Money, mind, and movement: supporting the whole employee

Pam Tavilla === Hi everyone, and welcome to Beyond the Paycheck, where we bring you candid conversations with CHROs and people leaders who are rethinking how compensation and benefits impact far more than just employee bank accounts. From the first paycheck to financial wellness programs, we explore how money shapes identity, equity, purpose, and power at work, and how forward-thinking companies are using pay and perks to transform lives. This podcast is presented by Aura Finance, a psychology-based financial wellness employee benefit that combines coaching and financial management.

Now, let's get started and jump in with our next guest Kelsey HOST: Welcome Pam Tavilla, Chief People Officer at Leyton. We're so excited to have you this Thursday afternoon. To kick us off, I'd love for you to share a little bit about yourself, your background, and where you're calling in from today. Pam GUEST: Thank you, and thank you for having me.

Yeah, my name is Pam. I'm calling in from Boston. I work - currently the head of people at Leyton. We have our corporate headquarters here in Boston, so excited to be here.

the World Cup is happening, so there's lots of, tourists and things going on around these parts, so it's been a lovely time to be here. yeah, so I have close to 20 years of experience in HR, different sectors, different industries. , Most recently with Leyton, we're a consulting professional services firm. We, do tax credits and incentives.

We find, money for companies, so that's how I like to describe it. Working in the HR people function, , I get to see every day, the emails coming through of big credits that we found for some great startups to mid-size companies, and it's a lovely, , place to be, and it makes you feel good when you see that. So yeah. We are about 2,700 employees worldwide.

We are in about 17 different countries, so I head up our US division which has been around for about eight years. Leyton itself has been around for about 27, 28, so we're growing. We're in big growth phase, which makes my job exciting. So it's a fun place to be, for sure.

Kelsey HOST: Really excited to have you, Pam, and dig deeper into all the amazing work that you're doing at Leyton. But before we get there, I'd love to, rewind a little bit. Can you tell me about your first job and if you recall what you spent your first paycheck on? Pam GUEST: Yeah, it's a great question.

My first job was in a video store, so I'm definitely aging myself here a little bit. But back in the day, we had to go to a store to rent to watch a movie. But started off there as an associate, worked my way up to manager, which was really fun. Worked there for a few years part-time, full-time, in between school and all of that.

I try to think back of what I spent my first paycheck on. It was probably some retail therapy at TJ Maxx, which was right next door to the movie store. So that's where most of my money went those days. Kelsey HOST: And how do you think your, money story even, say your first job and how you thought about your first paycheck has influenced how you think about showing up for your people and supporting them?

Pam GUEST: , Definitely. So I think, you know, when you start off with your first job, you get your first paycheck, you buy some stuff that may not normally need or want or, versus the more stable things like rent or a car payment or anything like that. So I think it's really important for me when, on the people side and we have employees come in, making sure that they feel supported, they're getting, compensated and paid out for what they need to pay for, like the real important things.

And also, they come to work every day they want to make a difference, they wanna be compensated, and maybe they do wanna go out and, go on a vacation or spend money on their families or their kids. So I think it's really important to remember that when we have employees that are working hard and, no matter what their level or pay is, that they wanna do a good job and they have their own reasons for being here a lot of the times and we wanna help support them and their financial goals and wellbeing and anything that goes along with their paychecks.

Kelsey HOST: I think that's a really interesting segue into my follow-up question, which is actually, it seems right now that companies are doing a lot more to support the whole person, whether it's, financial, as you mentioned, mental health, physical health. Can you share a little bit about what you're doing today that you're particularly excited about, and where you see companies falling short in supporting the whole person? Pam GUEST: Yeah, I think it's really important to remember too that nowadays with the financial, the mental, the physical health and all of that, it really is - it crosses over between work and personal life.

It's not, There's really not as much separation, I think, as there used to be. I think it's just different ways of working, different flexibility, different, you might have a different kind of schedule, so you might work, you might take some time off in the middle of the day, you might come back. So there's definitely - You want to be able to support, a employee's whole day really with all of these kinds of things. I think mentally for sure you wanna make sure that, your employees are taking time for themselves so they really can disconnect, and you need the managers to support that as well.

It's one thing to say, "Oh yeah, we support, work-life balance." It's another thing to put the actions there whether it's, some time off or yes, go take a 15-minute walk in between or take a call on the phone or whatever, you need to do to really help disconnect and then come back refreshed. I think also financial help in general. So I think we need to make sure that we're aware of that.

That does, come into the workplace, so whether it's good or bad or someone's struggling financially, you might, start to notice that in their work, their performance. So you definitely wanna be aware of, the signs and how can we help you. " We might not be able to alleviate everything for you, but can we, give you time to go pay a bill, or do you need, time for your kids so you don't need to be, paying out of pocket for things?" So I think it's just really important to be present with your employees and know that all of these things are happening during the day while they're at work.

Trying to put processes in place and make sure that they feel the support from the management, from the people side, from senior leadership, from their peers, from their coworkers like I said all day long 'cause it's, your life at this point. Kelsey HOST: So it, it sounds like financial well-being is particularly important for employees to the company. I wanna dig a little bit deeper into that. Why is it so important?

And that might seem like an obvious question for some that invest for the purpose of, invest $2, save three, I'm really curious, why does financial health matter so much to you? Has it to do with productivity? Is it something else? What's going on there?

Pam GUEST: Yeah, I think financial health is huge, right? As a business, you want to be financially healthy. You want your business to survive and to thrive, and you wanna get the right people to help do that. So you also need to realize that, you hire these certain people to do a certain job and they need their financial wellbeing as well to be, as best as it can.

I think, yeah, we need to remember that part of it, that we're, we're hiring people to help the business and then also let's help them. So it really does go both ways. When you have employees that financial wellbeing is top of mind and they, have goals and objectives personally, professionally, whatever it may be, we wanna support that. So whether it's programs to help them save, like you said, invest two, save three, or whatever the right way to put that is.

But, you wanna support the saving and what can we do? And I think, we have all different generations of people now working and different things are important to them. But really when it comes down to it, people, financial wellbeing I think is top of mind for no matter what generation that you're in because it's how you live and survive and what you make of your off time and your professional time. So yeah, I think it's, I think it's just gonna continue to be top of mind.

I don't think that's going anywhere. And companies and people, teams and HR and all of that need to make sure that they continue to grow with what employees want there. Kelsey HOST: And how do you think about making the internal case for, investment in your people, whether it's a financial health program or otherwise, when maybe the spreadsheet doesn't obviously support it? Pam GUEST: Yeah, that's a great question.

I think especially my experience on the people side, so we have, different professionals, onboarding and recruiting and bringing people in and keeping them and retaining them, and I think it's they're really the bread and butter of what's, how the company is gonna move forward. So you want, those people to feel supported in all aspects. But I think it's really important to show, we are retaining people, they're happy, they're utilizing, what we're offering them. We're seeing the engagement, we're supporting the managers, we're training the leadership team.

We're making sure that they can be aware of their employees. So teaching, like emotional intelligence and being aware of what's going on in their employees' lives and just you know, having a good professional but personal, relationship that's, makes sense and that they're up to date on what's going on. And so if there is any, question, it's like, "Oh yeah, no, we know. That's what's happening."

So I think it's really important to show that you have these support, or for lack of a better word, people on the hiring side or the HR side, as well as, our other functions that really are critical to the employee being happy and then, moving forward and being successful in what they're trying to do. So I think we all have the same goal. We all want everyone to be successful, business people, managers, all of that. So I think it's really should be top of mind of hey, this might not show on a spreadsheet that we're bringing in revenue, but they're supporting the people that are really important, including themselves.

Kelsey HOST: You answered my next question, which is, how do you measure benefits strategies working? And it sounds like, obviously engagement is huge. Are people actually getting value out of it? And therefore, if they are and using it, you can make the case of, they are more satisfied or more engaged with their workforce.

So that makes a ton of sense to me. Can you tell me about a, maybe a benefit strategy that didn't go the way you expected and what you learned from that experience? Pam GUEST: I think that's a great question. So with benefits, and I say it's near and dear to my heart, I started off, doing benefits when I started in the kind of HR field, and now that, I've grown to more all of HR, I still always love when people talk about benefits, so I just had to throw that in there.

But I would say one of the big things that we try to focus on is like learning and development, and I think if you put in place L&D programs and, you give all the training that people want, I think that's great, and that we have done that and it's gone well. But I think the part that we needed to figure out was that really employees wanna know where they're going. So they're gonna have all this training, but where is it gonna take them next? Where is their career path going to lead them to if they do, the certain training that either they want or that we provide for them?

Is it just to check a box or is it because they want to be promoted to something bigger and better or different? So we have lots of employees that might just start off as, a salesperson and think, "Oh wait, actually, I wanna get really into the technical side of things and learn more, so how can I do that?" We'll provide them the training, and then it's, the next question is, "Okay, so how do I actually get there? So what can I do?"

So I think it's important to add that on. So we've since created career paths for all of our, employees and presented that and really stuck with, "Hey, if you do, these things, then we want to move you forward." I've seen plenty of people in my time here and in other companies that start off as, an entry-level employee doing whatever, the sales job or a different role, and they really show that they want to move forward and they've given the effort and you know, I've seen great promotions.

I've seen people start off entry level, they're now a manager. So it's a nice progression to see. I think as long as you recognize that you need to, yes, put in place training and development and also have a bigger goal and align what you're trying to do then you'll be successful. Kelsey HOST: As a super goal-oriented person, I love learning and development programs that, have the incentive of if you do this, maybe it's a pay raise, maybe it's a salary change, or maybe it's a a title change, maybe it's a managerial, opportunity.

And the reality is people are really interested in learning more. We don't always wanna show up and do the same thing every day. We want to continue developing ourselves personally. And so I, I also love L&D programs.

How do you stay current on innovation? Because I think it's no secret that the pace in which even benefits themselves, how we think about HR is so rapidly changing. Are there specific peer networks you have found to be really helpful? Startup ecosystems, conferences that you've really enjoyed where people can really stay on the pulse?

Pam GUEST: Yeah, I think that's - it's really important, A, to be up to date. So I think, benefits have changed over the past 20 years. It used to be, you get one option and pick a tier and fill out a form, and there you go, you're in. But nowadays, that's not going to work.

So yes, I personally am, on LinkedIn. I join lots of different groups, so which is really great 'cause things, pop up miraculously that you're interested in, which is lovely. So it'll say, this new benefit and just shows up on your feed. So I love just by osmosis, reading different benefits and then thinking about them later and saying, "All right, let me actually look more into that and how can we implement that?"

I'm also a member of SHRM. I like to go to different conferences, whether it's, more of a vendor-based conference where you can meet different people that are, supporting and showing their company and what they can provide. And I always learn a lot there, whether it's a new wellness program or a different way to do benefits. It's really always very enlightening.

And then you also get to network, and I really do like meeting all different and new HR professionals 'cause you always have a conversation. A they get it, they know what you're talking about in regards to the people side of things. And then B, it's "Oh wait we're trying this or we're trying that," and it's, you can think, "All right, will that work for our employee base?" The different industries, the different generations, I think it's really important to stay current, talk to different people research, whether it's online or whether at conferences.

I tend to attend webinars. If I get invited, I'm like, "Yes, sign me up." - If I just listen in or if I'm actively participating, either way, you're you're gonna move forward and learn something new, which I'm a big proponent of. So yeah.

Kelsey HOST: And I love how you mentioned, it sounds like the company's not afraid to try new things. And that's the leap of faith you take when thinking and learning about new innovation. And so being in the rooms where you can adopt these ideas and technologies. I've heard SHRM's just, a fabulous network both local and more broad.

So I, I'd be real curious, have you found yourselves to see the more localized SHRM communities more helpful or the larger events? Pam GUEST: Yeah. I've actually mostly focused on larger events, which, now that you say it, I need to feel like I need to go to more local. I do plenty of local events that maybe aren't SHRM sponsored, but I think the SHRM network in general is really helpful.

You'll see the, SHRM conferences. Also they have, events that are national local to you, if that makes sense. So it's a SHRM event, but it might be, closer to the Boston area or closer to the DC area. So I've attended some of those, which is lovely.

We also have here in New England, the NEHRA, N-E-H-R-A, New England HR Association. So I've been involved with that in some previous roles, and that's a nice - They partner with SHRM, I think, at some points, and it's also a nice local organization that does a really good job. They have their own conference. So you feel a little more in tune with people, and it's a smaller group, so you don't feel like you're in the masses.

You can really make some great relationships. And they have lots and lots of local events. They ask companies to sponsor rooms or boardrooms or can we use your space and get some people in. So definitely, anything and everything you can do as a HR professional to stay up to date and to network, I think is gonna keep you happy and on top of the new and improved trends and which is gonna trickle down to having happy employees.

So that's really the most important part. Kelsey HOST: And one of my last questions for you. What's, a shift in comp and benefits that you see coming that maybe HR leaders aren't ready for? Pam GUEST: Yeah, I love that question.

So I think where we're gonna see a shift is just in the benefits strategy around onboarding and really recruiting employees. So not a standard package. So I think we need to really move to the thinking of, all right, how can we personalize this? So we personalize everything else when someone comes on board.

We personalize their title, we personalize their comp. We're like: Oh what's this person and where are they really gonna, thrive versus just slotting them into somewhere. I think we put a lot of effort into that, so I think we really need to still put a lot of effort into the benefits package overall and make sure that they're getting, what they want. So keeping it, keeping the equality aspect there, whether it's just a certain, kind of a budget per person, but you can make it your own.

You are more interested in, a loan repayment and someone else is more interested in a really Cadillac plan for health insurance. So I think it's, as long as we give the options and everyone has the same access and the same budget thoughts around it, then that will be successful. And I think you'll be able to, make employees happier, and they'll be excited that they can make more choices on their own versus, "Oh, you just have to choose this one." I think we've seen lots of different spending accounts where I am.

We've put in place some different stipends for people, and they can choose, do they want to go to the gym? Do they want some parking money? So it's just really what your lifestyle needs at that moment, and I think it's important to stay flexible. I think we'll definitely be seeing more of that.

I'm sure it will take some time, but I think you'll see that moving forward. Kelsey HOST: In the age of deep personalization it only makes sense that the employer landscape, starts to head in that direction. Pam, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and your time today. I've learned so much from you, and I'm really grateful for the conversation.

Connect with Pam on LinkedIn. And again, thank you so much for your time, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day Pam GUEST: All right.