Partner Profile: Alight

Welcome to our Partner Profile Series. Each month, we feature insights and perspectives from HR professionals and consultants working with various clients to address today's most pressing issues. 

This month, our spotlight is on Alight. Alight is a leading cloud-based human capital technology and service provider for many of the world’s largest organizations and over 35 million people and dependents.  Through the administration of employee benefits, Alight helps clients gain a benefits advantage while building a healthy and financially secure workforce by unifying the benefits ecosystem across health, wealth, wellbeing, absence management and navigation. 

I sat down with Kenje Mallot, a Wealth Solution Architect at Alight. She works with clients to help them understand the retirement and financial wellbeing industry landscape, create their strategy, design solutions, and execute their plans. Her goal is to enhance the financial lives of employees by supporting, encouraging, and facilitating positive financial behaviors and benefits decisions. 

Can you tell me a little about yourself and your role as a Wealth Solution Architect at Alight? 

I have been working in large market employer benefits for over 27 years with a focus on wealth solutions, including retirement and financial wellbeing.  I work with clients to help them understand the solution landscape, trends, outcomes as well as listen to them to understand their organizational benefits strategy and vision.  I also work with our internal team of wealth and Alight Partner Network leaders to help determine Alight’s wealth solution strategy which includes reviewing potential partnerships to fit our strategic vision and/or meeting client needs.    

How does Alight Financial Path address common financial challenges faced by individuals, such as debt or credit management? 

Alight Financial Path was created for the everyday employee.  As a benefits delivery organization, Alight focuses specifically on the benefits lens.  We create a highly personalized experience that helps employees build financial confidence and financial health.  This means we meet the employee where they are on their financial journey, help them understand what benefits can help them and provide support from licensed advisors to answer their questions.  We include resources and support for every financial stage – from those who may be financially struggling to those who have very complex financial situations.  

What specific financial wellness services and tools does Alight Financial Path offer? 

Alight Financial Path is a robust suite of solutions integrated to create a personalized financial experience for the employee.  This includes access through Alight’s benefits platform, Alight Worklife, and AI-based communications campaigns to drive engagement.  Employees can take a financial assessment in less than five minutes and then receive personalized top actions based on their situation.  These top actions include full integration with benefits the employer has available.   

We also include comprehensive financial planning, powered by Orion, for goal setting, tracking and modeling ‘what if’ scenarios which is accessible online and supported by Alight Financial Advisors.   

Our Advisors are Alight employees and are licensed financial advisors and often hold other certifications, such as CFP or CRC.  The Advisors focus on the full benefits package and only what is approved by the employer.  We recognize the need for targeted solutions, and we partner with Kashable (emergency loans), PTO Exchange (allows for flexible shifting of PTO to other areas to help the employee focus on their personalized goals), and SoFi (emergency savings, student debt management and college savings).    

How does Alight Financial Path address the unique financial needs of different employee demographics? 

 Alight Financial Path is completely personalized to the individual, it connects them with what will be relevant and helpful to them based on their demographics, benefits eligibility and current behaviors.   

How does Alight Financial Path measure the effectiveness of its employee engagement initiatives?  

Alight Financial Path includes analysis of overall benefits optimization of those who engage, that includes retirement and health administration behaviors such 401(k) and HSA savings.  We work with clients to determine their areas of focus for outcomes and also bring our best practices to create deep insights and determine ROI.   

What are some of the common challenges in driving employee adoption of financial wellness tools, and how does Alight Financial Path address them?  

Employees typically have so much going on so we are very careful in our messaging.  We can establish a ‘time to check in’ relationship vs bombarding them with information.  Our goal is to reduce their stress, not add to it.   We also emphasize that we are also here when they need us too, since we know financial needs can come up between regular check-ups. 

How do you envision the future of employee financial wellness, and what role do you see Alight Financial Path playing in shaping that future? 

Alight Financial Path was created based on opportunities to connect the dots for employees between their financial goals and their benefits.  Our statistics show us that if employees engage, they typically start to make positive financial decisions and employee stress level typically is lowest for those who are financially healthy.  We have five years of stats that have help reinforce our strategy and to continue to hone our roadmap.  We see a future where all employees have the opportunity to better understand their financial lives, build their financial confidence and prepare for the future.     

What trends do you see in the future of financial wellness, and how is Alight Financial Path positioning itself to meet these trends?  

Flexibility is becoming more and more of a priority – employees want it and employers recognize it’s a way to help support the employee.  What might be important to an employee today, might not be in 5 years, etc.  So it’s about creating a personalized benefits experience that can be satisfying to the employee.  Solutions like PTO Exchange are built with flexibility in mind with their ability to shift PTO to other benefits areas based on the employee’s current needs.                  

Note: Financial Planning is offered through Alight Financial Advisors, LLC (AFA). AFA is a registered investment adviser and wholly owned subsidiary of Alight Solutions LLC.  Financial Advisors are Investment Advisor Representatives of AFA. AFA and its affiliates do not guarantee future results. AFA’s Investment Advisors do not provide legal, accounting or tax advice, nor do they provide investment advice in connection with the Financial Planning service. Financial Planning does not constitute a solicitation or offer to buy or sell securities and is a separate service from AFA’s investment advisory services. Kenje Mallot is a registered representative of Alight Financial Solutions, LLC, as well as an Investment Advisor Representative of AFA.  

Follow Alight on LinkedIn and check out its website.  

Interested in becoming a partner? Learn more about PTO Exchange's partnership program.