In today’s competitive job market, attracting and retaining top talent goes beyond offering standard benefits packages. To build a truly inclusive and diverse workforce, companies must evolve their approach to employee benefits, ensuring they meet the unique needs of various demographics.

This was the focus of a recent panel at From Day One’s NYC Benefits Conference, where five panelists shared how inclusive benefits—from financial wellness programs to wellness initiatives—are key to fostering a thriving, diverse workforce. Kelsey Butler, equality reporter at Bloomberg, moderated the session.

Regular Benefits Audits

On a yearly basis leaders at Wolters Kluwer conduct benefits audits. This ensures that what they are doing is working, but it also brings up what they might need more support in. This is at the core of inclusivity and retention—keeping up with what a diverse workforce actually wants.

We really saw so much connection between benefits and wellness and DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging). So we work hand in hand, and it's very fluid, very integrated,” said Deb Foley, director of DEIB at Wolters Kluwer.

One big consideration is being inclusive across generations. As Foley pointed out, this is the first time ever there have been six generations in the workforce together. Each generation faces its own set of challenges.

Recently, they introduced a new benefit that will help younger employees who are entering the workforce get a jumpstart on their finances as they start their careers. “For those employees who are currently paying off student loans, they can get matched,” she said. Typically a company match is only for retirement benefits, but now they are applying that to student loans. “This is a huge benefit for our employees, and has been really well received.” And it’s all because they proactively sought the data and responded to what employees needed.

“It’s about doing the right thing for our employees, not necessarily because it’s going to check a box or because it’s going to make us look good. It’s about doing the right thing,” Foley said.

Kelsey Butler, equality reporter at Bloomberg, right, moderated the executive panel discussion

At the same time, it’s also important to notice things employees need that they aren’t necessarily asking for. At Wolters Kluwer, they’ve realized the importance of wellness so employees can have a good quality of life.

“We have really amped up our whole wellness,” said Foley. “We rolled out a Wellness Week [and we use our] employee networks. We have several of them as well to actually share their stories.” The focus on wellness, along with sharing stories, has been a great motivator for employees in their own journeys all while promoting inclusivity among workers.

Employee Business Networks

With 50,000 employees, most of them frontline workers, Quest Diagnostics works to meet the needs of a diverse population. They’ve launched 11 Employee Business Networks (EBNs) to meet employees where they are and promote wellness and diversity.

These EBNs cater to various groups, with thousands of employees involved nationwide. The result? Inclusivity and retention. “Our employees want to talk to each other,” said Gillian Plummer, director of employee health and wellness at Quest Diagnostics. “I’ve had employees laughing, crying, venting, and it just personalizes that experience and includes that employee within the company and conversation. It’s been a really big success for us over the last year and a half.”

As for making the most of benefits, Quest is also focusing on preventative care, launching its Blueprint for Wellness that screens over 100 biomarkers and offers a health risk assessment for employees. The data gathered helps the company know what to offer that will best help employee populations.

“Our highest costs at Quest are oncology and type two diabetes. So that is something we’re focused on. How do we change behavior in chronic conditions and use data to inform that?” she asked. Many times, employees don’t even realize the benefits offered, so companies must keep them informed.

Quest recently held a Health and Wellness Summit, with input from executives, middle management, and frontline workers to select wellness programs. They invited eleven wellness organizations to headquarters to identify which benefits to offer employees.

Interestingly, of all the offerings, employees overwhelmingly chose Weight Watchers. “This was so fascinating,” Plummer said. “We have a 63% engagement rate for Weight Watchers. Our population's 80% female, and that right there was missing at Quest.”

Attracting and Retaining with Benefits

As life continues to get more expensive, employees are asking their employers to do more. Benefits are more important than ever. In fact, 38% of employees would consider moving to another job for better benefits, says Corrinne Hobbs, general manager and VP of employer market organization at Ovia Health.

The other consideration is that younger generations especially care about sustainability. “They want to work for companies that align with their values. And we’re seeing a lot of that with millennials and beyond. They’re choosing their employers based on that, but then also on different policies, like parental leave, FFB (fertility and family building benefits), and flexible work schedules,” she said.

Companies should always have those core benefits that cover most populations, but they should also look outside the norms, especially as people and families are changing. Fertility, adoption, surrogacy, all the ways people want to grow their families should be considered. Beyond that, Hobbs pointed out the importance of workplace support once the baby comes.

“What do your return to work policies look like? Are they equitable? Are you offering flexible work options? Parental leave?” she added.

The act of embedding those inclusive benefits offer results: 30% decrease in absenteeism and a 35% increase in productivity, Hobbs says. “But then also, when you have people who can bring their full selves to work, and you have diverse populations. Pew Research reported that there’s a 30% increase in innovation. So if you really want to drive your companies forward, it’s important to embed this,” said Hobbs.

In addition to employee benefits, companies should pay attention to dependents. What do they need? Do they know their coverage? What else could help them? This is a big part of attracting and retaining employees, Hobbs says.

Looking at Financial Wellness

When thinking of company benefits, typically physical health is the main focus. But more and more, financial wellness is becoming a big part of what employees want in their benefits package. Which is where Northstar, a financial wellness platform for employees, comes in.

Britt Barney, the company’s manager of client success says that their financial planners get asked this a lot: is this benefit something that really benefits employees?

Recently, they’ve been seeing a desire for housing discounts as a benefit, often structured as preferred rates. “A preferred rate is amazing, but it does not matter if you can’t afford the house.” Northstar helps employees understand what they might need and how they can achieve their goals through financial education.

An open feedback loop is key. Constantly taking note of what people are asking about helps companies know where they should place their focus.

One of their biggest challenges is the stigma with “financial planning” especially in diverse communities who may associate it predominantly with the white and rich. Barney reiterated that financial planning is customizable and is helpful for everyone.

“Everybody needs it; it doesn’t matter if you have $30 or $30 million, you need some guidance,” she said. At the same time, they want to make sure the diverse world is reflected in their workforce, so people will feel comfortable with their financial planner.

New Approaches to Traditional Coverage

Last year, Greystar rolled out several enhancements to its parental benefits, focusing on inclusion of a diverse population.

“We introduced a gender neutral, paid-parental leave policy,” said Anitha Dhanwada, managing director of global total rewards at Greystar. “Regardless of whether you’re the birthing parent or non-birthing parent, if you end up in a situation where you are the primary caregiver to that child, then you are eligible for the full 16 weeks of paid parental leave.”

The company’s expanding benefits have also reached outside medical coverage and into something many employees wanted help with—housing. “Being in the real estate property management space, one of the best ways that we thought we can actually help employees be able to improve their affordability was to be able to provide a discount to the folks who are working on site at our properties.” That includes a 40% discount for employees working on site, and a 20% discount for those living at a different property than the one they manage.”

“That’s been received very well across the board, and has actually improved our attrition numbers incredibly well,” she said. It’s another example of listening to employees and delivering the benefits they truly want and need.

As the workforce continues to diversify, so too must the benefits that companies offer. By proactively assessing employee needs and incorporating inclusive programs—whether it’s financial planning, wellness initiatives, or flexible parental leave—businesses can not only attract but also retain a diverse array of talent. Ultimately, the integration of inclusive benefits is more than a strategy for talent management; it’s a commitment to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, supported, and empowered to succeed.

Carrie Snider is a Phoenix-based journalist and marketing copywriter.

To Be a Successful Benefits Leader, Think Like a Marketing Pro

Employees often have a clear understanding of benefits like vacation and paid time off, but other valuable offerings such as health and housing benefits may not always be as visible. By shedding light on these, companies can help employees take full advantage of the support available to them.“As benefits people, we have a product to sell, which I don’t think benefits folks always think about. You have a very impactful opportunity to sell what you have to people who need it,” said VP of global benefits at News Corp, Kim Duck. Duck spoke to the founder of Apparata Media, Kelly Bourdet, about the value of approaching employee benefits from a marketer's perspective during a fireside chat last month at From Day One’s NYC Benefits conference.Duck says she has no “secret sauce” but knows what works. One of the things that works is transparency in their benefit website. “It sits out in the general public. So if you are a prospective employee, and you're thinking about coming to News Corp, you're going to want to know what we offer,” Duck said.In addition to an open website, they use other delivery methods to communicate benefits to workers in the form of newsletters and social media. “We do newsletters on a monthly basis and that hits people’s top line. We’re at about a 60% open rate.”With the newsletter, Duck says they break it up into several sections that highlight a company benefit in different ways over the course of a campaign. “Our approach lately has been cadence. Maybe in month one, you're in our big news highlight. Month two, you are in our ‘Did You Know’ section. And then month three, you are our app of the month. Because we know that it takes a lot of time to promote [these offerings].” They might supplement this process with a few Instagram posts that highlight the benefits a company is promoting.Kim Duck, VP of Global Benefits at News Corp, was interviewed during the fireside chatNavigating benefits can seem overwhelming, but it's an opportunity to find options that fit your needs. “There's five generations in our workplace right now, which forces employers to really offer a diverse slate. And it feels overwhelming. You come to the website, there’s articles upon articles,” Duck said. To help navigate, she’s made liberal use of tags to narrow down people’s searches.“Maybe you don’t care about prescriptions. What you care about is childcare. So you can come to our website, type in baby, and then boom! Every article that pops for [babies]. So the tags become really important with helping people.”To make the path even more navigable, they put their benefits into pillars: financial, emotional, physical, caregiving, and lifestyle. “We have to take a step back, and think about that general employee who's going to be coming in. What is their experience going to be like? How do [we] make it simple and easy for [them] to navigate?”Vendor management is a huge piece of what benefits pros do, says Duck, “especially when you have a diverse slate of programs.” They used to meet every vendor quarterly, which required a lot of time and conversations. “We took a step back and said, ‘Okay, your deals and discount provider is not at the same level as your healthcare insurance or your TPA (Third-Party Administrator).’” They now tailor their approach to the level of services each vendor provides. You need to have conversations about their goals, your goals, and how you plan to work together.“And a lot of that is campaigns about communications, right? What are we going to do? Is it going to be postcards? Is it digital displays? Is it newsletter content? Do I need something for Instagram? How do we do this together? Because you’re not just going to sell it to me and run,” she said about the importance of collaboration.Looking to the future, Duck says that being consistent with messaging is important to keep folks informed. “And no surprise, AI. AI could revolutionize our communications campaign.” Having AI built into your website, Duck says, will further streamline the process and give exactly what you’re looking for with less wasted time. “You come in and ask it a question, and it says to you, ‘Here’s an article about a baby.’ [Or you’re] interested in parental leave? Let me dish that up to you.”Matthew Koehler is a freelance journalist and licensed real estate agent based in Washington, DC. His work has appeared in Greater Greater Washington, The Washington Post, The Southwester, and Walking Cinema, among others.

Enhancing Holistic Well-Being With Comprehensive Benefits

There’s no universal solution for maintaining personal well-being, no matter your age, gender, background, or industry. During an executive panel at From Day One’s Boston conference, leaders shared how they prioritize their own well-being.For Barb Short, senior director of corporate social responsibility and engagement at Sanofi, practicing Akashic soul reading is helpful for overall well-being. Aravind Menon, senior director, HR, at P&G practices meditation. Other panelists cited social media purges and having a healthy sleep schedule as helpful tips for maintaining wellness. The panelists shared their tips during a panel titled “Enhancing Holistic Well-Being With Comprehensive Benefits,” moderated by Paris Alston, co-host, Morning Edition, GBH News.A holistic approach to well-being involves nurturing every aspect of an individual’s life, well-being benefits can foster a more holistically healthy workplace, leading to greater productivity, the panelists agreed.From Balance to IntegrationThe idea of work-life balance is becoming outdated in discussions of well-being, as it suggests a constant equilibrium that isn’t always realistic. “We talk about integration, because work and life are not always evened out,” said Hem Patel, VP of total rewards at Moderna. “We do a lot of focus groups, surveys, and hearing [sessions] from people about what they value, particularly as your demographic evolves and changes. We’re continuously listening.”Menon acknowledges that this dynamic is very culture-specific. “Asking someone with a family in the U.S. about what’s important will differ from what’s important for an Indian family in India,” he said. Where the U.S. is looking to prioritize things like surrogacy, adoption, and elder care, in India people are more concerned about getting help for their extended family. “What is a benefit for one might not count for the other. In Boston, we get free parking: it’s a huge benefit here,” he said.Jon Harold, head of sales and partnership at SoFi advocates for financial management. “When the pandemic hit, there were a lot of employees with unexpected expenses, and they don’t often teach financial education in school,” he said. “A lot of employees are looking to employers for that guidance. It can come in coaching, like financial planners, personalized tools, credit score monitoring, or content like webinars and articles.”For Short at Sanofi, the priority is building a culture of purpose. “I am working with my colleagues on that. We believe it is what creates a sense of belonging, and empathy that we all need,” she said.Different Pieces of the PuzzleDifferent needs emerge when you look at organizations that have more than a corporate workforce. At P&G, where 50,000 employees are manufacturers, there are a variety of needs unique to different work and lifestyles.“I was working at home, but a lot of folks were working on the line, and the big lesson there is that employees in manufacturing want work-life balance and flexibility. Their shifts are tough on the body, so they were asking for more flexibility,” said Menon. In response, the company restructured their shifts, and updated some of the factories, offering dining services, open areas, and even on-site gyms.The panelists discussed the topic "Enhancing Holistic Well-Being With Comprehensive Benefits"Moderna, having found itself evolving from a local company to a global leader in immunization, was coping with a lot of pressure. “[Employees] knew they were manufacturing a product that was saving lives, and every hour it did not happen, lives would be lost,” said Patel. “Having that level of stress is really something. Not long into the pandemic we introduced therapy sessions. We had parents working even longer shifts for the importance of what they were making.” Pride in the accomplishment had to be squared with the mental toll it was taking. “Biotech is a crowded space, so we wanted to make sure we were giving the best of the best in terms of benefits,” he said.Leadership Modeling BehaviorWhether there is a lifestyle spending account, benefits offering tuition reimbursement, or coaching, leadership is always at the forefront. And there is often a learning curve involved. “People want to do good but at some point you have to tie rewards to that,” said Menon “We have to get employees to tell stories to our leaders: personal touch, being there, reward is what we primarily focus on.”“Having them express themselves can bring them a long way,” said Short. “Compensation is not really what I hear about, what I hear about is the team they want to be on, who they want to work with,” she said. “We’re aiming to connect people across levels, geography, backgrounds, to ensure manufacturing and the corporate populations are all together.”Angelica Frey is a writer and a translator based in Boston and Milan.

How Leaders Are Fostering Fulfillment Through Engagement and Recognition

When working from home became a mandate during the pandemic, leaders at Prezzee scheduled a meeting and sent the workforce a gift card so everyone could get a coffee and cake delivered. This was the beginning of their morning tea, a celebration of achievement and opportunity to connect as the workforce moved to virtual. “It’s easy to connect when everyone is [together], now you’ve got to do it when not [physically together],” said Tony Karp, president, North America, at Prezzee.For engagement to be impactful, the efforts have to be frequent, says Karp. “We found that the morning tea became the new water cooler conversation. Everyone scheduled it,” he said during a panel discussion at From Day One’s Boston conference. Efforts can be more than morale boosters: they’re a way to shape company culture, and research shows that they are less about the actual material reward and more about what it conveys.As much as organizations can be excited about implementing new methods for recognition and rewards, there are several approaches to ensure the efforts resonate. Mike Dallas, the SVP, global head of employee experience at Manulife, says they rolled out a global recognition platform that enables employees at all levels across the globe to give and receive frequent and authentic recognition. The program, called podium, strived to “give people a podium,” he said. “We hope 75% of people give an award,” he said.Julie Haskell, managing director, head of employee engagement at State Street Corp, believes in the power of simplicity. “Simplicity can be the easiest way to recognize someone,” she said. “Sometimes we fail to just say thank you and good job. There’s not one of us that does not feel better when recognized in a quick way.” Additionally, the power of gratitude is cross-generational, which is a way to side-step the extra hurdle posed by generational differences.The panelists discussed the topic "How Leaders Are Fostering Fulfillment Through Engagement and Recognition," in a panel moderated by Rebecca Knight, contributing columnist at the Harvard Business Review Karp says the ‘how’ matters as much as the ‘what.’ “Sending an email is passé, 12-second videos are too much for anyone under 15. The value is less relevant than how you get it and where it comes from,” he said.Back to the BasicsFancy features don’t matter if basic principles of good management are overlooked. “You need to focus on the basics: how is your performance management system? Is it intuitive? How is your talent acquisition process? Your talent development?” said Angela Cheng-Cimini, SVP, talent and CHRO at Harvard Business Publishing.Sayar Lonial, associate dean, communications and public affairs at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, encourages people to really communicate. “I work at NYU, a very large university, and we try to support the thank-yous on a department level rather than top-down,” he said. “Department managers do a good job, and I have a lucky job of being in communications, so I hear the good and bad from our students and staff. We tell their story about how they made their community better.”Different Needs and FormatsNavigating a multigenerational workforce with varying needs requires diverse solutions. “At Manulife, we started with a framing set of principles that outlines the basics on how and where you work,” said Dallas. “From a recognition standpoint, we make sure all of our populations get recognition: when we have employee events, most have video components. [We see] where common points between cohorts are, and how to address people in celebrating or learning from those events.”Cheng-Cimini emphasizes the crucial role that managers play. “Are your managers skilled at expressing gratitude? All of us are busy, so we forget to pause and say thank you, and that is a skill that needs to be reinforced.” Another important point is asking the employee directly how they like to receive praise. “I know someone who hates public praise. Simply ask: how do you like to receive commendation? Do you want an email? Do you want a cash bonus? Do you like time off?” “And people feel included when you ask them!” Dallas added.The Importance of CommunityWorking in a major city, Lonial recognizes that employees come from all walks of life, and this directly impacts their relationship with their community. “Embracing that community—we need to teach students and employees that they live in a larger world than their job,” he said. “They’re not defined by what their job is, they’re defined by who they are…what you bring to the table is what is going to make that place a better place to be,” he said.Similarly, State Street is a big community, says Haskell. “One of the things we’ve learned is that we are really focused on skills-based volunteering. In a financial-service company, sometimes it’s hard to find a purpose,” said Haskell. She found out that a lot of their non-profit partners have trouble with skills her employees have, such as accounting and press releases. “I give back, I feel good, and I develop my skills.” When employees volunteer, they can fully display their skills. “People are coming out with skills that they have but don’t use on their day to day job,” she said.Angelica Frey is a writer and a translator based in Boston and Milan.

How Inclusive Benefits Can Help Attract and Retain a Diverse Workforce

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