Episodes
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Miller-Merrell delivers an inspiring message for HR: âBe the change you want to see and challenge those around you to be inclusive and supportive.â HR has a critical role to play in workplace wellness, including leaning into conversations about domestic violence. âNormalize these topics,â 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.
Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10â13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. Youâll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.
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Tune in to hear Boese review his 15 years at the HR Tech conference and the innovative ideas heâs seeing at this yearâs 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. âAI canât teach us how to love,â he says, so we must find ways to use technology while preserving the human touch.
Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10â13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. Youâll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.
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Missing episodes?
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Schooling takes listeners into the macro-level conversations sheâs hearing at this yearâs 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 donât may get left behind in 2024.
Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10â13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. Youâll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.
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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.
Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10â13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. Youâll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.
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Listen in as Bussing discusses pay equity and the gender gap. She shares advice from her conference session about looking at the work â comparing âskills, effort, responsibility and working conditionsâ â to get the pay right. To help employees thrive in 2024, she says, HR pros need to be more efficient and intentional.
Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10â13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. Youâll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.
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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.
Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10â13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. Youâll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.
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Hear Zalis talk about the five dimensions of a well-rounded life and how to protect those âslices of the pieâ to succeed in work and at home. Learn about âlife-stage accommodationâ and why it is so important for employers to offer inclusive policies that show empathy and care. âWhen purpose meets passion,â Zalis tells HR, âyou are unstoppable.â Chelsea Lugiano, Customer Engagement Manager at Unum Group, moderates the discussion.
Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10â13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. Youâll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.
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Every HR organization is undergoing perpetual transformation. âWe live in a world where change is no longer the enemy â it has to be the strategy,â Averbook says. âBuilding an agile muscle is a mindset HR has to have in 2024.â Listen as he explains how tools like generative AI can help us rethink everything we do if weâre ready to âperpetually unlearn.â
Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10â13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. Youâll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.
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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.
Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10â13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. Youâll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.
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Listen to Achille discuss this yearâs Women in HR Tech Summit and how it has evolved to include broader diversity topics, such as pay equity and inclusion. With todayâs multigenerational workforce, Achille says inclusion and belonging should be a major focus for HR in 2024.
Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10â13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. Youâll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.
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âPeople are struggling,â says Dr. Conrad. âIQ is down since the â70s; 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.â 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.
Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10â13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. Youâll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.
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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 â40% of employees canât come up with $400 today.â He urges HR to be bold: âWe canât go in the boardroom meek; we need to go in with ROI and a point of view.â Listen to learn about HR tech solutions that help meet this mandate.
Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10â13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. Youâll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.
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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 donât 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.
Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10â13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. Youâll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.
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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.
Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10â13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. Youâll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.
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According to Harris, the most important question for 2024 is âDo we have the data?â Hear about Sapient Insight Groupâs newest research and why Harris believes transformational leave management is a key HR priority this coming year. âDonât just do change management,â she says, âmanage the change. Employees are burning out. Give your executives a reality check.â
Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10â13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. Youâll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond.
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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 well-being.
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. âJust be real and be weird and like everyone's weird in their own way. And why not cherish that and celebrate it, says Lim.â [11:55]
The Greenhouse Model: Lim introduces the "Greenhouse Model," which focuses on first nurturing one's own well-being and values. She says, âI 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.â 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: âSo therefore we have a new social contract together.â [19:35]
Looking Ahead: The discussion concludes with a focus on the future of work. Lim suggests that leaders need to prioritize well-being and encourage teams to find meaning and balance in their work. Prabha emphasizes the importance of shaping company cultures that support mental health and well-being. 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, âI want to see what are the clinical outcomes? Is my employee population actually getting better?â [26:05]
Featured Speakers
Jenn Lim
CEO at Delivering Happiness | Bestselling Author | Global Workplace Expert
Jenn Lim is the bestselling author of Beyond Happiness and has been named one of the world's top 50 keynote speakers. She's had the privilege of leading a company to the INC 5000 fastest growing list, sitting on the global Happiness Council of Work and Well-Being and working with hundreds of companies from Fortune 500 and best places to work to startups and governments. Her mission is both simple and profound to teach businesses how to create workplaces, lead with happiness and humanity that generate more profit, sustain all people at every level of the organization, and share how we can make an impact by being true to our authentic selves.
Swapnil Prabha
Vice President, Workforce Wellness Solutions â Unum Group
A thought leader in the insurance industry, Swapnil Prabha's work is helping to shape the digital future of employee benefits. She has helped to develop solutions such as Unum Behavioral Health, which addresses the full continuum of mental health for employees from baseline measurement to a complete range of easily accessible resources and therapeutic interventions. She also leads strategic direction and capability priorities for Unum Leave Logic â an industry-leading leave education and planning SaaS solution.
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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.Âź
People analytics is more than just basic reporting. [03:49]Real-time connectivity simplifies leave processes. [06:42]Simplicity saves time and creates a better experience. [08:33]Connectivity helps solve the challenge of intermittent leave. [10:24]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
Curt Burghardt
Vice President, People Delivery Group, UnumIn his role as Vice President of the People Delivery Group at Unum, Curt Burghardt drives how the organization leverages cutting-edge technology to transform the employee experience â among our own employees and in close partnership with key business partners and customer facing initiatives. Curt lives in Portland, Maine with his wife and their two children. He has lived across the United States â from Hawaii to Boston and several places in between, including Chicago, San Francisco and Denver â during his previous roles with both Walgreens and United Airlines.
Denise Ferguson
Assistant Vice President, People & Communications TechnologyDenise Ferguson is the AVP of People & Communications Technology. She joined Unum in April of 2015 as the AVP of HR Technology. Her responsibilities include enabling strategy through the use of cutting-edge technology and delivery of the technology roadmap for human resources, diversity and inclusion, corporate social responsibility and corporate communications. Prior to her role at Unum, Denise was the Senior Director of Human Resources Information Systems for Smith & Nephew. Before moving into dedicated technology roles, Denise held various functional HR roles in recruiting and compensation, and served as a HRBP and HR Manager for RSA Security, Inc. in Bedford, Massachusetts. Denise earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Boston University.
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New research from LIMRA and EY shows that workplaces have reached a âgenerational tipping point.â Millennials and Gen Z employees now make up the majority of the workforce â 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. LIMRAâs 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, LIMRAâs 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. âThe benefit programs of the future need to be more customizable and provide more options for employees to pick and choose from,â 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, âyour employer is not making the decisions for you any longer.â [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 employeesâ differing needs. âAbout 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,â Landry says. [06:30]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. âPaid family leave sounds simple, but itâs really, really complicated for employers,â 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 [A1] leave management to a carrier who can provide a good combination of technology and human support. [13:00]How does all this factor into enrollment? As employers offer more benefits and as employees need more education, itâs important to be mindful about how you roll out your benefits enrollment. Some best practices:Spread communication out over time in a drip campaign instead of bombarding employees with an overwhelming amount of information all at once. Talk about only one or two benefits at a time, so employees can pay equal attention to all their options. Communicate more about brand-new or unfamiliar benefits. Encourage employees to start enrolling early in the enrollment window, so they have time to ask questions and make informed decisions. [27:12] -
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 âBEATâ 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 â Unumâs Ellen McCann and Angel Bennett â discuss the implications for employers in this tough post-pandemic labor market.
Employers are catching up. [01:47]Diversity is driving change. [04:30]Complexity is here to stay. [06:03]Paid leave is getting hotter.[07:11]Employers canât do it alone. [09:40]Companies that outsource free up time. [10:37]Care impacts the bottom line. [14:38]One key message? [17:28]Read the full show notes here.
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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 TIMEâs 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 âbe more.â After the national teamâs second World Cup victory in 2019, Rapinoe challenged everyone to âstep outside of yourself, be more, be better, be bigger than youâve ever been before.â 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: âCompanies focus so much on employees at work. What about those times when our employees canât come to work?â [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. [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 Womenâs 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. [23:39]The importance of the employee experience. Caring and inclusiveness extend to the experience employees have while accessing the benefits you provide. [29:18]Featured speakers
Megan Rapinoe
Chief Equality Officer, TrusaicMegan Rapinoe is a difference maker on a global scale. She is the captain of the U.S. National Womenâs Soccer Team, an Olympic gold medalist, and a two-time World Cup champion, renowned for her activism. In February 2022, after a lengthy legal battle led by Rapinoe, the U.S. National Womenâs Soccer Team reached a historic equal pay agreement with the U.S. Soccer Federation, which included $22 million in back pay for the players and the promise of equal pay going forward. Today, Megan Rapinoe is Chief Equality Officer for Trusaic â a leading workplace equity company focused on advancing social good by solving HR's most complex challenges across people, data and analytics.
Ellen McCann
Assistant Vice President, Leave Solutions, Unum GroupEllen McCann serves as a leading expert in applying benefits and benefits technology to power modern solutions to more effective employee leave programs, stronger regulatory compliance and enhanced digital HR transformation.
Read more about Megan Rapinoe, one of TIMEâs 2023 Women of the Year, at https://trusaic.com/megan-rapinoe-partnership/. For more information about Unum, visit https://www.unum.com/employers/solutions - Show more