Ashleish Alexander
Director of Employee Benefits
Lifepoint Health
Episode 334
Why 'Whole Employee' Benefits Are Your Secret to Workforce Success
Current chapter: Covering monthly expenses is the number one concern for employees in 2024
Built By PeopleJanuary 23, 2025 · 11:34
Thesis
“A comprehensive, holistic approach to employee benefits, effectively communicated through modern digital tools and empowered HR leaders, is crucial for fostering a healthy work environment, attracting and retaining top talent, and enabling employees to thrive personally and professionally.”
Show notes
Healthcare workers are among the highest-burnout, highest-turnover employee populations in the country. Ashleish Alexander, Director of Employee Benefits at Lifepoint Health, operates at that intersection daily — designing wellbeing programs for nurses, technicians, and frontline staff whose work demands don't leave much margin for self-care. Her answer: a five-pillar wellbeing strategy (physical, emotional, social, financial, and caregiver) that meets employees where they are, including at 2am on a mobile app when that's the only window available.
The benefits communication challenge for an organization like Lifepoint — with employees scattered across hospitals, clinics, and support centers — is as significant as the benefits design challenge. Ashleish's solution relies on a field-based network of HR Directors (PSDs) who function as internal champions, equipped with comprehensive toolkits and trained to deliver consistent, accurate messaging across every worksite. Technology — mobile platforms, digital screens, email campaigns — amplifies their reach, but the human relationship at the site level is what makes information actually land.
Her broader philosophy: design benefits for the whole employee, not just their medical claims. Financial wellbeing, caregiver support, and social connection aren't perks — they're the infrastructure that keeps a healthcare workforce healthy enough to take care of patients.
- Five-pillar holistic wellbeing design — covering physical, emotional, social, financial, and caregiver needs under one coherent strategy
- Mobile-first benefits access — 24/7 real-time benefit information for a frontline workforce that can't sit down at a computer
- HR Directors as field champions — building a network of internal advocates who drive consistent benefits messaging across dispersed sites
- Multi-channel communication during benefit transitions — layering digital screens, email, and mobile notifications to ensure new programs actually reach employees
- Designing for the whole employee — why benefits that address life outside of work are what actually drive retention and engagement
What you'll take away
- 1Implement a holistic wellbeing strategy that addresses physical, emotional, social, financial, and caregiver needs to support the 'whole employee'.
- 2Leverage digital tools, such as mobile benefits apps, to provide 24/7 real-time access to benefits information, significantly improving employee awareness and engagement.
- 3Empower HR Directors (PSDs) as internal champions by equipping them with comprehensive toolkits and training to drive consistent and effective benefit messaging across all work sites.
- 4Utilize multi-channel communication strategies, including digital screens, email marketing, and mobile notifications, especially during benefit transitions or new program rollouts.
- 5Recognize the unique needs of a fast-paced, frontline workforce by offering easily accessible and convenient health resources like telehealth and mobile-friendly benefit platforms.
What most organizations get wrong
In Ashleish's words
“My passion is developing benefit strategies that attract and retain top talent while also enhancing the overall employee experience.”
This quote highlights the strategic role of benefits beyond mere compliance, linking them directly to talent management and employee experience.
“We recently led the launch of LifePoints Wellbeing for You, which is a holistic 5-pillar approach to caring for employees' wellbeing. And so those 5 pillars include physical, emotional, social, financial, and caregiver wellbeing.”
This provides a clear framework for LifePoint Health's comprehensive approach to employee support, emphasizing a multifaceted view of wellbeing.
“For our employees to have that access 24/7 about their benefits, It's just, it's unbeatable.”
This emphasizes the critical value of immediate and constant access to information, especially for a workforce with demanding and non-traditional schedules.
“Our PSDs are really our champions. And again, when I say PSDs, that's equivalent to the human resource directors... They are constantly interacting with the doctors, the nurses, the technicians and food service staff that LifePoint employs, just ensuring that they have the most accurate and current benefit information.”
This defines the crucial role of on-the-ground HR leaders in personalizing and disseminating benefit information to diverse employee groups.
“Partnering with teams in the field, whether that's your, you know, your distribution centers or your hospitals. For me, it's my hospitals. And then two, engaging my PSDs through lunch and learns, training sessions, and other creative outlets to ensure that they feel supported and have the information needed to share with employees at our various work sites. And then I feel like just taking a holistic approach to benefits that emphasize the whole employee.”
This summarizes Ashleish's core advice, highlighting practical strategies for effective benefits management and communication.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Employees' top concern is covering monthly expenses, indicating a need for financial wellbeing support.
- •Prioritizing personal health is challenging for employees without convenient, accessible options like telehealth that fit into demanding work schedules.
- •Mental health support often requires confidential and easily accessible resources, as well as active awareness campaigns to destigmatize discussions.
- •Maintaining social connections in a diverse workforce requires intentional effort through team-building, ERGs, and flexible work options.
- •Financial stress related to budgeting, savings, and debt management significantly impacts overall employee wellbeing and productivity.
- •Caregiver responsibilities for children, parents, or other family members create a need for dedicated support and paid family leave options.
- •Ensuring employee awareness and engagement with benefits, especially during new program rollouts or changes, can be difficult without effective communication channels.
- •Communicating benefit updates and deadlines to a large, geographically dispersed, and fast-paced workforce requires real-time, 24/7 accessible information.
In this episode
Covering monthly expenses is the number one concern for employees in 2024
Built by People
I'm the director of benefits at LifePoint Health and I oversee employee benefits
What Makes a Good Benefit?
LifePoints Wellbeing for You focuses on employee well-being
Benefits professionals share their perspectives on employee Well-Being
The next wellbeing I do want to highlight is the social wellbeing
Six factors that contribute to an employee's wellbeing
Ashley says using an app helps employees understand and engage with benefits
Understanding and Engaging With Wellbeing Benefits
Ashley, what role do HR directors play in communicating benefit updates
Ashley, What Role Do HR Directors Play in Communication of Benefit
Ashley, what advice would you like to share with our audience
Ashley Gross on Benefits for Hospitals
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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