With less than 3 months to go before Connecticut Paid Leave Benefits kick-in, employers and HR professionals across the state are looking for answers as it relates to the process of applying and tracking claims, if a private plan option is still advantageous, and why employers should be holding on to their STD plans. Ben and Chris from the Principal join Host Jeff Cross to answer these questions and more while providing insight into what they've been seeing in other states. If you still have questions around CT PFML - this is the episode for you.Music By: Colin Cross Music

Friends with Employee Benefits & HR

Connecticut Paid Leave: Short-Term Disability Impact, Claims Process, Anticipated Utilization & More with Principal

Dr. Mary Mulcare, Chief Medical Officer at Summus Global, joins Host Jeff Cross in a lively discussion around "care delay," covid regulations on telemedicine that are expiring and how to continue the momentum around leveraging telehealth services. A timely episode as many are heading into Open Enrollment season and are looking to continue to support their employees from a virtual standpoint.About Mary MulcareMary Mulcare, MD, FACEP, is Chief Medical Officer at Summus Global. She oversees the Summus clinical team and supports product, data, and physician network strategy in support of Summus’ mission to provide fast, virtual access to high-quality medical expertise across the care continuum. She completed her Emergency Medicine residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, was Chief Resident, and then did a fellowship in Geriatric Emergency Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Mulcare was an attending Emergency Medicine physician at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine.  About Summus Global:Summus Global, the leading virtual specialist platform, empowers families by providing access to a network of 4,000+ top specialists across 48 leading hospitals -- within days, from anywhere in the world. Pioneering the future of corporate health benefits, Summus Global partners with companies across the country to create an elevated healthcare experience for their employees and to support better, cost-efficient outcomes across all health questions and stages of care.  Music By: Colin Cross Music

Telemedicine After COVID-19: Continuing the Momentum & Understanding its Impact with Dr. Mary Mulcare, CMO at Summus Global

The recent surge in COVID cases nationwide has upped the stakes for employers in their efforts to maintain safe workplaces for employees. To address the risk related to unvaccinated employee status, employers are evaluating several options that range from a mandate to friendly suggestions. Tune into this episode as we tackle the most pressing questions from employers! Music By: Colin Cross Music

Vaccine Mandates, Surcharges & Incentives: Best Practices for Employers

Leveraging Coaching, Feedback & Continuous Learning to Create an Intentional 'Culture' with Maureen Gallo, Executive VP at Beekley Corporation

Back in December, we had US Senator Chris Murphy join the podcast to chat about the future of Healthcare in CT. To get the other side of the aisle, we invited CT State Senator Kevin Kelly to join the podcast to chat about where he sees the future of healthcare going and what the Republican Party is currently doing about it.  Music By: Colin Cross Music

A Conversation with State Senator Kevin Kelly on Healthcare in CT

Getting the Most Out of Your EAP's to Build a Mentally Healthy Workplace with Meghan Stokes, VP Clinical Services at BHS

Answering Your COBRA Subsidy & Tax Credit Questions with Bob Radecki, Senior Reg. & Public Policy Analyst

Returning to People, Maintaining Culture & Leaders vs. Bosses with Jon Pace, Chief People Officer at CompassMSP (IT Direct)

You asked. We answered. Jeff Cross is joined by Nicole Cahill, HR Business Partner at OneDigital, and Peter Murphy, Partner at Shipman & Goodwin, LLP to tackle employers' most frequently asked questions surrounding the American Rescue Plan Act, Vaccinations and Returning to the Workplace.

Q&A Round-Up: American Rescue Plan Act, Vaccinations & Returning to the Workplace

Low turnover. 5-star reviews. A close-knit team. This Friends with Employee Benefits podcast episode features Becca Jacobs, HR Manager at Instrumart and how workplace culture has played a big role in their company's success - both externally and internally. Becca talks about what culture means to her, how their team has stayed engaged while working remotely and the importance of being an employee-centric organization. Becca also shares her thoughts on their 100% no-employee-cost health plan, how other employers could adopt something similar and how integral the word "human" is in human resources.

How Workplace Culture Influences Productivity & Performance with Becca Jacobs, HR Manager at Instrumart

Rich Lombard and Jeff Wasco from Guardian join the podcast to help tackle the questions we've been hearing from employers across the state: how does Connecticut Paid Leave interact with other benefits, who tracks paid leave and what is the process for a private plan option. They also discuss what their experience has been so far with employers across Connecticut. Tune into this 34-minutes episode to get the answer to these trending questions and better understand what employers should be focusing on next as it relates to paid leave.

Answering Your Connecticut Paid Leave Questions

In this quick-hit podcast episode, we take a step back to reflect on what we've learned from Open Enrollment in 2020 and what we'd like to continue implementing in the future, even when we are able to resume in-person activities. Katelyn Ayala, Benefits and HRIS Specialist at Paradigm Precision, joins Jeff to discuss how their organization had to pivot from a completely hands-on, in-person open enrollment to a virtual experience. This episode covers how that transition happened, what the feedback was from employees and what Katelyn has learned in the process that Paradigm will continue to implement going forward.

Virtual Open Enrollment: Takeaways & Best Practices with Katelyn Ayala, Benefits & HRIS Specialist at Paradigm Precision

As work changes, so does the dynamic between employee and employer. Rachael Perillo, Talent Business Partner, joins Jeff to discuss the evolution of the employee-employer relationship, focusing on the shift from employee engagement to the human experience. In this jam-packed episode, the two discuss what the Human Experience entails and the role HR plays in this transition. They also dive into the effect of social unrest, zoom fatigue and childcare on employees, and how HR can better support their workforce through it all. If you're in HR, don't miss this episode.

The New Focus on Human Experience

While the COVID-19 vaccine provides employers and employees with the hope of returning to a pre-pandemic world, it doesn’t come without its fair share of questions. Can I require employees to get the vaccine? What if they don’t get it? Can we incentivize and pay employees? These are just a few of the many questions employers are facing. Jeff Cross speaks with a panel of experts from around New England to breakdown the considerations and decisions around safe and effective vaccine programs, policies and best practices.

Your Vaccine Questions Answered

Another year, another round-up. With only a few days left of 2020 (thank goodness!), Jeff and Ron banter back and forth about what we've learned from this year, what we'd like to leave behind and what employers should be looking out for in the new year.

What We've Learned from 2020 & What to Expect in 2021

The podcast that tackles trending topics in the employee benefits and HR world… and hopefully entertains along the way. Tune in biweekly to stay informed of the latest trends and industry insights to help you develop an exceptional workplace.