Company: John Hancock Signature Services, Boston, MA
Company Description: JHSS is made up of 157 associates and serves as the transfer agent and service provider for JHF, its shareholders, and financial professionals. JHF manages more than $77.8 billion* in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private accounts, retirement plans, and related party assets for individual and institutional investors with more than one million shareholders worldwide. *as of 9/30/12
Nomination Category: Support Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Support Team of the Year

Nomination Title: The Expanding Role of Training

Tell the story about what this nominated team achieved since January 1 2012 (up to 525 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

John Hancock Signature Services (JHSS) Training and Development (T & D) Department has faced significant challenges since December of 2011.  The department, which is responsible for meeting all of the training needs of a 157 person organization, has expanded its offerings from those primarily focused on entry-level associates to offerings which are designed to meet the professional development needs of employees at all levels of our organization.  T & D Management has worked closely with our Human Resources (HR) group on a new company-wide initiative designed to improve non-technical and portable skills in order to create more versatile and effective employees.  The inclusion of topics that are not tied to a particular job function (e.g. time management and presentation skills) allows us to develop employees who have a strong foundation of skills which can be transferred easily between job functions. 

T & D has also worked with HR to incorporate psychometric testing into class offerings available to our employees.  These tests allow us to assist an employee in identifying particular areas of strength and areas for improvement, thereby giving the employee new insights into how to maximize their performance within the company.  T & D Managers have attended training and participated in independent case studies in order to provide support for these new and exciting tools. 

Additionally in March of 2012 we expanded our department to include a Training and Development Specialist located exclusively at our Manila, Philippines production site.  Prior to this expansion, the vast majority of the training for our 39 Philippine associates was conducted virtually with the class being led by a trainer located in the United States.  The virtual training presented several challenges, particularly when training complex technical skills, but with the addition of a dedicated T & D resource located on site we can now provide regular face-to-face training for our Manila associates for the first time since beginning our off-shore operations in 2006.

In 2012 JHSS T&D has designed and delivered 72 separate sessions, ranging from 60 minute classes on compliance topics to day long classes on professional skills to month long new hire classes.  The four person staff accomplished this by being creative with resource allocations.  Members of the team traditionally responsible for the writing of manuals and job aids jumped into the classroom to facilitate when needed.  Trainers who previously had only classroom experience took the initiative and began assisting with the instructional design.  The tight schedules meant that it was not uncommon for a trainer to start the morning teaching the Call Center associates in Portsmouth, NH about customer service topics and then travel 65 miles to spend the afternoon in Boston, MA teaching Operational Specialists a new technical procedure.

In conclusion, this has been a gratifying year for our T&D team. The team has proven that for every challenge our business faces, we have implemented an efficient and effective method to meet that challenge, contributing to the success of the organization.

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Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated team:

John R. Hatch is President and CEO of John Hancock Signature Services, mutual fund transfer agent at John Hancock, and Vice President, U.S. Variable Annuity and Fixed Product Operations. He oversees operations, communications, and product support.

He previously served as Vice President/General Director of Sales for John Hancock Insurance Services.

Mr. Hatch’s experience prior to joining John Hancock includes:  VP of Annuity Operations, Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company; principal consultant in Investment Management and Securities Operations, Price Waterhouse; Director of Corporate Treasury, Liberty Securities Corporation.
    
Honors:  2008 American Business Awards - Best Executive, Financial Services.

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