I had the pleasure of speaking at The New England HR Association (NEHRA)’s Annual Legal Summit a couple weeks ago. The summit brought together attorneys, CEOs, insurance experts and HR professionals to discuss changes in regulations and laws that directly impact the workplace experience of employees. Some of the major topics discussed included how to adapt to a hybrid workforce, how to know who to hire during and cultural and legal considerations when facing substance use and mental health issues in the workplace. All in all, the conference was a great success and allowed for fantastic networking opportunities and provided guidance around a range of compliance considerations that apply to countless employers nationwide.

During NEHRA’s Legal Summit, I presented on, Piecing Together the Puzzle of the Paid Leave Landscape, in which I dove into history of Paid Family & Medical Leaves (PFML) in the US and explained the current landscape of which states provide PFML (and to what degrees). I moved on to show breakdowns on a global level for paid leave for new fathers, new mothers and for an employee with a health problem. As you’ve probably heard, data shows that the US is far behind when it comes to enacting federal legislation that provides paid family leave in comparison to the rest of the world. Without federal paid leave policies, it has fallen on individual states to create, enact and enforce paid leave policies. Of the fifty states in the US, 23 have rejected PFML proposals and have no safety net for employees who face medical or family issues that would require time off work, unless a program is provided by their employer.


After addressing some of the global and national trends, I explained some of the barriers of access to paid family leave within the US. For instance, women are 20% more likely to leave their jobs when they don’t have access to paid leave and 25% of new mothers return to work less than two weeks after giving birth1. Additionally, when breaking down access to paid leave based on race, research conducted by the National Partnership for Women & Families found that 28% of black respondents reported having requests for leave denied, compared to 9% of white workers. It is clear even within states or organizations that provide some form of paid leave, many Americans are facing very different realities when trying to utilize or understand their paid leave options.

As this was a legal summit, I tackled some of the major questions employers ask about leave surrounding compliance, costs, and leave options if they reside in a state that does not provide PFML. I reviewed some best practices employers can take when developing and evaluating leave policies such as leveraging benchmarks, looking into funding options (e.g. self-insurance, captive insurance, etc.), and utilizing technology and appropriate metrics to evaluate financial impacts. I also noted that different perspectives must be considered when developing leave policies. For instance, employees have different priorities; they are often worried about job security, getting paid and workload upon return when assessing taking paid leave. On the flip side, navigating leave from an employer perspective can be a daunting task when having to traverse FMLA, state laws, ADA/ADAAA, HIPAA, discrimination laws and more; so, it is essential to utilize resources to make sure your company is abiding by all regulatory standpoints.


All in all, I was in great company at the NEHRA legal summit! As per usual, NEHRA hosted some of the leading experts in the field and tackled major topics employers and HR professionals are facing currently. I hope to see many of you again during NEHRA’s 2022 Annual Conference in October.

Featuring research and insights form Spring, check out this article in BenefitsPRO explaining that where federal lawmakers have failed, states and employers have been stepping into the gap.

A Recap of NEEBC’s Beyond the Basics (Level 2) Event

Last week I had the honor of presenting at the New England Employee Benefits Council (NEEBC)’s Health & Welfare: Beyond the Basics (Level 2) event. The event provided great insights into how employers can adapt their corporate culture and provide strong benefits to attract and retain top-tier talent. Sessions focused on the following four critical areas of health and welfare: healthcare, data analytics, lifestyle accounts, and employee absence.

health and welfare benefits

David Chamberlain from Brown & Brown clarified the difference between health and wellness and steps employers can adopt to promote preventative care. He later dove into the differences and advantages of discount analysis verses repricing and how this all ties into pharmaceutical needs. Finally, he outlined the landscape of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and how new disrupters such as Amazon Pharmacy are able to provide pharmaceutical capabilities for people with and without insurance.

Mary Delaney from Vital Incite explored the need for data when developing benefits strategies. She explained how data such as age, gender, medication patterns, likeliness of hospitalization and other indicators are essential when developing a health/medical insurance plan. Lastly, she explains how this data can be collected through employee needs surveys and analyses of national health data trends.

Firstly, Jennifer Aylwin from Vertex Pharmaceuticals gave a short background on lifestyle accounts (LSAs) and how they can appeal to a range of employee needs. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees are now working in a hybrid or remote setting, and LSAs are a good practice to keep those employees content and engaged. She ended her presentation with an exercise where the audience was able to develop a business case for leadership consideration of LSAs.

As for absence management, I had the pleasure of presenting on this topic. I started by exploring some of the benefits of adopting integrated absence management policies, such as reducing administrative costs and fostering a positive corporate culture where employees feel valued. I ended by showing how strong absence policies paired with effective communication of those policies have proven to provide a better experience for employees and greater workplace efficiency.

All in all, it has been great finally being able to see so many familiar faces in person again. As we adjust to a post-pandemic life, it is essential that we implement health and welfare strategies that match the need of employees currently. Keep an eye out for Spring at upcoming NEEBC events here.

As seen in the New England Benefits Council (NEEBC) blog.

We are one year into eligible Massachusetts employees being able to apply for paid leave benefits under the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. Although stats for the MA PFML Rookie Year have not been released yet, the first six months were telling:

While we await data for season of 2021, let’s dissect the highs and lows and see if MA PFML has a shot at Rookie of the Year!


Let’s start with the highs:


The plan appears to be running at a sustainable level with sufficient funding, indicated by a reduction in contribution rates, which is good for residents of the Commonwealth.


Employers were able to successfully create private plans without significant hurdles in the process, allowing MA firms to continue their history of rich benefit designs without negatively impacting corporate plans.


Massachusetts has been a strong example of early and broad education of the program. Individuals in the state were told about benefits that may be available to them in plenty of time before the program went live, giving them the opportunity to ask questions and better understand what their experience might be in the case they need leave. The state hosted various webinars to different audiences, providing real time information and continuous updates on the status of the program’s launch. The website houses a multitude of helpful information and is continually updated. For questions not answered in these channels, individuals may also call the DFML for benefit questions or the Department of Revenue (DOR) for questions concerning private plans or contributions, and the state is typically always able to answer even in-depth questions.

While the state has had multiple home runs implementing a PFML program, just like evaluating Rookies of the Year like Jonathan India and Kyle Lewis, we need to think of the swing-and-a-miss situations as well. The most significant strike for the MA PFML was their system:

Just like anyone’s first year in the pros, our first year with MA PFML threw us curveballs we did not expect, and as a result, we have learned some important lessons. The ever-evolving landscape of PFML laws has put pressure on employers with employees across the country, as they try to meet employee needs while balancing corporate responsibilities and equity. As we all become more seasoned players in this complex game of leave, Spring has outlined some best practices for employers handling PFML:

The replay we are watching the most, however, is that COVID-19 significantly increased the complexity of such a program. The need for leave has been exacerbated. Difficulty hiring employees has affected employers who must keep up productivity while more employees are away from their jobs, and the state had to administer a new leave program under less-than-ideal conditions. In addition, the tremendous growth of remote work has made it difficult for employers to determine where an employee may be eligible for leave.


Overall, workforces are evolving and regulations at the local, state and federal level need to be continually monitored. As we see benefits become available under new programs, such as CT PFML, and other states pass bills to develop PFML programs, such as New Hampshire and Maine, employers will need to assess their strategies and evolve accordingly.

Spring Consultant Grace Giannattasio offers program highlights one year into eligible Massachusetts employees being able to apply for paid leave benefits under the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave policy. Check it out in this NEEBC blog post.

Karen English and Teri Weber explain how engagement is a key driver in absence management program success, and offer guidance on how to achieve that engagement in this article published in the Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) Magazine.

In this BenefitsPRO piece, we offer our feedback on potential changes in the family and medical leave space based on Biden’s plans.

In this Boston Business Journal Q&A, Spring SVP Teri Weber shares her thoughts on how employers can meaningfully tackle mental health issues at the workplace.

Spring SVP Karen English and Alera Group’s Sally Prather are offering tips to enhance an absence management program in this BenefitsPRO article.