Employer Update

How I help employers:

Tania Browne, Education Consultant

Telstra Super is committed to working closely with employers and their people, with our team providing retirement planning and financial literacy support. 

Our Member Education consultants are experts in their field, with decades of experience in financial planning and education.  They travel around the country to big cities and small towns alike, presenting educational seminars to workplace teams and talking with any members who might need a question answered. 

To show exactly how we work with people all across Australia, we asked Tania to tell us about a recent work visit to the Gold Coast.

Day 1

I don’t fly out to the Gold Coast until mid-afternoon, so I head in to the office in the morning and work on a presentation I will be giving in a month or so.  I ask a few colleagues to read through the presentation material to confirm it provides a relevant and helpful outline of the topic.  This helps strengthen the end presentation by anticipating any additional questions people may have and catering for them in advance. 

I head off to the airport around 2.00pm and fly to the Gold Coast.  Arriving about 5.00pm, I check into my hotel room and read through emails on my Blackberry – this makes it so much easier to keep in touch with the office.  We produce all our own seminar material so being contactable at all times is essential. 

After an hour or so of work, I have some dinner and watch TV before getting an early night – tomorrow is a busy day.

Day 2

I wake up about 7.00am and squeeze in a gym workout before breakfast.  At about 9.00am I drive to Nerang, where I will spend most of the day talking with Sensis and Telstra staff. 

From the time I get there, I have a mobile office set up in the staff room, and people come and talk about their retirement savings and ask any questions they may have.  A lot of people are interested in the recent partnership Telstra Super announced with HCF, where members receive a 12% discount on their health insurance premiums. 

I am on site in Nerang until about 3.00pm, when I head to Southport, where I will be presenting two seminars that evening.  I grab a late lunch and make a few phone calls, before arriving at the Southport RSL about 5.00pm.  After making sure all the projection equipment works and that there are enough refreshments, I greet people as they arrive.

The first seminar on ‘Growing Your Wealth’ is attended by around 30 people, and we spend about 10 minutes on questions at the end of it.  Some more people ask to meet with a financial planner and I make some appointments for them.

The second seminar, ‘Transition to Retirement’ sees about 40 people attend and there are quite a few questions throughout this one.  It is great to see so many people taking an active interest in their retirement plans and I am pleased to be able to help them better understand their options. 

The second session finishes around 8.30pm and I pack up the room before driving back to the hotel.  I call home and say hello before turning in for the night.

Day 3

I force myself back to the gym for another workout and have some breakfast before heading to a workplace in Varsity Lakes, where I will set up a mobile office in a training room for most of the day. 

A lot of people visit and have some really good questions about the super changes proposed in the recent Federal Budget.  I have some people who would like a financial planning appointment, which I arrange for them. 

At around 4pm I pack up and drive across to Currumbin, where I will present two seminars at the local RSL.  The seminar topics are the same as the previous night, which gives members living in different parts of the Gold Coast the opportunity  to attend and learn more about their options.

Combined attendance for both seminars is around 70 people, and we have a really good group discussion at the end of each.  After the second session finishes, I pack up the room and head back to the hotel for a late dinner and some sleep.

Day 4

I wake early and have some breakfast before working through some emails and doing some more planning on an upcoming series of seminars.  I check out of the room at 10am and drive back to the airport, before flying back home to Melbourne.

It has been a great trip, spending time at two different workplace offices and helping over 200 members with any super questions or concerns they may have.  Employers benefit too, as their staff enjoy the personal service we offer and feel more comfortable knowing they are with a member-focussed fund like Telstra Super.   

Want us to visit your staff?

To arrange for a Member Education consultant to visit you and your team – for one-on-one discussions or group seminars – let us know and we will arrange a convenient date and time to suit you, morning, noon or night.