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Our "Build Your LSA Your Way" episode was one of the most popular episodes we've recorded this season. We take the lifestyle spending account (LSA) plan design conversation a step further in this webinar recording hosted by Benefits Buzz host Eric Piela. Our guests answer some common questions and share plan design examples to help you build an LSA that meets your employees' needs.

Everyone can make an impact. That’s at the heart of creating a purpose-driven workforce. And that’s one reason diversity and inclusion are so important in the workplace, because you can’t be your best unless everyone has a voice. We’ve invited WEX’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer onto Benefits Buzz so she can share her story with us. Check out WEX's inaugural Diversity, Equity & Inclusion report to learn more.

We’re not wired to be loyal to products or services, no matter how well they perform. We’re only capable of being loyal to people and to well-managed brands that successfully humanize their presence by creating emotional resonance with us. Imagine the value to your company when you create an experience that compels loyalty. And that applies to your customers and your employees. Ken Schmidt shares his experience building tattoo-worthy customer relationships during his time at Harley-Davidson. To learn more about Ken Schmidt, visit https://kenspeaks.com/.

The time is now to celebrate your employees. With so much change in how we work, where we work, and who we work for, developing an employee recognition program is vital to supporting and retaining employees. And when it comes from the top of the organization, even better! WEX Chair and CEO Melissa Smith is here to tell you about the impact reimagining employee recognition can have on your business or organization.

With employees leaving their jobs in record numbers, HR professionals are looking for ways to stay informed on their employees’ needs so they can better support them. One way they’re learning more is through people analytics. With this data, HR leaders can make informed decisions that lead to higher employer retention rates, reduced bias in the workplace, and improved employee wellbeing. Our own Melanie Tinto talks through her experience with people analytics, including the capabilities, learnings, and other considerations.

WEX’s Benefits Buzz podcast reached an important milestone, with over 25,000 views/listens of episodes all-time. Over the years, we’ve found new ways to reach you and brought on exciting guests, but our mission has remained the same. We wanted to share five big takeaways we’ve learned with our audience of HR professionals and benefits decision-makers.

Since the start of the pandemic, mental and behavioral health requests increased 100 percent. For the youngest employees, that increase was even higher. While the mental wellness need was always there, employers are increasingly taking notice. One specific area we’re seeing is  simply removing the stigma around mental health and illnesses and making sure we all know how to talk about it. That’s why we’ve invited Marna Canterbury, HealthPartners Senior Director of Community Health & Engagement and Joel Spoonheim, HealthPartners Senior Director of Worksite Health & Population Well-being, who help lead and support Make it OK, which is a community campaign to reduce stigma by increasing understanding and creating caring conversations about mental health and illnesses. Visit www.makeitok.org for resources that can help you.

Putting out fires. Not enough time for strategy. Even less time to focus on the personal and professional growth of yourself and your team (if you manage one). These are real issues. And the churn of Zoom calls in the last couple years has only compounded the issue for many. We want to talk through time management and prioritizing growth with a real expert in Jones Loflin, who is an author, keynote speaker, and coach. For more on Loflin, go to jonesloflin.com.

The data is clear: In many ways, women have been more disproportionately affected by the pandemic than men. From February 2020 to January 2022, male workers regained all jobs they had lost due to the public health crisis, according to one analysis. However, 1.1 million women left the labor force during that span, accounting for 63 percent of all jobs lost. And 42% of women and 35% of men have felt burned out in the last few months (up from 32% and 28% respectively, last year). So what is going on? What challenges are unique to women in the workplace? And what can we do to better support them? Elayne Fluker from the “Support is Sexy” podcast is here to share her insight on how to better support working women. Check out Elayne's work at elaynefluker.com. Fluker's book: “Get Over ‘I Got It’”, Fluker's podcast: “Support is Sexy”

Record-breaking job turnover has become a monthly headline. Fortunately for health savings account (HSA) participants, their HSAs stay with them even when they switch jobs. But now what are the options? We break down these options with an HSA when changing jobs. Or check out our blog post for more information.

Open enrollment might be the biggest moment on the benefits calendar year. How soon are you letting employees know it’s coming? And how can you get their attention early so they research now and save later? We talk with our own Steve Carroll, who will share his suggestions on building a year-round benefits communication plan to prepare for open enrollment.

You can learn about your workplace culture through exit interviews, but your active employees might provide even more valuable insight. WEX recently started conducting “stay interviews” to learn why employees keep working here. What was the motivation behind it? And how do they work? Chelsie Camp from our HR team joins us to provide you with potentially another way to collect employee feedback.

As employers explore new ways to support employee wellness, lifestyle spending accounts (LSAs) are a trendy benefit and a versatile way to show employees you care. LSAs are completely customizable by employers. With so many options, where do you begin? Arika Palloch on our sales team is here to talk through her experience in designing an LSA that’s a perfect fit for each employer. Get five ideas on how to better support employees' wellness needs. Download your free guide today!

Did you know that more than half of Americans do not have enough savings to cover an unplanned expense of $1,000? While HSA funds can be invested, the vast majority of participants need these accounts to save on today’s expenses. One of our subject-matter experts on HSAs shares his insight on HSA messaging so employers can better connect the perks of these accounts with how participants typically use them.

Most employers are a couple months into their new plan years. Are your employees engaging with their accounts? Do they even know how best to get started? We’re opening Season 5 of our Benefits Buzz podcast with one of our resident experts, who will give you some tips on supporting participants just getting started in a new plan year. Check out our blog post for more tips!

Bonus episode! Hybrid and work-from-home opportunities have combined with the Great Resignation to make recruiting and retention a greater challenge for human resource teams than possibly ever before. We assembled a panel of experts to talk about this challenge and what they are doing during this unique time in HR. For more from HSA Day, go to https://www.wexbenefitsyou.com/hsaday/

There’s a common story in HR. You wear a lot of hats and those hats come with a lot of questions. Recruiter, therapist, referee, party planner, and benefits guru. Need we say more? Education is your ticket to fewer emails, IMs, and knocks at your door. The more employees understand their benefits, the more quiet time for you. HSA Day is a day to learn. Let’s change the HR story. Get everything you need for HSA Day at https://www.wexbenefitsyou.com/hsaday/

From mental health awareness to COVID risks to decreased medical costs, there’s value in you incentivizing employee wellness. What wellness initiatives should you focus on? And what are your incentive options? Jim Miller of KrowdFit talks to our hosts about his extensive experience with wellness incentives.

This is a time of change for employee benefits. Mental health is getting much-needed attention. And with more employees working from home, inside-the-office games and events are no longer appealing. Employers are needing more flexibility in how they address benefits and employee wellness. Lifestyle spending accounts and wellness HRAs are two options employers can turn to. But which is the right one for you? We’ll break down these two accounts.

Innovation can come from anywhere! That’s why it’s important all of your employees are engaged and feel like they have a voice in what your business is doing to provide the best products and services for its customers. We’ve brought on a pair of guests to discuss the inspiration behind our innovation challenge and provide just one example of how that challenge has made a difference for our partners, clients, and participants. Check out our video to learn more about EOB smart scan.