Efficiency and Worker Happiness: How to Find a Middle Ground

BY Angelica Frey | November 04, 2024

Dialogue is essential when addressing people-management challenges and sustaining a positive corporate culture, says Ginger Gregory, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief human resource officer of Biogen. “Treat people like adults, measure them on their outcome, [connect them in the office] sometimes, and let managers manage their own teams,” she said in a fireside chat moderated by Callum Borchers of the Wall Street Journal at From Day One’s Boston conference.

Gregory encourages managers to make the right decisions for their teams,  especially within a company that spans diverse roles, from frontline lab work to corporate positions. This reflects a more nuanced view on fairness, where fair no longer means the same for everyone. “We have people working labs, we have people working manufacturing, who have to be in the facilities,” she said. “We do manage it based on the role first, but those roles with more flexibility we encourage it. If you don’t treat people like adults, engagement drops,” she said.

Biogen’s engagement hinges on its mission, in that it creates life-saving therapies, a process that sometimes takes years, and, due to the nature of the process itself, some products might not reach the finish line.

“We’re very mission driven. Often, employees can see [patients] and see how products are developing,” said Gregory. This enables workers to see how their efforts directly contribute to meaningful outcomes and the impact they’re making. “We’re a team, and in the last 12 months we launched three new products. We’re keeping the patient story front and center.”

For example, they offer products for muscular atrophy and multiple sclerosis, and they make it a priority to understand life from a patient’s perspective—not only in their daily work but also in what patients experience beyond the workplace, says Gregory.

Ginger Gregory of Biogen was interviewed during the fireside chat

A similar approach has positively impacted retention as well, which Gregory attributes to HR's specialized training. “When I started in this career, it was when McKinsey’s War for Talent paper came out: how do we develop talent? How do we get managers to care?” she said. At Biogen, managers are walked through conversations centered on thriving, both for themselves and for their direct reports.

“Managers are getting much better at engaging in dialogues with people,” she said. Part of this effort involves orbit programs, where an employee tries out a slightly different function for a set amount of time. “That’s a short way we can get people to try out different things; managers need to know what people want, but they also have to be open to what happens,” said Gregory.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion also remain a core value at Biogen. The company has stood firm on its beliefs and practices. “We haven’t rolled back anything. When I came to Biogen, we were already quite advanced, we had employee network groups, community labs, and more,” she said. “We have not changed our approach: inclusion is part of our cultural essential, and we have the backing of our Board and CEO, we believe it’s going to help us be higher performers.”

Ultimately, the work being done at Biogen not only fosters a strong internal culture but also enhances the company’s overall mission. By prioritizing open dialogue and understanding the patient experience, Biogen reinforces the value of each employee’s contribution, creating a workplace where individuals feel valued and engaged. This alignment of purpose both inside and outside the company ensures that every effort is directed towards achieving meaningful impact in the lives of patients and the broader community.

Angelica Frey is a writer and a translator based in Boston and Milan.

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Creating a Culture for Workers to Explore, Grow, and Belong

Vail Resorts has become a global leader in luxury ski experiences, owning and operating 42 ski resorts in four countries around the world: the U.S., Canada, Switzerland, and Australia. This comes after a period of exponential growth. Just 10 years ago, the organization had only 10 resorts. So, its workforce has had to grow and diversify as rapidly as its portfolio.Being inclusive in a business with tens of thousands of workers at peak season means developing leaders to broaden their skillset to engage with people in a more human-centric way. That calls for showing workers how they can explore a wide variety of jobs, to expand their capabilities, and have a sense that they belong. Everyone shares the same mission: to create the experience of a lifetime.Engaging Seasonal and Year-round WorkersThe vast majority of Vail’s workforce is seasonal, Lynanne Kunkel, chief HR officer at Vail Resorts, shared during a fireside chat at From Day One’s Denver conference. We have about 55,000 employees total at peak, and about 49,000 of them are seasonal. And our seasonal workforce is our frontline,” she said.Being in the experience business, she says, the company’s mission is to provide guests with the experience of a lifetime. This value system is also embedded in the organization’s human resources approach. “We create the experience of a lifetime for our employees, so they, in turn, can create the experience of a lifetime for our guests,” Kunkel said. “We put a lot of emphasis on understanding our frontline employee experience to make sure we’re [accomplishing that].” A large part of the year-round workforce are the frontline managers, so the company also prioritizes investing in their ability to properly support the seasonal teams.Housing in resort towns is notoriously pricey, so Vail Resorts offers a program to help employees live within a commutable distance to work. “We build housing that is owned and operated by Vail Resorts. We also have master leases with other developers in our resort communities so that we can support employees if they want to come for a season,” she said. This is especially crucial for first-time employees who may be unfamiliar with and have little connection to the area.Prioritizing Employee Retention“Seasonal employees have a choice every season to decide: Do they want to re-up with Vail Resorts? Or do they want to go do something different?” Kunkel said. “And so, over the years, we have spent a lot of time trying to understand what differentiates the frontline experience.” Vail Resorts used the global labor shortage during the pandemic as an opportunity to refresh its employee value proposition, which is now: “Explore. Grow. Belong.”Investing in employees is also top of mind. “We invested $175 million in employee experience through a combination of wages, benefits, frontline development programs, [and] frontline recognition programs, all in service to the idea that our frontline employees don't just work for Vail Resorts. They are Vail Resorts. They are the experience that is the differentiator for our guests,” she said.Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton of the Denver Post, right, interviewed Lynanne Kunkel, CHRO of Vail ResortsKunkel hopes talented employees will “come for a season, but stay for a career,” attracted by different job types and the opportunity to participate in development programs for career growth. The organization has a workforce management system that allows employees to qualify for skills outside of their core responsibilities and try out new positions through open available shifts. Not only does this allow for upskilling, but it also gives workers the opportunity to take on additional hours for extra income.The highest performing winter employees are also invited to stay through the summer for a special development program. “Epic Service Summer is an opportunity for them to get a differentiated development experience as part of their summer employment,” Kunkel said. The program has had a marked impact on both growth and retention. “We found that the participants in that program are getting promoted in their next season at five times the rate of their peers, and at two times the rate of their other high-performing peers. If they’re not getting promoted, [then] they’re moving laterally at three times the rate of their peers and two times the rate of their high-performing peers.”Creating a Diverse Workforce That Reflects the Future of the IndustryModerator Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, neighborhood reporter at The Denver Post, notes that the ski industry has a reputation for being “very homogenous.” Vail Resorts is striving to change that.“We as a company have made a declaration that the future of the sport is inclusion,” Kunkel said. Vail Resorts has been using the CRM system Epic Pass to “understand our guests, and our guest behaviors and preferences, in an extreme amount of detail,” she said. “With Epic Pass and the data that comes from it, we’re able to make targeted investments in improving the guest experience in a data-driven way.”Vail Resorts is also using data to understand the demographics of the industry and society at large–-and the gap that exists there. “Over 70% of skiers start the sport as beginners below the age of 18,” Kunkel said. With the majority of children in the U.S. being non-white, “the future of the industry is counting on these kids to start skiing before the age of 18. If we don’t invest now in building inclusive resorts where people feel welcome, our business will not be sustainable. The best way to make our resorts welcoming is to aspire to have our internal employee demographic mix mirror what we believe is the demographic mix of the future of the sport.”Preparing for Continued Growth“There are some changes happening within the company that were announced recently that are going to take place over the next two years,” Boyanton noted. Vail Resorts recently announced the commencement of a two-year resource efficiency transformation plan.“We have three resorts in Australia [and] two resorts in Switzerland, and we are very committed to continuing to build out Europe as our next region of operation,” Kunkel said. “As we’ve looked at what it’s going to take for us to support the global expansion of our company into other geographies, this was a good time for us to take a look at our organization effectiveness [and] invest in some great organizational design work in order to scale the company to support that expansion.”As it grows, Kunkel says, Vail Resorts will continue to invest in the employee experience. “The whole idea of this is to create a scalable platform as we grow, to allow our frontline teams to focus on the guest experience and give them the scalable tools and support that they need to be able to do that in the most efficient, effective way.”Katie Chambers is a freelance writer and award-winning communications executive with a lifelong commitment to supporting artists and advocating for inclusion. Her work has been seen in HuffPost and several printed essay collections, among others, and she has appeared on Cheddar News, iWomanTV, On New Jersey, and CBS New York.

Katie Chambers | November 01, 2024

Designing Benefit Programs with a Holistic Approach to Worker Well-Being

At From Day One’s NYC Benefits conference, panelist Meera Oliva, chief marketing officer at Candidly, shared some sobering statistics on personal finance: Almost half of Americans don’t have $500 saved for an emergency. And 80% of student loan borrowers do not start saving for retirement until they’re done paying down their student debt.“These problems don’t live in isolation,” Oliva said, impacting a person’s family life and even their work performance. That’s why financial well-being is one aspect of holistic health that should be incorporated into an effective employee benefits package.As companies strive to support their employees comprehensively, offering benefits that provide practical help as well as peace of mind can be a key factor in attracting and retaining top talent. What are the most innovative employee benefits that can be crafted by combining diverse point solutions, from mental health support for teens to employer contributions toward student loan repayment? Executive panelists shared tips during a session about “Designing Benefit Programs with a Holistic Approach to Worker Well-Being.”Meeting Employees Where They AreToday’s employers are looking for a holistic solution, says moderator Jenny Sucov, an independent health and well-being journalist, but also one that is applicable and adaptable for the majority of employees. “We want to address everyone in the workforce, and we want to increase productivity, and we want to stay within budget. Kind of a tall order,” said Sucov.The panelists spoke about "Designing Benefit Programs with a Holistic Approach to Worker Well-Being"Ultimately, it comes down to understanding exactly who your workforce is and putting their unique needs at the forefront of your strategy. “In healthcare, employees are caregivers. They spend most of their day caring for patients and the community, and the reality is that most of them go home and they're still caregivers, whether it's their children or their parents or family members or their pets. So, there’s just very little time for them to care for themselves and it’s hard for them to prioritize their own well-being,” said Lindsey Garito, AVP, talent enablement at Montefiore Health System. “We want to make sure that our employees are feeling cared for, and that their health and well-being is being prioritized the same way that [they care for our] patients.”Montefiore is rebranding its benefits program to emphasize personal well-being, calling their program “Healthy ME,” the ‘ME’ also representing Montefiore Einstein. The program is designed to align with the lifestyle of Montefiore employees. “We need them to be able to get the information that they need when they need it, which is typically not at work, not at a desk,” Garito said. “Many of them don’t really access work email, and so we want to make sure that we’re also reaching their families and having tools and resources that they can utilize when they’re at home, which is typically when the benefits-related conversations are being had.”Building the Right ProgramsThe best way to find out what would work best is to ask the employees directly. “We have a lot of data scientists in our workforce, and one of the things that we use to truly engage our employees and [see] what they’re looking for are the employee engagement surveys,” said Christina Hansen, director, global benefits, HR, at Verisk. “Just this past June, there were 1,500 comments, and [our CHRO] read them all, and she sent them out to various HR leaders.”In the Verisk surveys, the most talked about issue has been mental health, so the company instituted structured wellness day and Summer Fridays. “Those were some flexible wellness offerings that the company could give where it wasn’t costing us a lot of money, and yet it was very valuable,” Hansen said. The organization also hired a vendor to increase accessibility to mental health resources. For just a $25 copay, employees and their families can access therapists and even psychiatrists. “The utilization rate has quadrupled since January,” Hansen said. “We’re looking to promote it, to make sure that people understand that if you need help it’s just a phone call away.”Prioritizing Ease of UseMaking sure health benefits are as streamlined as possible will ensure employees make the most of them. “We’re constantly innovating and evolving to see what [people] need. You want to make it as comprehensive as possible,” said Justine Mitsock, senior strategist at Lyra. “We don’t want to have to send your folks one place to do some mindfulness and do just a quick wellness check in. Go to another place where maybe you need some mental health therapy. Go to yet another place where you need specialty support for your children. Where we’re staying ahead of the game is trying to be as comprehensive as possible so that you don’t have to spend your time navigating.”Getting the word out about the full spectrum of benefits and how to access them can be tricky in a large organization where simple internal communications might not reach everyone. Garito’s organization has a public website that can be perused not only by current, but by potential employees, as well as their families, in addition to regular employee newsletters that highlight different EAP’s and benefits innovations.Navigating cultural and generational differences among employees can also be a challenge. Hansen worked with her EAP vendor to have an ambassador training program that teaches employee volunteers how to communicate about the wellness program in a way that is personal, effective, and culturally appropriate.Recognizing the Importance of Financial WellnessAs Oliva noted, so much of an employee’s overall well-being and performance is tied to their financial stability. “Financial wellness and financial stresses are a really big part of how people show up at work,” Sucov said.Whether that’s lingering student debt, buying a home, or saving for children’s future college expenses, “that link between financial stress and the stress that people bring into the workplace is well-established,” Oliva said. That stress causes employees to miss work or be distracted on the job. Oliva shares that employees may spend an average of three to five working hours per week dealing with their personal finances. Providing financial benefits packages can help alleviate that stress and allow them to be more engaged in the workplace. It’s also important to note that financial stress and debt impacts all members of a family unit, and therefore whenever possible, all should have access to the education and benefits being provided for this to be a truly holistic approach.Evaluating your Current OfferingsUtilization is the number one way to evaluate if your program is effective. “We’re constantly reviewing claims. Where is this going? What are the top drivers of claims utilization? What can we do? What are alternatives to help change behavior where you don’t always have to run to the doctor for something that’s happening?” Hansen said.And all employers should be reviewing their benefits package to make sure it’s inclusive of a variety of employee lifestyles and reflects all the different things the word “family” can mean to us today.“In a world in which families take on all different shapes and sizes, how are you providing access? What systems do people who aren’t employees have access to? How are they gaining access to this benefit?” Oliva said. And employers must incorporate these families into their potential budget. “You have to think about the downstream impacts of that, and how you want to manage that type of inclusivity.”Katie Chambers is a freelance writer and award-winning communications executive with a lifelong commitment to supporting artists and advocating for inclusion. Her work has been seen in HuffPost and several printed essay collections, among others, and she has appeared on Cheddar News, iWomanTV, On New Jersey, and CBS New York.

Katie Chambers | November 01, 2024

How Inclusive Benefits Can Help Attract and Retain a Diverse Workforce

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 AuditsOn 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 NetworksWith 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 BenefitsAs 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 WellnessWhen 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 CoverageLast 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.

Carrie Snider | October 31, 2024