{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Build Your Benefits","title":"Puppies on the Factory Floor: How an Unconventional Benefit Reduced Stress Claims","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1346,"description":"Traditional mental health benefits often fail the populations that need them most due to deep-seated stigma and cultural barriers. When aggregated health data reveals high stress markers but zero EAP utilization, benefits leaders must decide whether to double down on failing campaigns or throw out the standard playbook entirely.\n\nIn this conversation, Kristen Ynclan, Sr Director of Total Rewards at JD Finish Line, breaks down a radical decision to introduce on-site puppy therapy for factory populations. We explore the transition from blue-sky brainstorming to navigating a P&L contraction, and how to sell 'crazy' ideas to a CFO by anchoring them in hard financial data. Kristen shares her framework for identifying underutilized benefits and the importance of thinking like a business person first and a benefits leader second.\n\nWhat You'll Learn:\nHow to use aggregated health data to identify specific stress patterns in manufacturing populations\nThe blue-sky brainstorming framework for removing barriers to creative benefit design\nStrategies for pitching low-cost or free benefits to stakeholders during company contractions\nWhy EAP utilization often lags behind medical claims for stress-related illnesses\nThe logistical reality of partnering with charitable organizations for on-site wellness\nHow to measure the ROI of novel benefits through claim reduction and qualitative feedback\nThe necessity of trade-offs: when to cut underutilized benefits to fund high-impact programs\n\nKey Quotes: — The crazier the idea, the better the data supporting it needs to be. — Benefits are supposed to take those potential stressors and help the employee manage them so they can focus on work. — It is more fun than anything in the world to start at crazy and end at success.\n\nKristen Ynclan is the Senior Director of Total Rewards at JD Finish Line, with extensive experience leading global compensation and benefits strategy across enterprise environments.\n\nThis episode explores total rewards...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/uvnUID2Z7VmGyaG4MqwzVMXmfYRa-Q5MmuVcUoRn0bs/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kNGU4/MzAxZWRiNGVlZjNi/NGM0NDVmMDI0MDMw/Y2MyOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}