Recognized as one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2023):
Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Dec 8, 2022)
Here are some of the reasons why Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan / HOOPP was selected as one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2023):
- HOOPP offers an in-house wellness program called Thrive, which delivers regular virtual wellness challenges to help employees achieve their health and wellness goals -- initiatives include a no-sugar challenge, a gratitude challenge, and a 20X20 challenge (20 minutes of exercise every day for 20 days)
- HOOPP maintains policies that support employees through all stages of family planning, including maternity and parental leave top-up, coverage for fertility treatments and drugs if needed ($15,000 and $20,000 respectively), and paid personal days that help employees balance family commitments (up to seven days per year)
- HOOPP helps employees prepare for the future with contributions to a defined benefit pension plan and retirement planning assistance -- and offers long-term peace of mind with health benefits that extend to retirees (50 per cent premium coverage, no age limit)
HOOPP invests in a culture of belonging
Adrian Mitchell went to work for the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) 21 years ago because he knew some good people there.
“I came for the people and ended up staying for the mission,” says Mitchell, senior managing director of public equities. “One thing that stands out is the clarity of our objective. We’re here to pay pensions for people in health care, some of whom might be on their feet for 12-hour shifts and may be working more than one job to get by.”
The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan is a defined-benefit pension plan for the hospital and community-based health care sector. Based in Toronto, HOOPP serves over 420,000 members and has close to 1,000 employees.
“When I think about investing for our members, it has to begin with investing in our staff,” says Elena Palumbo-Sergnese, senior vice-president, human resources.
There are three key areas where HOOPP invests in its employees. The first is to ensure employees have access to health and wellness programs, including mental health. HOOPP also has strategic initiatives to improve equity, diversity and inclusion, as well as varied employee development opportunities.
The organization has formal development programs for every stage of an employee’s career. In finding and cultivating talent in its investment division, HOOPP recruits university graduates who are at the beginning of their career and introduces them to different aspects of investment management through its rotational program.
Across the organization, there are customized leadership programs available to staff at various levels in the organization. And HOOPP offers secondment opportunities and access to work on different projects to improve an employee’s breadth of knowledge.
The ability to promote from within the organization is key to the success of HOOPP. Palumbo-Sergnese, who started her career at HOOPP as a learning and development manager, is an example of this. Through opportunities to take on new responsibilities, she gained the breadth of knowledge she requires for her current executive role.
In addition to development opportunities, HOOPP recognizes that the need for a robust wellness program has never been more important as the impact of COVID-19 has continued. Mental health support is a big part of this strategy. Managers take a learning module on how to recognize and respond to mental health issues in their staff.
HOOPP has approached the return to work since the pandemic through a lens of flexibility, recognizing that people may have anxiety about coming back. In their transitional, hybrid work model, employees are requested to work in the office 20 per cent of the time.
Palumbo-Sergnese sees mental health not only as a health issue, but also as something that should be supported by equity and diversity initiatives. “For us, we’re creating a culture of belonging to support all of our employees.”
HOOPP’s long-standing commitment to inclusion was formalized in 2021 with its five-year equity, diversity and inclusion strategy. The strategy is designed to engage at all levels of the organization, with formal training and a two-way dialogue enabled through employee resource groups.
Because of HOOPP’s culture, Mitchell made a conscious choice to be transparent at work about belonging to the LGBTQ+ community. He shared the news with colleagues when he got married and happily brought his husband and children to a variety of company events and activities. “It shows something about the organization’s embrace of diversity and the safety of being different in the organization.”
Palumbo-Sergnese believes that the focus starts with the participation of the board of trustees. “The equity, diversity and inclusion strategy is a key differentiating factor at HOOPP,” she says. “When you create psychological safety to allow people to be themselves, it drives innovation.”
The Career Directory
Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan / HOOPP has been selected for The Career Directory, our guide to entry-level recruitment for recent college and university graduates.
