Welcome back to The Uprising Show! In this episode, host Vivek sits down with Brett Chinn, Chief Intuitive Officer and advocate for high-performing professionals seeking to reconnect with their purpose. Brett shares insights drawn from years of working with clients on combining psychology, intuition, and strategy to help individuals and companies get unstuck. The conversation delves into the often-overlooked value of employee health benefits and how employers can leverage better communication, authenticity, and values to attract and retain top talent. Tune in as Brett reveals why treating health plans as an "afterthought" is a missed opportunity and how shifting mindsets can transform workplaces for the better.
Timestamps:
00:00 Helping high performers get unstuck
05:04 Responsibilities in Talent Acquisition
06:43 Importance of employee communication
11:15 Discussing employee retention factors
Uncovering the Hidden Power of Employee Benefits: Insights from Brett Chinn
Are you leveraging your company’s health benefits as a true asset, or are they just an afterthought? In this episode featuring Brett Chinn, Chief Intuitive Officer and high-performance coach, we dove deep into how employers can rethink their approach to employee health benefits, internal communication, and long-term talent retention.
The Current State of Health Benefits Strategies
Right from the start, Brett did not mince words. He called most organizations’ benefits strategies an “afterthought.” Many employers simply do not prioritize communicating or utilizing the full value of their benefits. As Brett explained, when employees do not know what benefits are available, they cannot take advantage of them. This lack of awareness means companies are leaving money and talent on the table.
Why Effective Communication is a Game Changer
A recurring theme in the episode was the importance of communication. Brett Chinn highlighted that most employers are not harnessing the power of clear, consistent communication around their benefits packages. He emphasized that it is not enough to just have a benefits portal on an intranet; employees need to truly understand how comprehensive their options are and how to use them. The value of reiterating this message cannot be overstated. Given the volume of information people receive daily, it is highly likely that a single email about benefits may be missed, so consistent follow-up is essential.
The Missed Opportunity: Professional Development Budgets
A particularly insightful point in the interview centered on professional development. Brett shared that, in his experience, almost all employees have no idea if their companies offer a budget for coaching, training, or development courses. This is a crucial benefit that not only supports individual growth but also aids in employee retention and satisfaction. When companies fail to communicate these offerings, they miss out on maximizing employee potential and engagement.
Who Owns the Communication Responsibility?
So, who should be responsible for telling the benefits story? According to Brett, while HR commonly manages the process, the responsibility ideally lies with those handling recruiting and talent acquisition. These professionals are at the front lines of introducing the organization to candidates and need to be empowered to share compelling, authentic reasons to join the team. Moreover, Brett encourages companies to cultivate an environment where employees themselves become advocates, sharing their positive experiences with potential new hires.
Reframing Benefits as a Strategic Asset
One of the key takeaways from this episode is the mindset shift required by employers. Instead of viewing benefits purely as a cost center, organizations need to recognize them as a vital asset for attracting and retaining talent. Brett explained that every time a skilled employee leaves, it incurs significant costs, delays, and impacts productivity. Treating employees as people, understanding what matters to them, and aligning company values can create a highly attractive workplace with minimal additional cost.
The Future: Combining Intuition and Strategy
Looking ahead, Brett is passionate about helping organizations embrace both strategy and intuition in their talent approaches. He foresees more companies inviting conversations not just about talent strategy, but also about listening, both to employees and to one’s own intuition, to drive better decisions and workplace culture.
Conclusion
Maximizing the power of employee benefits starts with a genuine commitment to communication, strategic thinking, and human connection. By taking cues from Brett Chinn's approach, any company can transform their benefits program from an afterthought to a powerful tool for growth, retention, and employee well-being. If you have not recently evaluated your strategy or how you talk about your benefits, now is the time to start.
The Uprising Show Website: https://theuprisingshow.com/
Vivek Nanda's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/viveknanda1/
Vivek Nanda's Twitter: https://x.com/vickks
TopHealth Media Website: https://tophealth.care/
“Disclaimer: Informational only. Not medical advice. Consult your doctor for guidance.”
[00:00:00] One word for the average employer's health benefit strategy. Afterthought. A client said, I need to backfill this position and they left because they didn't think that we had this benefit, but we do. Do you have any professional development budget? 99% of people say, I have no idea. And to me, that's just leaving money on the table. Hi, my name is Brett Chin. I am a chief intuitive officer and I work for myself.
[00:00:29] So, Brett, chief intuitive officer isn't a title that I see every day. So what's the story behind how you ended up thinking about, I guess, this work the way you do? Yeah, so I, throughout my career, have always found it a little hard to fit into a specific title. I'm a creative person and no matter what industry you put me in, and I'm always thinking, how can we make things better?
[00:00:57] Now, on top of that, I leverage my intuition every day and I also help other people leverage their intuition. So the way that I came up with the chief intuitive officer is a way of signaling that I have the business chops and background. I know what it's like to sit at the boardroom table, but I also have access to some information that most people don't.
[00:01:22] Yeah. And speaking of your business, can you tell us exactly how it's worked, who are your client, and give us a little rundown? Yeah. So a lot of people call me their therapist. I'm not a therapist. I have to say that. And then I have clients who describe me as their psychic business coach, their life coach, fill in the blank.
[00:01:48] What I really do is I work with high performers who have hit some level of success but still feel that something's missing, that they're stuck somehow, whether it's in their career, their business, finances, or even in their relationships. And I work one-on-one with them combining psychology, intuition, and real-world strategy to help them get unstuck. And a lot of times that's returning to the person that they really were when they first said,
[00:02:18] this is what I want to do with my life. And specifically to healthcare, right? So is there anything additional to that you do or that's the core business? That's the core business. I was introduced to healthcare for two reasons. One is I have clients there and they refer each other to me, which is great.
[00:02:40] I also have a chronic illness, and so I'm an advocate for people with rare and chronic diseases. So healthcare, I think, is important to everyone. You know, of course, you had your session here at the summit. So let's, I want to touch upon a few questions from there. So, you know, you said if plan's a weapon, right? And most employers are holding backwards. So what's the step one to get it right for employers?
[00:03:09] To get their plans right or their communications right? I guess their plans right. So I'm not in plan design, but I couldn't really offer much wisdom there. But what I can say that most employers aren't leveraging their communication, you call it marketing, you call it sales or whatever.
[00:03:29] They just don't know how to talk about benefits in a way that resonates with their average employee or that would attract a candidate who might not be looking for a new job. But that's a real draw for a lot of people. Yeah. And I mean, I worked in several within healthcare. And I always say, like, there are, like, very difficult sub-segments in healthcare.
[00:03:59] Like, for example, home care. I mean, there is no reason for anyone to work in home care if there are not good health benefits. And I've seen, again, I was, we owned a home care agency. And I've seen that we made terrible decisions every year in just selecting health benefits and not even communicating in the way how it should be. But also just, like, it's such a big liver. People would stay because of that.
[00:04:29] And we just let it not use it. Yeah. And it was just, then you run into this, you know, iteration problem again and again. And it's, like, doesn't work. So I know what you're saying. And it's just, like, how, what I just feel, like, people are just, like, not even considering this as, like, as a big leverage in the business. And I see that, like, in home care, it's always a contracted HR person who's, like, not that savvy enough to even understand.
[00:05:00] So who should take the onus of that? I guess that's the question on employers. Wow. Who should take the onus of it? I think it depends on the situation. I do want to say something to your point. I remember a client said, I need to backfill this position. And they left because they didn't think that we had this benefit, but we do. And then I'm sitting there thinking, but did they know? If, like, they don't know, they can't use it. Who should take the onus? Yes, that's a good question.
[00:05:28] I mean, personally, as a recruiter, I've always felt that it was my job to tell the story and sell the organization. You know, you invert the triangle. You sell the company, the story of the company. Why should you be interested in this company? Then you talk about the department, and then you talk about the job. So by the time you get to the job, someone's already bought in. So I think that whoever is managing recruiting, talent acquisition, it falls on them.
[00:05:53] But at the same time, ideally, your employees are doing marketing for you anyway and are telling their friends, oh, yeah, my company is this. My company has that. So it could be internal comms is one way to look at it. And, I mean, everything trickles down. So leadership.
[00:06:12] You know, are you able to talk about why your company is a great place to work in a way that is authentic, but also makes sense to people that don't know all the acronyms that come with health care? Yeah. And just from your experience, what does an employer who treats their plans as a strategic asset in all these communication, attracting and retention, what are they doing it right that others are not?
[00:06:43] Consistency, number one. One, I mentioned before in my talk, having a human to talk to is, I mean, it sounds so simple, but in today's world, that's a game changer when you get someone on the phone that actually can answer your question and empathize. And another one that I've seen is not just building the portal.
[00:07:09] A lot of companies have an intranet with a portal and you can go here and you have this benefit, but really making sure that their employees understand how comprehensive it is. There's so many times that I've had people reach out to me and say that they want to hire me as a coach. And I say to them, amazing, do you have any professional development budget? And 99% of people say, I have no idea.
[00:07:38] No idea. And to me, that's just leaving money on the table because whether they hire me, I mean, I had a client that hired me and also got yoga classes. Like, just, they're just being very communicative, transparent. You might feel like you're being redundant, but think about how much communication we get all day, every day.
[00:08:03] It's very, very probable that you'll send an email. No one's going to read it. So keep sending the emails. I guess what's the mindset shift that needs to happen? Because companies still view this as, you know, benefits as cost-senders. And that's a big problem, right? So, and I think you touched upon this in your talk a little bit. But what is the big mindset shift needs to happen?
[00:08:29] I think the big mindset shift is, it's twofold and they might sound antithetical. One is that your people, you're only as rich as your people. And I mean that not in a, like, Pollyanna. Like, you're only as rich as your people. You need to hire and retain good people. Every time you lose someone, there is a major cost. Not saying that you have to hire a headhunter. But if you have an open seat, you might not be paying payroll.
[00:08:58] But you've got to start figuring out, like, that work's not getting done. And then you will also have to maybe launch a recruiting campaign and maybe hire a headhunter. And it's time. And then whatever project that person was working on gets backed up. You don't hit deadlines. Your company loses money. So really start thinking about how do we invest in our talent acquisition and retention. Period.
[00:09:23] The second that I said might sound antithetical is start treating your people like people. Like, I said, yeah, they do add to your bottom line. But that's not all that it is. What matters to your people? And I think another thing I would add is start talking about your values. That's not even a benefits line item.
[00:09:47] But it's so, like, there were so many companies I recruited for where before I even talked about the title, the promotion path, the salary, the benefits, I would say, let me tell you about the executive team and what they believe in. Let me tell you how they treat their employees. Let me tell you the values that are literally written on the wall and how they live out those values. That costs you nothing.
[00:10:15] I'm going to, you know, shift some gears here. Go for a rapid fire round. Okay. And whatever first thought comes to your mind, go with that. How do most employers treat their health benefits? Is it asset or liability? When they market it as an asset, internally a liability. It's a liability. Yeah.
[00:10:42] One word for the average employer's health benefits strategy. Afterthought. Most wasted opportunity and benefits today. I do fully believe in self-funded, but self-funded plus transparency. And also give your employees the ability to seek non-traditional or holistic care.
[00:11:09] And benefits as a retention lever versus just paying more. It's a major retention lever. And at the end of the day, like, again, you can pay $10,000 more, $5,000 more. But if someone gets a knock at the door and says, we're going to match your salary and you don't have to worry now that you have two kids, another one on the way.
[00:11:35] Like, what's letting someone sleep at night and feel like they're providing for and caring for their family? Okay. And one last question for you. What's kind of the direction in the next three to five years for your own business? For my own business? I love speaking opportunities like this.
[00:11:54] And I really, what I'm seeing happening and I love is that companies are bringing me in not to just, I mean, to do something, get talent strategy. But also talk about, talk about intuition, talk about the difference between anxiety and intuition and how to learn how to listen to other people and yourself.