bWise

If you enjoyed bWise, it's time to tune in to bswift Beacon—our next chapter in podcasting! Hosts Denise and Joel will bring you smart, thought-provoking conversations with the movers, shakers, and company culture makers redefining the workplace. Dive into bold ideas, real stories, and actionable strategies to help your workplace thrive. No sales pitches, just honest talk about what's next in the world of work, benefits, and the challenges HR faces. Subscribe to the new bswift Beacon podcast feed today. Don't miss out!  Spotify Apple Podcasts iHeart RSS

Join hosts Don and Sharon as they explore the latest AI enhancements to bswift's groundbreaking AI-powered platform intelligence, Emma. In this episode, we chat with Emma herself (yes, you read that right!) alongside her creators: Jeff Kirk (VP of AI), Vinita Pilani (SVP of Product Engineering), and Adam Perkins (VP of Strategic Product Management). Emma talks with them about the cutting-edge HR tech behind her upgrade. From natural language processing and user-friendly interface design to personalized recommendations and contextual education features, discover how Emma is setting new standards in employee benefits experiences.    About Emma  Emma is bswift's AI-powered platform intelligence that enhances the benefits experience. As the first tool of her kind, she has continuously evolved over the past decade since her inception to meet the changing needs of employees and HR. Emma's recent upgrade expands her toolset, making her more helpful than ever. Emma is available 24/7, independently resolving nearly 90% of inquiries, with most handled after hours. She provides personalized support for employees and assists CSRs when the human touch is needed. By seamlessly integrating throughout the employee experience, Emma is raising the bar in benefits administration.    Watch the video of this episode here. 

In this episode, Don and Sharon talk with bswift's VP of AI Jeff Kirk about how artificial intelligence (AI) will transform the workplace and the employee benefits space. Jeff shares his career journey from the early days of the internet to pivotal roles like working on Amazon's Alexa team. Tune in for thought-provoking perspectives on developing AI responsibly while transforming work. Jeff offers a roadmap for how AI can act as a copilot that empowers employers and enhances experiences for customers and employees alike. 

Get practical insights for driving successful digital transformations across industries. Listen in as Dave Mankowski shares his 20+ years of experience and wisdom, with real-world examples of digitizing businesses. You'll learn about the guiding principles he employs for optimal digital engagement, like enabling consumer control and building genuine relationships beyond personalization. He emphasizes how businesses need to deeply understand customers, taking an “anthropologist's view” to forge meaningful connections. Dave also explores unique healthcare industry challenges and how AI and smart architectures can tailor solutions at scale. Don't miss his perspectives on empowering the next generation to uncover their “special powers” for making an impact in their careers.    About Dave Mankowski  Dave Mankowski is the Chief Growth Officer at Bounteous. He has more than 20 years of experience in digital transformations, developing businesses, marketing, and managed services solutions. He excels at leading teams to design holistic strategies and drive growth for Fortune 500 companies and startups. His background includes engineering and management degrees from Michigan State and Northwestern. 

Overwhelmed by the accelerating pace of change in benefits administration? The latest episode of the bWise Podcast is a master class in optimizing operations. Listen in as industry heavyweight and bswift advisory council member Maria Yao distills 30+ years of frontline expertise. In this insightful interview, you'll uncover her three pillars of operational excellence – comprehensive training, rigorous documentation, and continuous simplification – and gain insights into fostering healthy team dynamics. Maria also offers a grounded perspective on leveraging automation and AI in HR tech while maintaining the critical human touch. Tune in for Maria's straight-shooting advice and elevate your operational capabilities.   About Maria Yao  Maria Yao is a professional services executive and industry veteran with insights honed over a storied career leading global delivery operations at industry giants. Maria excels at driving profitability, building strong client partnerships, and fostering a winning culture among talented service delivery teams. Her expertise spans benefits administration, HR services, operations excellence, and leveraging technology.  

In this episode, hosts Don and Sharon sit down with HR and benefits administration leader Lana Hillebrand, former Chief Administrative Officer at American Electric Power Company, Inc., who recently joined bswift's advisory council. Lana shares her early career aspirations—which began with a bold declaration as a young girl that she wanted to be an astronaut—and what ultimately led her to a successful career in HR. Based on her experiences consulting and leading HR, she offers invaluable advice to consultants, vendors, job seekers, and anyone else in the industry. Listen in as Lana discusses the importance of relationship building, thought leadership, flexibility, and more. You'll walk away with practical tips for navigating change and thriving in this fast-paced field. 

On this episode, benefit administration insider Scott Millson shares his unique perspective on his over three decades in the employee benefits field. Listen in as Scott reflects on major industry transformations, from the rise of online enrollment to emerging technologies like AI. He also offers a look into writing his upcoming book and why he was drawn to joining the bswift Advisory Council. Listeners will walk away with practical advice on thriving in this fast-evolving business landscape. 

Listen in as bswift Chief Operating Officer, Amit Jain, talks about his passion for client service, his unique approach to leadership, and his vision for the future. Amit also shares his love for cold therapy (Wim Hof, anyone?), and how it influences his work ethic and dedication to delivering results. He dives deep into the challenges and opportunities in the benefits administration industry, and outlines bswift's strategy for consistently exceeding client expectations. You'll also hear about Amit's commitment to building a culture of “higher standards,” “greater accountability,” and yes, even “more fun” at bswift.

How can HR professionals be true people partners that empower and shape company culture? bswift's Chief People Officer Natalie Atwood talks with bWise hosts Don and Sharon about her passion for putting people first. Learn how she's guiding bswift's cultural evolution—focusing on talent, transparency, engagement, and wellbeing. Natalie also discusses key elements of bswift's benefits admin success like speed, simplicity, and creating a culture of connection in a remote-first world. Tune in for an uplifting discussion on leading with care, trust, and fun. 

Get an insider's look at how bswift's Head of Operational Excellence, Adam Hostetter, is driving major improvements. Learn how his team is enhancing service delivery, upgrading technology, and aligning workstreams to accelerate growth. Adam shares insights on creating organizational alignment through visibility and communication. Hear how he employs urgency, quick wins, and constant iteration to lead successful change management. He also talks through balancing data-driven decisions with leadership instincts, maintaining work-life balance, and not losing sight of core entrepreneurial truths. Tune in for an illuminating discussion on how Adam's operational leadership expertise is propelling bswift's world-class benefits administration.

Join hosts Don and Sharon as they speak with Ted Bloomberg, bswift's CEO, about bswift's bright future as we emerge as a standalone organization. In this episode, you'll learn more about bswift's leadership, what fuels our passion for our clients and partners, and our commitment to deliver excellent technology and service to all those we serve. Don and Sharon will discuss how the fundamentals of transparency, communication, and accountability are the foundational elements bswift roots itself in to drive the business. Settle in for fun and fast-paced dialogue that even includes a baseball story or two!

Join hosts Don and Sharon live from bswift's Idea Exchange conference in sunny Orlando, Florida as they speak with Mark Rieder, NFP's head of innovation, about digital transformation! In this episode, we'll explore how digital transformation can improve the employee experience, boost customer satisfaction, increase productivity, and drive greater profitability for the company. They'll discuss cutting-edge technologies like AI, blockchain, ChatGPT, and other digital tools that are changing benefits administration and HR. Plus they share tips for navigating the challenges of change. Don't miss this insightful conversation about the future of business.

Join hosts Don and Sharon as they meet with the bswift UX Portfolio Owner, Rachel Bates, to discuss all things user interface. During this episode we uncover the gaps that benefit administration systems are tasked with closing when looking closely at providing a contemporary user experience for employees. Rachel reviews the philosophy behind how bswift looks at the employee experience and also briefs our audience on new roadmap items that will be unveiled over the next 12-18 months.

Join our hosts Don and Sharon as they meet with bswift's new Chief Technology Officer, John Hansen. During this episode, John discusses bswift's proven ability to deliver flexible and customer-focused ben admin in today's everchanging environment, and how bswift's unique position is being harnessed to drive agility at scale to solve key employer needs, both today and tomorrow. Plus, hear what attracted John to bswift as a company and where he plans to take the bswift technology.

Jin Oak Ha, President & CEO, on taking bswift to the next level in 2022 and beyond Join our hosts as they meet with Jin Oak Ha, bswift's new President and Chief Executive Officer. During the discussion Jin Oak lends her thoughts on how employers are faced with different challenges than they faced 18-24 months ago in a pre-pandemic world. Employers have been tasked with helping employees navigate creating safe work spaces, mental health struggles, work from home engagement, etc. Jin Oak shares her perspective with the audience in this episode on how bswift is well positioned to continue to support employers with their emerging needs given these unprecedented times.

Over the last 18 months, HR teams have been challenged like never before as they have had to adapt to the twists and turns of COVID-19. As the pandemic enters yet another phase, organizations are now tasked with tracking COVID-19 vaccines and test results for employees. bswift has teamed up with CVS Health, who has been at the forefront of testing and vaccine administration since day one, to develop and implement a COVID-19 vaccine and testing attestation solution for clients. Join our hosts Don Garlitz and Sharon Morrissey as they meet with bswift's Senior Vice President of Implementations & Technical Services, Justin Burns, and discuss bswift's newest technological innovation, bswift Attest.

Join our hosts as they visit with the managing partners of Apprize Technology, Matt Anderle and Melissa Brown. During this episode we dive into how Apprize has used the insurance industry's top challenges to build a brand focused on white glove benefit administration support.  Listen in to hear what producers and plan sponsors should be considering when it comes to leveraging technology as we move into 2022.

This panel discussion of experts Kate Taylor (Benefit Technology Resources), Mike Hager (Hager Strategic) and Sean Clem (Brown & Brown) was held in conjunction with bswift's annual Idea Exchange client conference. The dialogue is presented in two parts, and in part two, we explore questions around how benefits budgets have been impacted by the pandemic, and how employers have reprioritized employee communication and engagement strategies due to the work from home requirements. We also consider the impact of increasing cybersecurity threats, and what the future holds for innovation in benefits administration.

This panel discussion of experts Kate Taylor (Benefits Technology Resources), Mike Hager (Hager Strategic) and Sean Clem (Brown & Brown) was held in conjunction with bswift's annual Idea Exchange client conference. The dialogue is presented in two parts, and in part one, we explore plans by employers to return to the office, the models of co-sourcing vs. total benefit outsourcing for benefits administration, the way the pandemic has tested business continuity programs, and the growth in adoption of benefits technology.

Self-insuring is routine for large employers, and a growing trend for smaller plans. Listen in as Mark Schmidt and Michael Ciarrocchi of Meritain explain some fundamentals to smart change management, the value of interchangeable point solutions, and where this TPA fits in the larger CVS Health and Aetna strategies.

Tune in to hear Mike DiSimone and Paul Sari share new trends in the consumer directed health and savings account space, and discuss how consumer behavior is driving a transformation of the participant experience to ensure that it is simple for employees to plan, save and pay for their holistic well-being journey.

“We're big enough, but small enough” is one way that John frames up Assured Partners' unique approach to providing a boutique and local broker experience while also providing the comprehensive services of a national firm. Listen in to learn how they've developed a powerful Center of Excellence to differentiate their services. During our conversation we discuss what Assured Partners values when it comes to broker services and even hear John's view around the future of underwriting. Join our hosts as we uncover how Assured Partners has strategically approached the insurance industry during a year of unknowns and how they are prepared to support clients in the future.

A discussion on workplace diversity & inclusion with bswift President & CEO Sanjiv Anand and Sr. Director of HR Carla Pollard Stewart.

Frank Mengert, the founder and creative visionary of EBM, a HR benefit solutions consultant out of New England joins bswift to discuss all things social media and business. During our conversation we uncover the several social media platforms available to use in marketing a business and which platforms Frank leverages most successfully. Throughout our conversation, Frank provides advice and tips on how to contribute to a booming business that can be leveraged by all. 

Craig Hasday, President of the National Employee Benefits Practice at Epic Brokers, joins bwise to discuss the complexities of the current insurance marketplace. Craig explores why the employer is facing a need for a strong broker partner, now more than ever, and discusses the key areas where employers need help with employee benefit planning and administration. Craig also dives into his view of the key healthcare issues at stake this year and what opportunities may be tied to the upcoming election.

The COO of Unum Group speaks to his approach to engaging people, his favorite recent reading, and the value of seeing relationships in whole rather than in silos. He offers a simple tip to bring in humility as a rein on arrogance, and discusses five amazing career paths in the insurance industry. Mike shares a perspective on why this is the greatest time in the history of the world to be alive, and the importance of having a strong “Why” to drive our daily work effort.

From the early days of Paul Roger's career where he learned the importance of training, to his most recent major career move facilitating the merger of Pacific Resources Group and Brown & Brown Insurance, Paul has lived by one of his favorite mottos, “plan your work and work your plan”. During our discussion with Paul, we dive into the practices that Paul feels have characterized the top members of his team, and how he has followed a mathematical formula to success. He explains the term “hire heavy”, and the impact it's had on creating the strength of his organization. He also discusses the challenge and opportunity of aligning a decentralized organization and gives some strong tips for achieving success.

Our special guest Michael Haske is a multi-talented leader of both sales and operations for one of the nation's top human capital management companies. In this episode, we learn how Michael fell in love with sales, how he encourages his people to find their own ways to solve problems, and how he limits his focus to accomplish more. His vision of the rising generation ensures that Paylocity will be an industry leader for years to come.

Jamie discusses how to start a business by finding opportunities presented by industry change and gives advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Jamie comments on the importance of establishing a strong business plan and balancing the unwavering commitment an entrepreneur must have to that plan and the ability to change and adapt as needed.

This episode offers insight from Raul Villar Jr about the evolution of the payroll market into a more holistic emphasis on human capital management, and the advantages that American companies now enjoy as a result. Raul shares three key principles he learned as a young man that have anchored his personal success, and the six guiding principles of Paycor. Raul speaks to his methods for change management, and the power that comes from challenging our routines. Our conversation comes full circle as we discuss Raul's career path within the industry and we hear his advice on how to kickstart and sustain an inspiring and successful career.

"Hire the best people, trust them and delegate with abandon." This is just one adage we hear from Ed O'Malley, the head of insurance brokerage and consulting at NFP during his interview with us. Ed offers advice on how to engage and empower employees and urges leaders  to leave room for employees to be independent, even if that means leaving room for failure.