What does it really look like when you build benefits with inclusion, equity, and integrity from someone who’s worked in both Big Tech and policy?
In this episode of Friends With Benefits, we sit down with Lee from Block (formerly at Google) to dig into what “equity by design” actually means in a global company. Lee shares honest lessons about balancing equality vs equity, navigating local trade‑offs, and why the numbers you benchmark with might mislead more than help.
00:00 — From Social Work to Global Benefits
14:00 — Beyond Tick-Box DEI
28:00 — Building Global Minimums That Scale
35:00 — Communication as an Equity Issue
39:00 — Can AI Help?
46:00 — Practical Steps for Inclusive BenefitsBe the first to know when new episodes drop!
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In this episode of Friends with Benefits, David sits down with global benefits leader Mark to break down the hard-earned lessons from rolling out benefits tech across 50+ countries.From why engagement isn’t just a comms problem to how AI could derail more than it helps, this episode gets into the operational realities most people don’t talk about.They unpack:— Why most global rollouts miss the mark on engagement— How to design for personalisation at scale— The role of consistency vs. autonomy across regions— Where AI fits in and where it really doesn’t— What benefits teams can learn from product teamsIf you’re navigating complexity, scaling strategy, or just trying to get your benefits platform actually used this one’s for you.Timestamps: 00:00 – Getting into Benefits03:50 – Health Benefits Are Underused08:15 – Benefits Are Designed, Not Just Delivered10:45 – The Local vs. Global Trap17:20 – Post-Launch is the Real Work21:50 – Measuring Impact24:40 – The Personalisation Gap36:00 – The Marketing Mindset43:50 – AI, Structure & Scale47:10 – Benefits ConfessionThanks for watching! Subscribe to our channel.
In this episode of Friends with Benefits, Carl and David are joined by Steve Bianchi ex-Unilever, now Chief People Officer at Autodoc. Steve brings his systems mindset, startup grit, and global experience to the table as they unpack everything from UK healthcare policy to why payroll is the most underused channel in benefits comms.They discuss the limits of fairness, the value of radical transparency, the true cost of “workations,” and why benefit strategies need to move from one-size-fits-all to hyper-personalised at scale. No fluff just sharp, structured thinking from someone who’s built benefits from the ground up.00:00 – Meet Steve Bianchi, Autodoc10:25 – Rethinking fairness in benefits14:40 – Radical transparency and trust21:00 – Building from scratch: lessons from global scale27:45 – Payroll as a comms channel31:30 – Benefits Confession: the power of saying noBe the first to know when new episodes drop! Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thanksben/
In this episode of Friends with Benefits, Carl and David sit down with Jo Viana, Director of Global Benefits at Eventbrite, to get real about what it takes to build benefits that actually matter especially when you’re supporting people across 9+ countries. They dive into the messy realities of global equity, the limits of utilisation metrics, why mental health needs more than a tick-box, and how communication can make or break your benefits strategy. It’s honest, sharp, and full of lessons from someone who's doing the work.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Meet Joana & the Eventbrite landscape
04:30 – The equity balancing act
08:00 – Mental health: usage ≠ impact
15:00 – Breaking stigma through storytelling
22:00 – Making benefits visible
26:00 – AI, access, and cautious optimism
37:00 – When redundancy matters
41:00 – Benefits Confession
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Benefits are bloated. Data is broken. ROI is murky. But people still need support that works.
In this episode of Friends with Benefits, we're joined by John Whitaker, Senior Director of International Benefits at Workday. From decluttering bloated benefit portfolios to the real reasons wellbeing ROI is so hard to prove, John brings a refreshingly honest view of what actually matters in the benefits space. We cover global cost pressures, benefit duplication, the data gaps still holding us back, and why sometimes the best employee experience is just making things work.
Tune in for practical insights, hard truths, and a few benefit confessions you won't forget.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome & intro to John from Workday
03:00 – Why having more benefits isn’t better
07:40 – Wellbeing fatigue & lack of results
12:00 – Budget ≠ impact
14:00 – Personalisation over standardisation
19:00 – Data gaps still hurt decision-making
23:00 – Admin vs. strategy
30:00 – The problem with proving ROI
33:00 – Living your values through benefits
38:00 – Cutting costs without cutting care
40:00 – The value of simplification
42:00 – Benefit confession
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In the very first episode of Friends with Benefits, Carl and David kick things off by diving into the tangled world of employee benefits and why it’s getting harder for companies to get it right.
They share their own career journeys, but more importantly, they lay the foundation for the conversations to come: honest chats with reward leaders, brokers, and consultants who are shaping the future of work.
Timestamps:
02:00 – Why This Podcast Exists
03:00 – The Complexity of Benefits
04:00 – Why Benefits Are Under-Leveraged
06:00 – The Role of Employee Expectations
08:00 – What’s Coming Up on the Podcast
10:00 – Themes to Watch For
17:00 – The AI Question
21:00 – Benefits Confessions
23:00 – Closing Thoughts
