In episode 264 of the HRchat podcast, we preview the online 2021 Benefits and Wellness Superhero Symposium produced by Thorpe Benefits and The HR Gazette happening April 7th and 8th.
My guest is Roger Thorpe, Founder at Thorpe Benefits. Roger is President of the integrated benefits and wellness consulting company, Thorpe Benefits. Having joined the firm in 1997 and later acquiring ownership of the company in 2005, Roger has built a team of senior consultants that understand group benefits inside out.
The 2021 Benefits and Wellness Superhero Symposium is designed to develop the skills HR needs to get proper leadership buy-in on group benefits plans. Over two days attendees will hear from guest experts in panels and join in with lively debate. Register here: eventbrite.ca/e/the-benefits-and-wellness-superhero-symposium
Over two days (11:30 am – 1 pm EST on April 7th and 8th ) you’ll hear from guest speakers and experts joining us in panels and lively debate. All designed to develop the skills you need to achieve leadership buy-in on group benefits plans.
Supported by The HR Gazette, each day features an action-packed, 90-minute agenda that includes online presentations and lots of practical takeaways. Presentations will be on topics including:
- Top Trends in Benefits and Wellness
- What Companies are Doing to Manage the Area of Mental Health
- Strategies for Better Communication of Benefits Plans to Employees
- A Proprietary Measurement Tool that Determines the Success of Benefits Programs
- How to Control and Understand your Group Benefits Plan Pricing
Event Agenda
Day 1: April 7th
- Session 1: Mental Health “Get Ready, Prepare your Mental Health Strategy NOW!” with Nicole Cairns, Wellness Director at Thorpe Benefits, will share how your organization can prepare and execute an effective mental health strategy. Great advice and insight on the most difficult question of all – where to start?
- Fireside Chat – In the Trenches: What’s working on the front lines of patient therapy? What are the major challenges we face? With Dr. Ryan Todd, CEO at headversity, will address the tough questions that have an impact on patient outcomes and results. Where are we headed given all the digital tools we now have available?
- Session 2: Benefits Communication – “How to Sell the Value of Benefits and Create Appreciation” with Roger Thorpe, President at Thorpe Benefits, will review one of the biggest gaps in benefits – how to build better understanding, appreciation, and accountability of benefits? Roger will share how great strategy and creative tools can make a huge difference.
- Fireside Chat #2 – Getting Serious about Drug Cost and Patient Outcomes: Can we have Both? With Helen Stevenson, Founder and CEO – Reformulary Group and Minh-Tam Tran, Executive Director at APPSQ will share thoughts on where we are headed with drug costs and pharmacy services, ow employers and employees can work towards the common goal of sustainability and patient results.
Day 2: April 8th
- Session 3: The Transparency of Rates/Premiums: How to Understand Key Cost Drivers and Negotiate a Fair Renewal. Presented by Roger Thorpe, President at Thorpe Benefits, will share the inside process on how rates are calculated and negotiated with carriers. This session is a must for anyone that wants to be more confident with the rates they pay.
- Fireside Chat #3 – Understanding New Factors in Compensation and How this Fits into a Total Reward Strategy. Guest Speakers Steven Osiel, Strategic Total Compensation Advisor at 3rd Quartile, and Suzanne Harrison, Partner at BenchMarket, will tackle the tough questions that will impact your go-forward comp/benefits strategies.
- Session 4: Launch of the Benefits Success Score. Presented by Roger Thorpe, President at Thorpe Benefits, will share how HR and Finance pros can use the new Benefits Success Score. A new independent tool for business advisors to measure the most important question: How do you measure the success of your benefits plan?
- Final Debate Portion – Employer vs. Employee Responsibility for Healthcare and Productivity – What’s the Best Formula for Success? Presented by Roger Thorpe, President, Nicole Cairns, Director – Health and Wellness at Thorpe Benefits and Tat Winnington, Consultant at Thorpe Benefits will tie together the themes and arguments from each session and have an open debate on how employers agree or disagree on their own Benefits and Wellness philosophy.
More About Thorpe Benefits
Thorpe Benefits is an integrated benefits and wellness consulting company. While focused on the overall strategy, design, communication, and plan management of employee benefits, they challenge their clients to address health promotion as a longer term business strategy.
Clients hire Thorpe Benefits as a specialised advisor and partner – most often as an upgrade to original broker relationships that they have outgrown. Although break ups are difficult, our clients had noticed symptoms of neglect and missed opportunity – which made them realise it was time for a change to a consultant that is results based and transparent with the returns on invested commissions/fees.