Kim Seely – Managing Director of Employer Services

Each quarter, we’ll feature one of TPG’s business divisions to learn about industry news and gain a high-level view of their work. As managing director of our Employer Services division, Kim provides operational direction and guidance, including Employee Benefits, Datalytics, PartnerWell, and Total Absence Management. Kim is a national ambassador for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Dare to Dream Project, as well as a patient family partner at Randall Children’s Hospital.

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Tell me about your background – what brought you to this point?

I’ve been with TPG for 22 years, since 2002. I came from the carrier side of the industry, but I decided that consulting would be a better match in terms of work-life balance and starting a family. TPG was a great place to land and develop my career while keeping my priorities where I needed them to be. The company really has served me well in many different areas – I have always felt supported and I have valued the relationships I’ve made.

What are your current department goals?

Behind the scenes, we are replacing our agency management system – this will provide more efficiencies so we can better serve our clients, in terms of enhanced communications, enrollment, presentations, as well as making it easier to make hard decisions and solve business problems. We’re simplifying it all for our clients. We’re also refining our enrollment communications in Canva, in cooperation with our Marketing team, upgrading to Flip-Tech on materials, enhancing the product.

We’re asking, what do clients’ employees really want to see in terms of how their benefits are communicated to them? We’re in the discovery phase with benefits technology and the changing role tech plays for employees. The workforce demands online solutions these days, and the environment has changed since COVID – often, there is no physical office setting, the way in which benefits are communicated has changed, how those benefits should align with corporate culture is different, and there’s more need to incorporate policies for remote work.

We’re also expanding our Employer Services team to include PartnerWell (TPG’s organizational wellbeing team) as well as voluntary benefits. Wellbeing and voluntary benefits are huge additions to current benefits packages, making high-deductible plans more palatable. It fills a need for employees with different situations to use their benefits in ways that best suit them.

How has the industry changed in the past few years?

There is a huge emphasis now on technology, on mental health, and having the resources available to support employees where they are. The costs associated with inflation have hit our clients hard – medical costs are going way up, which is very hard for employers to absorb fully. Yet they still want to minimize the costs for their employees. We’re all feeling it right now.

How do you see TPG innovating and leading the way?

We’re looking at AI as a future-focused tool. Yet it does not replace the one-to-one communications that TPG has historically provided. Does AI offer some amazing job aids? Yes. But the technology does not replace valuable consulting work, absolutely not. Having said that, we’re all for using AI as a tool for efficiency. Currently, TPG’s STEER (Spearheading Technology Efficiency, Experience, and Resources) team is taking ownership of evaluating and vetting AI usage for the company.

What are you excited about in your career and TPG’s future?

I’m interested in seeing continued growth. When I started at TPG, I was the 22nd employee, I think. So, I’m excited for where we’re going to expand, in both content and geography. It’ll be fun to see where our path takes us.

TPG has five core values that we strongly believe in – play well with others, own it, be a champion, have fun and live well, and be curious. Which of these is currently resonating with you and why?

Own it. I feel that one strongly. As a leader, I deliver for clients and for my teammates. You demonstrate the value by doing it, not just saying it.

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For enquiries about how our Employer Services team can assist you and your organization, contact Kim and her colleagues at employerservices@tpgrp.com.

 

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