By Dinesh Sheth, CEO and Founder, Green Circle Life
I recently had the opportunity to not only attend but also speak at the World at Work Total Reward 2025 conference with our client, Courtney Meckes, VP, Benefits and Wellbeing Strategy Leader, at First Horizon Bank and Sal Morana, EVP Pharmacy Practice Lead at Alliant Employee Benefits who consults with a mutual client.
The conference was held in Orlando hosting more than 1,000 people and 100+ vendors. This year's keynote speakers focused on the current economic environment and AI's role in HR, including its use for performance reviews and job classification. Other speakers focused on what 'engages' employees, employee health and wellbeing and how to manage healthcare costs, especially growing pharmacy costs. Overall, it was very well-organized, serious in nature and attendees concentrated on learning what is available to make them effective and their jobs more rewarding.
Total Rewards '25 had many excellent speakers address the group. Marci Rossell, expert economic forecaster, former CNBC chief economist and co-host of SQUAWK BOX, opened the conference talking about economic forces shaping 2025 and the transitioning labor market. From rapid policy shifts in Washington and global trade tensions to monetary policy changes and the transformative rise of AI, businesses are navigating a challenging landscape.
The first session in which I participated was with Courtney and the topic was 'Reimagining Employee Well-Being: Strategies to Boost Productivity and Retention'. She shared how First Horizon Bank transformed its employee and family experience by reimagining benefits and services. By working with GCL, the Bank has been able to reduce employee stress, enhance their productivity and improve employee retention through its innovative employee app, SmartFHR™. Together, we presented effective communication strategies that enhance employee well-being and drive profitability. The audience gained insights into building year-round, integrated approaches for multi-generational and diverse workforces, and discovered how to optimize communication channels to improve health and wellbeing of employees and increase ROI from their investment in holistic wellbeing.
The second session with Sal focused on "Losing Weight Without Losing Your Budget: Sustainable Weight Management With (or Without) GLP-1 Medications". Weight loss medications like Wegovy™ and Zepbound™ are in such high demand, while their costs are skyrocketing and straining employer budgets. With healthcare costs projected to rise by 8% this year, employers need to find innovative ways to manage weight loss programs and control spending. Sal shared insights on the clinical and financial benefits of investing in GLP-1 therapy. We were able to co-present a real-world scenario where Green Circle life (GCL) partnered with a large employer (100,000 retail workers) to design a cost-effective, outcome-driven program. Attendees learned how to implement weight management solutions to improve population health and how to structure their pharmacy benefits to offer impactful weight loss programs without exceeding their budget.
As I left the conference, a few things were clear to me. Everyone wants to understand how to make employees happier and healthier, and they are also very concerned about the rising health care costs and what changes could be made to help combat those worries. The conversations we engaged in with those in attendance there were productive and informative. They wanted to learn about our SmartFHR app and Healthy Weight for Life program and how it could benefit their organization. Showing them how SmartFHR platform integrates seamlessly with internal and external systems to allow users to accomplish multitude of tasks such as benefit enrollments, personnel record management, payroll, time and attendance, wellness programs, chronic disease management, scheduling appointments, and managing of health records was very appealing. Managing healthcare costs and expected growth in pharmacy benefits creates opportunities for further dialogue on these topics. There is much to be learned and much to be gained by deploying modern technologies that we bring to HR for digital transformation.