Workplace Benefits Awards offers opportunity to learn from other employers, says 2020 winner

“We participated in the Workplace Benefits Awards [as] we think it’s an important recognition of what we’re doing for our employees. In particular, over the last year we had gotten a lot of positive feedback on some of the updates and changes that we had made to our benefits program, so we felt that it was important to not just have that recognition internally, but also to make sure that our employees see that it’s recognized as being leading in the industry. As well, it’s important information for them to see how we stack up against other organizations.”

Read: Scotiabank awarded for adapting benefits in face of coronavirus

Read: Leadership-driven mental-health strategy nets award for Scotiabank

During last year’s finalists’ roundtable and awards presentation, Scotiabank took home the first-ever award in the Coronavirus & Benefits category for adapting its existing offerings and introducing new resources to support employees in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. The bank’s entry outlined how it quickly pivoted in March 2020 when the global pandemic was first declared, tweaking and adding programs as needed to support employees’ total well-being.

Scotiabank also won the award for its Mental Health Program — a strategy that starts at the top of the organization and focuses on overall wellness for all employees. While the physical, mental and financial well-being of staff has always been a focus for the bank, supporting mental health became an even higher priority during these tumultuous times, says Alvi.

Winning a pair of awards and participating in the awards process and ceremony also “creates an opportunity for organizations to learn from each other, so there’s good ideas that one person has had that other people can use as well, . . . particularly when it comes to well-being and health and wellness.”

Enter the 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards here. The deadline is June 30.