualized and human connection. In this episode, HR technology and enrollment experts share their top recommendations, including: Personalized benefits are trending. Steve Boese shares insights from his role as Program Chair of the HR Technology Conference. Organizations should prioritiz...
The President’s vaccine mandate Employment law and compliance expert Ellen McCann explores what we know about the President’s vaccine mandate so far. She discusses which employees are covered, how the mandate will be implemented, prospects for litigation and what it all means for employers.
The pandemic continues to disrupt daily lives as the Delta variant of COVID-19 sweeps through the country . The rate of stress-related disorders has also started to rise again amid ongoing unpredictability. In this episode, we speak to two behavioral health experts on how employers can best support employees this fall. Employers play a vital role in supporting employee mental health. Providing support may look different in hybrid and remote working situations, but it’s all the more important and...
Tech is transforming every aspect of today’s business world, and this now includes leave and absence management. In this episode, two of Unum’s top leave experts discuss how innovations have and will continue to fundamentally transform the employee and employer experience. A perfect storm for today’s HR teams. Changing conditions have been building around HR complexities, leading to a need for digital transformation. [2:15] Navigating the growing complexities. With 65% of calls being claim or le...
As we move into a tight labor market in the second half of 2021, organizations will need a strong employee benefits messaging strategy to recruit and retain talent. However, for this strategy to work, organizations must educate their workforce about their benefits offering. In this podcast episode, Chris Bernadine, Sr., Chief Enrollment Officer at Meridio, and Rob Quell, a Vice President at Colonial Life, discuss the importance of year-round benefits education and provide tactical tips for emplo...
Unum employment law experts Daris Freeman and Tamika Newson join Clare Morin in the HR Trends studio to update employers on legal considerations for leave, the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and other issues as employees begin returning to offices and worksites after the pandemic. Challenges from rise of remote/hybrid work : Most leave laws don’t address the complexities of remote or hybrid work. With more people working away from the company’s physical location, employers are struggling ...
Listen in as Dr. Philip Levendusky of the world-renowned McLean Hospital joins Unum’s Swapnil Prabha, to discuss the worsening mental health crisis in the U.S. and how innovative employer behavioral health programs can help remove the barriers to care. A continuing trend. Mental health issues have been on the rise for the past five years. [2:18] Gen Z suffering most. People aged 18 to 24 accounted for 56% of those reporting symptoms of anxiety disorder and/or depressive disorders during the pand...
The world-renowned HR thought leader Josh Bersin joins Mike Simonds, COO of Unum Group, and Swapnil Prabha, Unum’s VP of Digital Offering, in a discussion about the fundamental changes wrought by the pandemic – and how those changes are driving benefits tech trends and innovations in 2021. Post-pandemic economic boom. As we slowly emerge from the pandemic, many experts are predicting an economic boom. Signs are pointing to a dynamic economy with a lot of opportunities for businesses and HR profe...
The ongoing pandemic has put a spotlight on people’s physical and mental health – and on the critical role employers have in safeguarding their employees’ overall well-being. As the vaccine efforts continue across the U.S., we discuss the role employers should play in terms of the vaccination roll out. Dr. Dora Anne Mills, Chief Health Improvement Officer at MaineHealth, and Rob Hecker from Unum discuss how employers – of all sizes – can help with vaccination efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic...
The ongoing pandemic has left a huge impact on the public sector, from budget cuts to complex operational needs in state, local and municipality governments, public agencies and schools. Employee benefits has become a critical retention strategy, but also an added challenge. We talk to two benefits experts with vast experience in the public sector. Employee benefits is key to public sector’s competition for talent: Employee benefits are vital to a recruitment and retention strategy, as public se...
Two founders of HR firms and industry podcast leaders – Lars Schmidt and Joey Price – talk about how businesses are adapting their wellness and benefits packages in 2021. We focus on employers with 250 employees or less and the data from a new report . Lars and Joey offer practical advice on everything from benefits communication to how sole HR practitioners can lean on a wider community, as well as the urgency of implementing HR technology and process digitization. Customize employee benefits p...
We speak to Scott Omelianuk, editor in chief of Inc. magazine, and Jill Sasso, Vice President of Human Resources, Governance & Programs at the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) about how small businesses are shifting their benefits planning in 2021. We discuss a new small business report from Unum, how leading companies are adapting, and key insights for keeping women , in particular, in the workforce. Industries have been hit by the pandemic in vastly different ways: Roug...
Today’s workforce is faced with extraordinary challenges in balancing work and family obligations. Women in particular are exiting the workforce in unprecedented numbers during the pandemic to care for children and elderly family members. In this episode, the international leave and absence expert, Anna Steffeney, discusses why the employee experience is critical to leave and absence planning, why deliberate strategies are necessary for both leave and employee reintegration, and the critical nee...
Yesterday’s leave and absence management programs aren’t working for today’s workforce – or the workforce of the future. Employers face significant challenges managing employee leave and HR compliance, from evolving complex regulations, to competition for highly skilled employees and an ongoing global health crisis. In this episode, leave and absence management experts Matthew Howes of Aon and Susan Stowell and Marci Cyr from Unum explore these challenges and share the fundamentals of building a...
HR compliance is more complex than ever, particularly with leave and absence management. In this episode, Daris Freeman and Ellen McCann give an overview of paid leave laws, both pre-pandemic and those being signed into law amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Key takeaways: Prior to the pandemic, many states and jurisdictions had existing employer-mandated paid leave laws. (01:25) States and local jurisdictions have stepped up to provide paid leave for workers due to COVID-related reasons . T...
A new survey shows that with the ongoing pandemic and complexities caused by school closures this fall, employers are expecting a rise in mental health challenges for their employees. In this episode, two world-renowned mental health experts from Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Dr. Kerry Ressler and Dr. Lisa Coyne, join Unum’s employee benefits and well-being strategy expert ,Robert Hecker, to discuss the survey’s findings and how employers can support their employees. Key Takeaways ...
A New York federal court recently struck down parts of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) rule interpreting employee paid sick and extended FMLA leave components of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Two national employment law experts, Jeff Nowak and Ellen McCann, discuss the court’s decision and its implications for the future of FFCRA leave – and employers. Key takeaways On April 1, 2020, when the scope of the pandemic first became apparent, Congress passed the FFCRA. DO...
With the social-distancing needs of the COVID-19 pandemic, employers may be wondering what benefits enrollment will look like in 2020. For many employers, virtual enrollment methods are replacing face-to-face meetings. According to a recent employer survey , virtual enrollment is expected to double this year. In this episode, benefits experts Shawn Ferguson and Richard Shaffer provide insights for employers. Top takeaways Before implementing a virtual enrollment strategy, make sure your organiza...
Unum surveyed 400+ employers in early June to ask how the pandemic was impacting their benefits, leave and enrollment planning. We found that big changes are coming — and they could be permanent. In today’s episode, Sharlyn Lauby, Rob Hecker and Ellen McCann discuss the survey findings, and how the pandemic is fundamentally reshaping the workplace and employee benefits. Top takeaways 56% of employers will allow flexibility to work from home even after the pandemic. Employers are starting to ask ...
