Overview

This unit will introduce you to the employee benefit plans available in the marketplace.

At the end of the unit, you will be able to:

• Describe the group insurance plans offered by insurance companies
• Identify the key considerations in selecting a broker
• Spot important issues when buying a group insurance program
• Discover additional group benefit plans provided by employers
• Explain additional benefit ideas

Author Overview

Claudine Kapel is a principal of Kapel and Associates Inc., a human resources and communications consulting firm based in Toronto. She offers a variety of services for small to mid-sized businesses, including human resources development, corporate communications and leadership coaching.

Claudine partners with clients to enhance organizational performance through the development of strategies and programs that strengthen the connections between the business, its people and its customers. Her work includes design of compensation, performance management and career development systems.

Claudine also specializes in corporate communications. She works with clients to create open and powerful dialogue with employees and customers through communication audits and the development of communication tools and training. Through her work, Claudine also helps organizations to make the most of web technology to support internal and external communications.

Claudine has 20 years of human resources and communications experience. She is a frequent writer and speaker on HR and talent management issues and is a member of the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario.

For more information, please visit www.kapelandassociates.com or call (416) 422-1636.

Heather McNab is one of Canada’s top ranked group benefit consultants. She is the only Canadian group benefit consultant with on-the-ground international consulting experience.

Heather created MCNAB&COMPANY in 2000. She has more than 15 years of benefits consulting experience including 10 years as a consultant at Towers Perrin. During her career at Towers Perrin, the global leader of group benefits selected Heather to be the first North American expatriate in Southeast Asia. Her assignment focused on working with the U.S. Corporate offices of Fortune 500 companies and their local Asian operations to achieve their global benefit strategies. It included the creation of the first flexible benefit programs in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

Heather has her Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation and wrote course material for the CEBS program. She is a graduate of the Wilfrid Laurier University’s Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) program. She is also a graduate of the University of Toronto, Rotman School of Business - Advanced Program in Managing Strategic Change.

Complementing her group benefits consulting experience, Heather has practical business experience in the fields of logistics, not-for-profit management and executive search consulting.