FEATURE
This 20-hour program incorporates various elements of learning and engagement , including team meetings , selfpaced eLearning , seminars , “ Ask the Experts ” sessions , goal setting , and self-reflection time .
Additionally , the program allows employees to select specific “ paths ,” or focus areas , based on their level of financial acumen and family needs .
Q
WH WHAT FACTORS PROMPTED TD BANK TO CONSIDER HAVING SUCH A PROGRAM ?
A
I am passionate about holistic colleague development and leading them is a privilege . Service-based leadership is a professional trait I ’ ve always considered vital to the overall success of any team .
As such , I firmly believe I have a responsibility to enrich the lives of every colleague I serve , not only to help them be the best they can be for our customers , but for their own personal growth and development .
TD already offers many financial wellbeing tools and resources available to both customers and colleagues . But since time and availability “ off-phone ” is the biggest constraint in the contact center , the team focused on prioritizing time for our colleagues to not only learn about the basics of financial wellbeing but also to have the ability to apply that to their personal financial situations .
Above all , our team believes continued , meaningful investment in our colleagues empowers them to invest in their financial future now . One which will no doubt pay a valuable return in terms of the same passion and level of service they put into supporting our customers .
Q A
... OUR TEAM BELIEVES CONTINUED , MEANINGFUL INVESTMENT IN OUR COLLEAGUES EMPOWERS THEM TO INVEST IN THEIR FINANCIAL FUTURE NOW .
EXPLAIN THE PROGRAM ’ S DEVELOPMENT
In developing the program we set it up so that each quarter kicks off with a team meeting-style educational topic and an overview of what to expect for additional activities throughout the period .
Since financial wellbeing is such a personal topic , we wanted to ensure that we build in time not only for team learning and collaboration but also for self-paced activities tailored to each contact center agent ’ s personal situation .
Further , we realized that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach and want to have the biggest impact for our diverse group . So , we created for our contact center colleagues specific “ paths ” or focus areas to choose from .
· Personal Financial Health : Individual financial needs and resources .
· Family Financial Health : Resources for financial health in a family setting .
· Students : For students or colleagues with students in their financial plans .
· Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced : No matter where they might fall on the financial health spectrum , colleagues can select a pathway based on their knowledge .
Q A
WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THE PROGRAM ?
I arrived at TD nearly two years ago to lead the more than 2,400 talented , passionate colleagues of the bank ’ s U . S . contact centers .
I was keenly focused on not only driving business results and building a strong team but ensuring that me and my leadership team were doing everything possible to help the U . S . contact center colleagues grow holistically in ways that mattered to them .
Based on colleague feedback , financial wellbeing and education was a popular topic many on the team wanted the opportunity to learn more about . So , we set out on developing a comprehensive , yet easily approachable program that simplifies the experience for our interested contact center colleagues by providing specific direction without diluting the impact .
Q A
WHAT WERE THE STEPS INVOLVED IN CREATING IT ?
We spent a lot of time building out the structure of the program to ensure we had the right flow through the quarterly topics .
This planning took longer than expected but will pay off in the long run of the program . We wanted to make sure we were hitting the key topics in which our colleagues are interested .
Financial wellbeing is such a huge topic and can mean different things to different people , so getting feedback from the team was an important step .
We are continuously learning through this initiative . For example , after the first session we received a lot of feedback that the team preferred team meetings and group discussions on certain topics versus individual self-paced learning . This changed our original plan for the remaining quarters , and we have been working on adding more discussion and team meeting settings where it makes sense .
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