Beyond the Paycheck: Providence Swedish’s CHRO on Pay Transparency, Student Loans, and Career Mobility

Summary

Salary gets attention—but benefits and mobility change lives. Maurice Lewin, North Puget Zone Chief Human Resources Officer at Providence Swedish, shares how his team designs equitable, career-building rewards for a diverse healthcare workforce.

Grounded in a powerful money story—from Jamaica to the C-suite—Maurice explains why “one-size-fits-all” benefits fail and how to align pay, education support, and flexibility to real-life needs.

He details Providence Swedish’s livable wage philosophy, in-house apprenticeships that create six-figure pathways, and a student-loan program that preserves 401(k) matching for employees paying down debt.

Maurice also unpacks tools for pay transparency and equity across multiple markets, the shift from hours to output, and measurable retention gains post–Great Resignation.

He closes with practical personal finance habits and a benefits timing hack employees can use today.

Timestamps

[00:18] – Guest intro: From Jamaica to CHRO at Providence Swedish; scope and markets served

[01:32] – Early money lessons: discipline, paying essentials first, and funding education

[05:44] – First paycheck: honoring family, tithing, saving, and contributing at home

[07:44] – Beyond one-size-fits-all: screening employers for benefits that build careers

[09:52] – Where comp breaks down: pay transparency, equity, and benefits literacy

[12:35] – Transformational programs: six-figure pathways, apprenticeships, and 401(k) match for student-loan payers

[14:46] – Impact metrics: retention drops to low teens; CNAs advancing to RN roles; auto 401(k) enrollment

[16:53] – What’s next: output over hours, flexible work, and evolving total rewards

[20:24] – Measuring equity: market surveys, livable wage philosophy, and in-house tools

[22:16] – A 30-day money reset: automate savings, split banks, maximize employer match

[27:58] – Benefits hack: span plan years to double coverage on big-ticket care (e.g., braces)

Takeaways

- Design benefits for segments, not averages—align rewards to life stage, ambition, and needs.

- Operationalize pay transparency and equity with robust market data, livable wage guardrails, and year-round adjustments.

- Build mobility ladders—apprenticeships and internal education create six-figure pathways and retention.

- Support student-loan payers by preserving 401(k) matching while they repay debt.

- Manage flexibility by measuring output over hours; craft role-based approaches to in-person work.

- For listeners: run a 30-day audit—automate savings, use separate “hard-to-access” accounts, max your employer match/IRA, and time big healthcare expenses across plan years to stretch benefits.

Sponsor

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With AI-powered insights, it takes the guesswork and busywork out of comp decisions, helps you spot pay equity gaps early, and makes it easy to model scenarios that keep your teams engaged and your budgets on track.

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