Inclusion, Wellbeing and Abilities Specialist

Career Opportunity

Role Title

Inclusion, Wellbeing and Abilities Specialist

Purpose of role

Reporting to the AVP, Inclusion, Wellness, Pension & Benefits, the role is responsible for contributing to Foresters Inclusion, Diversity and Wellbeing roadmap and the execution of priorities within that roadmap. The role is also responsible for performing administrative, technical and consulting functions for effective disability management, including accommodations, for Canadian and U.S. employees. The role requires frequent interaction with HR Business Partners, business leaders, employees and vendors. This is a hybrid role, requiring a minimum of two (2) days per week working from the office.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

Inclusion & Wellbeing

• Contribute to the design and day-to-day management of inclusion, diversity and wellbeing programs
• Help execute Foresters inclusion and wellbeing strategy by planning, organizing and communicating wellbeing events and resources, through various initiatives, and showcasing and promoting inclusion and wellbeing events and resources, including the Employee and Family Assistance (EFAP) Plans
• Provide administrative oversight, structure, guidance and recognition to ERG Co-Chairs and Committee members with the objective of simplifying processes, increasing partnership across the ERGs and delivering tools and resources to support the goals of the ERG members

Disability Management

• Serve as the subject matter expert for disability (short term sick leave, short term disability and long-term disability) and accommodations in alignment with Human Resources policies & procedures and under the terms of the relevant plans and legislation in Canada and the U.S
• Interpret and administer all aspects of disability and accommodation programs and policies with an inclusion and wellbeing lens
• Meet regularly with HR Business Partners and business units as required to review disability claims status, understand business needs and help develop a return-to-work plan and/or accommodation plan
• Coordinate the annual U.S. Workers Compensation application and audit
• Provide consulting as needed on complex cases

General

• Embed Inclusion and Diversity principles across all aspects of employee wellbeing and disability management, contributing to an inclusive environment
• Optimize utilization, awareness and understanding of inclusion, wellbeing and disability programs and resources through ongoing promotion and education, including townhalls and employee orientation sessions
• Help develop and issue employee communications related to wellness, inclusion and benefit programs and ensure information is shared in North America and globally as required
• Act as inclusion, wellness, and disability management subject matter expert for HR Business Partners, providing information and advice on technical and employee relations matters
• Creation and maintenance of SharePoint sites as needed and contribute to the simplification of HR communications to the organization
• Research innovative wellness and inclusion initiatives and disability legislation and marketplace trends/best practices, with consideration to the employee population
• Working with the AVP, Inclusion, Wellness, Pension & Benefits and in partnership with the Senior Manager, People Analytics, Policy & Controls, help develop an approach to measure and analyze engagement, utilization and ROI of wellbeing, ERG events and disability programs; present reports to various stakeholders and make recommendations as required
• Act as liaison with providers, and/or third-party administrators and help to ensure the effective utilization of plans and positive employee relations
• Partner with Pension & Benefits team to ensure programs have embedded principles of Diversity & Inclusion, and promote existing programs such as mental health coverage and EFAPs to support overall wellbeing during open enrolment periods and throughout the year as appropriate
• Take inquiries from employees and business units and resolve issues, as necessary
• Contribute to the success of various projects, such as surveys, provider reviews and program design changes
• Operate under the general guidance of the AVP and with a strong ability to work independently and take initiative

Key Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in the wellness, disability management and inclusion and diversity field
• University degree or college diploma is strongly preferred
• Strong analytical skills in reviewing market data, legislation, employee and plan metrics, etc.
• Strong customer service skills (requires ability to manage wide variety of cases with different issues and different outcomes/solutions)
• Strong planning and collaboration skills to work effectively with multiple stakeholders
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Understanding of principles and application of HRIS (Workday) and SharePoint 

Specialized knowledge or other training/education requirements: 

• Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation is an asset
• Membership in a professional Human Resources association is strongly encouraged

#LI-Hybrid

Equal Opportunity Employment and Inclusion – at Foresters Financial, we are committed to sustaining an equal opportunity environment for all job applicants. We embrace Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (IDE) as a core strategic objective for building strong, innovative teams in which all our employees can show up wholly and authentically as themselves.

Foresters Financial strives to provide an accessible candidate experience for prospective employees with different abilities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodations during the recruitment process, please email accommodations@foresters.com in advance of your appointment.

Thank you for choosing Foresters. Only those candidates who will be selected for further consideration will be contacted by our Talent Acquisition Team.