When you leave home you shouldn't have to worry about anything. Atlas Travel has a variety of plans to cover everything from emergency hospital & medical insurance, trip cancelation, single and multi-trip plans, and student coverage when traveling outside of Canada.

You will feel secure knowing your financially protected during your travels.

Best Doctors Elite Diagnostic Imaging Service - for companies 10 employees and up. We all know the kind of wait times we experience today for medical services. If you require Diagnostic Imaging to help diagnose a serious medical condition, you can be facing a 2 to 3 month wait, or even longer. Of course, this adds additional anxiety to the stress of worrying what the results of the test will be. Best Doctors Elite Diagnostic Imaging Service provides rapid access to diagnostic facilities and medical consulting.
Click here to download documentation

December 2009 Bulletin

News from The Benefit Specialists Corp.

From:	The Benefit Specialists Corp. <sean.murray@telus.net>
Subject:	News from The Benefit Specialists Corp.
Reply:	sean.murray@telus.net

Just a Reminder,

As independent brokers we have the ability to go to any insurance company to get insurance quotes. If you are looking at your group benefit plan (or know of another company who is) and are wondering if you are using your dollars in the most efficient way possible please contact us and we will be happy to discuss this with you.

Just a Reminder,

IN THIS ISSUE

Profit or Principles; Can you have both?
By Maria MacMinn-Varvos
Owner/operator of Mosaic Learning Institute in Calgary, Alberta

When I recently became the owner of a private school I had to "put my money where my mouth was" and test out the management style that I believed would result in profit without compromising my principles. This is my professional journey through good and bad experiences to find the alchemy that would align my management style with my values. more...

TBSC Memorandum
more...

TBSC Christmas Office Closure

Dear valued clients and friends,
Our office will be closing for pre-Christmas holidays starting December 7th and ending December 20th. Should you have any immediate questions or concerns, please contact your respective insurance carrier:
more...

Any Questions, Suggestions?

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or ideas you may have, we would love to here your feed back!

Just click the link below
www.beneco.ca

Profit or Principles; Can you have both?
By Maria MacMinn-Varvos
Owner/operator of Mosaic Learning Institute in Calgary, Alberta

I have worked in the private and public sectors in a number of increasingly responsible positions. I am now the owner of a private school and have learned much about profits and principles throughout this professional journey.

I have had a taste of what it is like to work in cut-throat business environments, nonprofit bare bones community organizations as well as government run organizations. I learned best practices and worst practices. When I recently became the owner of a private school I had to "put my money where my mouth was" and test out the management style that I believed would result in profit without compromising my principles. This is my professional journey through good and bad experiences to find the alchemy that would align my management style with my values.

I read about leadership in business management books, I took part in business management workshops and leadership courses that would offer solutions to my values vs. profit dilemma. I found the philosophy of two writers that seemed to fit for me. I was particularly interested in the case studies that were offered as proof of the value of their philosophies. "Reclaiming Higher Ground" by Lance Secretan promotes a values based management style "Higher Ground Leadership�" that puts the soul back into business at no cost to the bottom line."Good to Great," by Jim Collins researched successful companies and identified the characteristics of leaders that brought a company from good to great.

Secretan outlines the key elements that drive a Values-centered Leadership� model to support his statement that "Loyal, productive, creative employees inspire profits."
�     Mastery: Undertaking whatever you do to the highest standards of which you are capable.
�     Chemistry: Relating so well with others that they actively seek to associate themselves with you.
�     Delivery: Identifying the needs of others and meeting them with respect and a passion for being of service.
Secretan explains further that there are three elements that a company needs to internalize and practice in order to reach the goals of a value based leadership model:
�     Learning: Seeking and practicing knowledge and wisdom.
�     Empathizing: Considering the thoughts, feelings and perspectives of others.
�     Listening: Hearing and understanding the communications of others.
Collins' book "Good to Great" inspired me to focus on developing the behaviours and attributes of a Level 5 Leader in order to put into practice the values based leadership model of Secretan.
Collins states, "The good-to-great executives were all cut from the same cloth. It didn't matter whether the company was consumer or industrial, in crisis or steady state, offered services or products. It didn't matter when the transition took place or how big the company. All the good-to-great companies had Level 5 leadership at the time of the transition. Furthermore, the absence of Level 5 leadership showed up as a consistent pattern in the comparison companies..."
Collins identifies the following 5 attributes that characterize the Level 5 Leader:
1. Self-confident enough to set up their successors for success.
2. Humble and modest.
3. Unwavering resolve.
4. "Workmanlike diligence - more plow horse than show horse."
5. Give credit to others for their success and take full responsibility for poor results. They "attribute much of their success to 'good luck' rather than personal greatness."

With the guidance and wisdom from these two authors' books, I have adopted the following values and practices in the past few years. The rewards are starting to show: our school is growing, we are on our way to financial stability, our staff is focused, committed and loyal, our students are our best advertisement, we are well regarded in the academic, settlement and business community. Above all else, work does not feel like work - it is just part of our lives.
1.   Trust until there is a reason not to trust: I give my employees guidance, training and ongoing support to do their job. I believe that adults need to be given a measure of trust that they will do a good job and then they will live up to the trust you give them.
2.   Every job is important - each person has a role. The closer you are to the front line, the more important your job is.
3.   The job of the manager is to make the staff look good by giving them the tools to be able to do their jobs. The old adage that an employee's job is to make their manager look good is turned inside out in my management style.
4.    Encourage personal and professional growth - professional development is supported with in-house workshops, team planning, and mentorship of more experience with less experienced. Budget for a modest professional development fund for each employee.
5.    Find people's strengths and put them in positions that will maximize on their strengths - staff will take ownership of the company if they are in positions that they excel in and are valued for.
6.    Give each employee leadership opportunities to manage projects that will strengthen their skills and confidence. These opportunities will foster pride in their work and will increase their productivity.
7.    Set a high standard but give opportunities to learn and the opportunities to develop the skills to achieve a higher quality of work.
8.    Be flexible with things that won't affect others or take away from the bottom line - Thank yous don't cost anything. A flex day a month scheduled around a down time, working at home when not needed at the school (teachers planning time won't affect the school operation on Fridays when the students are not in class.)
9.    Keep staff informed about what is going on but make people feel safe that they are in your good hands and have their interests in mind. It's your business, you have taken the risk as well as the rewards - they should share in your success, not in your stress.
10.   Always leave your moods behind when you walk through the door. You set the tone for the attitude and atmosphere of the workplace.
11.   You should never be too busy to talk to your staff or clients - if you can't see anyone, close your door. Keep it open as much as possible and keep your office in sight, not in the corner at the back. The further away you are from working with the client, the more visible you need to be.
12.    Think about solutions to challenges with your staff and clients' best interest in mind - a shift in thinking from "how do I cut spending" to "how do I increase profit".
13.    Reward with words of thanks, praise right away - many small celebrations instead of a few big ones.
14.    If you can't afford to acknowledge and reward with monetary increases, reward and acknowledge with smaller personal "gifts" such as a coupon for a day off with pay, personal notes that acknowledge specific accomplishments and actions, extra personal time off with pay for sick days. If you have already budgeted for time and there is no additional costs added, then you can grant sick days with pay if the other staff help to cover for those who are off sick.
15.    Staff takes ownership when they are involved in solving problems that affect them. Team work was strengthened when cuts had to be made because of an unexpected reduction in revenue. The staff responded well to my decision to apply for an EI work share instead of laying half the people off. This brought us closer together and working together to build the school. In six months the staff received half time pay and found other temporary work to supplement but they all worked more than required with more dedication and a common sense of purpose. The reward was theirs - their jobs went back to full time and the accomplishment was a team accomplishment. In addition, this worked because not only were the staff taking a cut in pay, but the manager (owner) also took a cut in pay - the same if not more than the staff sacrifice. We were all in this together - no one better off than the other.
16.    Relationship marketing is the best form of marketing to build a business - it may not be the fastest but it is the most effective when your product is based on a life decision and a lot of money in the case of offering vocational training programs. We have only spent $500 in direct marketing and advertising last year as opposed to $60,000 per year in the vocational and private colleges that I have worked at.
17.    Be fair: if you can't afford to offer a decent living wage then don't hire: Instead of offering 6 part time positions that would give you staff that are expendable, take a small risk and hire 3 full time positions that will allow people to focus on work and not looking for the next contract.
18.    Get the customers/students/staff involved in the community. Fundraising ties the company to the public and gives back as well as promotes - word of mouth is the best form of advertising.
19.    Collaboration instead of competition with other companies/schools spreads good will, expands possibilities for collaborative projects and creates win win, not animosity.

Profit is a goal but not at the expense of our values. We are a people business and our product is the success of our students in reaching their goals. We can measure our success by money but the true measure of success is in the success of our students or clients who will refer others to our school to experience the same success that they have had.

I have realized that it takes more than just a desire to implement values based leadership in order to achieve profit with principles. It takes an attitude shift in how you work and relate to people. My goal is to work towards developing the qualities and skills that Collins' research proves are fundamental to achieving success.
Both Secretan and Collins have set high standards for achieving results. The answer to the question "profit or principles?" is both. Not only can you have both, but you must have both in order to be considered truly successful. A profitable business is only as good as the people behind it.

**TBSC Memorandum**

Important Issues

Salary Updates
Salaries should be reviewed and updated annually. It is important to remember that your insurance carrier will not update a reported salary after a disability claim has been incurred. Please check with your contract. Dividends and profit sharing are not included in salary definition.

Non-Evidence Maximums- Long Term Disability
Please review all employees coverage levels. If employees are eligible for higher amounts, give them a medical evidence form. If employee declines, have a letter on file. If you need a copy of this letter, please contact our office.

Participation
Your insurance carrier has minimum participation requirements. Please ensure that all eligible employees are covered under the plan.
If you have contractors employed, please notify us as there are options we can provide.

Beneficiary Nomination
This area is often overlooked and should be reviewed and updated annually. Special attention should be paid if there are any employees who have nominated a dependant child as beneficiary. There should also be a trustee appointed as well.

Taxability
The only benefits affected by this are Employee/Dependant Life and Short/Long Term Disability benefits. Any contribution made by the employer affects that tax treatment of these benefits.

Premium Contribution
Employers must contribute at least 50% toward overall monthly premium.

Other Changes
It is important for your insurance carrier to be notified of any lifestyle change such as marriage, divorce, birth of a child, etc. Within 31 days of the change. If any longer, the new dependant could be deemed a late applicant possibly declined altogether or have only dental for one year.

TBSC Christmas Office Closure

Dear valued clients and friends,
Our office will be closing for pre-Christmas holidays starting December 7th and ending December 20th. Should you have any immediate questions or concerns, please contact your respective insurance carrier:

Benefits by Design: (Toll-free) 1-800-668-2295
Blue Cross: (403) 294-4024
Canada Life: 1-888-252-1847
Desjardins: (403) 216-5802
Empire: Scott Abrams (403) 670-8722
Encon:    Helen Gratsos (416) 682-3186
                (Toll-free) 1-877-732-2879 ext. 3186
Great-West Life: Terri Ly (403) 750-2128
Manulife: (Toll-free) 1-800-268-6195
Sirius: Melanie Boissonneault (204)488-7600 ext. 226
Standard Life: (403) 531-1113
Sun Life: Margaret Richards (Toll-free)                         1-877-786-7227 ext. 5519

If further assistance is required, Sean Murray can be contacted at the TBSC office. We hope that you enjoy the holidays and have a great New Year.

Regards,

The Benefit Specialists Corp.

Paul Hauk, Ann Hauk and Sean Murray

Tell your friends!

The Benefit Specialists Corp. is more than willing to answer any questions you or anyone you know may have. If you know someone who has questions regarding the insurance industry or anyone who wants to join our mailing list please contact me, or forward this email to them and get them to click the join our mailing list button below.

Thanks!

Sean Murray
The Benefit Specialists Corp.
sean.murray@beneco.ca
403-547-5236

The information contained in this bulletin is for general information purposes only. The articles published in this bulletin have been collected by The Benefit Specialists Corp. (TBSC) and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits out of, or in connection with, the use of the information contained in this bulletin. Through this bulletin you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TBSC. We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.

Forward email

This email was sent to sean.murray@telus.net by sean.murray@telus.net.

Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.

Email Marketing by