Scotiabank is supporting its employees’ financial well-being with a week of information sessions in June.
Ayman Alvi, director of global benefits at Scotiabank, says the sessions taking place the week of June 20 will focus on all aspects of financial well-being, including the bank’s pension plan and other financial benefits available to employees. “These events have been very successful and, last year, we did a series specifically on our [employee] share ownership plan. That was so successful we decided to broaden our approach [this year].”
These sessions are an extension of Scotiabank’s Money Chronicles series, which profiles a range of employees with different financial concerns and highlights specific benefits programs that can support them, says Alvi.
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“We polled employees about what they’d like to learn about their financial benefits. We interviewed them anonymously to understand their situation and pointed them to the appropriate aspects of our benefits programs. For example, we had a single mother trying to save money for their child’s tuition and another employee who was interested in learning about how to direct money towards their health.”
These initiatives also tie into Scotiabank’s wider employee well-being and mental-health strategy. For Mental Health Week this year, the bank hosted a series of speakers focusing on specific topics such as anxiety, attention and focus, mood disorders, post-traumatic stress and psychotic disorders.
“Every aspect of your life is intertwined with mental health, so we’ve taken an holistic approach to touch on every aspect,” says Alvi. “We’ve been very focused on mental health for a long time and we’re looking for ways to engage our employees. When we’ve done other town halls, the feedback is often, ‘This is great, but I’d love to learn more about a specific topic.’ That’s what shaped the event this year.”
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