Friends with Employee Benefits

Keeping track of state legislation, as well as national leave trends, is essential to better support your employees as paid family leave becomes more and more complex. According to the EEOC, the average cost of defending a family medical leave lawsuit is $78,000, and if found guilty of wrongful termination, damages can range from $87,000 to $450,000. Sandwiched between New York and Massachusetts,...

About Signify Health Signify Health exists for a simple purpose: To drive health homeward. To do this, all parts of healthcare must work in harmony. We must innovate financing models, deliver holistic, human-centered care and focus relentlessly on outcomes. That's how we'll transform a fragmented healthcare system into one that's value-based and that enables more healthy, happy days at home. Music...

About Ari Santiago Ari Santiago is the President, CEO and Founder of IT Direct , a Technology Managed Service Provider in Hartford, CT. He has a passion for the manufacturing industry and the incredible impact it is making on our local economy. About IT Direct IT Direct is an award-winning technology services firm that helps small to midsize organizations realize a competitive advantage by harness...

Jeff Hogan, Northeast Regional Manager at Rogers Benefit Group and current member of the Move to Value Alliance, dives into a new shift happening in healthcare during this episode. Tune in to learn why this shift is happening, what employers need to do to turn benefit plans into performing assets, and how pharmacy plays into this movement. Music By: Colin Cross Music

Healthcare is complex, confusing and frustrating at times. During this season, we'll be catching up with local carrier partners from across the state to get their view of the healthcare and health insurance landscape in Connecticut and the strategies they are putting in place for cost containment, member experience, product innovation, and more. Music By: Colin Cross Music

In light of recent national events that have brought stark racial inequalities to the forefront of the conversation, organizations everywhere are navigating and facilitating unfamiliar discussions between leadership, employees and customers. How an organization chooses to handle this situation will have a direct impact on the workforce and define organizational culture as a whole. To bring light t...

Healthcare is complex, confusing and frustrating at times. During this season, we'll be catching up with local carrier partners from across the state to get their view of the healthcare and health insurance landscape in Connecticut and the strategies they are putting in place for cost containment, member experience, product innovation, and more. Music By: Colin Cross Music

About Family Centers Since its inception 128 years ago in 1891, Family Centers has grown to offer quality education and human service programs that address the ever-changing challenges affecting residents of Fairfield County. Through 25 programs and services, Family Centers serves more than 21,000 residents each year. Click here to learn more about Family Centers. About Community Renewal Team (CRT...

About Wheeler Clinic Wheeler Clinic is a community health center and Connecticut's most comprehensive nonprofit provider of primary and behavioral health services. They provide comprehensive solutions that address complex health issues, providing individuals, families and communities with accessible, innovative care. Click here to learn more about Wheeler Clinic. About Healing Meals Community Proj...

WIth Connecticut hospitalizations steadily decreasing, May 20th is looking favorable for Phase 1 of reopening the state as outlined by Governor Lamont. As employers start looking towards reopening, it's essential they bring together their stakeholders and leadership teams to begin planning out their back-to-work strategy. Michael Rambarose, President & CEO of Whitney Center, has done just that...

Healthcare is complex, confusing and frustrating at times. During this season, we'll be catching up with local carrier partners from across the state to get their view of the healthcare and health insurance landscape in Connecticut and the strategies they are putting in place for cost containment, member experience, product innovation, and more. Music By: Colin Cross Music

Healthcare is complex, confusing and frustrating at times. During this season, we'll be catching up with local carrier partners from across the state to get their view of the healthcare and health insurance landscape in Connecticut and the strategies they are putting in place for cost containment, member experience, product innovation, and more. Music By: Colin Cross Music

Your Employees’ mental wellbeing is important now more than ever. Regardless of the state of your organization, whether operating at full capacity or with a skeleton crew, maximizing employee performance should be part of your survival plan. Taking care of employee wellbeing is taking care of your business. Mettie Spiess, global workplace mental health expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and th...

As more businesses feel the effects and plan for the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s imperative for organizations to proactively manage their workforce and respond to the outbreak and the potential workplace disruption. 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....

Healthcare is complex, confusing and frustrating at times. During this season, we'll be catching up with local carrier partners from across the state to get their view of the healthcare and health insurance landscape in Connecticut and the strategies they are putting in place for cost containment, member experience, product innovation, and more. Music By: Colin Cross Music

More employers are utilizing a benefits administration tool to increase efficiency and enhance the employee experience. In fact, 66% of employers are now more digital than paper-based when it comes to managing employees' benefits. But that other 34% are falling behind. Cue the objections: "my employees' don't have access to a smartphone," "it's too expensive" or my personal favorite: "my employees...

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! Music By: Colin Cross Music

Healthcare spend is expected to rise another 6% in 2020, creating an unsustainable rate for employers nationwide. With this in mind and a new year around the corner, it's important for employers to look at solutions that are disrupting the industry and will remain "hot" in 2020. Ron Theriault, Principal from OneDigital Connecticut, joins us on the podcast to give his take on what employers should...

When speaking with employers across Connecticut, the country and globally, we often find that employee wellbeing is something they plan to focus on in the near future but are admittedly slow to implement because they don’t feel equipped to address it properly and successfully. Often unsure what their role should be or how to define wellbeing, employers avoid confronting these issues head on. Meanw...

More than 1/3 of organizations have increased their benefits offerings to retain employees in the last 12 months, according to SHRM. More and more employers are looking to benefits to help them attract & retain top talent in a tight marketplace. But what benefits do these new generations that are just now entering the market, really want? We've decided to go straight to the source for this bon...

Many organizations operate under the assumption that a traditional benefits approach is an acceptable strategy. But with 5 generations in the workforce, the continued adoption of conventional benefits strategy can negatively impact employee engagement and drive up organizational costs. In fact, only 28% of employees believe the one-size-fits-all benefits approach is valuable. By maintaining a trad...

Leave management has taken the northeast by storm recently—starting in New York, Massachusetts, and now, in Connecticut. As an HR manager, keeping track of state legislation as well as national leave trends is essential to better support your employees as paid family leave becomes more and more complex. Rich Lombard & Jeff Wasco from Guardian give us a complete rundown on the new CT Paid Famil...

Open Enrollment can be a very hectic time for everyone. From planning and communications to activation and evaluation, it's a year-round endeavor for you and your team. According to Guardian's Workplace Benefits Study, 3 out of 5 employers say managing their benefits program has become increasingly complex. And if they are finding it difficult, imagine what your employees are feeling. Spencer Sanz...

In a recent study by Randstad, 77% of employees expect their employer to provide easier options for completing routine tasks compared to what was done 3 years ago, and 4 out of 10 employees report having left a job because they didn’t have access to the latest digital tools.  Technology doesn’t just play a role in being able to complete day-to-day tasks but in how your employees communicate with y...

According to the EEOC, 87% - 94% of individuals who are harassed do not file a claim. Your office's culture has the most significant impact on harassment – whether that’s letting it flourish or preventing it. We sat down with Mary Gambardella from Wiggin and Dana to talk about how the #MeToo Movement is affecting organizations across Connecticut. From its origins to legislation that has come as a...