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HR professionals are being asked to do more with less — manage benefits they don't fully understand financially, align with a finance team that speaks a different language, and make high-stakes decisions for their organizations without the strategic support they need. Ali Payne has spent nearly two decades helping organizations close that gap.

As Senior Partner of People Solutions at The People Co., Ali works with mid-market organizations to build people strategies that actually align with business goals. In this episode, she joins Vincent Catalano for a candid conversation about what's really going wrong between HR, finance, and their brokers — and what better looks like.

They dig into why HR teams are chronically overworked and underappreciated, how communication gaps between HR and finance drive poor benefits decisions, and why the RFP has become a default move that too often serves the broker more than the client. Ali challenges the notion that shopping the market is a substitute for strategy — and makes the case that a real conversation with your broker is almost always the better first step.

The conversation also covers the generational shift reshaping today's workforce, how organizations are grappling with AI adoption driven more by fear than by strategy, and why broker compensation transparency is no longer optional if you want a relationship built on trust.

If you work in HR, manage a benefits team, or advise employers on their people strategy, this episode gives you a framework for having the conversations that actually move the needle.

About Ali Payne: Ali Payne is the Senior Partner of People Solutions at The People Co., where she leads transformational work helping organizations create workplaces where people thrive. An award-winning thought leader in employee experience and organizational wellbeing, Ali was named Employee Benefit Adviser's Wellness Adviser of the Year in 2018. She holds a leadership certificate from Harvard Business School and has nearly two decades of experience leading wellbeing and engagement strategy at some of the industry's most respected firms. Ali is also a global keynote speaker sought after for her insights on the future of work, workplace culture, and people-first leadership. https://www.thepeople-co.com/

About Vincent Catalano: Vincent Catalano brings over 23 years of employee benefits experience as an independent consultant and CEO of CLEAR Healthcare Solutions. As host of the CLEARly Beneficial Podcast, his position outside corporate constraints allows him to have frank conversations about healthcare and HR issues that others in the industry simply cannot.

Subscribe and Connect: 
Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/clearlybeneficialpodcast  
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CLEARlyBeneficialPodcast
Website: https://www.clearhcs.com 

This episode is brought to you by HealthNEXT. HealthNEXT partners with employers to transform their employee health benefits through innovative, results-driven solutions that prioritize both cost savings and improved health outcomes.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, or professional advice. Listeners should consult with qualified professionals regarding their specific situations.