- Read our 2011 Small Plan Sponsor Report.
Telelink, like many other companies, struggled during the recession. The St. John’s, Newfoundland-based inbound customer service business has a long track record of success and stability, having been in operation since 1965. But when the downturn hit in 2008, the company—which counts a large number of U.S. businesses among its client base—was significantly impacted, according to Cindy Roma, Telelink’s CEO.
“It became a case of our customers needing less resources to service their customers. The high U.S. unemployment rate also made obtaining labour in the U.S. much easier and more cost-effective than outsourcing to us,” says Roma. As a result, Telelink reduced its employee base from 2007 levels of 100, and 120 in peak summer months, to around 80.
But even in the face of a decreased revenue stream and resulting staff cuts, Telelink chose to stay the course as far as its group benefits offerings were concerned. When Telelink was featured in Benefits Canada’s 2007 Small Plan Sponsors Report, Roma and company vice-president Sydney Ryan explained that the company founder, Sydney’s father Tom Ryan, placed high importance on providing employees with the tools needed to ensure their continued health.
That commitment remains a cornerstone of the business.
In 2007, Telelink had just begun offering a wellness program, which included a Weight Watchers component as well as a smoking cessation initiative. The call centre industry is notoriously unhealthy, explained Roma and Ryan at the time. According to Roma, while these programs weren’t inexpensive to offer, the company found that employees were happier when they had access to the tools they needed to lose weight and feel healthier.
The economic picture has improved over the past couple of years, and Roma says Telelink has benefitted from the rebound. Company revenue has grown 124% over the past year, and it now has 135 employees.
Telelink continues to invest in its employee health, too. Roma says the company recently began paying 60% of the cost of its group benefits offerings, up from 40% previously. And there’s now a retirement savings component in place as well, with both profit sharing and an RRSP plan currently available for middle- and executive-level management and scheduled to be rolled out to all employees at the start of 2012.
Of all the benefits Telelink offers its employees, Roma says the EAP it put in place in 2005 is the most valuable.
“Adding the EAP program was the best thing we ever did. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t recommend that someone give them a call for support,” she says. “The service of both online and in person counselling is amazing.”
When a long-term member of the Telelink team passed away unexpectedly last year, Roma says the EAP became an important tool in helping employees work through their grief. “It was highly traumatic and we immediately called the EAP program and they had a group grief counsellor on-site within the hour. The counselling was critically important to our teams well being after such a terrible loss and horrific workplace event.”
Roma says the most significant piece of advice she would offer to small businesses looking into establishing a group benefits plan would be to include an EAP component. “The benefits far outweigh the cost,” she says.
Roma says Telelink’s group benefits plan has played a significant role in allowing the company to keep longstanding employees and add new talent in recent years. The plan and the company’s small size are two reasons Telelink has been able to maintain a turnover rate of just 5% in an industry which, according to Roma, has an average turnover rate of 50%.
“In every business there is a tipping point where the company becomes so large that it is difficult to know everyone who works for you, to know their family and what their goals are,” says Roma. “We believe that our size allows us to maintain a family atmosphere—a place where we know our team and they know us. At this size we can work together, share information and align as a team to create a special company where we can do amazing things.”
Related links
Q&A: The benefits of a benefits consultant
Small plans can think big with benefits, retirement solutions