Below is a listing of recent articles by Unum business leaders, interviews including comments from Unum executives, and reports on research by Unum officials discussing topics of relevance to employers.
US News and World Report (March 2013): Kristin Tugman, senior director of Health and Productivity at Unum, discusses the aging workforce and the value in employers adopting productive aging programs.
Thanks to all the corporate controversies, CEO scandals, bailouts, and bankruptcies in recent years, investors have lost trust in some of the country’s largest public companies. However, even today, many corporations are models of openness and integrity.
CEO Tom Watjen joined CNBC’s Squawk Box to discuss the need for our products in the midst of a “tepid” economic environment. “We have found demand for the product despite the soft economic conditions,” Tom said. The discussion also addressed future growth and potential road blocks for our company and industry. Watch the video here and see what else Tom had to say.
Rough Notes (July 2012) The success of a voluntary employee benefits program comes down to that moment when an employee pauses before a computer screen or a paper application form and decides whether to put an X in a product selection box.
Benefits Selling (June 2012) Scott Maker, senior vice president of Government Affairs at Unum, discusses how new partnerships and data are driving the important conversation of income protection. Maker also shares new research that, for the first time, quantifies the value of disability benefits.
Business Insurance Magazine (June 2012) With 24/7 operations and diverse staff needs, hospitals need to be as fully staffed as possible at any given time. So when it comes to handling employee absences - especially those of nurses - due to disability, a transitional return-to-work program is essential. Kristin Tugman, senior director of Health and Productivity at Unum, discusses best practices for developing a return-to-work program that succeeds.
Benefits Selling (May 2012) Branden Pierson, national sales leader of Executive Benefits at Unum, discusses how integrating group LTD and supplemental individual disability insurance (ID) provides better protection for both employees and employers.
Employee Benefits Advisor (March 2012) Neiciee Durrence, vice president of Voluntary Benefits at Unum, discusses the value of critical illness insurance and how it can fill in gaps of coverage that medical insurance does not address, giving families peace of mind at a time when they need it most.
Benefits Selling (September 2011): This article features Unum's research into how employees make benefits decisions and how employers and benefits providers can support them in that process.
Forbes (August 2011): New research from Unum and Charles River Associates is highlighted in this article on the role of workplace benefits in protecting millions of Americans from poverty.
CNBC Squawk Box (July 25, 2011): President and CEO Tom Watjen discusses the financial fragility of working Americans and the role the benefits industry can play as part of the solution.
HR Executive Online (July 2011): With more people living and working longer, and medical treatments becoming ever more effective, a growing number of cancer patients are returning to work after long-term-disability leave.
Chattanooga Times Free Press (June 2011) Unum's financial leaders explain the company's successful investment strategy in an article that contrasts Unum's stable financial performance to losses by a competitor because of its exposure to Greek and Portuguese debt.
Best's Review (June 2011): Against the Odds. Jake Jacob, a director in Unum's National Client Group, discusses the effects of the recession on disability claims trends.
Employee Benefit Advisor (May 2011): Work with the CLASS Act to boost LTC sales. Guy Bertsch, vice president of Long Term Care for Unum discusses the CLASS Act and how it has given much-needed attention to the issue of long-term care and reinforces the need to plan for the costs of that care.
Benefits Selling (April 2011): Great Expectations. More employers and highly compensated employees recognize the need for individual disability insurance. While brokers and employers agree on a number of key carrier attributes, there can be a disconnect when it comes to something else that's important. Unum's Branden Pierson explains.
Employee Benefit News (March 2011): Back into the fold. A Unum customer who successfully returned to work after a disability is profiled in this article about helping workers re-join the workforce following a disability.
Insurance & Technology (November 2010): Managing through change: En route to becoming Unum's Global CIO, Kathy Owen has overseen game-changing technology improvements through several M&As. Named one of the industry's "Elite 8" for 2010, Kathy Owen's career and the evolution she has seen in technology since joining Unum in 1975 are the focus of this feature article.
Business Insurance (October 2010): Best Places to Work. For the second year in a row, Unum is named the Best Place to Work in Insurance among large insurers by Business Insurance magazine.
Best's Review (September 2010): Redefined Benefits: Economic realities have changed the essentials of company-sponsored benefits plans. Unum Senior Vice President Mike Simonds writes about broad shifts in employee benefit plan designs, including the rise of voluntary products and benefits integration, which can be largely attributed to two external factors: economics and demographics.
Health Insurance Underwriter (September 2010): Behind the scenes of a disability claim: Fair, accurate decisions require a steady focus on people, process and protection. Unum's senior vice president of Disability Benefits writes about the ingredients that make Unum's long term disability claims process a leader in the industry.
Health Insurance Underwriter (August 2010): An increasing number of benefits brokers offering voluntary benefits. Unum's vice president of broker development shows how a challenging economy, a diverse workforce and the value-added benefits of voluntary products have made this type of coverage an appealing option for businesses and their employees.
Employee Benefit News (June 2010): Reaching out. With a Hispanic working population that's expected to double in the next 20 years, Unum's Bilda Acuña highlights the company's efforts to target and serve the growing market.
Health Insurance Underwriter (June 2010): Is the Income of Highly Compensated Employees Sufficiently Protected by Your Group Plans? Unum's Branden Pierson discusses how individual disability insurance provides better compensation protection and closes the income replacement gap.
Best's Review (March 2010): Getting Together. The Simply Unum benefits platform is featured in this article on the trend toward benefits integration as a way to cut complexity and offer more cost control.
Rough Notes (February 2010): Big Benefits for Smaller Employers. The Simply Unum benefits platform is featured in this article on new ways brokers can deliver simplified benefits solutions to small to mid-sized businesses.
BusinessWeek.com (January 2010): Better ROI from benefits. An article by Unum's Mike Simonds offers tips for getting the greatest return on the benefits investment. Employee education is key, and Simonds' article offers some great how-to information on ways to ensure employees really know the value of their benefits.
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