Friends with Employee Benefits & HR

In this quick hit episode, we'll cover why SECURE 2.0 was created, what the impact will mean for your organization + your people, what deadlines are approaching, and what employers should be thinking about now to implement in the future. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, accounting, legal or tax advice. Any tax advice contained herein is of a general nature. You should seek specific advice from your tax professional before pursuing any idea contemplated herein.Music By: Colin Cross Music

In this episode, Host Jeff Cross is joined by Travis Dommert, SVP of Talent at OneDigital, for a candid conversation around why retaining your employees is not the answer when an organization is building their workforce strategy. Travis challenges the status quo by identifying how changing one word can completey alter the way leaders show up for their people and how employees view their managers - in the best way.  Music By: Colin Cross Music

Paul LaVoie, Chief Manufacturing Officer for the State of Connecticut, joins Host Jeff Cross for a conversation about the state of manufacturing in CT and the impact the current workplace challenges are having on this. The two dive into topics such as staffing, the great resignation, the impact of a recession, bringing more work to CT and more. If you are a business leader in the CT manufacturing space, you do not want to miss this episode. Music By: Colin Cross Music

Before you press play, make sure you go back to Part 1 released on January 10th to hear the first part of this conversation between Host Jeff Cross and David Tate.Being able to promote accountability is essential for organizational success. But the realities of how work has changed demand a new approach to accountability that supports results, people, and a culture of continuous improvement. Host Jeff Cross sat down with David Tate, Psychologist, Executive Coach, Professor at Yale, and Co-Author of his recently released book, "Conscious Accountability", to discuss why accountability is so important and how can leaders can leverage this idea of "conscious accountability" to make their organization more effective and a better place to work. An episode that is full of golden nuggets and great insights - perfect for any employer looking to make their business a destination workplace. Music By: Colin Cross Music

Being able to promote accountability is essential for organizational success. But the realities of how work has changed demand a new approach to accountability that supports results, people, and a culture of continuous improvement. Host Jeff Cross sat down with David Tate, Psychologist, Executive Coach, Professor at Yale, and Co-Author of his recently released book, "Conscious Accountability", to discuss why accountability is so important and how can leaders can leverage this idea of "conscious accountability" to make their organization more effective and a better place to work. It was such a great conversation that we had to split it into 2 parts - tune into to part 1 now! Music By: Colin Cross Music

With being almost a full year into the new Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave program, we decided to sit down with a CT-based employer to find out how things are going. Kate Pikul, HR Director at Avid Marketing, shares her experiences with the state plan, how her team and employees are finding the process, what hurdles they are still facing and what's next as they look at the private plan options. This 40-minute episode is packed full of great insight into the CT PFML program - take a listen and let us know what you think!For more information on CT PFML, check out our website here: https://www.onedigital.com/ct-paid-leave/ Music By: Colin Cross Music

Rachel Waldmann, Sr. Manager of Employee Experience at Privy, joined us this week to discuss the shift we are seeing from the term "Human Resources" to this idea of the People Experience and how employees are expecting more from their employers, brought on by the pandemic and the Great Resignation. The two also get into this idea of being happy at work; why employers should care about their employee's happiness level and ways that HR professionals and other leaders in the organization can get their teammates more engaged at work. Lastly, Host Jeff Cross asks Rachel where she sees the future of HR heading.  Music By: Colin Cross Music

Most likely, the vast majority of your employees have or are currently experiencing some sort of trauma brought on by current life events. Inflation, rising gas prices, the war in Ukraine, political divisiveness - just to name a few of the ongoing stories hitting the 5:00 news that are causing stress levels to rise and distracting us from being able to focus on our daily tasks. Adrienne Rouan, Executive Trauma Coach, sits down with Jeff Cross for a candid conversation around how we can better manage the amount of turmoil going on in across the country and the world. The two also get into how to prevent divisiveness between colleagues at work, and what we can do during Mental Health Awareness month to better support our employees' and our own mental wellbeing. This is 29 minutes packed with great insights and open dialogue - grab your coffee (or tea!) and enjoy.Music By: Colin Cross Music

Karen Casey, Head of People & Culture at Canidae Pet, joined Host Jeff Cross this week to discuss an important topic that all human resource professionals run into at some point in their career: managing poor performers. The two get into a great discussion around coaching vs. managing, how much time performance improvement plans should be given, how the employee's role in the workplace culture may be just as important as their performance, advice for when you have to let someone go, how to deal with the fall-out amongst other employees, and more. There's a lot packed into this 36-minute episode and for good reason. If you are in HR, or have a part in the people side of your organization, give this a listen! Music By: Colin Cross Music

58% of those who are feeling stressed, depressed, and lonely attribute it to financial problems.* Whether employers realize it or not - a majority of their employees are dealing with financial stress which leads to distractions at work and decreased productivity. For business leaders who truly care about their employees and want them to be able to thrive at work while also being ready to retire on time, tune into this episode with Gordon Oliver at Cambridge Credit Counseling. You'll walk away with actionable steps you can put into place now to better support your workforce moving forward. *John Hancock. "The impact of the pandemic on stress, finances, and well-being." August 2021. Music By: Colin Cross Music

Tune into this episode with Rebecca Sarkosi, Associate & Director of Interior Design, as she dives into something most employers forget about when putting together their strategy for combatting the great resignation: the physical workplace. During this discussion, Rebecca shares with Jeff how employers can leverage their office space to help their employees feel more comfortable coming back into the office. Topics include what changes employers are making to the workplace since COVID-19, making the commute more appealing and how the office space can aid in stress management.Music By: Colin Cross Music

Stephanie Johnson, Training Consultant, joins Jeff Cross on our first episode of 2022 to chat about hiring diversely. Employers have been prioritizing their DE&I efforts over the past few years, but many are still struggling with where to start. Stephanie dives into what it means to hire diversely, the steps HR professionals should take to ensure they are increasing the diversity in their applicant pool, where she finds they usually get stuck and how blind resumes and interviews play a role in the process. Here are additional resources to support the conversation: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/global-and-cultural-effectiveness/pages/beyond-the-numbers-creating-a-truly-diverse-organization.aspx https://www.forbes.com/sites/alineholzwarth/2021/02/18/how-to-actually-hire-for-diversity/?sh=40dcba8846f9 https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/8-diversity-recruiting-mistakes-how-to-avoid-them.aspx https://sapientinsights.com/capabilities-diversity-equity-inclusion/ Music By: Colin Cross Music

Sara Martin, CEO at WELCOA, joins the podcast to chat about her thoughts on the Great Resignation, how mental health has played a role, what employers and leaders should be doing about it and where she sees the future of work heading. An impactful 30-minute episode for any organization looking to support their workforce holistically in 2022. Music By: Colin Cross Music

Sleep happens outside of work hours - so why should employers care about their employees sleeping habits? Patrick Yam, CEO at Somnology, joins Host Jeff Cross, to dive into this and address the impact sleep has on employer-sponsored health plans as well as employee wellbeing, in addition to what HR professionals can do to better support their employees during the Q4 stress. Music By: Colin Cross Music

With less than 3 months to go before Connecticut Paid Leave Benefits kick-in, employers and HR professionals across the state are looking for answers as it relates to the process of applying and tracking claims, if a private plan option is still advantageous, and why employers should be holding on to their STD plans. Ben and Chris from the Principal join Host Jeff Cross to answer these questions and more while providing insight into what they've been seeing in other states. If you still have questions around CT PFML - this is the episode for you.Music By: Colin Cross Music

Dr. Mary Mulcare, Chief Medical Officer at Summus Global, joins Host Jeff Cross in a lively discussion around "care delay," covid regulations on telemedicine that are expiring and how to continue the momentum around leveraging telehealth services. A timely episode as many are heading into Open Enrollment season and are looking to continue to support their employees from a virtual standpoint.About Mary MulcareMary Mulcare, MD, FACEP, is Chief Medical Officer at Summus Global. She oversees the Summus clinical team and supports product, data, and physician network strategy in support of Summus' mission to provide fast, virtual access to high-quality medical expertise across the care continuum. She completed her Emergency Medicine residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, was Chief Resident, and then did a fellowship in Geriatric Emergency Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Mulcare was an attending Emergency Medicine physician at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine.  About Summus Global:Summus Global, the leading virtual specialist platform, empowers families by providing access to a network of 4,000+ top specialists across 48 leading hospitals -- within days, from anywhere in the world. Pioneering the future of corporate health benefits, Summus Global partners with companies across the country to create an elevated healthcare experience for their employees and to support better, cost-efficient outcomes across all health questions and stages of care.  Music By: Colin Cross Music

The recent surge in COVID cases nationwide has upped the stakes for employers in their efforts to maintain safe workplaces for employees. To address the risk related to unvaccinated employee status, employers are evaluating several options that range from a mandate to friendly suggestions. Tune into this episode as we tackle the most pressing questions from employers! Music By: Colin Cross Music

Music By: Colin Cross Music

Back in December, we had US Senator Chris Murphy join the podcast to chat about the future of Healthcare in CT. To get the other side of the aisle, we invited CT State Senator Kevin Kelly to join the podcast to chat about where he sees the future of healthcare going and what the Republican Party is currently doing about it.  Music By: Colin Cross Music

Music By: Colin Cross Music

Music By: Colin Cross Music

Music By: Colin Cross Music

You asked. We answered. Jeff Cross is joined by Nicole Cahill, HR Business Partner at OneDigital, and Peter Murphy, Partner at Shipman & Goodwin, LLP to tackle employers' most frequently asked questions surrounding the American Rescue Plan Act, Vaccinations and Returning to the Workplace.

Low turnover. 5-star reviews. A close-knit team. This Friends with Employee Benefits podcast episode features Becca Jacobs, HR Manager at Instrumart and how workplace culture has played a big role in their company's success - both externally and internally. Becca talks about what culture means to her, how their team has stayed engaged while working remotely and the importance of being an employee-centric organization. Becca also shares her thoughts on their 100% no-employee-cost health plan, how other employers could adopt something similar and how integral the word "human" is in human resources.

Rich Lombard and Jeff Wasco from Guardian join the podcast to help tackle the questions we've been hearing from employers across the state: how does Connecticut Paid Leave interact with other benefits, who tracks paid leave and what is the process for a private plan option. They also discuss what their experience has been so far with employers across Connecticut. Tune into this 34-minutes episode to get the answer to these trending questions and better understand what employers should be focusing on next as it relates to paid leave.

In this quick-hit podcast episode, we take a step back to reflect on what we've learned from Open Enrollment in 2020 and what we'd like to continue implementing in the future, even when we are able to resume in-person activities. Katelyn Ayala, Benefits and HRIS Specialist at Paradigm Precision, joins Jeff to discuss how their organization had to pivot from a completely hands-on, in-person open enrollment to a virtual experience. This episode covers how that transition happened, what the feedback was from employees and what Katelyn has learned in the process that Paradigm will continue to implement going forward.

As work changes, so does the dynamic between employee and employer. Rachael Perillo, Talent Business Partner, joins Jeff to discuss the evolution of the employee-employer relationship, focusing on the shift from employee engagement to the human experience. In this jam-packed episode, the two discuss what the Human Experience entails and the role HR plays in this transition. They also dive into the effect of social unrest, zoom fatigue and childcare on employees, and how HR can better support their workforce through it all. If you're in HR, don't miss this episode.

While the COVID-19 vaccine provides employers and employees with the hope of returning to a pre-pandemic world, it doesn’t come without its fair share of questions. Can I require employees to get the vaccine? What if they don’t get it? Can we incentivize and pay employees? These are just a few of the many questions employers are facing. Jeff Cross speaks with a panel of experts from around New England to breakdown the considerations and decisions around safe and effective vaccine programs, policies and best practices.

Another year, another round-up. With only a few days left of 2020 (thank goodness!), Jeff and Ron banter back and forth about what we've learned from this year, what we'd like to leave behind and what employers should be looking out for in the new year.

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy joined the podcast to discuss the future of healthcare given the election outcomes and what impact that may have on employers in 2021 and beyond. Jeff plays devils advocate to have a candid, open discussion with the Senator on various topics including the status of the ACA, a public option for healthcare, direct-to-consumer advertising and cost of care.

Holidays were already a stressful time of the year for many, now add in a pandemic and post-election talk and we find ourselves more exhausted, stressed and burnt out than ever before. Sara Tarca, Wellbeing Strategy Consultant, joins the podcast to discuss what employers can be doing to help employees adapt and thrive in uncertainty.

From a train saved by a whale tail to a see-through public restroom, join us as we cover the latest funny, heartwarming and just plain odd news stories that you most likely have missed as your newsfeeds, timelines and conversations have been flooded with election-talk. An episode unlike any others, take these next 30-minutes to escape the noise, laugh a little and learn something new.

Jeff Post, Chief Clinical Officer of OneDigital's Pharmacy Consulting Division (RxConnections), jumps on the podcast to talk about the impact the election may have on prescription drugs and pharmacy plans, discussing what employers can be doing to keep the skyrocketing costs down, and how we can help employees maximize their drug benefit. They cover rebates, direct to consumer marketing, "pharmacy vacations," how to assess your Pharmacy Benefit Manager's (PBM's) performance and much more.

Jason Lauritsen, employee engagement expert and keynote speaker, joins the podcast to discuss why employee engagement is crucial to a company's success and what it means in our current environment, what he finds is the biggest issue employers face with engagement, how to leverage feedback the right way to empower employees and much more. If you're in a management position - you must give this a listen.

We invited Rich Lombard and Jeffrey Wasco back to the podcast to discuss the latest updates with CT Paid Family & Medical Leave. Tune in to get your most pressing questions answered - including if there will be a private plan option, key differences between CT and MA paid leaves, and why employers should be acting now to get ahead of the curve.

Back from our quick hiatus, we are continuing the conversation on Move to Value (see episode 24 for part 1). Francois de Brantes, SVP Episodes of Care at Signify Health, joins the podcast to dig into what Episodic Bundles are, how it relates to the Move to Value initiative and what employers can do to be a part of this movement.

Lots of golden nuggets of information coming out of this episode with Ari Santiago, CEO at IT Direct. We chat about the secret behind their relatively low turnover rate, the power behind an intentional culture, thoughts on doing business in Connecticut and how HR may need to evolve down the line. Learn great tips and best practices from Ari, as he tells personal and business stories, shining a light on how he has crafted a successful business in CT. [This episode was originally recorded back in March 2020]

What does Move to Value mean and why is it important for employers to understand? In Part 1 of this conversation, Jeff Hogan, over at Rogers Benefit Group, jumps on the podcast to discuss the shift that is happening in healthcare as we move from fee-based care towards value-based care.

To hear the latest of what ConnectiCare is doing to support employers and members throughout Connecticut, tune into this episode. Eric Galvin, President of Connecticare, joins us to discuss their unique response to the pandemic, their focus on mental health and wellbeing with WellSpark, what they are doing with alternative networks, and how they are engaging members.

Simone Morris, CEO of Simone Morris Enterprises, LLC and Career/Inclusion Strategist, joins us on the podcast to discuss diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace. We originally recorded this episode a few months back but had the opportunity to sit down again with Simone to address the recent events that have brought stark racial inequalities to the forefront of the conversation. The first half of this episode we cover questions such as - what types of conversations need to be had in the workplace? who should be facilitating these necessary but uncomfortable conversations? what can organizations do to best support their black and brown employees? And stick around for the second half of the episode to better understand why a D&I policy is so essential and what strategies HR can leverage to be more effective when it comes to inclusion.

Duncan Stuart, President of the New England Market at Aetna, joins us to discuss Aetna's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, how they are leveraging their relationship with CVS, what they are doing to control pharmacy costs, and how they are utilizing their Aetna One® Advocate (AIA) to enhance how they support members.

As a follow-up to last week's episode, Jeff connects with 4 different businesses across Connecticut making a huge impact on our community - Family Centers, Community Renewal Team, StayWell Health Centers and Foodshare. Hear from their leadership teams to find out how they've pivoted and adapted their programs to meet the new needs of their stakeholders, what silver linings have come out of this pandemic from their efforts, and how they are keeping volunteers engaged virtually.

Ready for some good news? We are too. In part 1 of this podcast episode, we talked to 3 Connecticut-based non-profits that are making a huge impact on our community - Wheeler Clinic, Healing Meals Community Project & CT Junior Republic. Hear from their leadership teams to find out how they've pivoted and adapted their programs to meet the new needs of their stakeholders, what silver linings have come out of this pandemic from their efforts, and how they are keeping volunteers engaged virtually.

We (virtually) sat down with Michael Rambarose, President & CEO of Whitney Center, to discuss how his operations have changed since COVID-19, what his re-emergence plan is once given the green light from Governor Lamont, and what he is taking into consideration during this planning phase.

We sat down with Paul Bartosic, Director of Sales at Harvard Pilgrim, to discuss how they've been responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, what their clients are doing with their wellness funds, how they are utilizing bundled payments and what their service team is doing to help improve the member experience.

During this season, we'll be catching up with local carrier partners from across the state to get their view on healthcare and the health insurance landscape in Connecticut along with the strategies they have in place for cost containment, member experience, product innovation, and more. Wendy Sherry, Market President for Cigna in Connecticut, joins us on this episode to talk about how they are responding to COVID-19 as well as what they are doing to help contain costs and better the healthcare experience for its members.

Mettie Spiess, global workplace mental health expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and the Founder of A World Without Suicide, joins us to talk about how employers can support their employees' mental health during this pandemic.

With this podcast, it has always been our number one priority to keep you informed of the latest happening in the world of employee benefits & HR. Coronavirus has significantly impacted the way we are living our lives and currently doing business. Reilly Billian from our Human Resource Consulting team joins us on this episode to provide helpful guidance as to how employers can navigate these unchartered territories.

During this season, we'll be catching up with local carrier partners from across the state to get their view on healthcare and the health insurance landscape in Connecticut along with the strategies they have in place for cost containment, member experience, product innovation, and more. Anthony Aguanno from UnitedHealthcare joins us on this episode to talk about what UHC is doing specifically to help contain costs and better the healthcare experience for members.

Let’s face it, if you are not on the benefits enrollment “digital train” then you are lagging behind because it’s here to stay. Tune into this episode with special guest, Frank Mengert, Founder/Owner of EBM, as we uncover how benefits administration (benadmin) technology is not only improving the employee experience, aiding in recruting and retention, but how it's allowing HR teams to get more time back in their day.

It's our favorite moments of 2019! Join us as we re-live some of our favorite quotes from each episode of 2019. Thank you for taking this journey with us and we look forward to Season 2 launching February 2020!