Student Debt in 2025: Essential Benefits for Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent
BY Tabitha Cabrera April 03, 2025The student debt landscape has undergone rapid change in the past four years, with new repayment options, proposed forgiveness programs and further shifts anticipated under the new presidential administration. According to BestColleges, public college tuition increased an average of 5% a year between 2001 and 2021. During a From Day One webinar, Jon Harold, head of sales and partnership success at SoFi at Work, shared the big picture of student loans, the student debt crisis, and how that’s affecting employees. SoFi at Work is a division of SoFi, a company known for pioneering student loan refinancing and being a one stop shop for your financial needs. “Student loans are now at $1.7 trillion, a crisis in the United States, with over about 25% of Americans holding student debt,” said Harold, making the topic especially pertinent. As the workforce not only accumulates more student debt for degrees and advanced degrees, student debt programs can have a large factor in which position to take. “62% of private sector employees indicate that student debt influences their job decision,” said Harold. Additionally, “56% of employees spend three or more hours a week thinking about their finances, including student debt, and then, 36% of employees with student debt are less likely to remain with their employer than those without student debt, meaning if you have student loans, there’s not some sort of benefit, you’re less likely to stay if you don’t have student debt,” he said.The workforce is not unfamiliar with student debt associated with higher paying salaries within industries but even with the enticement of higher paying salaries through education student debt often becomes a great concern when seeking employment and staying within an organization. Employer Help With Student DebtHarold outlines four things employers can do to support their employees with student debt. The first is education, “giving employees access to guides, articles, webinars, with areas for them to ask questions.” The landscape of student loans is consistently changing, and employers can provide updates to their employees to keep them informed about the rapid changes in the student loan policies. Harold of SoFi spoke with journalist Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza (photo by From Day One)Second is advice, and third is navigating student debt, Harold says. Providing counseling around student debt, such as talking to a student loan specialist. Sometimes the most impactful conversations are those that provide a variety of answers to a hard pressed question, like ‘What should I do with my student loans? Which payment plan is right for me?’ The fourth step is refinancing. Saving money whenever possible, whether by refinancing your student loans, consolidating them, or securing better terms, is essential.Often student loan borrowers are released into the workforce not fully understanding the options in front of them regarding payment plans, reimbursement, and loan forgiveness, employers can bridge the gap by providing resources to their employees. Offering Student Loan BenefitsLooking at the objectives of the company can provide the answer to these questions, says Harold. “We can help you evaluate student debt within your workforce, and then based on that you know, what are your objectives?” Companies can look at if they are having trouble recruiting a specific population or retaining a specific population, or do you want to just offer broader financial or student debt and financial well-being benefits. The percentage of companies offering student loan repayment benefits has doubled, jumping from 17% to 34% by the end of 2023, according to research. Currently, employers can offer up to $5,250 combined in tax-free student loan repayment and tuition assistance per employee through 2025, with the Consolidated Appropriations Act. Student loan repayment can create a strategic advantage that helps strengthen employee loyalty. The amount of changes in student loan repayment options, changes in the governmental role, rising cost in education, and gravity of stress related to finances provides an avenue for employers to harness benefits for employees that center around the mounting financial concerns including student loan payments. “Student debt is worsening and employees need help now. The government is incentivizing employer action and reducing support directly to borrowers” Harold said, encouraging employers to take action. “Companies that are offering student debt benefits gain an advantage in recruitment and retention–and SoFi makes it simple,” he said.Editor's note: From Day One thanks our partner, SoFi, for sponsoring this webinar. Tabitha Cabrera, Esq. is a writer and attorney, who has a series of inclusive children's books, called Spectacular Spectrum Books.(Photo by Inna Kot/iStock)
Enhancing Employee Mental Health and Wellness Support
BY Tabitha Cabrera April 01, 2025In 2024 the World Health Organization released a report about Mental Health at Work estimating that globally, $1 trillion is lost in productivity each year due to depression and anxiety. Preventing mental health conditions at work is about managing psychosocial risks in the workplace, the study reports.Business leaders should invest resources in training management to not only try and recognize the struggles that employees face but to ask the right questions to provide important resources to employees within their organization. A panel discussion at From Day One’s Salt Lake City conference addressed this very topic. Leigh Stenby, Mountain States health solutions practice leader at AON, highlighted the spectrum and impact mental health can have within an organization. “It’s important to provide yourself, your colleagues and those that you work with resources, training, and access to tools to help folks, because you really never know what they’re going through,” she said.Stenby, shared the story of a client “who was a smart, young, dynamic woman, and we were doing amazing work together, and she ended up having a very severe mental health episode.” Mental health struggles reach a far and wide range of people in different aspects of their life, which can include, situational mental health, such as the loss of a family member, financial stress, or divorce or can be a lifelong battle that some employees may face managing depression and anxiety. Mike Brandt, VP of HR operations, employee and labor relations of L3 Harris Technologies agreed, highlighting how the company creates options inclusive of all. “So as we think about the support networks that our employees have, whether they’re single parents, whether they have family in town or not, whether they have any other network that can help them with their responsibilities outside of work,” he said. The company focuses on providing support for a wide range of employees and also ensuring they know the resources available, and that they are using them.Connie Washington, VP of people and DEI at Progressive Leasing, provides insight into the responsibility of employers. “There’s so much that people are dealing with, and they don’t leave it home. It shows up at work, whether we like it or not. And so, it’s our responsibility, responsibility as leaders and organizations to determine ways that we can support them through the challenges that they face. They’re our most important and valuable asset of an organization,” she said. Sometimes support looks like giving people time and flexibility to focus on things outside of work. AON provides “two global well-being days per year to our employees, and they’re set days, but they don’t align with any other national or religious holidays, and so they are intended for employees to use for their own self care and their own well-being, the whole company shuts down for that day,” said Stenby. Beth Taylor, assistant editor at Utah Business, moderated the panel discussionDallen Allred, co-founder and CEO of Tava Health, emphasizes the importance of a top-down approach to well-being. “I think one of the things that companies can do is demonstrate more vulnerability as leaders,” Allred said.Ryan Schatzer, VP of people services & experience at Intermountain Health agreed: “Frontline managers are so pivotal for the mental well-being of the workforce.” Resources for managers can include Mental Health First Aid, which is a one-day certification course. When employees feel like there is a culture of openness and an ability to be vulnerable without judgement regarding productivity, missed work, or any other number of factors important to employers they may be able to find what they are needing to make their way through whatever mental health struggle the employee is facing. Schatzer shared an impactful story regarding an employee who was struggling with thoughts of suicide and how important it was for the manager to ask the right questions and provide support in that situation. He goes on to highlight the gravity of providing services, support, and openness within an organization, “How do we support the team and families that have gone through or experienced suicide, but on the prevention piece, create a culture, again, a culture of openness.” Finding a way to see the employee sitting in front of you asking for help, either through their words or action, and having the proper training to either ask the right questions or direct the employee to the support they are needing, can greatly impact the workplace but most importantly the individual. Tabitha Cabrera, Esq. is a writer and attorney, who has a series of inclusive children's books, called Spectacular Spectrum Books.(Photos by Sean Ryan for From Day One)
How to Improve the Candidate Experience From the Very Beginning
BY Tabitha Cabrera March 11, 2025“Taking a moment to slow down and understand the candidate experience and finding time to focus on that is incredibly important,” said Kristen Baller, head of talent acquisition at DISH Network. “The candidate experience actually has a fundamental impact on our organization’s bottom line, meaning every candidate is a customer. And so, talent acquisition, while we may be looked at as a cost center, ultimately, has the ability to help drive revenue,” she said during a fireside chat at From Day One’s February virtual conference. Focus on the Candidate“What we’ve missed is where we actually carve out time to focus on creating a better candidate experience, focusing on the candidate—whether they’re going to be an employee, or whether we move forward with somebody else,” she said.One of the company’s core values is that opportunity is their number one benefit. Baller says that when looking at skills for both current and future positions within the organization, it’s important to assess whether someone has the energy to overcome adversity and the intelligence to think critically and outside the box.Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, reporter for the Denver Post, interviewed Baller of DISH (photo by From Day One)Internal mobility is also top of mind at DISH. Finding opportunities within the organization as Baller highlighted provides candidates confidence that “we go to the market and tell people to come build your future with us. There is someone and somewhere for everybody.” Leading With Empathy“When we think about our employer brand, one of the things that our team’s focused on is how we are taking the time to give back?” she said, highlighting their EchoStar Cares and Dish Cares volunteer work initiatives. “But how are we actually giving back to those that don’t join our organization? How do we create the space to just be more human and empathetic?” she asks. With this in mind, the company is focused on giving back and building their brand around that. Baller outlines that what she wishes industry leaders would do differently is to start carving out space for more empathy and human connection. Many of the metrics used by leaders and talent acquisition focus on efficiency and optimization, such as the number of positions filled in a quarter, time to fill, and time in process. Instead, leaders should shift some of that thinking to focus on metrics that measure candidate experience.Transparency can provide great value to the recruitment process, and overall candidate experience, says Baller. “How do we give them more transparency around what they can expect with the next steps of the interview process?” While Baller focuses on the candidate experience, the employee experience remains equally important to her. Baller highlights the importance of celebrating each other, “from a diversity, equity, and inclusion standpoint, it’s really important as an organization that we’re still investing and making our employees feel safe,” she said. Employers need to find ways to invest in and celebrate one another, recognizing that our differences and diversity of thought are what make businesses thrive and help move us forward as an organization.Tabitha Cabrera, Esq. is a writer and attorney, who has a series of inclusive children's books, called Spectacular Spectrum Books.(Photo by everydayplus/iStock)
Beyond the Paycheck: Investing in Caregiving to Drive Employee Retention and Productivity
BY Tabitha Cabrera February 20, 2025Recent BCG research finds that childcare benefits deliver returns of up to 425% of their cost for companies across the United States. At From Day One’s January virtual conference, Rachel Peterson, VP of marketing at Upwards, provided insight on sustained care and creating holistic solutions for employees.“How can we ask “why” a few more times to really get ourselves to the heart of what is the holistic need that isn’t being met here? We can do a better job of serving and that will then help [improve] everything from mental and emotional well-being at work, to financial well-being when there’s a steady care system in place,” she said. “When we offer that organizationally, we see employees that are happier, that are healthier, that are more successful. If we care for an employee, they take better care in their day working responsibilities.” Peterson spoke on not only the lack of childcare resources, but the growing need for adult care resources for employees across organizations. A highly impacted demographic of employees are those working nontraditional hours when child care or adult care is not available. “Are we able to offer something to employee populations that creates a sustainable improvement in their lives?”Rachel Peterson of Upwards spoke during the thought leadership spotlight (company photo)“So, we know that over 50% of families in the U.S. live in a child care desert, and that means that there are not adequate care centers to meet the needs of families within an area. In areas that are seeing that desert, there are also 18 plus month wait lists for childcare centers,” said Peterson.According to a 2020 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation study, 58% of working parents reported leaving work because they were unable to find childcare solutions that met their needs. Outside of the lack of childcare resources the cost of childcare leaves families balancing if working outside of the home is feasible. “I remember hearing around the middle of last year, a new report came out that childcare for two children is now more expensive than rent in all 50 states, which is really one of the other things that makes this no longer nice to have, but really a need for employees,” said Peterson. With a lack of available resources and resources that most working families cannot afford, a family care benefit provided for employees could make all the difference when balancing working outside of the home. “We’ve seen 80% reduction in turnover for organizations that do offer this benefit, a 30% reduction in absenteeism and, unsurprisingly, improved employee satisfaction,” she said. Not only do employees feel strain when trying to balance child rearing and a career but many also have an added weight of caring for aging parents. “65% report a negative career impact as a result of not having the support they need in that caregiving and its complex journey right now,” said Peterson. Not only do many employees struggle to find appropriate childcare but they may be caring for aging parents at the same time, navigating insurance, medical resources, and appointments. Rachel proposed a question for all employers, “Keep going down into the ‘whys,’ and oftentimes, what we find is that the central why of what holistic care and holistic benefits mean for an employee population is, what can we offer them that makes them feel valued, safe, secure, and know their families are being taken care of,” she said.“The challenge of work-life balance is without question one of the most significant struggles faced by modern man,” as said by Steven Covey. What’s important for the modern company is listening to the concerns of their employees and shifting to find solutions not only in the workplace but lightening whatever struggles employees face.Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Upwards, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight.Tabitha Cabrera, Esq. is a writer and attorney, who has a series of inclusive children's books, called Spectacular Spectrum Books. (Photo by Visual Generation/iStock)
When You Take Care of Yourself, You Take Care of Your Business
BY Tabitha Cabrera January 21, 2025The importance of well-being in the workplace has remained a focus of organizations around the globe, as William “B.J.” Warren, head of HR effectiveness at Bayer describes, “Pause, reflect, and recognize. It’s all right to take a beat. You have to take breaks.”Constance Jones of NBC 6 South Florida, moderated a panel discussion at From Day One’s Miami conference about “Cultivating Well-Being Through Workplace Culture.” How do you foster a workplace environment that your employees are excited to be a part of? The panel brought insight into that question with a variety of viewpoints but a general theme that workplace culture fosters well-being within the organization. The Three F’s of Creating a Sense of Community and BelongingWorkplace autonomy fosters a community environment as Kathleen Procario, VP of HR, North America, Bacardi, outlines the three F’s that build a culture of community and belonging at Bacardi. “We have something called the three F’s, which are our fearless founder, fearless family and founders mentality, and it’s ingrained in everything we do. It’s very rewarding to be working at Bacardi. It’s a place where we’re encouraged to be ourselves and really be authentic in our work.”Procario emphasizes that fostering a sense of connection to the organization requires employees to see community culture reflected throughout the business while also promoting individuality and authenticity in the workplace.Creating a Workplace that Promotes a Desire to be PresentAs with many large organizations around the globe, many employees find themselves spending more time at home, away from the office and co-workers, and using technology to bridge the lack of physical connection. What keeps employees connected not only to the people they directly work with, but also with the company as a whole? Fernando Casadevall, CHRO of World Kinect Corp., shares the importance of trying new things in the workplace to keep the environment fresh. It’s important to “create those opportunities where people can be seen, and maybe have opportunity for advancement as well–-seeing and working with each other and kind of sprinkling in some events, and then mix it up, right? You do something for a couple of months, change it up, because people just get bored of it, right? So you have to always be trying to change things around that, and maybe go seasonal, do things that are important. It’s not one size fits all for a company, because what’s important for us here in Miami is different for our employees in Singapore than it is in the UK, right?”Panelists shared their ideas on the topic "Cultivating Well-Being Through Workplace Culture," at From Day One's Miami conference Knowing where people are working is a major factor in bridging the gap between large spaces created by remote or hybrid work. Organizations need to be creative with what is important to their specific employees. Taking a survey of what is important to the company as a whole while pairing down to the individual to see what community building activities make sense for all. How to Make Every Worker’s Encounter with HR SatisfyingMaking HR more than just a logistic place for procedural points of contact within a company changes the willingness of employees to seek out those connections when it is needed the most. What moments matter to the employees sitting across from you and what can you do to foster a conversation centered around understanding. “For us it’s about looking at what are those moments that really matter for employees, where the interactions that they have with HR or the conversations that they have with people leaders are those about very meaningful things,” said Warren. “So even in the introduction, about if you lose a family member, or maybe you’re bringing someone new into your life, that’s the conversation you’re having and talking about those not where do I find my paycheck or how do I enter my performance goals? And so, we really focus heavily on first staying, what are those moments that matter?” he said. The Power of Food in the WorkplaceWho doesn’t like a free lunch but more importantly who doesn’t like a mental break in the middle of the day? Zak Kovat, director, people operations and talent at ezCater said “From our lunch rush report last year, we surveyed 5000 US office workers. 90% of them said that they’re more productive when they actually take a lunch break.” But they found that only around 38% of people take their lunch break–so offering it and encouraging it is an inclusive perk. Food might not always be the answer but often a snack paired with the company of a coworker might be. Promoting a Culture of Well-being in the WorkplaceEach of the panel members discussed what they do to make sure they are taking care of themselves in the workplace. Some of the practices of the panel members included, being intentional with breaks, yoga, going on walks, using technology like an Apple Watch as a reminder to move, weekly check ins on Sunday, participating in mini learning activities of 5-30 minutes, and doing things that you really enjoy. Jeff Williams, U.S. president and CEO of Aptia, says it’s important to ensure people are taking their time off. “Make them take time off, because not only are they going to do better, but the employees that you keep saying are two years away gives them a chance to step in and lead on behalf of those leaders, not just notionally, but really making quality decisions while those leaders are off. Make the leaders take the time, make the people step up and get some real experience as part of your succession plan.”There is life outside of work, and well-being can be brought into the workplace. It takes a conscious effort of awareness and practice not only for companies to promote well-being but for employees to feel good about participating. Tabitha Cabrera, Esq. is a writer and attorney, who has a series of inclusive children's books, called Spectacular Spectrum Books.