Northwestern Benefit Fall 2019 Client Seminar Recap

On Tuesday, September 24th, it was a full house as over 85 guests welcomed speakers Greg Hare (Employment Lawyer, Managing Shareholder) of Ogletree Deakins and Tamika Nordstrom (Assistant Vice President and Legal Counsel) of Unum for their insights on current employee benefits issues. The two speakers reviewed a number of pivotal topics such as: modern-day FMLA regulations, policies and penalties, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, employer pregnancy accommodations, data privacy laws and regulations, pay equity, and best practices for handling drugs in the workplace.

HealthJoy, creator of an all-in-one healthcare concierge and cost containment platform, was available as a resource for interested employers.

Once attendees soaked up all of the expert knowledge from the first two presentations, Managing Principle Camry Blaising took the stage to moderate a four-person panel led by Cindy Marchant (HR Manager, Berry College), Elizabeth Chrane (Chief People Officer, OneDigital Health and Benefits), Briana Bellows (HR Manager, OxBlue Corporation), and Anna Cork (VP, Employee Experience, Xceleration).

The panel focused on the six key components of Total Rewards Strategy — Compensation, Benefits, Work-Life Effectiveness, Recognition, Performance Management, and Talent Development. Attendees participated in a mobile polling session where they identified the number one key area that their organization  excelled in, and the number one component they were looking forward to learning about the most.

Many of the panelists focused on the importance of employee-centric benefits, work-life effectiveness, recognition and consistent performance management over compensation. Panelists also touched on the difficulties of growing companies, and the need for employers to find new ways for employee development opportunities outside of the workplace through external trainings, coaching, and team-building experiences.

We’d like to thank our speakers, panelists and clients for yet another successful seminar! In case you missed it, take a peek at our gallery:

Photos courtesy of Bowtie Photos, LLC.