MONTREAL, Nov. 16, 2004 – The Standard Life Assurance Company has launched, in partnership with FGI, Canada’s largest employee assistance program provider, an expanded range of professional products and services. As of November 16, 2004, Inter-Aide, Expert-Aide and Life Benefit Enhancement will be provided as part of Standard Life’s group insurance product offering.
Inter-Aide, the employee assistance programme, and Expert-Aide, the management assistance programme, aim to offer organisations and their employees a complete range of psychosocial and disability prevention services that meet their specific needs. These programs offer various services including the promotion of health and wellness in both the workplace and daily life as well as measures to prevent short and long-term disability.
“The partnership with FGI demonstrates our commitment to respond to our clients’ need for increased psychosocial support for their employees and managers,” declared Joseph Iannicelli, Senior Vice-President, Group Insurance, Standard Life. “This contributes largely to building and maintaining a healthy and productive work environment and can help reduce the incidence of absenteeism and the progression to short- and long-term disability.”
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with an organisation so committed to the health and wellness of its clients,” says Allon Bross, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FGI. “We look forward to being part of Standard Life’s continued success and growth while meeting the diverse and evolving needs of its employees.”
About Standard Life:
Founded in Edinburgh (Scotland) in 1825, The Standard Life Assurance Company is a mutual company. On 31 March 2004, it was announced that the Standard Life Board had concluded that, in principle, proceeding towards a demutualisation of the Company was in the best interests of the Company and its policyholders. The current timetable envisaged is that a proposal will be put to members by the 2006 Annual General Meeting for implementation as soon as practicable thereafter. The Company has $206.3 billion in assets under management and more than five million customers around the world. (www.standardlife.com)
In Canada, The Standard Life Assurance Company and its affiliated companies have $33.1 billion in assets under management and offer a wide range of financial products and services. Total premium income and deposits reached $3.9 billion in 2003 with over 1.1 million clients. (www.standardlife.ca)
About FGI
FGI is Canada’s market leader in Employee Assistance Programs and a North American leader in Human Support Programs and Global Services, serving over 2,200 corporations worldwide. More than three million employees and their families have come to depend on FGI for support during important events in their lives – when in need or when new and exciting challenges are presented. Through service offerings that range from prevention to recovery, FGI is the only human support services provider in Canada that offers comprehensive programs to mitigate the cost of the troubled employee regardless of whether they are healthy, struggling at work, or no longer working. (http://www.fgiworld.com/)
