As part of celebrating our 10th anniversary, we are delighted to share this series of interviews with benefits leaders—Insights From Industry Leaders. These benefits pros share their thoughts on the current landscape, and their visions for the future. The interviews will be posted on my LinkedIn page as they are released weekly
We’ve been honored to work with Melanie since 2009. Since then, she has become a superstar within her own organization and throughout the benefits community. As a featured panelist at leading industry conferences, Melanie continues to tell Ardent’s benefits success story. She was honored in 2010 as a Healthcare Consumerism Superstar.
1. What’s your current role and where are you focusing your time and energy?
VP, Compensation and Benefits. Majority of my time is spent on benefits and due diligence as we are in acquisition mode.
2. How did you get into employee benefits?
I got into HR because I wanted to help people. I gravitated toward benefits because the rules-based structure appealed to me.
3. Why have you stayed in the industry?
There’s always something new to learn.
4. Why do employee benefits matter?
Having or not having benefits coverage when you need it is a life-changer. Early on in my career, I had an employee call me as he was retiring and ask about his retirement plan. He never made one contribution to his 401(k) plan. That was not an easy message to deliver.
5. Why does benefits communication matter?
Unfortunately, most people don’t think about their benefits until they need to use them. It’s so important that they are aware of what’s available to them.
6. When you reflect on the past 10 years, what accomplishments are you most proud of?
I am most proud of our commitment to employee wellness. We implemented an outcomes-based wellness program over six years ago! Thousands of employees (and now, their spouses) receive detailed information regarding their health each year when they participate in our on-site biometric screenings. Last year alone, 2,983 participants lost 24,315 pounds! We’re educating our employees and their spouses about their health and rewarding those who are meeting health targets with lower medical premiums.
7. What has been the most significant change in employee benefits during the last 10 years?
So. Many. Rules. HIPAA, PPACA, GINA, everyone (EEOC, DOT, DOL, HHS) weighing in with their own wellness regulations, FMLA, ADA. And acronyms!
8. What are you excited about right now?
I’m excited about the trend to discuss employee financial wellness right along with more traditional wellness programs. While employees must take personal accountability for both their health and financial wellness, we want to provide the tools that will help them achieve their goals.
9. What are you concerned about right now?
The attention span of the average person continues to decrease. How can we deliver more information in less time?