New Unum Total Leave will help employers and employees better manage complex leave process

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (April 27, 2021) – Unum (NYSE: UNM), a leading provider of financial protection benefits in the U.S. and U.K., is launching Unum Total Leave^TM, a new leave management service powered by a unique digital leave ecosystem to assist employers and employees with the complex leave process.

The Unum Total Leave launch responds to the changing leave landscape, one that is more complex and difficult to navigate for human resource professionals. For large and growing business, managing employee leave well is ensuring compliance with the law while also helping employers attract and retain great talent.

“Unum Total Leave will offer a far better and more integrated experience compared to current market options,” said Rick McKenney, President and CEO of Unum. “The increased importance of leave in our society has also come with increased complexity, and our new solution is specifically designed to simplify these events for everyone involved.”

With Unum Total Leave, employees can easily plan leaves and access a virtual assistant that uses artificial intelligence to automate crucial HR processes, including filing a claim, eligibility questions, payments and direct deposits, as well as claims and return-to-work coordination. Employees also have the option to quickly connect with live leave and disability experts for more complex issues.

For employers, the interactive dashboard keeps leave communications in one place, making it easier to see when new leave requests are made, which employees are out on leave, and when they’re returning to work.

“We have zeroed in on the common pain points employers experience when it comes to administering leave, while making the entire process simpler and faster for employees to access their leave benefits,” said Zory Harter, Vice President of Absence Management Experience. “With Unum Total Leave, we’re delivering a total solution.”

Unum currently supports more than 2.9 million employees in the United States with leave management services, including for personal medical leave, caregiver leave, pregnancy and bonding leave, intermittent leave and sabbatical leave.

According to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, only 19% of the U.S. workforce has access to employer-sponsored paid family leave, a small increase from 11% in 2010¹. In 2020, however, a Unum survey among more than 400 employers found 44% of companies planned to expand paid leave benefits this year. And in Unum’s consumer enrollment study, paid leave was one of the top-wanted non-insurance employee benefits among U.S. workers. The pandemic has underscored the importance of having time to meet family and personal obligations, and Unum Total Leave makes it simple to plan, request and take any type of leave.

Unum Total Leave is part of Unum’s leave and absence management portfolio of offerings and part of its broader suite of digital employer solutions. Visit Leave and Absence Management on Unum.com to learn more.

¹ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Surveys: Employee Benefits in the United States, 2010 to 2019.