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.

Enhancing Manager Effectiveness With Transparency, Technology, and Leadership Development

Creating transparency and trust within a company allows for employees to feel trust with managers, but how can companies measure management success and continue to improve their impact on employees? In an executive panel discussion, leaders at From Day One’s Austin conference spoke about “Manager Effectiveness: Defining It, Measuring It, and Improving It.”“You have to really be able to be transparent. You have to be able to be authentic and be willing to not know all the answers and rely and trust your team to help you get things done,” said Patrick Felder, senior vice president of employee success at Salesforce.Using AI as a Tool“2024 is all about AI,” said Arun Serikar, vice president of digital human resources at Schneider Electric, who uses tools like Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT in his role as a manager. Serikar says AI allows for more efficiency for meeting notes, scheduling and synthesizing information from meetings.AI however functions off of available data which means that in order for the system to function effectively, you need to ensure that the system has the knowledge, articles and information before deploying it.Ricardo Galan, vice president of diversity, inclusion and talent experience at QBE, says his company uses AI to train managers on skills such as how to facilitate difficult conversations. “Our HR department cannot go to every single leader and teach them how to have a difficult convocation, but AI can actually help you practice in a safe environment,” Galan said.For companies with thousands of employees, it can be difficult to reach each person and give each of them the necessary training and workshops but implementing AI tools can help streamline these processes.Companies like Salesforce overlook over 30,000 team members, many of which are based in India. Salesforce created its own AI virtual agent called Agentforce, a competitor to Microsoft Copilot. Within the company however, leaders use a separate tool called the manager 360 dashboard which allows them to access all of their team’s data, offers suggestions and provides summaries.Panelists spoke about "Manager Effectiveness: Defining It, Measuring It, and Improving It," in a session moderated by Tom Miller, morning anchor at KXAN“The idea is, to continue to build better leaders you have to give them all of the relevant information, make sure they understand all the component pieces and then bring that to them at their fingertips within the flow of work,” said Felder.Growing and Developing LeadersLeaders within a company don’t come out of thin air. Leaders like Jennifer Newbill, director of emerging talent at Dell Technologies, have to be able to spot future employees with potential in management and leadership.At Dell, the company has implemented programs around the world where students can rotate throughout the company and learn about different aspects of departments. Throughout these programs, a student’s potential is being measured through observations on whether they exhibit the skills that match existing company values and leadership principles.Haeli Harris, director of clinical operations at Nivati says empathy is also an important skill for leaders to have. “Empathy is a key piece in building trust,” she said.Leaders are natural problem solvers but it’s also an important skill to be good at connecting with employees on a personal level and be able to see when behaviors change and notice when there might be something wrong, says Harris. “We want managers to be able to recognize when people are struggling, and the tools of ‘how do I help them, and how can I be a better manager,’” she said.Training on emotional intelligence can improve relationships between managers and employees. One skill that managers can build is as simple as listening. “Sometimes people don’t want to sit and get advice. They want to be heard,” said Newbill.Learning to become a leader comes with experience and development and hosting workshops can be helpful in boosting the growth of current and potential managers. Salesforce uses a manager training program called Lead India, which aims for the growth of leadership in employees based in India.Over the last few years, Salesforce has expanded their leadership team in India to now over 900 leaders this year, says Felder. With this expansion, Lead India also had to adapt. The training program this year embedded wellness conversations, Indian luminaries to spark inspiration and focused conversations led by leaders.Felder adds that when hiring for a company, leaders should be hiring those who are better than themselves to build a strong team that will carry the company forward. “You really have to be open and make sure that you’re holding folks accountable to hiring better than who they are, because the talent that you need is out there, but leaders sometimes want to hire like themselves, and you've got to push people a little bit harder to think differently about that,” said Felder.Keeping Teams Connected RemotelyAs many companies are now allowing employees to work remotely or hybrid, it can be difficult to maintain the connection between your team compared to an everyday in-person setting. Serikar emphasizes that open communication platforms like Slack or Yammer, now Viva Engage, can be helpful in connecting with employees remotely.Felder, who uses Slack, said he will take videos with recaps of conferences and events to share to his team working offsite. Salesforce also utilizes multiple Slack channels where different teams and groups can connect with each other and maintain communication. Managers can build trust with their employees by opening themselves up to feedback and following up with what is shared.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Evolving a Strong Set of Cultural Values for a Remote Workforce

Pop quiz: What U.S. city currently has the most remote workers? That would be Austin, Texas, with a whopping 24.9% of its workers operating outside of a traditional office environment. Carmen Amara, chief people officer at Yelp, is one of them.While many companies have ordered their employees back to the workplace, others have remained committed to flexibility. During a fireside chat at From Day One’s Austin conference, Amara showed how Yelp develops its remote culture with three elements in mind: What are employees saying about it? What are the business results? And what is the pace of innovation? Plus: How to keep career development at the forefront in a distributed workplace.Responding to the Desire for Remote WorkEven among growing public discourse about the need to return to the office, many workplaces are still noticing a strong desire among employees to stay home post-pandemic. “We are a remote work culture now,” said moderator Ross McCammon, deputy editor at Texas Monthly. “17.9% of workers are remote, a full three times as much remote work as there was before the pandemic.” And Yelp is no exception.“In 2021 we said we were going to be ‘remote first.’ We opened up our office doors and employees voted with their feet. On any given day, we had less than 1% of our employees showing up in an office,” Amara said. Recognizing that remote work was, in fact, working, Yelp went fully remote in 2022.The job market today is different than it was in 2022, when there was heavy competition to attract the top talent and the Great Resignation was in full swing. Now, Amara says, “companies are hiring more selectively” and tenure is lengthening, which means productivity is up, but organizations must work harder to keep longer term employees engaged. We’ve gone from the Great Resignation to what McCammon calls “The Big Stay.”An Intentional Approach to Culture-buildingOne of the biggest concerns facing employers today: Can you create culture in a remote environment? “Yes, you can, but you have to do so with intention,” Amara said. “And it’s not the same playbook, you can’t translate what you were doing in an office environment and just do that at home.” Yelp does it by relying on its longstanding core set of values. “Culture is about the stories that we tell and the values we hold high. That has to be foundational. You have to live by your values. You have to show your values in action. You have to address breaches in your values. And leaders have to walk the talk,” she said.Yelp creates experiences for employees that allow them to feel the organization’s values in their daily work. It’s taken its formerly San Francisco-based employee resource groups global, so all employees can join in the conversations from wherever they are. It also holds awards opportunities tied to the values and select in-person and virtual community service events in cities where there happen to be a lot of what Amara affectionately calls “Yelpers.”Carmen Amara, chief people officer of Yelp, was interviewed during the fireside chatYelp has developed both structured and unstructured storytelling sessions tied to its corporate values and professional development initiatives. Amara herself recently recorded one about authenticity. Leaders and employees at all levels are invited to take part. Sessions are presented live, recorded, and then sent out for later viewing.Re-envisioning the Employee ExperienceAmara says Yelp has relied on employee listening to inform a lot of its actions during and after the pandemic. “We did more specific and targeted surveys and interactions with employees to learn from them, so that we could quickly create the new playbook,” she said, noting that the organization was even more willing to move quickly and learn on the fly while refining the employee experience, rather than waiting for it to be “fully baked” before launch.What came out of the listening sessions was a strong desire for flexibility and the benefits that can help support it–caregiver benefits, mental health benefits, and flexible health and wellness benefits, including a stipend that can be put toward gym memberships, acupuncture, fitness gear, or the like. “It’s about creating a person-first experience,” Amara said.Amara acknowledges that as an HR professional, it can be hard to capture employees’ attention when rolling out cultural changes and benefits opportunities. She suggests “trying to meet people where they are.” Yelp introduced a new framework called Connected by Conversation, which offers six templates of the most impactful conversations leaders can have with employees, such as goal-setting discussions and one-on-ones. “It’s not a script,” Amara said. “We want people to be authentic, but it gives them a menu of options in a two-page outline to enable them to amp up their coaching capabilities.”Addressing “The Big Stay” in a Virtual WorldKnowing that employees are now staying longer in their roles, organizations need to prepare to play the long game. When Yelp went fully remote, it revamped its employee value proposition. “The former proposition talked about what it felt like to walk into a Yelp office,” Amara said. Now, it focuses on “work-life fit,” and hires with an eye toward what sorts of people thrive in a remote working environment. “We look for people who are going to be self-sufficient, who are self-starters, but can also collaborate across geographies,” Amara said. “We tend to include other folks from the team in that interview panel, so that our candidates get a full understanding of what it’s going to feel like to work here.”Without the natural visual and emotional cues of in-office interaction, it can be harder to see if employees are fulfilled and thriving. Yelp uses tools to assist, sending automated reminders to managers to complete regular check-in protocols with employees. “And we're very intentional about creating robust onboarding experiences,” Amara said.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.

Guiding Employee Growth With Inclusive Pathways to Success

Success in an organization is never a given, and without a clear pathway, it becomes almost unattainable for employees. Creating inclusive pathways for employee growth is a strategic imperative that fosters engagement, trust, and long-term retention. Five panelists spoke on this during From Day One’s LA conference in a conversation moderated by Nick Wolny, columnist for Out Magazine.Leverage Employee Resource GroupsOne way that companies can create inclusive pathways for employee growth and success is to make the most of their ERGs. Panelist Antonio Hairston, VP of recruiting, diversity outreach & early career talent for William Morris Endeavor, says that leaders should join ERGs. That way, leaders can participate, advocate, and promote them. “Over 2,000 members are a part of them, and it’s an authentic way to really build community,” he said. “Four of my team members are either a part of the leadership board or a part of a committee, and so as we think about our conversations and quarterly reviews or semi-monthly reviews, we talk about their personal development, and we talk about ways in which we can stretch them, ways in which we can give them stretch assignments.”This kind of collaboration and skill-building is instrumental in helping employees grow. Taking it a step further, Hairston became a mentor as part of the company’s ERG mentorship program. “It gives me the opportunity to connect with someone outside of my direct team,” he said. “We’re bouncing ideas off of each other, and I get a fresh new perspective from someone far removed from my direct team.”It’s really a win-win for both, with the mentor gaining insight, while the mentee learns from a leader in the company.Create Sharing OpportunitiesAt Chedraui, previously Smart & Final and El Super, where panelist Joseph Tischbern is VP of talent development and engagement, they focus on looking at employees as individuals. “We’re not just going to train you. We’re going to help you find the skills that exist in you, and we’re going to coach you until you believe that you can do whatever’s possible,” he said.Everyone comes to work wanting to be successful, but success may look different depending on each person. In order to feel comfortable to do that, there must be an environment of trust. To do that, companies need to create sharing opportunities.When Chedraui acquired Smart & Final, the company went from 12,000 people to 25,000 overnight. Tischbern said while many of the employees shared some commonalities with regards to Spanish language and culture, they needed to bond as employees and speak a common company language. “We put them in as many learning environments together as we possibly could,” he said. They also focused on developing consistent language. That included putting everyone through the Gallup Strengths Finder and the Seven Habits for Highly Effective People. From that, employees began speaking a common language, which ultimately helped them to trust the environment. One company leader, an immigrant from Iran, shared stories of hardship living in his home country. Soon others began sharing their stories. “Him being so transparent in that learning environment started breaking walls down,” Tischbern said. “Forty leaders in a room started to talk about their experiences. And that started to transform the culture.” Shift to Skills-Based HiringAn inclusive pathway always starts with the first step, and that’s hiring. Panelist Christine White, head of talent acquisition, North America, at Alstom, said they’ve changed how they approach getting people in the door. “We created a matrix for the core skills that we needed for all of our exempt and non-exempt positions,” she said. Still, letting go of traditional ways of focusing on degrees from specific universities can be hard for some leaders. To help change the mindset, shifting to a skills-based hiring model is a constant topic of discussion, White says. One thing they’ve done is put potential hires through tests, and share the results with leadership.The group of leaders spoke on the topic "Creating Inclusive Pathways for Employee Growth and Success"As they continue to share the results, a pattern emerges. It challenges the educational ecosystem and makes them ask the real question—what makes a person ready to work? If a person took the SAT or graduated from a prestigious university, does that automatically make them better? White concluded no. That’s a bias that needed to be challenged. This mindset shift to skills-based hiring has created an inclusive pathway for success. “We've been successful dealing with the education issue. It’s pretty much nearly gone in terms of a four-year degree,” White said. “Without the educational [barrier], we’re having them undergo a few more skill assessments in the pre-screening phase.” And any skills they still need, they teach, allowing for growth and success. Embrace DiversityThe current environment is a collision between DEI and talent development, says panelist Katie Oertli Mooney, managing director at Seramount. No matter what you call anything related to DEI, the focus is diversity, and it’s only going to become more important as time goes on. “Representation matters,” she said. “When we think about the future of work, students and those of younger generations are two times more likely to turn down a job if they don't see diversity in the organization.” Equitable access and opportunities is required so everyone can compete and move forward, Mooney says.Data from EEOC shows a 10 percent increase in new charges, meaning if inclusion isn’t at the center of an organization’s focus, there will be risks organizations would need to manage. Alternatively, leaders can proactively create a diverse workforce. “Having inclusive leaders, involving curriculum of that magnitude, leads to more effective, efficient workplaces,” Mooney said. A culture of belonging reduces attrition risks. Use the Power of AI for Job MatchingLarge corporations especially can find creating inclusive pathways challenging. That’s where AI can prove a useful tool, says panelist Michael Watson, senior director at Eightfold. There, they try to remove bias by not requiring an education and looking more at skills with the help of AI.“Every day I go to work, I’m trying to level that playing field for veterans, for working moms that didn’t have a chance to go to school, dads, everyone across the board that just hasn't gotten a fair chance,” Watson said. Some of his best recruits, he added, were baristas or servers without a formal education but plenty of skills in talking to people and dealing with rejection. “We’ve ingested over a billion and a half career paths. We’ve ingested over a billion roles,” he said. “Because of the size of our dataset, we can see those adjacent skills that you have.”Originally, Watson interviewed for a different position with Eightfold, and they turned him down for that role. But they came back and told him he’d be perfect for a different position—something he never would have considered, but thanks to AI the company matched his skills with what they needed. “Never in a million years did I think I would be running customer success,” he said. “But because we’re using these large data sets, we can see these anomalies, and we can see these patterns, and then we can lay those out for our employees.”By fostering inclusive pathways, companies can unlock the potential of their workforce by emphasizing trust, collaboration, and shared growth. Organizations that prioritize these efforts will not only build stronger communities within but will also drive sustainable success.Carrie Snider is a Phoenix-based journalist and marketing copywriter.

How Inclusive Benefits Can Help Attract and Retain a Diverse Workforce

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