Mike Smith - The Foundation of Employee Benefits is Data

HR Data Labs podcast

HR Data Labs podcast
Mike Smith - The Foundation of Employee Benefits is Data
May 27, 2021 Season 2 Episode 2

Send us a text

Every employer has health care data. This data allows you to put programs together for cost management, stratify risks, or create well-being programs that are pertinent to your population. But how do you take data that for the most part goes unutilized, and take it to the next level? My guest and good friend, Mike Smith and I discuss the potential that data has to keep employees healthy, lower cost management, and equip people to lead healthier lives by releasing data into their hands. 

Mike Smith is the Vice President & Partner of Lockton Companies, who provides clients with creative solutions in risk management, insurance and employee benefits consulting. Mike is a salesperson who doesn’t sell anything. Rather he focuses on learning client goals and challenges and mutually determining whether these new clients could benefit from Lockton’s approach to helping businesses. 

[00:01 - 06:20] Opening Segment

  • I welcome Mike Smith and he tells us about himself
  • Mike shares a story of his time at Prudential Financial 
    • Manually completing employee census data
  • Using data as the foundation for employee benefits programs 

[06:20 - 15:38] Utilizing Data In Covid-19  

  • HR was and is at the crossroads of COVID-19
  • How Lockton Companies help their employees throughout the pandemic using data 
  • Navigating individuals right to privacy and public health in regards to vaccination 
  • HR’s challenge in keeping employees safe when going back to the workplace  

[15:56 - 27:29] How We Can Use Data For Cost Management 

  • Lockton Companies’ utilization and investment in a data warehouse 
  • Using data as a cost management tool in organizations 
  • How big tech is turning it’s eye to health care by utilizing wasted data 
  • Democratizing data to equip people to manage their own health care, costs and benefits 

[27:30 - 30:30] Closing Segment

  • Summary of our conversation and final points
  • Final Words


Tweetable Quotes:

“Using data is always a little bit like driving down the highway while using the rear view mirror. So you’ve got to always be careful.” - Mike Smith 

“You can’t fight the facts and data is the facts.”  - Mike Smith 

“Taking art and science and blending them together is a great way to make decisions. To take them solely in their own silos, to just think about art, or science, or data, or gut feeling, really doesn’t make sense anymore.”  - Mike Smith

Connect with Mike on LinkedIn  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Connect with me: 

LinkedIn

 Twitter

Email: david@turetskyconsulting.com 

This show is brought to you by Turetsky Consulting LLC, our company providing business consulting on Analytics, HR Processes, and Rewards with a focus on getting answers that organizations need by demystifying People Analytics.  

Did you love the value that we are putting out in the show? LEAVE A REVIEW 

To schedule a meeting with us: https://salary.com/hrdlconsulting

For more HR Data Labs®, enjoy the HR Data Labs Brown Bag Lunch Hours every Friday at 2:00PM-2:30PM EST. Check it out here: https://hrdatalabs.com/brown-bag-lunch/

Produced by Affogato Media