The good, the bad and the ugly: Improving the employee leave experience

Leave has never been more important to employees than it is right now. But HR has also never had more on its plate. Listen as Unum leave experts discuss the policies, practices and technology that can make the difference between a best-in-class employee leave experience and one that misses the mark, putting your attraction and retention efforts at risk.

• A perfect storm. Rising employee expectations, a tough labor market and increasing legal complexity are creating a perfect storm for leave management professionals. HR's role has become increasingly strategic, and they can't spend time being bogged down in managing administrative tasks. [02:52]

• Emerging importance of employee experience. Nationally, employers have shifted from focusing on paid leave to making the leave experience easier and more personalized. [05:35]

• Bad experiences work against your recruitment and retention goals. If you have great policies, but people don't know about them or you make it hard to use them, that's a bad experience. Education and ease of use are critical to success. Employers also need to have holistic policies that address their entire employee population, instead of just focusing on families with children. For example, caregiving needs are growing for employees with aging parents. [07:32]

• Combine self-service, planning tools and human interaction for the best experience. Compliance is important, but don't forget that every leave represents a challenging life event for employees. Make sure they have the information and resources they need, easily accessible and on multiple channels, to feel confident in taking leave. Solutions like Unum Leave Logic reflect the need to craft experiences that mirror the ones employees are using outside of work, as consumers. [10:15]

• Look for ways to take the burden off HR's shoulders. Solutions like Unum Total Leave can scale your processes, freeing you from Excel spreadsheets and repetitive tasks so you can take the time to create a positive, personalized experience for your employees, while ensuring you're in compliance with all relevant laws. The result will be higher retention and more people returning from leave ready to work. [14:06]