Sharon Braun evaluates employee benefits to make Rogers a place where people want to work
11/15/22 04:20:pm
“I love the variety of the work we do in Total Rewards,” Sharon says. “We have a great combination of analysis and design work. The team is continually assessing our plans and evaluating new programs to provide the most attractive options. Since employees are really busy, we try to present information in ways that catch their attention so they can more easily evaluate whether or not a benefit supports their needs.”
Sharon joined Rogers in April 2021, bringing decades of experience in human resources. Prior to Rogers, she worked for a Seattle-area, not-for-profit healthcare organization. Sharon has spent over 25 years working in HR, primarily in acute care and long-term care organizations in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Sharon says her vision for Rogers is to be recognized as a top employer.
“Rogers has all the components, and we want to continue to build and strengthen what we offer,” she says. “Our focus on open communication, diversity, equity, and inclusion, supporting employee well-being, continuous improvement, and our outstanding support for personal and career development are all strong elements of our culture. ‘Top Employer’ recognition helps others notice all this great work. Culture gives employees the sense of ‘I love what I do, and I love where I work.’”
Sharon says the Total Rewards team is focused on enhancing culture and supporting initiatives for employees.
“One of the big wins for the benefits team this past summer was our work with Rogers’ insurance brokers to negotiate substantial rebates in our medical plan pharmacy costs,” she explains. “Our benefits manager, Erin Unterweger, was able to obtain over $600,000 in savings on our prescription drug costs. Those savings supported the addition of the Wellness Day for employees.”
Another accomplishment for the team was the implementation of a new salary structure in August. Sharon and Merlissa Alfred, compensation manager, teamed up to analyze the salary data for each of the 400-plus job titles within Rogers.
“This work assures that Rogers is competitive with other employers in each of our locations and service lines,” Sharon says. “We built a plan that allows us to assure greater equity, and that our pay ranges are market competitive. The structure creates a framework for the organization going forward.”
Sharon and her team strive to be responsive to the needs of employees.
“The makeup of our workforce impacts the work of the benefits team,” she says. “We are younger than many healthcare organizations, with our average employee age of 36. Also, 80% of our employees identify as female. Our biggest drivers in our healthcare plan claims and expenses are mental health, maternity care, and musculoskeletal claims, so we are focused on addressing the need for care in these areas.”
Lyra was added to Rogers’ benefits package in November 2021 to provide a well-being resource and improve access to therapy services.
“Currently, we are meeting with vendors to finalize fertility and family-forming benefits,” Sharon says. “And, this month, the entire benefits team is piloting and testing out at-home musculoskeletal therapy products to assess whether they’re appropriate to offer. We’re also investigating pet care and insurance possibilities based on employee feedback.”
When asked what attracted her to Rogers, Sharon shared her admiration for Rogers’ teammates.
“I have family members and dear friends who have received care at Rogers,” she says. “The work our employees do is inspiring. Our focus on the Total Rewards team is to find ways to contribute to making Rogers the place that employees want to join and stay.”
Getting to know Sharon
The Brauns have two sons: 27-year-old Billy, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is now living in Minnesota, and 24-year-old David, a recent graduate of Montana State University who recently relocated to Oahu, Hawaii.
Sharon says with two sons their family vacations are fairly active and adventurous. Trips to Montana, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming are centered around outdoor activities like hiking, skiing, and whitewater kayaking. Favorite trips have included snowmobiling through Yellowstone. A trip in 2019 resulted in needing a tow back to the outfitter. Sharon’s family has banned her from snowmobiling since this incident.
