The Future Is Personalized Benefits: Keri Seppala on Pay Transparency, Manager Training, and Why Biometric Screenings Need Flexibility to Work - Beyond the Paycheck

Topics in this episode

Pay transparency Total Rewards HRIS Compensation strategy blue collar benefits

Episode notes

Summary If employees don’t understand their pay and benefits, even great programs miss the mark. Kerry Seppala, a 25+ year executive in Total Rewards, HRIS, and Payroll across manufacturing, public/private, and government organizations, breaks down how to build trust-first compensation and benefits that people actually use. Drawing on experience with large frontline workforces and deep Workday expertise, Kerry explains where comp/benefits communication fails, how to train managers to discuss ranges, compression, and fairness, and why flexibility must extend to the shop floor - not just corporate roles. She explores the EU’s pay transparency ripple effects, the rise of employees as “benefits consumers,” and how personalized benefits allowances could reshape cost and choice. Kerry also shares where AI already adds value - bots for first-line HR questions and recruiting - and why consolidating tools inside core systems matters. Expect practical tactics: building HRIS to surface total rewards clearly, enabling on-the-clock biometric screenings to drive wellness and equity, and creating feedback loops through engagement surveys and town halls.