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Keeping Members Informed – Profile of Thunder Bay Regional
Editor's note: This is the first of a planned series of profiles of our employers and the work they do in support of Plan members. Got a story you'd like to share with other employers? Let us know.
From “sign on to sign off” in the HOOPP process, Anne Sadowski, Senior Human Resources Consultant at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, says, “I don't ever want to hear a member say, 'nobody told me.'”
This, in part, is what makes the human resources team at Health Sciences Centre particularly deft at advising the approximately 2,000 HOOPP members who provide healthcare services there.
With more than 2,400 employees working at the hospital, a large part of the HR team's job is taking care of the people who help take care of us.
“When we sign on a new employee, we make sure they have all the information they need about HOOPP,” Anne says, citing buybacks as just one topic that will surface.
She added that every new part-time employee is also informed about how they can become eligible to join HOOPP.
“We're also very much aware of what could change over the course of someone's employment,” Anne says, listing maternity leave and sick leave as two obvious examples.
When these life changes occur, the HR team at Thunder Bay Regional often stress to HOOPP members that there are safety nets within the Plan to accommodate these life events.
For example, when a member needs to take time off work because of an illness, Monique Trudeau, Benefits Secretary, will send out a specific letter explaining free accrual and outlining how benefits are affected in the event of a leave.
Imparting HOOPP knowledge on members and new employees is just a small part of what Anne and the HR team does – but it's a job they do with careful vigilance.
HOOPP's newsletter is always posted on Thunder Bay Regional's intranet, but because, as Anne notes, not everybody has access to a computer, Monique does a mass mailing and sends out the HOOPP newsletter to every member to ensure everyone is caught up on the latest information.
“We advertise HOOPP sessions aggressively and also send out personal invitations to what I call the '50+ Club',” Anne says.
She lets employees know that, by attending these information sessions, conducted by HOOPP Field Service Representative, Glenna Fox-Keip, they'll wind up knowing as much about HOOPP as she does.
And while this knowledge transfer of all things HOOPP-related is a vital aspect in the Health Sciences Centre's dealings with HOOPP, it's also important to note that this is just one employer that has displayed a particularly adept touch at dealing with the MDC Reporter process.
Rosa Serino, Chief Payroll Officer, has even been applauded by HOOPP for her excellent and efficient work with the MDC Report – which is something HOOPP is extremely appreciative of. After all, the prompt delivery of MDC data before deadlines lapse is vital to ensuring the MDC process moves smoothly.
Rosa's timeliness with the MDC Report is yet another example in which employers work harmoniously with HOOPP.
Anne notes that, in her dealings with HOOPP, people have been more than helpful and dubs Member Services Analyst, Chad Byrne, as just one of her “go-to people” whom she knows she can rely on.
The appreciation felt is mutual – and for that, we applaud the excellent service that this team provides to the many HOOPP members that work at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
March 2008
