Telus Communications Inc. was recognized for supporting employees’ holistic well-being as it took home the award for Health/wellness program for an employer with more than 1,000 employees at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 18.
Acknowledging its staff are all somewhere on the well-being continuum and that each person’s situation and goals are unique, the telecommunications company supports employee well-being through five dimensions: physical, psychological, social, financial and environmental.
For example, Telus redesigned its wellness account to provide more flexibility in the areas that connect back to these five dimensions. For each calendar year, it provides $750 for employees to spend on a variety of options, including private physical health training, education classes and tuition reimbursement, financial counselling, training equipment, dog training and charitable donations.
Read: Who are the winners of the 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards?
In addition, the organization enhanced its extended health coverage for mental-health claims to $5,000 per eligible family member, which is unbundled from other paramedical practitioners. It also provides a lineup of virtual care services.
Telus also embeds support for diversity, equity and inclusion into its benefits plan, with coverage for: gender affirmation, up to $10,000 per year and a $50,000 lifetime max; fertility tests, treatments and drugs, up to $15,000 lifetime; and employment insurance top-up for all parents for up to 70 per cent for 17 weeks in addition to top-up for maternity leave.
Another new initiative is #wellbeingwednesday, a communications campaign that puts a spotlight on a well-being topic or idea every single week. Employees receive the posts via Telus’ Go/Well-being Hub with engagement consistently exceeding targets. As well, the company invites employees to showcase a colleague who’s focusing on their well-being.
Telus offers an annual engagement survey, which saw 87 per cent of employees provide input in 2021. Its overall well-being score was 91 per cent, with 89 per cent of staff recognizing the organization’s extensive health and well-being resources and 92 per cent recognizing the efforts of leaders to support their health and well-being.
Read: Employers continue to highlight mental-health supports, prioritize staff well-being
“I’m thrilled that the efforts we’ve put into truly evolving the culture of well-being at Telus is being recognized,” says Janet Young, director of well-being and health services for people and culture. “Though we have amazing programming and resources for our team members, what we’re most proud of is the progressive ecosystem at the organization that acknowledges and supports team members’ holistic well-being every day.”