COPA is conducting a number of online information sessions with our valuable member program partners over the coming weeks and months which will highlight key issues impacting companies in the industry and offer insights and solutions to help members better understand and deal with these every day business factors.   

Typical sessions will involve two 20-minute presentations from two separate member program partners and take place between 11:00 a.m. and 11:50 a.m. ET.

The latest of these sessions took place on Tuesday, July 27, with presentations from program partners Benefits Architect Group & HRdownloads.

The first presentation by, Nigel Ottley of Benefits Architect Group reviewed three major trends that he sees coming to group insurance and employee benefit plans over the coming years which includes: 

  1. The impact of COVID-19 staying around for a while e.g. increasing adoption of telehealth & telemedicine services, dealing with new disability illnesses related to COVID-19 or addressing work from home arrangements etc.
  2. The rise in popularity of defined contribution plans (need for more flexibility, increased use of health spending accounts).
  3. Renewed focus on renewing and updating benefit plans where employers will be aiming to accommodate work from home plus increasing mental health claims, drug uptake, para-medicals and more.

Benefits Architect Group is a Canadian-owned innovative leader specializing in multi-product insurance and financial services for over 30 years. Their group benefits, retirement and executive benefits plans are specifically designed and tailored for mid-to-large size companies, as well as small businesses, associations and not-for profit organizations across Canada.  Their Custom Blueprint Program™ allows them to deliver “best-in-class” range of insurance and financial products, innovative funding and technology together with world class claims and administration services that addresses the unique needs of their clients.

Please reach out to Nigel Ottley at nigel@benefitsarchitect.ca with any inquiries you may have.

During the second presentation, Ryan Van Horne, Marketing Manager at HRdownloads, discussed employee burnout and COVID fatigue in the workplace and left participants with a better understanding of what is causing increased stress and burnout at this stage of the pandemic. As well as how to manage stress and support mental and physical health in these challenging times.

HRdownloads is a Canadian based online platform that helps companies with their HR functions including live HR advice and support, employee training, creating job descriptions, undertaking surveys, and providing access to thousands of HR documents, templates, compliance resources and articles.  And even better, COPA members can take advantage of a 10% discount! You can contact Ryan at rvanhorne@hrdownloads.com if you would like to follow-up further with HRdownloads. We would like to thank both Nigel and Ryan once again for taking the time to speak to our members and passing on their insights.

Meanwhile, the next Information Session via Zoom is planned for August 17th and will involve presentations from program partners Purolator and Insuranceland. Check out the Member Program Info Session – August 17 article for more details.