Feedback – April 2024

Q: What have your employees told you are their most important healthcare benefits?

Katherine Bastow, SPHR/SCP

Vice President of People Operations
REDW Advisors & CPAs
Sector: Financial Services

Though they do not always use the term itself, the overwhelming feedback we’ve received both in our recruiting and retention efforts is focused on whole-person health, both for the employee and his/her/their family members. As a direct result, we are continuously looking at ways in which we can proactively support multiple interconnected biological, behavioral, social and environmental areas to restore health, promote resilience and prevent diseases.

We’ve created multiple paths for health and wellness, focused on employee choice and with customization always front of mind, because we are not all the same. By way of example, REDW offers “Motivate Me,” which rewards team members for taking proactive steps — preventative visits, health assessment, etc. — to protect their health as well as access to Happify, a wellness app designed to help team members reduce stress and anxiety while gaining confidence. Other examples include providing in-network telehealth at team members’ fingertips, wellness reimbursement options, turn-key access to live and virtual counseling and coaching as well as specialists in grief and loss, and budget/money management tools.

Katherine Bastow, SPHR/SCP, is vice president of People Operations at REDW Advisors & CPAs, a team of more than 300 professionals serving the audit, tax, cybersecurity, business and financial needs of a wide range of clients. She leads the strategic direction of the firm as it relates to culture, talent acquisition and retention, total rewards and benefits, professional development/learning, health and wellness, and overall engagement/satisfaction.

Maria Dillon

VP of Operations
Phoenix division of Agital
Sector: Marketing

Agital’s experience has been that employees are looking for a comprehensive package. We provide a breadth of different healthcare plan (PPO, HAS, FSA) options so that employees can choose whatever aligns with their lifestyle. Having a strong insurance provider that has a wide network of physicians and low-cost vision and dental plans has been successful for our team. Also, we have received great feedback on our unlimited PTO policy to promote work-life balance, paid family leave and mental health resources.

But, as we have expanded as Agital — which was formerly Highnoon — to have a national footprint and exponentially increase the members on our team, this has allowed us to provide more cost-efficient plan options to our employees, which has been well received and certainly important in today’s economy.

In our line of work, our greatest asset is our talented and dedicated team members, so having a well-rounded suite of healthcare benefits gives peace of mind to our employees and our leadership knowing they can care for themselves and their families.

Maria Dillon is the VP of Operations for the Phoenix division of Agital, a full-service marketing, communications and creative agency with divisions across the nation. She is responsible for all talent operations efforts for the division, the culture program, training and education and talent development.

Angela Gillespie

Chief Executive Officer
Gawley Companies
Sector: Healthcare

A culture that fosters trust, collaboration and innovation not only attracts top talent but also inspires and empowers employees to grow their careers and reach their full potential, fueling business performance and driving sustainable growth. Over the last two years, since we did a full management change to drive growth in our business, we have had less than 4% attrition. In a health services business, this is almost unheard of! What did we do? We listened to our staff, determined what motivated them, and delivered.

One of the most glaring areas of feedback was that our staff couldn’t afford our health benefits, and 90% weren’t on a benefits plan of any kind. We decided if we were going to be in the business of wellness, we wanted to eliminate any barrier to access. We now offer health benefits 100% covered by the company for everyone and their dependents. It has served as a real competitive advantage, going from 10% of our staff on benefit to more than 90%.

We also listened closely to the other areas of need our teams had to feel great at work. As a result, we built out a rewards and recognition program to reinforce the behaviors we want to see in our teams. And yet another example of investing in the whole employee came in the form of professional development.

When employees feel cared for, valued, respected and connected to their work environment, they become more engaged and motivated to give their best. This heightened sense of dedication translates into increased productivity, efficiency, and creativity as they curate a personalized experience for each patient to meet their goals. I am proud to be leading a team that values and prioritizes the whole person as it is the only thing that matters when growing a services business.

Angela Gillespie is CEO of Gawley Companies, a portfolio of premier skincare, aesthetics, and cosmetic and reconstructive surgery providers that includes MDSkin Lounge and MDSkin Bar, North Scottsdale Outpatient Surgery Center and Gawley Plastic Surgery.