We’re proud of the work our team does, and we want you to get to know the faces behind TELUS Health. To start off the series we sat down with Paula Allen, who leads TELUS Health’s Business and Client insights group.
Among many of her responsibilities, Paula leads the production of the TELUS Mental Health Index, which surveys 16,000 workers from across the world on the state of their mental health. The data from that report informs employers and governments on the mental health of workforces globally, and helps them determine how they can better support their people and improve employee health outcomes.
Read on to hear more about what ignites Paula’s passion for wellbeing, and how her work contributes to building healthier workplaces and communities.
Q: Paula, how long have you been a part of TELUS Health? Can you tell us a bit more about what inspired you to join the organization?
A: I was inspired to join several years ago because I saw a willingness to push the limits and set higher standards for whatever you do. I would not be interested in a company that had no ambition other than doing what had been done before. What is the point? Thankfully through the years, that spirit continues.
Q: TELUS Health is committed to innovating in the field of health and wellbeing, whether it’s by helping our health systems be more efficient, or increasing access to care. Can you tell us what your favorite part about your role is?
A: Thinking things through with the team and others. I love the times where people come with their minds, passion and openness to learn and create. We have some brilliant minds that challenge critical assumptions and can then get, analyze, and interpret the data that helps us all make solid decisions.
That is the process. Observations and ideas, then validation with data, and then you make decisions and take action. Decisions without data are whims. Whims might be good for selecting a flavor of ice cream but rarely good when running a business, especially one that impacts peoples’ health. Whims are also rarely satisfying in the long run because you are left with no more knowledge and understanding than you had before. That is not how we operate.
Q: Evidence informed decision making is critical when it comes to determining how to best support the health and wellbeing of individuals. How else do you feel your work positively impacts people’s lives?
A: My team brings clarity. When you have a sense of clarity, you have greater control and are able to improve on what you are focusing on.
We provide clarity for the general market - individuals and organizations - with our reports such as the TELUS Mental Health Index; we provide clarity for organizations and their people with our analytics; and we also provide clarity in the communications and change management strategies we develop.
In addition to providing our clients clarity through data and analytics, we also support our TELUS Health colleagues with client and product insights, market research and data driven tools that support our sales people.
Q: Data and hard evidence certainly does bring clarity. How is the data that your team provides helping create healthier workplaces and communities?
A: All of the work we do helps each of the key constituents in a healthy society – from employers to colleges and universities to individuals. Data helps all. We answer specific questions and package it in specific ways to make it relevant to specific groups. By getting the hard evidence on how people are doing, we can learn how to better support them. For example, using insights from mental health research and employee assistance programs (EAP), we can develop TELUS Health Learning courses to help address specific business challenges and employee needs, such as mental wellbeing and overall job satisfaction.
Q: Thanks Paula, now finally, how do TELUS Health's values resonate with you and support your personal health and wellbeing? It could be work/life balance, health benefits, or the organization’s social purpose.
A: All of TELUS’ values support a healthy life and a healthy mind, and this is directly reflected in how they approach solutions that help support employee mental, physical and financial health. Once you have those, other things will fall into place.