Andrejka Massicotte, Head of Group Benefits, RBC Insurance, wants plan members to achieve overall wellness and realize their full potential
Andrejka Massicotte has always had a personal interest in health and has been committed to fitness and well-being all her adult life. This passion has motivated her to design plans and produce products that focus on overall wellness, which includes good mental health so people can cope with normal stresses of life, work productively, and realize their potential.
Massicotte’s career path aligns both with her passion for health and well-being and demonstrates her belief to be open to change and new exciting opportunities.
Once she graduated, Massicotte joined a consulting firm that decided to bring on one actuarial student into the group benefits consulting side of the business, something it had not done before, so she took the chance. “That’s how I ended up doing group benefits,” she says. “I spent the early part of my career in group benefits consulting and ended up moving to the employer side.”
Eventually, Massicotte joined RBC on the benefits plan sponsor side and managed employee plans and, before moving to her current position, she led the benefits strategy for RBC employees within North America. “I also managed UK and Europe for a portion of my time in that role.”
She also managed the global wellness strategy of RBC during that time, which aligned with her personal passion for wellness. That synergy continues in her new role with RBC Insurance on the provider side as head of group benefits. She is responsible for product strategy and development and to evolve and grow the business. As part of that role, she works closely with operational partners and sales and business partners “to make sure that we’re bringing the right solutions to market and we’re developing the right client centric processes and systems.”
Well-being is a personal journey
Massicotte says well-being means something different to everybody. Everyone is on their own personal journey, and one person may be concerned about their financial well-being at a certain point in time as another worries about mental health. Therefore, the goal is to support and balance overall wellness.
She adds that mental health is a key element to overall wellness, because “there is no health without mental health. Mental health is intertwined in everything we do including physical health, nutrition, and finances.” She is committed to continue to build awareness of mental health so the stigma is reduced.
One of the challenges as a benefits provider is creating awareness about the support that is available to plan members and clients and how they can best make use of their programs. “The goal is to get people to think of us in the moments they need us,” says Massicotte. “We want plan members to utilize our wellness support before they have health issues. We are here to support our clients.”
The well-being of her team is also very important to Massicotte. “I want them to understand the impact their work has, no matter where they are involved in the process,” she says. She likes to generate ownership of the work by keeping them directly involved in the entire process. “Regardless of someone’s level, they should have an understanding of the direct impact that we have on people.”
Supporting people in times of need
Massicotte says the best part of her job is the people she works with. “They really care about what they do,” she says. “In these types of roles, whether we are designing a plan or producing products to support employees, ultimately, we are supporting people in times they really need it and in moments that matter.
“The people I work with have always been incredibly passionate about what they do really care about the end user and what it means to produce the right product or deliver the right solution.”
She adds that she gets fulfillment from her career because “the work I do every day, I know it impacts people. [Our products and services] support people and help them along their health and wellness journeys to lead healthier lives.”
When asked what she would want her legacy to be, she says, “I would want to be known as someone who deeply cares about the work I do and that clients understand that every strategy I developed or product I rolled out came from a place of care and concern and a desire to support someone to live a healthier, better, and more well life.”
