Engineers Canada offers many services for the engineering and geoscience community and their families. Through sponsored initiatives and partnerships—also known as Affinity Programs— Engineers Canada provides great pricing options for a wide variety of insurance plans and other benefits. Carole Roy is part of the Member Services team that leads these initiatives. In this interview, Roy discusses her journey to Engineers Canada, new services for engineers and geoscientists, and collaborating with sponsors and partners.
1. Tell us about your journey to Engineers Canada.
My employment history and professional development have varied and have served me well in my later careers as a Communications Officer, Manager, Client Services, and Associate, Member Services. From teaching Spanish (M.A. Spanish) and English as a second language, to drafting, editing, revising, and translating (Certificates), to interacting with international interest holders of a Swiss mining company as a Sales Administrator (Certificate in the Practice of International Trade), well you get the drift.
After a 17-year absence from my hometown, I moved back from la Belle Province to Ottawa and I was hired as a Communications Officer for the Administrator of the 1986-1990 Hepatitis C Class Action Settlement, the biggest settlement agreement at that time ($1B). We reported to four judges and as you can imagine, our work was scrutinized by the press. I loved that work but with any project life cycle, my original mandate changed, so after ten years, I moved on to another challenge as a Manager, Client Services. Unfortunately, my position was eliminated after three years as part of cuts to the federal public service. After taking some time off to re-evaluate my next move, I decided to re-enter the workforce, and in October 2017 signed a three-month contract at Engineers Canada. Fun fact, when looking for a job, I thought it would be really cool if I worked for a top employer…I was immediately put to task and loved the work. I also discovered that I had a knack for marketing, which I love. I have now been at Engineers Canada for close to seven years in October and still going strong.
2. Describe your role as Associate, Member Services and what your day-to-day activities involve.
The work we do in Member Services is multifaceted. For example, Member Services is responsible for program oversight, and financial governance and reporting on insurance plans, financial, and discount services. We provide expertise, guidance, and recommendations to regulators on programs. We act as a key advisor on the marketing strategy for each program with an objective to educate regulators and participants, create awareness, and increase retention. We coordinate marketing strategy internally and conduct extensive marketing content reviews. I also advocate on behalf of regulators and participants by assisting, tracking, monitoring, and resolving regulator/participant inquiries and escalations.
As a result of our key responsibilities our day-to-day is, thank goodness, varied in nature and... urgency. For the last few weeks I’ve worked on the following: collaborated with Manulife on the fall marketing campaigns i.e. selecting a fall concept and Q3/Q4 social media images, editing emails and Q3/Q4 social media content and personal insurance reports for both the insured and uninsured members; met with Manulife and Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia/BC Society of Engineering and Geoscience (BCSEG) to discuss the transition of affinity programs from the regulator to the advocacy body; and, with our consultant Aon, worked on a plan review for Manulife’s Health and Dental Program. The following activities are also ongoing: conducting a request for information (RFI) for a Travel Insurance provider, revising Spring Stewardship meeting minutes and CEO summaries based on said meeting, reviewing TD Insurance (TDI) agreement-related financial reports and a Statement Of Work (SOW), and…
3. What are some key services that Engineers Canada offers to engineers that you oversee?
I oversee both the TDI Home and Auto Program and Manulife’s programs, which include Term Life, Health and Dental, Disability, Business Overhead, Critical Illness, and Manulife One (banking).
4. Can you tell us about any new services or initiatives that Member Services have recently launched or are currently working on?
New initiatives include:
- Upgrading the eligibility definition to include spouses and dependents to allow them to open their own savings accounts under the Group Savings and Retirement Program
- Issuing a request for information (RFI) for travel insurance
- Reviewing Manulife’s Health and Dental Plan competitiveness against comparable employer-sponsored plans as per Manulife and Engineers Canada’s periodic evaluation.
- Working to add a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) under the Group Savings and Retirement Program
5. Are there any lesser-known benefits available to members that you would like to highlight?
Of course. For the regulators, there is cyber insurance to protect them from growing cyber-related threats. For engineers and geoscientists, we offer Secondary Professional Liability Insurance, shipping and courier services through UPS, car rentals through Avis and Budget, rail travel through VIA Rail Canada and pet health insurance through Pet Secure.
6. Can you share an example of how participant feedback led to a new service or change in an existing offering?
As part of our governance mandate, the Member Services team holds annual/biannual stewardship meetings with Engineers Canada’s Affinity Partners. They are a great opportunity to exchange ideas on how to enhance the participant’s experience and/or bring participant-related issues to the forefront. For example, term life premiums increase as participants age, so when they receive their billing notice, Member Services (i.e. me) received calls from those who voiced their concerns and frustrations over the unexpected increase. After sharing this issue with Manulife, I proposed including an explanation about the age-related increases in participants’ billing notices. Manulife agreed, and calls have since reduced.
FYI - Rates can be found on Engineers Canada/Manulife’s sponsored website as well as participant’s certificates.
7. How does the Member Services team collaborate with sponsors and partners to improve services for engineers and geoscientists?
In 2018, two events impacted our program participants in Alberta: the Fort McMurray wildfires and the downturn in the oil and gas industry. Some members lost their employment and were very concerned they would also lose their life insurance. To address this growing concern, Engineers Canada and Manulife collaborated, and Manulife introduced Loss of Waiver of Premium, a first in the insurance industry. Loss of Waiver of Premium is a contractual feature of the Term Life policy whereby the insurance company will pause (i.e. waive) the billing of insurance premiums for up to a 12-month period in the event the insured person has experienced a loss of their job.
