Unum, a life and disability insurance benefits provider, has debuted a new service designed to help HR manage employee leave and time off, a task that has become increasingly complicated as a result of the pandemic.
Paid vacation and sick leave is offered by 98% and 95% of employers respectively, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. But the pandemic threw a wrench into employees’ time off plans, with many workers unwilling to use their vacation time while stuck at home. Indeed, 46% of workers didn’t use their PTO in 2020, according to research from job search site Monster. Meanwhile, employees who did take time off during the pandemic did so to provide care and assistance to their families. Fifty-three percent of workers said they had to start late, leave early, or take time off to provide care, according to a December 2020 study from AARP.
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Unum’s new service, Unum Total Leave, helps employees more easily plan their time off through a virtual assistant — called Jessie — that uses artificial intelligence to automate HR processes like filing claims. Employees can also access direct deposit claims and connect in real time with leave and disability experts for advice.
“We saw an opportunity to give our customers a leave administration experience that matches their expectations from other parts of their day-to-day lives such as online banking or digital health,” says Zory Harter, vice president of absence management experience for Unum. “Unum Total Leave provides 24/7 support, and can provide faster and more accurate responses and payments to our customers.”
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The experiences of the past year made the value of paid leave clear — especially for parents and caregivers. Employers are increasingly looking for ways to manage employees and keep them engaged while supporting their physical and mental health needs.
“Research we conducted at the end of last year found the top three perks workers want from their employers have to do with time away from the office,” Harter says. “As leave becomes more complex, employers don’t have the experience and capacity to manage it themselves. Providing [greater] leave benefits gives employees the time to focus on caring for those they love at their time of need.”
