When we launched Bridgewell Financial earlier this year, we made a commitment to not only work to enhance your personal and professional financial wellness, but to also deliver the latest insights to keep you informed. We believe that having the right information is the key to making effective strategic decisions, ones that help promote financial security and contribute to your overall well-being. And that’s why we’re pleased to invite you to join us for The Bridgewell Sessions.
It’s a new series of digital roundtables designed to bring you essential perspectives from industry leaders. Our panelists are entrepreneurs and business executives with expertise in areas such as personal finance, insurance, human resources, wealth management and group benefits—to name only a few categories. They’ll be sharing their views on the issues that matter most to you, your business and your family. The conversations are designed to be free-flowing and always informative.
They’ll also be highly interactive. We’ll be seeking audience participation throughout each Session. So, if you have a thought or a question, please be sure to let us know. And if you have ideas for future Bridgewell Sessions topics, don’t be shy. We’re constantly working to tailor our insights to suit your needs—and the more of your pressing questions that we can answer, the better.
Our first installment—Adapting your workplace and group benefits strategies for the hybrid work era—will run Nov. 3rd at 12 pm. The Session is dedicated to managing the hybrid working arrangements that took on new importance at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
As COVID-19 shutdown workplaces worldwide, organizations of all sizes were forced to embrace a work-from-home model to comply with unprecedented social distancing measures. Surveys show that a majority of employees liked the model and now expect continued workplace flexibility as we emerge from the worst of the pandemic.
We want to help business and human resources leaders understand what hybrid work means for their organizations from an operational and company culture standpoint. While engaging and driving productivity was challenging when workforces were physically present in the same environment, it’s even more difficult when those same employees are scattered across a city, or even across a continent. Some companies aren’t even sure if having an expensive office makes sense any longer.
As some organizations formalize hybrid work programs, making the model work for their company culture will be critical. That latter goal is particularly important as labour vacancies skyrocket and skilled workers are in high demand, especially in knowledge-based industries such as technology and professional services.
Another key focus of this first Session will be tying together hybrid work realities and trends in group benefits solutions. The pandemic introduced a new biological enemy in COVID-19, but social distancing created (or highlighted) a host of mental health challenges as we struggled to cope with the pandemic’s sweeping social, cultural and economic upheaval. Group benefits offerings have pivoted as a result, with more organizations providing stronger mental health and virtual health and well-being supports.
A sunny side-effect of this disruptive change: the wider group benefits discussion has shifted to proactively encouraging employee wellness across workplaces. Companies have worked to adapt their group benefits strategies, while benefits providers have become more flexible in their approach and are offering a more accessible suite of solutions.
Not every organization is embracing these changes. Some are struggling to adapt. Business models that were built on in-person work don’t transform overnight. This has created a significant gap between employees’ workplace experience expectations and employer compensation offerings and policy structures. Even performance management—once a relatively straightforward responsibility—has become far more complex with staff working remotely. At the same time, employers have an incredible opportunity to reimagine their workplaces and take both their productivity and engagement levels to new heights—if they can navigate the potentially stormy seas ahead.
On that note, we’re very excited to introduce you to the esteemed panel that will be sharing their insights and advice to help you navigate the new world of hybrid work:
- Justin Raymond, Founder and CEO, Flexday a co-working office space provider
- Marco Osso, VP of Human Resources, Tulip Retail, a cloud-based retail software firm
- Kane Wilmott, Co-Founder and CEO, iQ Office Suites, a co-working and shared space provider
- Shawna Stewart, VP of People and Operations, Post Beyond, an employee advocacy and social selling platform
- Amr Galal, Benefits and Savings Program Consultant, Bridgewell Financial
The panel will offer their experiences catering to remote-working employees, scaling back their organizations’ real estate footprint as they implemented hybrid work policies, delivering group benefits solutions that today’s employees need—and more—throughout the 45-minute conversation.
We encourage you to join us as we work to understand the profound impact that remote work will have on Canadian organizations in the years ahead. And stay tuned for an announcement on future installments of The Bridgewell Sessions, coming soon.
You can register for the first Session here.
The Bridgewell Team
