In this episode, Host Taylor Baker speaks with Seth Turner, founder and senior advisor at AbsenceSoft, about how leave of absence and accommodations management has evolved into a high-stakes mix of compliance, employee experience, and scalable operations and what it takes to build a mission-driven software company in a complex, fast-changing space.
What You’ll Learn
- Why leave and accommodations management is far more than paperwork and how it directly impacts retention, trust, and employee well-being.
- How multi-state workforces multiply risk and complexity, and why “set it once” compliance efforts quickly break without ongoing updates.
- What strong leave programs have in common: consistent process, clear communication, and the ability to support employees through difficult life moments.
- How to think about “build vs. outsource” for leave administration and why many employers still manage leave in-house despite the burden.
- The marketing challenge of niche categories: educating buyers who don’t know a solution exists and navigating purchase processes that often run through IT and security.
- Lessons from scaling a software company through distinct growth phases while protecting culture and hiring standards.
- Practical ways to adopt AI responsibly using it to reduce routine work while keeping humans in the loop for nuance, empathy, and accuracy.
- Why balancing compliance with a deeply human approach can become a durable competitive advantage as demand and regulation continue to grow.
Seth emphasizes that the organizations that win in this category don’t treat leave as an afterthought they treat it as a defining employee experience moment. By combining rigorous compliance expertise with thoughtful systems, clear processes, and responsible automation, teams can reduce administrative strain while supporting employees with more consistency, care, and confidence.
To learn more about Seth Turner and their work.