HR Update

Every year, Employee Benefit News (EBN) recognizes leading HR and benefits professionals through the Excellence in Benefits Awards. This year, Mary Rohman Kuhl, senior director of Total Rewards at the University of Minnesota, was honored with an Excellence in Benefits Award for leading her team’s work.

The Total Rewards team is responsible for administering wages and a full scope of benefits to U of M employees who work throughout the state, country, and world. Harnessing the University’s position as the sixth largest employer in the state, Mary and her team work with internal governance groups and external benefits providers, such as the University's medical plan and retirement savings vendors, to ensure excellent benefits for our employees.

Some of the team’s recent accomplishments include: 

• Choosing, launching, and promoting a new Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider that offers culturally responsive care to our employees and their families
• Expanding our Wellbeing Program to include all part- and full-time employees
• Implementing a new Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) program required of Minnesota employers
• Keeping medical and dental insurance rates low compared with market averages, with deductibles for the medical plan as inexpensive as $100, and partnering with College of Pharmacy faculty to assess appropriate coverage and keep costs low for employees
• Enhancing our financial counseling provider contract to allow more attendees at financial webinars and offering semi-annual webinars on our primary and voluntary retirement plans
• Rolling out a new vendor to help employees manage diabetes and prediabetic conditions
• Making adjustments to the Regents Tuition Benefits Program to simplify the request and approval process
• Transitioning to a single administrator for both the HSA and FSA benefit programs

Mary will be honored alongside other award recipients at the Benefits at Work conference later this month. Congratulations to Mary and the entire Total Rewards team!