Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER June 13, 2016 NEWS 7 Antonia Sfichtelis, FedEx Express Canada Atul Goela, Sun Life Financial Jeannine Quinn, Bridgestone Canada Barbara Conway, Thomson Reuters Legal Canada Alan Kyte, Willis Towers Watson Jonathan Fournier, Mercer Tim Clarke, Aon Hewitt money is to be spending on this, said Clarke. "What is the right cost? (It's about) balancing what employees want with what employees need. ere are a number of things that have worked their way into our medical and health-care plans over the years which are really cash flow expenses: vision care plans; some of the things that are much lower cost, predictable ex- penses, dental recalls. ere are a lot of things that are in the plan to- day that really don't provide insur- ance protection, they provide cash flow management. ose are the things that employees see every day and they really want because they're front and centre," he said. "en, there's the side of what they actually need, the coverage for catastrophic drugs." It's important that employers carry out regular reviews of what's being spent, said Jeannine Quinn, regional HR director, Canada op- erations, at Bridgestone Canada in Mississauga, Ont. "Our benefit contract renews every year so we always look at it. And we rely heavily on our con- sultant also to say, 'Here's what's new, here are the trends, here's what we're seeing.' We use our data from the insurer to say, 'What are we seeing in that? Are we do- ing the right things? Should we revamp the program?'" she said. "And communication is key to all of that. You can't over-commu- nicate to people on those things because they're going to hear different pieces of it, maybe not the full story. So, as an employer, you've got to do a really good job at making sure they understand and simplifying that information." When it comes to changes to employee benefits, good commu- nication is definitely required, said Conway. "But I have not found that transition to be a difficult one for employees. We recently engaged in discussions around pharmacy networks. We're looking for more innovative ways to do that, and what other employers are doing. With benefits, it's one of those ar- eas where, at least for us, it's a key part of the total rewards package. We need to be competitive; we want to provide our employees with what is needed, which can be difficult given that spectrum." ere has definitely been a shift in the communication elements, said Clarke. "ere's certainly general edu- cation you want your employees to have around their plan and what they can do to keep the cost under control and so on. But we're moving towards more just- in-time or as-needed communi- cation. So you don't need every employee in your organization to understand your prior authoriza- tion program and every aspect of it," he said. "What you need is when some- one needs to go through the prior authorization program, they get the information they need so they can go through it in a quick and ef- fective and painless manner." Employees in general are far more aware than they were 20 years ago of the need to take charge of their own health, whether that's through exercise, diet or even quitting smoking, said Clarke. "(We've) seen a societal shift to individual responsibility around their health more so than in the past. So when you see employer plans really try to support that desire from their employees to be more healthy on their own — and, in parallel with that, you've got the employers looking at 'What can we do to help support that because it's good for our business as well?' — it's more of a societal change that we've seen. And both the individuals and the employers are moving through that together." More and more employers are recognizing that in looking at the cost of a benefit plan, the top 10 conditions are chronic condi- tions, preventable conditions, such as diabetes and cholesterol, said Antonia Sfichtelis, manager of total rewards and informa- tion systems at FedEx Canada in Toronto. "So there is an ROI from an employer side to put wellness programs at the forefront and help educate employees to take a vested interest in their health. That said — it's very difficult. ose that do… do, and they will continually invest in their health. It's reaching those for whom it's just not top-of-mind. And, as an employer, we struggle to reach those employees." omson Reuters is trying to embed more of that in its culture, said Conway. "Recently, we've had global fit- ness challenges where we're hav- ing employees around the world participate and build that into the culture; have that (be) more (about) team-building. So trying to find innovative ways to engage em- ployees in that wellness approach is something we're focused on." Monitoring all the statistics with regard to a wellness program will improve the treatment and observance, said Fournier. "We know approximately 70 per cent of all drug costs are for preventable disease. So it's a big part and, in the majority of cases, it's possible to change the behav- iour of some employees and mon- itor the information." Want versus need in coverage ROUNDTABLE < pg. 6 More and more employers are recognizing that in looking at the cost of a benefit plan, the top 10 conditions are chronic conditions, preventable conditions. Credit: John Hryniuk

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