TELUS to offer Walmart employees services in 220 languages

Walmart Canada has added two of TELUS Health’s health and wellbeing solutions to its group insurance plan, bringing the number of TELUS services the retail titan offers to three. More than 100,000 employees, known as Walmart Associates, will benefit from these programs in Canada. 

Walmart has added an employee assistance program and a wellbeing program. “We were already providing virtual care through TELUS Health's EQ Care,” AnnMarie Mercer, Chief People Officer (CPO) at Walmart Canada, told Insurance Portal.

“Walmart Canada is the largest group to offer our three services to all of its employees,” Daniel Martz, Vice-president of Virtual Care for TELUS Health, told Insurance Portal. He adds that Walmart is also the largest group to offer the company’s employee assistance program service, called LifeJourney. 

One-stop shopping and inflation 

Both partners said that offering three solutions from the same provider will allow associates and their dependents to get a comprehensive suite of services in one place. AnnMarie Mercer underlines ease of access, given the importance of the issues. “As in many businesses, mental and physical health issues are major concerns, whether it's stress, exercise, nutrition, or managing diseases like diabetes. We needed resources that could address the different needs of associates in a simple and easily accessible way,” she explains. 

Inflation was another factor that guided Walmart Canada’s choice. Work-life balance and financial constraints are also concerns for Canadians, Mercer continues. These concerns affect them as parents, caregivers or simply because they want to “maximize their money in an inflationary environment.” 

According to the partners, services include counselling on a range of topics, mental health and nutrition, virtual consultations with a clinician, and advice on how to live a healthier lifestyle. In addition, virtual health care offers consultations via text messaging. As part of the wellbeing program, Walmart employees can participate in friendly challenges with co-workers to help build healthier habits. 

Associates have their say 

Walmart listened to its employees before redesigning its group plan. “Feedback from our associates was instrumental in redesigning our total compensation package. Health and wellbeing remains a top priority for our associates,” says Mercer.

Mercer adds that Walmart associates want access to tools and resources in a digital, user-friendly way. The retail giant intends to continue in this direction. “In addition to this major change, we are also committed to rethinking our benefits and other total compensation offerings as of 2023,” Mercer says. 

Choose inclusion 

Why did Walmart Canada partner with TELUS Health rather than another provider? “We chose TELUS Health because of its ability to provide inclusive wellbeing services on a simple digital platform that will benefit our associates,” Mercer says. She points out that Walmart considered the diversity of its associates in terms of age, ethnicity, gender, family situation and personal goals.

TELUS Health professionals are trained to address issues such as occupational awareness, gender and sexual identity, and ethnocultural diversity and faith, Mercer continues. “We wanted to ensure that our mental health services were diverse and inclusive. These new services allow associates to access care from people with similar experiences,” she says.

TELUS Health's suite of solutions is available 24/7 in English and French, through a direct telephone number or smartphone app. Inclusive care is available in multiple languages, says Mercer. In fact, employees will be able to access services in 220 other languages and dialects through a specialized translation service. 

Exponential growth 

Daniel Martz forecasts exponential growth in TELUS Health’s comprehensive health care offering (virtual care services, employee assistance programs and wellbeing). “While we can't give an exact number of employees using each of our services, we can confirm that more than 4 million Canadians have access to our virtual healthcare platform,” TELUS Health's vice-president of virtual care points out. 

As for Walmart Canada, it assumes some of the risk in its group plan. “Walmart Canada's benefits package includes both self-insured and insured plans and policies,” Mercer says. The chain operates a network of more than 400 stores across Canada, serving 1.5 million customers every day. It is one of the largest employers in the country.