Absence Minded

Get ready for a new chapter. We’re working on a fresh look and planning what’s next, with new topics and guest voices. We’ll be taking a short break before the next episode, but in this quick video, Brycie and Christine share what we’re working on and why it’s worth the wait.Enjoy the commentary from these two experts from The Partners Group, a leading resource in the absence management industry. You can listen to every episode on our website.Brycie WassonBrycie has spent her entire career in absence and disability management. She began administering FMLA leaves for one of our nation’s largest retailers, and she soon advanced to oversee an absence and disability benefits program for a private financial services firm. She implemented multiple successful absence solutions, including harmonizing policy and practices, creating a formal ADA evaluation process, and integrating a leave management software solution. Brycie has been with The Partners Group since 2017.Christine Hinnerichs Christine has over 15 years of absence management and disability experience in the non- and for-profit sectors, as well as nearly 20 years of experience in HR. Her extensive background on the client side of absence management and disability helps her navigate and create solutions for unique client challenges. Christine has a BA in business administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She earned her PHR Certification in 2006 and her Life and Annuities, Sickness, Accident and Health Insurance Producer’s License in 2021. Christine has been with The Partners Group since 2020.

In this episode of Absence Minded, our team breaks down the real‑world differences between state-run and private paid family & medical leave programs and what employers should consider as new legislation rolls out across Maine, Maryland, and potentially Virginia.Recorded on March 2, 2026Enjoy the commentary from these two experts from The Partners Group, a leading resource in the absence management industry. You can listen to every episode on our website.Brycie WassonBrycie has spent her entire career in absence and disability management. She began administering FMLA leaves for one of our nation’s largest retailers, and she soon advanced to oversee an absence and disability benefits program for a private financial services firm. She implemented multiple successful absence solutions, including harmonizing policy and practices, creating a formal ADA evaluation process, and integrating a leave management software solution. Brycie has been with The Partners Group since 2017.Christine Hinnerichs Christine has over 15 years of absence management and disability experience in the non- and for-profit sectors, as well as nearly 20 years of experience in HR. Her extensive background on the client side of absence management and disability helps her navigate and create solutions for unique client challenges. Christine has a BA in business administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She earned her PHR Certification in 2006 and her Life and Annuities, Sickness, Accident and Health Insurance Producer’s License in 2021. Christine has been with The Partners Group since 2020.

The Department of Labor must be loyal listeners, because when you have two podcast hosts, you obviously need two new FMLA opinion letters. Christine and Brycie unpack what those January 2026 letters actually say about travel time to medical appointments (including caring for a parent) and where the line is between “quick errands” and non‑FMLA time.Recorded on February 2, 2026Enjoy the commentary from these two experts from The Partners Group, a leading resource in the absence management industry. You can listen to every episode on our website.Brycie WassonBrycie has spent her entire career in absence and disability management. She began administering FMLA leaves for one of our nation’s largest retailers, and she soon advanced to oversee an absence and disability benefits program for a private financial services firm. She implemented multiple successful absence solutions, including harmonizing policy and practices, creating a formal ADA evaluation process, and integrating a leave management software solution. Brycie has been with The Partners Group since 2017.Christine Hinnerichs Christine has over 15 years of absence management and disability experience in the non- and for-profit sectors, as well as nearly 20 years of experience in HR. Her extensive background on the client side of absence management and disability helps her navigate and create solutions for unique client challenges. Christine has a BA in business administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She earned her PHR Certification in 2006 and her Life and Annuities, Sickness, Accident and Health Insurance Producer’s License in 2021. Christine has been with The Partners Group since 2020.

Brycie and Christine kick off the new year by diving into a back-to-basics refresh of FMLA leave policies. Drawing from hundreds of policy reviews, they break down the top five (plus a bonus) items commonly missing from employer FMLA policies and why tightening them up can save headaches down the road.Recorded on January 14, 2026Enjoy the commentary from these two experts from The Partners Group, a leading resource in the absence management industry. You can listen to every episode on our website.Brycie WassonBrycie has spent her entire career in absence and disability management. She began administering FMLA leaves for one of our nation’s largest retailers, and she soon advanced to oversee an absence and disability benefits program for a private financial services firm. She implemented multiple successful absence solutions, including harmonizing policy and practices, creating a formal ADA evaluation process, and integrating a leave management software solution. Brycie has been with The Partners Group since 2017.Christine Hinnerichs Christine has over 15 years of absence management and disability experience in the non- and for-profit sectors, as well as nearly 20 years of experience in HR. Her extensive background on the client side of absence management and disability helps her navigate and create solutions for unique client challenges. Christine has a BA in business administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She earned her PHR Certification in 2006 and her Life and Annuities, Sickness, Accident and Health Insurance Producer’s License in 2021. Christine has been with The Partners Group since 2020.

Brycie and Christine cover different ways to calculate and handle FMLA increments that are less than the minimum. (True HR and absence management wonks may know this better as 825.205.)  Recorded on December 16, 2025 Enjoy the commentary from these two experts from The Partners Group, a leading resource in the absence management industry. You can listen to every episode on our website.Brycie WassonBrycie has spent her entire career in absence and disability management. She began administering FMLA leaves for one of our nation’s largest retailers, and she soon advanced to oversee an absence and disability benefits program for a private financial services firm. She implemented multiple successful absence solutions, including harmonizing policy and practices, creating a formal ADA evaluation process, and integrating a leave management software solution. Brycie has been with The Partners Group since 2017.Christine Hinnerichs Christine has over 15 years of absence management and disability experience in the non- and for-profit sectors, as well as nearly 20 years of experience in HR. Her extensive background on the client side of absence management and disability helps her navigate and create solutions for unique client challenges. Christine has a BA in business administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She earned her PHR Certification in 2006 and her Life and Annuities, Sickness, Accident and Health Insurance Producer’s License in 2021. Christine has been with The Partners Group since 2020.

Our experts take on paid parental leave policies, including various methodologies as well as unintended discrimination. We hope this episode spurs you to take a look at your current policies with a new perspective.  Recorded on December 1, 2025 Enjoy the commentary from these two experts from The Partners Group, a leading resource in the absence management industry. You can listen to every episode on our website.Brycie WassonBrycie has spent her entire career in absence and disability management. She began administering FMLA leaves for one of our nation’s largest retailers, and she soon advanced to oversee an absence and disability benefits program for a private financial services firm. She implemented multiple successful absence solutions, including harmonizing policy and practices, creating a formal ADA evaluation process, and integrating a leave management software solution. Brycie has been with The Partners Group since 2017.Christine Hinnerichs Christine has over 15 years of absence management and disability experience in the non- and for-profit sectors, as well as nearly 20 years of experience in HR. Her extensive background on the client side of absence management and disability helps her navigate and create solutions for unique client challenges. Christine has a BA in business administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She earned her PHR Certification in 2006 and her Life and Annuities, Sickness, Accident and Health Insurance Producer’s License in 2021. Christine has been with The Partners Group since 2020.

For this Halloween edition, a bewigged Christine and Brycie use words like brouhaha, scuttlebutt, and aggregious in discussing some of the really scary rulings in the world of leave management . . . like a $24 million payout. Beware: Don’t let this happen to you.   Recorded on October 6, 2025 Enjoy the commentary from these two experts from The Partners Group, a leading resource in the absence management industry. You can listen to every episode on our website.Brycie WassonBrycie has spent her entire career in absence and disability management. She began administering FMLA leaves for one of our nation’s largest retailers, and she soon advanced to oversee an absence and disability benefits program for a private financial services firm. She implemented multiple successful absence solutions, including harmonizing policy and practices, creating a formal ADA evaluation process, and integrating a leave management software solution. Brycie has been with The Partners Group since 2017.Christine Hinnerichs Christine has over 15 years of absence management and disability experience in the non- and for-profit sectors, as well as nearly 20 years of experience in HR. Her extensive background on the client side of absence management and disability helps her navigate and create solutions for unique client challenges. Christine has a BA in business administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She earned her PHR Certification in 2006 and her Life and Annuities, Sickness, Accident and Health Insurance Producer’s License in 2021. Christine has been with The Partners Group since 2020.

In their 2nd episode, Christine and Brycie get into it – the recent DMEC convention in Washington, DC; another round of scintillating PFML talk; and, the big topic, supplementation. (Plus a shameless plug for Christine’s upcoming DMEC virtual event on Wed., 10/1, which invokes the one and only Taylor Swift.)  Recorded on August 25, 2025 (literally the day before The Engagement) Enjoy the commentary from these two experts from The Partners Group, a leading resource in the absence management industry. You can listen to every episode on our website.Brycie WassonBrycie has spent her entire career in absence and disability management. She began administering FMLA leaves for one of our nation’s largest retailers, and she soon advanced to oversee an absence and disability benefits program for a private financial services firm. She implemented multiple successful absence solutions, including harmonizing policy and practices, creating a formal ADA evaluation process, and integrating a leave management software solution. Brycie has been with The Partners Group since 2017.Christine Hinnerichs Christine has over 15 years of absence management and disability experience in the non- and for-profit sectors, as well as nearly 20 years of experience in HR. Her extensive background on the client side of absence management and disability helps her navigate and create solutions for unique client challenges. Christine has a BA in business administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She earned her PHR Certification in 2006 and her Life and Annuities, Sickness, Accident and Health Insurance Producer’s License in 2021. Christine has been with The Partners Group since 2020.

Brycie and Christine introduce themselves as experts in leave management. Then they get right to it: new rules in PFML. They cover updated legislation in Washington, Colorado, and Minnesota, with a dash of “oh, for cute!” and TAXES, YAY, thrown in for good measure.  Recorded on July 15, 2025 Enjoy the commentary from these two experts from The Partners Group, a leading resource in the absence management industry. You can listen to every episode on our website.Brycie WassonBrycie has spent her entire career in absence and disability management. She began administering FMLA leaves for one of our nation’s largest retailers, and she soon advanced to oversee an absence and disability benefits program for a private financial services firm. She implemented multiple successful absence solutions, including harmonizing policy and practices, creating a formal ADA evaluation process, and integrating a leave management software solution. Brycie has been with The Partners Group since 2017.Christine Hinnerichs Christine has over 15 years of absence management and disability experience in the non- and for-profit sectors, as well as nearly 20 years of experience in HR. Her extensive background on the client side of absence management and disability helps her navigate and create solutions for unique client challenges. Christine has a BA in business administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She earned her PHR Certification in 2006 and her Life and Annuities, Sickness, Accident and Health Insurance Producer’s License in 2021. Christine has been with The Partners Group since 2020.