Ellen Meza

Senior Director, Global Benefits, Well-Being & Mobility

Docusign, Inc.

Ellen is a Human Resources professional with over 20 years of progressive employee benefits, well-being and HR operations experience. She has worked both in-house and as a consultant with companies from the start-up/pre-IPO stage all the way to mature 10,000+ employee companies. She currently serves as the Senior Director of Global Benefits, Well-Being and Mobility at Docusign and is an advisory council member for many start-ups in the People Technology space. Ellen has a sharp eye for innovation and is extremely passionate about helping her community.

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Speaker Questionnaire

What is the biggest thing you learned in 2020?

What do you feel are the two most important benefits or areas that need to be a top priority in 2021?

Caregiver support and financial well-being.

Can you share a story on an area of your healthcare program or employee benefits where you were able to create significant savings or stop costs from rising?

The largest cost savings I was able to create this last year with DocuSign was around our Stop Loss insurance for the self-funded medical program in the US. The savings were over half a million dollars which funded our mental health program in 2020.

If you could automatically receive a 10-20% reduction in costs in three areas/programs, what would your dream list be?

Medical costs, specifically around MSK, pregnancy, and cancer.

What is the most innovative program you will focus on in 2021 and/or 2022?

Not the most exciting benefits, but I want to revolutionize the dental and vision space for US employees. It has not changed in many, many years and we have all become accepting of the terrible insurance process as it exists today. I'd like to make going to an eye care professional and dentist a little less painful.

How are you re-imagining corporate culture & well-being?

Focusing on building a culture of caring starting from the ground up. Updating the language we use to identify different groups in our organization, like caregivers. Working with ERGs to make a real difference for those who need it. Offering benefits that impact not just the employee, but their whole family.

What virtual care solutions did you roll out during the pandemic? How valuable were they and why?

Mental health, caregiver support, financial well-being, well-being reimbursements, and more. The biggest win here was mental health - in the U.S. we were able to make virtual behavioral health completely free for employees and dependents through 2020 and 2021.

If you look at our 3 Moonshots - Costs, Culture, and Care; In one sentence, tell us what would be something positive for us to take from 2020 and bring into this new year?

The most direct path forward through the pandemic is kindness. Companies must focus on creating a culture rooted in kindness and caring.

What are your top priorities for employee health and well-being in 2022?

Mental Health, Metabolic Health, and Musculoskeletal Health.

What are the most innovative programs that you will focus on in 2022 and 2023?

Bespoke MSK and Metabolic programs as well as enhancements to our mental health offering - expanding to younger children and employees in all countries.

Looking at our three moonshots surrounding costs, culture, and care, which do you align with the most? What are you doing in this area?

Absolutely, care. Caregivers and how we care for our employees health and well-being are my top priority. We recently started an ERG for Caregivers which has created a safe space for those that identify to speak about what benefits have mattered to them and where they can use more help. It's been a funnel of so many great ideas for us as a company.

If you could automatically receive a 25% reduction in costs in three areas/programs, what would your dream list be?

It'd be silly for me to choose anything other than our three highest costs - Childbirth/Women's Health, Cancer and MSK.

Is there an area where you were able to either create savings or stop costs from rising?

We recently started supporting family forming from a tactical perspective (covering IVF, etc.) but we also added tools, resources and support which have helped reduce complicated or high risk pregnancies and births.

Are you doing anything to reimagine corporate culture and wellbeing?

We're speaking about it more transparently and telling employees where we'll focus or energy. We have four pillars of Well-Being at DocuSign. Mental Health, Physical Health, Financial Wellness and Caregiver Support/Community. We are investing in these areas with both programs and benefits as well as resources and tools to help employees and their families in these areas.

If there were two physical solutions that could be turned into virtual or remote care instead, what would those be?

Vision/Eye Care and would love to see more innovation in the virtual belonging space. As we continue in a remote/hybrid work world, we need to make it easier for employees who will never meet in person to feel included in the company culture.

If you look at our 3 Moonshots - Costs, Culture, and Care; In one sentence, tell us what would be something positive for us to take from 2020 and bring into this new year?

The most direct path forward through the pandemic is kindness. Companies must focus on creating a culture rooted in kindness and caring.

Sessions Speaking

Families First, Top Priorities Organizations are Adopting for In-Person and Remote Workforces

April 27, 2022

10:00 am

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10:50 am

As we step into year three of the pandemic, no other benefits have had such importance as those that focus around prioritizing employees’ families. This session will share what leading organizations are offering and rolling out to employees in the areas of fertility, childcare, eldercare and other health benefits that focus on women and their families. With more and more employees working from home, and many companies postponing return to work initiatives, companies are recognizing that productivity and profits are tied directly to the benefits that help employees out at home. Learn how these benefits are your ultimate weapon against the great resignation.

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Why Fertility Benefits that Cover all Genders are a Must-have for 2022

April 26, 2022

3:00 pm

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3:50 pm

Conversations around fertility benefits usually focus on addressing female infertility. And while that is a critical piece of the puzzle, people of all genders need support from fertility and family-forming resources. For around 30% of different-sex couples experiencing infertility, male-factor issues are the primary cause. Trans and non-binary people may have specific fertility needs but struggle to find physicians with the right experience. And fertility knowledge and support are important throughout life — not just in someone’s reproductive years. In this session, we’ll discuss how your company can provide inclusive fertility benefits that cover all genders — and ages — in 2022.

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1 Conference. 3 Moonshots.

Remember the mission to reach the moon? In 1962, President JFK set forth a vision. He initiated a movement that outlived him! Even in his death, the mission was accomplished seven years after his famous speech. Now we’re on a five-year mission, and it's not about us. This is a mission for you – the individual, the stakeholder, the employer healthcare and benefits professional. Join the mission to reduce costs, reimagine culture, and reinvent care.