If you work a desk job in the 21st century, it’s not always clear what becomes of the effort you put in. White-collar workers too infrequently get their hands on products, find out who uses their ideas, or see the fruits of their labor. That’s not the case, however, with employee-benefits leaders, according to Kimberly Young.
Young is the SVP of total rewards at Amentum, an engineering and technology giant with 53,000 workers across 80 countries. Young has worked in benefits for more than 20 years, having started her career supervising pension plans in the early 2000s. Young got hooked on the profession because she could see the effects of her work–and she found it immensely rewarding. For instance, if programs to manage chronic conditions among employees are effective, those results show up in the better health of the workers, and “if claims are high, you can trace back to the cause and you can see the measures you’ve taken to curtail or increase employee engagement in those programs,” she said.
From Day One spoke with Young about the changes she has experienced in the benefits space, how to deal with the barrage of new benefits in the market, and what skills have made her team successful in 2024. Excerpts:
Q: Where have you seen the greatest changes in benefits in your career?
A: The needs of employees have changed. From maternity-leave benefits to family-leave requirements to GLP-1 drugs, bariatric surgeries, and legislation around women’s rights and abortion care–just a whole plethora of life events that happened to employees. What’s also changed is the role that an employer and their medical benefits play in an individual’s circle of life.
Q: Is there an accomplishment you’re most proud of in your career?
A: I worked on a panel of leaders who managed all of the benefit programs for a certain group of companies. We had to totally redesign our healthcare platform and put in high-deductible health plans because of the financial position of the company. It happened at a time PPOs were the prevailing plan and high-deductible health plans were uncommon. The company filed for bankruptcy, and we had to reduce cost dramatically, so we went full-replacement HSA to lower cost while providing quality coverage to employees at a time when HSAs were not that popular. It was a difficult transition for employees because they were not used to the high out-of-pocket expenses for medical or pharmacy costs. The employee education and engagement that went along with delivering a critical, difficult message–it was challenging–but at the same time it was rewarding because it worked.
Q: What did you learn from that experience?
A: My biggest takeaway was how to deliver a difficult message. I also learned the empathy you need to have for the employee side of the house, understanding what it means when they’re getting news about increases or changes. Not all employees have the same needs, but if you know that about 20% of your population have very critical healthcare needs, you know those changes will impact them the most.
Q: Are you a naturally empathetic person?
A: I think so, but I also think it happens naturally over time, hearing employees tell you their stories, tell you their situation, tell you the impact the changes have had on them. You come to understand some of the complexities employees deal with when they’re caring for a family member or a spouse who has a very significant medical condition. If you don’t have empathy, you get it. Sometimes we get lost in the day-to-day, the production numbers, everything else, and if we’re not close to it, we don’t really understand the impact that these changes have on individuals.
Q: Amentum has had a big year: A merger and going public, plus a new chief people officer as of early December. What have you learned in 2024?
A: That you have to be resilient. Stick to your priorities as best you can and tackle one thing at a time. I’ve learned resilience because it can be overwhelming.
Q: What is your biggest day-to-day challenge right now?
A: Right now, we’re going through an integration as a result of the recent merger, so trying to manage multiple priorities and strategic initiatives that include harmonization of existing programs between both companies that will ultimately enhance the employee experience and provide better health outcomes.
Q: What about long-term challenges?
A: I’m figuring out how we position ourselves as best-in-class from a benefits perspective. With all the new features out there and the trends that are in the market, you want to make sure you’re implementing programs that have engagement as well as quality outcomes.
Q: What is your busiest time of year?
A: The busiest time for me is March to June, doing the diligence review to prepare for recommendations for next year’s benefit programs. That time period could include RFP outcome reviews, pricing strategies, condition-management options, or adding and changing existing programs on the menu.
Q: I’m sure you’re being pitched on a new platform or benefits idea all the time. How do you decide what’s worthwhile?
A: Like most large companies, we work with brokers and consultants who help us do RFPs and wade through affordability and quality. But for benefits leaders, it boils down to what’s happening in your population and what do you need to help solve for your population. I don’t think one-size-fits-all if you’re seeing trends in things like cancer or [musculoskeletal conditions]. You need to bring in programs to help remedy and treat those and drive better outcomes. But cost is always a top concern and while you also want to manage what’s happening in your trends.
Q: What are the best new ideas in benefits today?
A: I think it’s on the wellness side of things. The challenge has been to get employees engaged in benefits not only when they need them or when they’re sick, but to get them engaged in the benefits when they’re well. So there are all kinds of wellness options out there from mental health to gym memberships to pilates classes.
Q: What would have made this year more successful?
A: More resources, I suppose. You can always offer new, more engaging benefits to the menu, and you can only do so much with a budget.
Q: What made you successful this year?
My team made this year a success. It’s not I, it’s we. I have a whole team of people that we collaborate and work with, and we wouldn’t be successful without them.
Q: What are the most important skills on your team?
A: I think they’re very detailed and analytical, and they’re great problem-solvers. You can present a strategy, but you have to have people who can pick it apart and go down to the details, find the issues, pinpoint the errors, isolate the gaps, and help bring solutions.
Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the Economist, the BBC, The Washington Post, Quartz, Business Insider, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife.
(Featured illustration by Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock by Getty Images)