May 2020.
On point

May 2020.

Welcome to On Point for May. We’re excited to be back at alert level 2 and looking forward to getting our lives and our businesses back on track!

It’s not quite business as usual though, so we still need to be mindful of how we can implement safe ways of working at alert level 2. The FMA’s published some useful guidelines for financial services as we start operating at this level.

This month we've got a bumper issue, covering vulnerable customers, Sharecare, highlighting one of our great products and some office updates. Enjoy!

Looking out for vulnerable customers

Now, more than ever, we need to be aware of our vulnerable customers and how we can best support them.

We’re committed to supporting vulnerable and potentially vulnerable customers, so we’ve developed a new video on our Vulnerable Customers Policy. We explain what’s in our policy and why having this policy matters to us. We also discuss how to identify vulnerable and potentially vulnerable customers.

You can find it here, along with our Vulnerable Customers Framework and Policy.

Listening Post – how NZers are feeling

We’ve been listening to NZers as the Covid-19 situation has unfolded. Here’s what they’re saying:

  • Overall, fears about the virus have reduced recently due to the strong government response. However, concerns for the economy are high with many NZers being impacted by job losses and reduced household incomes.
  • As a nation, we’re looking forward to returning to our normal routines and re-connecting with friends and family. Some of our behaviours may change moving forwards, such as the use of technology and how we socialise

Understanding how you’re being impacted

Thanks for your responses to our Adviser Covid-19 survey. Your feedback will help us understand the financial impacts of Covid-19 on your businesses and what support you might need from us or the industry.

We’re working through the findings and will share them with you soon.

Sharecare – new adviser resources coming soon

Have you taken the first step towards a happier, healthier life by downloading the Sharecare app? Have you discovered your RealAgeTM and started tracking your diet, stress and sleep?

As we emerge from lockdown there’s never been a better time to think about our health and wellbeing. That’s why we brought forward the launch of Sharecare to customers to last week.

We’ll be adding some resources to the Sharecare page on Adviser Hub to help you talk to customers about Sharecare, including a flyer, email templates and some new videos - so check in regularly to see what’s new.

And if you haven’t signed up yet …do it now!

Product tip: Why we think our Trauma Multi Cover is awesome!

Trauma Multi Cover provides near-continuous trauma protection for your customers.

While traditional trauma cover pays out once for a specified serious condition, Trauma Multi Cover can help customers get through up to five specified serious illnesses or injuries.

Just like regular trauma cover, customers will receive a lump sum (20% of the cover amount for a full payment or up to 10% for a partial payment) if they suffer a specified serious illness - think heart attack, cancer or stroke - or a life-changing specified physical injury.

However, if they experience another unrelated specified event covered by the policy down the track, they can make a further claim. So they’ll have financial support when they really need it most.

A new home for Fidelity Life in Auckland

We’re very excited to let you know that next year we’re moving to new offices in the CBD!

We’ve sold Fidelity House at 81 Carlton Gore Road and signed an agreement to lease space in a new office building currently under construction in Fanshawe Street.

This is a high profile location and the agreement includes signage rights on the building, providing us with significant exposure for our refreshed brand. We anticipate moving in September 2021. A major benefit is that we’ll be able to fit the entire team on a single floor, which will be fantastic for collaboration.

Many of our people, advisers and shareholders have long-standing ties to Fidelity House. The building was purchased by Gordon and Shirley Watson in the early days of Fidelity Life and has served us well over the years. But we’re looking to the future - this move will be an important milestone on our transformation journey and the start of a new era for Fidelity Life.

Wellington office update

The lease for our Wellington office expires on 30 June 2020 and we’ve decided not to renew it. We’re moving to new ways of working and it makes sense for our Wellington team to continue working from home on a permanent basis as Covid-19 restrictions ease. We’re confident you won’t notice any difference in the high quality support you’ve come to expect from us. Let me know if you have any questions.

In brief:

  • Covid-19 help for businesses - the government’s announced a number of measures to provide relief for businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. Go to our Covid-19 page for some useful links 
  • Covid-19 underwriting guidelines – make sure you’re up to speed with how we’re dealing with disability cover and with individuals, occupations and industries impacted by Covid-19. Go to our Covid-19 page to read more
  • Training - If you’ like training on any our products or services drop me a line or speak to one of our Professional Development team, here
Craig Winterburn

Good luck Craig!

This is the final week at Fidelity Life for Craig Winterburn, our GM Retail Sales and Key Partnerships.

Like the rest of us, Craig’s been working from home these past weeks and he's reflected on his role and the significant amount of time he spends away from his family. Therefore he's decided the time’s right to look at other opportunities that might involve less travel and allow him to have more time at home with Kylie and the girls.

Craig's been a passionate advocate for advisers during his time with the Fidelity Life family and we wish him all the very best.

Recruitment will get underway shortly. Please get in touch with Trecia Brown (021 217 1055, trecia.brown@fidelitylife.co.nz) or Todd Allan (021 592 685, todd.allan@fidelitylife.co.nz) if you have any queries.

That’s a wrap for May! If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to drop me a line.

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