Define your career in disability claims

TEXT ON SCREEN: Julie, Manager, Talent Acquisition Strategies, Sun Life

Julie: Let's start with talking a little bit more about your current role. So what are you doing in your day to day?

TEXT ON SCREEN: Cynthia, Disability Case Manager, Sun Life

Cynthia: So my day to day basically looks like, reviewing so new claims and ongoing claims of clients and, most of my day, not every day really looks like the same, every day looks different. But mostly what I do is I review medical documentation. I review, you know, reports from treatment providers or other health care providers. And I spend a lot of time on the phone with clients just to check in and see where they're, where they're at in their recovery process. See how they're advancing in that. I discuss a lot with employers as well to give them updates on how their employee is recovering. Eventually the final stage in all of this is preparing for an eventual return to work, if it's possible. So I do a lot of work coordinating that as well.

Julie: And I believe you must have a lot of, like, team work internally or you're collaborating with other people internally. Are you?

Cynthia: Oh, yeah. We collaborate with so many people, within the, the department. And I think that's what's beautiful about this role as well is that team work really does make the dream work. I work a lot with the rehabilitation consultants. We discuss about strategy plans to best accompany the plan member into a successful return to work. I also collaborate with other colleagues in my team. If the certain case is really complicated or things like that. I work very closely with my manager. I mean, she's my rock. And, I just love working with her and, you know, getting her expertise on things as well. And who else do we work with? We work with medical consultants as well, because sometimes we get a plan member that has a medical condition that we don't know a lot about. So we like to have their expertise as well on it, just to know, what's the prognosis on recovery and eventual return to work. And this actually helps us, you know, update the employers as well, because they're also trying to figure out internally how to organize their business. So it's a win win for everyone.

Julie: So, what is your background, where are you coming from? And like, what did you do before getting in that role?

Cynthia: So I'm actually from France. First of all, I'm French, and I moved here to Canada, not long ago. And my background is actually as a physiotherapist. So, I went to medical school and then, physiotherapy school, and then I worked in a public hospital for about 4 to 5 years. So I have a lot of, clinical experience and, you know, emergency rooms and, acute, care units. And so when I came to Canada, you know, I was looking for, do I want to go back to physiotherapy, what I really want to do. I just felt like that job, even though it's a beautiful job, it didn't, really stimulate me cognitively. And I wanted something mentally stimulating. I stumbled upon Sun Life. And, you know, here I am now. And I realized that this job is so rewarding. And I didn't think going from a very fast pace kind of occupation, going to a desk job, I was like, what is this going to look like? And actually, it's the most rewarding job I've ever had. And it stimulates me every day. I learn new skills. And like I said, every day is different. And every day I keep learning.

Julie: You look passionate. So what do you like the most about your current role?

Cynthia: There's so many things I like. First of all, there's multiple facets to this role. So there's the admin work, obviously there is, the more contractual, more technical side. But my favorite side is the human connection. It's really a role where you combine empathy with critical thinking and analytic decision making. And that is what is so great about this role is because you get to juggle between those two. We hear a lot of difficult stories from our members. Like they're going through the most vulnerable time in their lives. And it could happen to any one of us. And so you hear that, and you listen carefully and with empathy, but also step back and try to make the best decision possible, based on evidence. And I love that challenge.

Julie: Can you talk to me as well about like the most common challenge that you're facing in your role?

Cynthia: I think the biggest challenge I would say is when there’s like, personal life circumstances and the workplace situation as well, that all of those things don't necessarily align. And I think it's very complex because especially, for example, mental health or things like that, it's, you know, there's no certain timeline. There's every recovery looks different for everyone. And sometimes what's medically recommended will not necessarily align with what accommodations are possible by the workplace or the certain life situation of the person. I think that’s what I find the most challenging, but I like challenges. So it's just working collaboratively and listening to every party and trying to find something that's gonna last and, be successful.

Julie: Can you maybe share with me an example about, like when you made a difference in the client's or like, a participant's life?

Cynthia: I think  there's so many, but, I feel like there is this one plan member I was working with, and I remember this plan member was on a leave of absence for a very long time. And, you know, sometimes these people, they're off for like two years and they haven't been back to the workplace in so long, they've completely lost touch with that. They lose confidence. They had this certain apprehension of going back to work. And I think this is where we have a really nice rule of providing the additional support for them, providing them with a framework that makes it safe for them. Just reassuring them and showing them that if something goes wrong, it's okay. We're here and it's going to be okay. Providing those regular follow ups with them and that framework and actually this plan member really went from being discouraged to empowered. And that was really rewarding to see. And it's like, wow, it's this is where I'm making a difference, right? And my entire life I always find it very, important to find, purpose in your job, right? And my purpose has always been I need to be helping people. If I'm not helping people, my job doesn't make any sense. And I found that purpose in this job. And I think that's what's the most beautiful thing about it.

Julie: That's a great example. Thanks for sharing. Can you talk to me now a little bit about, like, the skills or the qualities that you have that may be the most important in your role?

Cynthia: I think it goes back to a bit of what I said before, I think empathy is very important. Critical thinking. Very important. I think it's important to step back and look at it in an analytical way after seeing it from an empathetic way. And I'm not going to lie, being organized is very important. And, trying to find what works for you is really what's going to make you successful in this kind of job. And I think sometimes when things get very overwhelming, it's important to learn to step back and say, okay, why am I doing this job? What is my purpose here? And I'm here to help people. That's the thing, right? So I think, being able to take a step back and look at it from a different perspective.

Julie: Surprise me now. Let's say I don't know anything about disability management. So what would I be surprised about?

Cynthia: I think a common misconception probably about working in disability or in a financial company would be that it's a lot of admin work. It's a lot of technical and a boring old desk job. But, you know, it's what's the most surprising about this, it's all about human connection and it's about building trusting relationship. And that is what's going to make the end goal successful. So, with building trusting relationships with plan members, with employers, with healthcare providers, with your other team members. And the human connection is at the heart of this work. I think that's something for someone who didn't know anything, me included when I first came into this job, I didn't know anything about. And pleasantly, pleasantly surprised.

Julie: And how Sun Life is supporting your professional growth or like your your professional development?

Cynthia: I think Sun Life puts a lot of emphasis on continued training. I think that's really important, trying to be updated with everything that's that we live in a world that is moving very fast. So it's important to keep up as well. There is a very strong sense of mentorship as well. I feel very supported by my manager, my director, and there is this big sense of recognition of work. And it's not just, "Oh, you're doing a good job, let's just move on." It's more, "You’re doing a good job, I recognize it. Here's what you could do better." And so you continue to grow. You don't just stay in the same place, right? And, it's a job where you keep learning. So that's definitely the best. And on another note, Sun Life provides a lot of mental health services and we put a lot of emphasis on self-care and taking care of yourself before you try to help other people.

Julie: And that's kind of a great segue to my next question, which is about the culture. So can you talk to me a little bit more about the culture in your team?

Cynthia: I mean, I'm in the best team! Like I said before, my manager and I, we work very closely and I, we have a strong sense of trust. And I think that's really important. And I think that can really change your perception of a job, whether it's this or anything else, to be honest. And, it's a very trusting relationship. And I can trust her to tell me when things are not going well, just as much as when things are going well and if there's any issues, she always addresses them. And in terms of my other colleagues, it's just so collaborative. We have a common purpose. And it's we're here to help our clients. If one of our team members has an increased workload or anything like that, we try to distribute that across the team. It's not about your success, it's about the team success.

Julie: And why should someone consider a career as a disability case manager?

Cynthia: It's incredibly rewarding and it's going to make you grow and it's going to push you to develop a lot of different skills because there's so many different parts to this role. You're never going to be bored. If you're looking for something that's mentally stimulating, you're going to be served. And, also if you have some kind of background in health care or, and rehabilitation or something like that, you'll also really find your place here because you keep in touch with that, healthcare side of things and that, client care side of things.

Julie: Amazing. And any advice to someone that would like to kind of start this career or career in disability management?

Cynthia: I think my biggest advice would be to go into it with an open mind, be ready to be challenged. Learn to love problem solving. Problem solving is a big part of this role. And you got to be open for the challenge. At the same time, remember your empathetic side but like I said, also your decision making side. I think going into it with an open mind and, and be ready to grow.

Julie: Amazing. And last question for you, how do you see the future of your role? Let's say, in 5 or 10 years from now?

Cynthia: I think it's definitely going to evolve. I think even now we were seeing how, for example, artificial intelligence is being integrated into our role. And I mean, I use it all the time and it saves me a lot of time and trying to formulate certain things and emails. And it's just a very great tool. And I think that's still going to keep evolving and probably help us in different ways. But I do think that even in 5 to 10 years, human connection is still going to be at the heart of this job. And that's the beauty of it.

Julie: Thank you so much for sharing all the information with us. I think that was really insightful. Thank you for listening as well and hope you find this session really informative. Thank you.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Sun Life

TEXT ON SCREEN: Julie, Manager, Talent Acquisition Strategies, Sun Life

Julie: Can you talk to us about what you do in your role on a day-to-day basis?

TEXT ON SCREEN: Ilana, Case Management Consultant, Sun Life

Ilana: I'm a case management consultant, more precisely an onboarding case management consultant. So what I do is we coach the newly hired disability case managers, and we have them for the very first 15 weeks of their hiring period. So we have them brand new. And our role is really to actively train them, coach them through real files.

Julie: And what are maybe the most common challenges you encounter in your work as a case management consultant, and how do you overcome them?

Ilana: The biggest challenges would be when we have a very complex medical case. And at Sun Life, we always say it's one Sun Life. We do have a team of medical physicians that work with Sun Life. If we just want a second medical opinion, there's a whole team of physicians that are there to not only answer a question, but really provide guidance in the file. So this really helps the case managers. It depends on your background. I personally don't have a medical background. I come from a legal background, but at Sun Life like if you don't really have to have a medical background, some case managers do, and that's a big plus. But if you don't like me, you learn it. Yes, but if you need help to understand, there's always we have a whole medical team.

Julie: So that brings me maybe to another question. So you have a legal background. What's brought you to Sun Life?

Ilana: Yes. I was in the criminal law field, which is very, very different. And I was approached, I got a call saying, do you want to work as a disability case manager? I did not know what disability was. I knew what Sun Life was. I did some research. I spoke to, the recruiter, and it sounded like an interesting job, so I jumped into it, not really knowing what disability was. And this was five and a half years ago. So I did my training like everyone. I was two years in the classic what we call disability case manager role where you treat files. And then I was promoted to disability case management consultant. Now it's been three years that I'm here.

Julie: This is amazing.

Ilana: And also, so is the growth at Sun Life. There's many, many opportunities and, there's many more to come. So this is me really enjoy working here.

Julie: Can you now maybe just share an example of an experience where, you really made a difference in the Client's life and it can be in your current role, or like maybe in your previous role as a disability case manager?

Ilana: Well, when I was a disability case manager, I worked more hands on with our Clients, which are the many companies that we provide the group benefits for. And so my approach was extremely hands on. It's a fast paced environment. And what I did, I always ensure to keep, every single Client updated on the file. So Clients are relying on us. We're kind of the middle person between participants and employers. It's important for us to act fast, open communication. So this is what I did. And, and it was really appreciated by many of the clients I worked for.

Julie: And can you maybe just talk to me about, like, skills or qualities that you think, or you find the most useful in your role?

Ilana: So you really have to be empathetic. We help people at their most vulnerable points. When they come to us, it’s because they're facing a disability and they're not able, to be actively at work. You have to have strong organizational skills. It is a fast paced environment.

Julie: Now surprise me. So is there anything that I I'm not aware of anything in disability management. Is there anything that you would like to talk to me about?

Ilana: Yes. Well it's the whole rehab aspect. So we have a rehabilitation team at Sun Life. So yes, we are the big insurer. Big insurance company. We do provide a revenue replacement benefits by paying the claimant when the claim is payable. However, we we're really here to help on a medical level. So we're here to give financial relief. But also we have the financial ability and also the knowledge to help mental health cases, even physical cases.

Julie: How Sun Life is supporting you in terms of your professional development or growth?

Ilana: Like I said earlier, there's really room to grow at Sun Life and really for everyone. So, and then a lot of people get promoted. You start that disability case manager, sometimes you become a coach, a manager, and really you can go up if you like to. And I was promoted after… a little bit under two years. So when you do a good job you're really recognized not only about your direct manager, but by your peers and also by higher up management.

Julie: Talk to me a little bit more about the culture in your team or like the work environment.

Ilana: So we're a team of over ten, case management consultant. The culture is really one of we're here to help each other, whether it's a question or sometimes you just want a second opinion to help comes very easily and it comes fast. You don't have to wait a whole day for to help. You know, we have a lot of group chat. There's a, there's a big, if the help is needed, you're gonna get it pretty fast. So this is the culture that we have in the team.

Julie: What are you the most passionate about in your role?

Ilana: It's really seeing the people I'm training grow. When they start with us they don't have a lot of experience and no one really does. Some people do, which is always great, but most people come to us not really knowing what disability is. So for me, it's really to see them grow more comfortable, grow more confident in their role. And it's always after 15 weeks, it's long and short, but you're gonna see that week one versus week 15, there's really a big growth. So that's really important. It's it's always very rewarding as a coach.

Julie: And why should someone consider a career in disability management.

Ilana: Well, it's a very rewarding career. Not only do we help people on a medical level, but also we provide them financial, stability at their most vulnerable point. So it's a fast paced, thriving environment where you have a place to growth and you don't really have to. There's no background in disability. You can have a background in the medical field, but there's a fitting for everyone, whether you have strong organizational skills, whether it's just you're really good at showing empathy. So there's really place for everyone.

Julie: Can you now maybe share a piece of advice for someone considering a career in disability management?

Ilana: Yes, it would be to stay curious. Always continue to ask question because it's, always changing environment. We are always trying to evolve, to adapt to new technologies, new letters, new processes. So always keep asking questions and never stop growing. And I tell that to the people I'm training is, you know, as a coach we have the answers to many question, but we don't know everything. And I think it's just you have to know who to ask and where to get the information for. And Sun Life, we're a big, big company, but we have a lot of different kind of support. Sometimes direct support from your manager, from other peers or just from simple processes. So stay curious and always keep acquiring more knowledge.

Julie: And last question for you already. So in the next 5 to 10 years, how do you see your role evolving?

Ilana: Well, I would say I'm very curious to see how AI is going to maybe I would like to say transform or maybe shift a bit our role. So now it's kind of the new subject, not just in disability but in every single field. And I'm expecting to see maybe a little shift. Are we going to have more time to really focus on the big decision and the big critical thinking, and is AI going to help us more with, everything that is external? You know, the drafting the letters, which we already have that, of course, but interesting to see how we're going to adopt this new internet phenomenon into disability.

Julie: Thanks for all those insights. I hope you find that valuable and that you learn a little bit more about the role. If you want to learn more, you can go our career site and just navigate and learn more about the different roles and disability. Thank you so much for listening.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Sun Life

TEXT ON SCREEN: Julie, Manager, Talent Acquisition Strategies, Sun Life

Julie: Thanks for being here today. Would you mind kind of talking to us a little bit about your role as a disability payment specialist?

TEXT ON SCREEN: Thomas, Disability Payment Specialist, Sun Life

Thomas: Sure. Basically, my job involves, well it does involve a lot of calculations and adjustment to claims and files based on whatever information is coming in. The overall idea of it is really to guide people throughout the time that they're on long term disability. So once they're on long term disability, and unfortunately, that's going to be a while before they can go back to work, if they can, we just make sure that the files are going smoothly and we try and help them with the transition and along the way to make sure it's as least stressful and simple as possible for them.

Julie: Amazing. Perfect. Does that involve a lot of, like, teamwork and or are you collaborating with others?

Thomas: Oh, yeah. The there is enough going on. There's always different things happening, unique situations. So you need to support each other, you need to be able to communicate, you need to be able to bounce back and forth. There's a lot of support that goes between, the team members and above and below. So, collaboration is just something that we're doing constantly.

Julie: Amazing. Perfect. So I do understand a lot of teamwork, a lot of collaboration with colleagues. Are you also collaborating with other departments or other people in disability?

Thomas: Oh, yeah. For sure. We're always collaborating with other departments as well. Whether it's the banking department, whether it's, legal, depending on the situation like I said, there's always individual, unique things that are happening. So, you always have to kind of be a little bit adaptable and, on the balls of your feet to make sure that everything just goes, quickly and smoothly.

Julie: For sure. And can you talk to me a little bit about, like, maybe a challenge that you encounter in your day-to-day work?

Thomas: Sure. A recent one I had, there's a yearly update form that we have to do just to make sure that everybody, you know, in case people move or whatever the case may be, we need one every year. And somebody had called in. It was the first time they were going to fill one out. They had gotten a letter or an email saying that it needs to be done. And we're very, very stressed out because their medical condition means they have cognitive impairments and they also have visual impairments. So they basically just couldn't do it. So they called in. They were very stressed. They'd been stressed out for days, really wondering, how they're going to do this and eventually they just kind of broke and called in. Simply put, I just took the time to go step by step through the questionnaire. Explain that I'll just ask you the questions and I'll type it in as you tell me to. Completely, finish that within five, ten minutes. And just the relief off that person's shoulders immediately after days of, as they put it, almost or no sleep each day, it it's really gratifying to just kind of make a difference in somebody's everyday life. And also right after that, you know, that they get the reassurance that we're there to assist. Because the next thing I did was offer to call them back next year, instead of having to write out to them, they have to try and interpret it. Then they have to try and call us in a panic. We just call them and we just do it over the phone.

Julie: So you really went above and beyond for that person.

Thomas: And you have to you have to try and help people out with their unique needs. Everybody's situation is going to be different. You can't make presumptions. You just help however you can.

Julie: That makes me think like about another question for you. So, what are maybe the skills or like the, the qualities that like someone like you may have to kind of, be comfortable in a role like yours.

Thomas: There's a few that I would really focus on. One of them is definitely just analytical abilities, logic, problem solving. Like I said, every situation is going to be a little bit different. You never know what you're going to bump into next. And you need to be able to adapt or understand what's happening. And if it's something that's outside of your range, do you need to reach out and get help? Is this just something a little bit that's different than normal? Secondly, I'd say that, time management is really important.

Julie: Yes!

Thomas: Always have at least a little bit of, responsible parties that you have to kind of juggle, not that it's overwhelming, it just, needs to be done. And then, most importantly, is just communication, whether that's, with your team members and making sure that you're all on the same page, that you're doing the right things, or whether it's just explaining things to a plan member and to the clientele, making sure that they're able to understand what's happening, that they can do the correct next thing, that they're not stressed out for nothing because they just don't understand what's currently happening. And when it comes to communication that I would really lean towards, like patience, empathy and, just flexibility in terms of communication style, it's really important. So you can get messages across and, that's just the most crucial aspect of the job is just interpersonal interaction.

Julie: That also make me think about, like, another question. What was your background before being a disability payment specialist?

Thomas: Funnily enough, all of my previous employments were always oriented towards service, like public service, client service. So, I was in sales. I was management and sales. I volunteered, and the amount of being paid a little bit for, working with the Lori Black Center over summer, I was a public servant for a while. Everything but I've done was always towards helping and assisting people. Just what I like to do is assist and see people be lifted up in one way or another.

Julie: And what brought you to Sun Life?

Thomas: I had just finished up with a previous job, as a public servant. And then I realized that, I still wanted to be in that sort of vein of things and that I could handle specific stressful topics that a lot of other people couldn't. Just because of the nature of the public servant that I was. And then when I encountered somebody who worked in disability and they suggested it, I thought, you know, that that might work. Insurance companies don't know too much about them, started looking to it, and right away of disability is basically there to make sure people get paid when they most need it, to support them, when they're at their most vulnerable. That's just me.

Julie: <Laughs> Good.

Thomas: So, Application.

Julie: Yeah.

Thomas: And here we are.

Julie: Got the role. That's a great story. And you have been at Sun Life for?

Thomas: Six years. Well, it'll be six years in two months.

Julie: So now would you mind surprising me? So, is there anything that someone that is not aware of disability should be aware of?

Thomas: Something that they wouldn't expect from the position and what you need to do every day?

Julie: Yes.

Thomas: Really, I think it's just the support and the interactions with people directly like you never know what you're walking into. You always need to find new ways to adapt, help to be flexible, to give people as much grace as you can. Because you never know what the medical condition that they might be keeping them out of work is. So, I think it's the extent to work, to which we really are oriented just towards helping people in whatever the situation they are in, how we are, even whether it's a very unique case trying to accommodate them as best we can, and really where the focus is on the person and not on the payments and the financial side of things. Yes, of course we have to manage that. But it's getting it for that person. It's helping the person manage that, understand that more than trying to make sure that the process is followed as quickly as possible, it's as thoroughly as possible and easily and cleanly for them.

Julie: And how is Sun Life supporting you in your professional development or your growth?

Thomas: There's a lot of opportunities here for growth. I myself am trying to get into a trainer position. So, working towards that over time, waiting for positions to open up.

Julie: So that's kind of a great segue to my next question, which is about culture. Talk to me a little bit more about the culture in your team or like the work environment.

Thomas: I'd say open, friendly and supportive. We really do work together as a team. And I feel like my leadership really does understand that we all succeed together. So, it just naturally leads to cooperation. It naturally leads to, support and, interactions that are positive and, teaching each other, supporting each other. It's really, a warm and welcoming environment.

Julie: Can you tell me a little bit about what you're most passionate about in your role?

Thomas: Definitely, it's the direct interactions with the people, especially phone calls. I take a lot of incoming phone calls throughout the day. I call out as well. It can be very difficult, especially if the person is at a challenging situation or it's a, a unique problem that they're dealing with, and I'm trying to help them work around it, or if they're having a very emotional reaction to a very reasonable thing to react to. It can be very challenging and taxing emotionally. But whether or not that's the case, it's very satisfying to actually be able to interact with somebody and improve their day, improve their week immediately. Just by clarifying things and, making sure they have all the information they need.

Julie: Oh, yeah. Seeing the immediate impact to the work that you're doing.

Thomas: And knowing that they've been scared, worried, suffering from whatever that might draw from them and just flipping that switch, just by one conversation. It's very gratifying.

Julie: For sure. And why should someone consider a career in disability management?

Thomas: Well, it's a very stable industry. It's always going to be there. It's, very varied in what you deal with. It's never boring also because it's varied, because of the different aspects of, of finance and insurance that you need to bring into it. You get to learn a lot about different things. You can move into a lot of different areas, and the experience you get working in disability and the, realms around it are going to be useful pretty much anywhere you go.

Julie: Any advice to someone that would like to join your team as an example?

Thomas: I would say just basically jump in if you have an interest, apply. Like when I first started with disability, I didn't know overmuch about disability specifically, more than the average person, maybe, but still, the training was there, the support was there. And, the fulfillment that you get from genuinely helping people on a daily basis… really, I don't think there's a much better position out there for me right now.

Julie: How do you see your role evolving in the next, let's say, ten years or five years from now?

Thomas: As a payment specialist, I think the role is going to evolve in, the few specific ways. Mainly it's in related it related to automation. Like we're always going to need people to do the job. There's going to be logic, problem solving, unique situations that just a computer cannot handle. But certain things like maybe some calculations, so getting rid of some of like the, the more, noise aspect of the work and being able to focus on the things that really require a human touch, an actual problem solving, being able to cut those other things away so that we can focus on that aspect of the job, which is what I like best anyway. I think that's where the industry is headed. Like by cutting out the stuff that we really don't need to be handling so that we can all work on the things that are going to make it more smooth and, personalized for everybody.

Julie: Thank you so much. That was the last question. I think the conversation that I just had with you was really insightful and like, you brought a lot of passion to your work. Thank you so much for listening.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Sun Life