Latest news in Health/wellness

Have your say: Should benefits plans cover medical marijuana?

Have your say: Should benefits plans cover medical marijuana?

Benefits Canada‘s most recent cover story looked at the hazy regulatory environment around medical marijuana and the uncertainty over whether group benefits plans should cover…

  • By: Staff
  • August 16, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 08:47
Medical questions, regulations create confusion for medical pot coverage

Medical questions, regulations create confusion for medical pot coverage

It has been more than a year since Jonathan Zaid won the right to have his medical marijuana prescription covered under his group benefits plan,…

A look at how companies are addressing chronic disease through proactive screening

A look at how companies are addressing chronic disease through proactive screening

With diabetes becoming more prevalent in Canada, Quebec-based Laurentide Controls Ltd. is among employers taking action by launching screening programs for the disease. Recently, the…

PwC boosts flexibility with denim in dress guidelines

PwC boosts flexibility with denim in dress guidelines

Goodbye bow ties and hello blue jeans. A few weeks after Starbucks announced it was loosening its dress code to include patterns, tattoos and piercings,…

League hires Sun Life’s Lori Casselman

League hires Sun Life’s Lori Casselman

Canadian technology startup League has hired industry veteran Lori Casselman as its chief health officer. The Sun Life Financial Inc. executive will fill a new…

  • By: Staff
  • August 3, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 11:04
Time for plan sponsors to embrace digital innovations in health care

Time for plan sponsors to embrace digital innovations in health care

The digital innovations transforming health care in Canada carry huge implications for benefit plan sponsors and the people they serve. According to MaRS, one of…

Ontario to exclude high-strength opioids from public drug formulary

Ontario to exclude high-strength opioids from public drug formulary

Ontario is excluding certain higher-strength, long-acting opioids from the formulary for the Ontario Drug Benefit program, the Ministry for Health and Long-Term Care said in…

Have your say: Is Pokémon Go a boost to workplace wellness?

Have your say: Is Pokémon Go a boost to workplace wellness?

As Pokémon Go sparks its legions of fans to take to the streets, how do you feel about the smartphone app’s impact on the workplace? The…

  • By: Staff
  • July 26, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:52
Canadians work less after spouses diagnosed with cancer: study

Canadians work less after spouses diagnosed with cancer: study

The caregiver effect wins out over the added worker effect when Canadian are diagnosed with cancer, research from Statistics Canada suggests. It’s to be expected…

  • By: Staff
  • July 25, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 10:51
Financial services employers most likely to support volunteerism: study

Financial services employers most likely to support volunteerism: study

Nearly half (44 per cent) of working Canadians between 20 and 64 years old have worked for an employer that supports their volunteering in some…

  • By: Staff
  • July 22, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 10:23
Pokémon Go: Is game a disruption or a wellness tool for employers?

Pokémon Go: Is game a disruption or a wellness tool for employers?

Fanatical users of Pokémon Go are eager to catch all of the monsters they can, even if it means looking for a Charmander under a colleague’s…

Employers cite productivity, morale gains among ROI from health programs

Employers cite productivity, morale gains among ROI from health programs

Two-thirds (66 per cent) of U.S. employers have experienced a return on investment on their efforts to boost employee health and performance, according to a…

CAA partners with Canadian Olympians for wellness program

CAA partners with Canadian Olympians for wellness program

CAA South Central Ontario has launched a new online wellness program, Getting to Your Gold, which provides employees with access to coaching from Canadian Olympians.…

Half of U.S. workers say their job affects their overall health: research

Half of U.S. workers say their job affects their overall health: research

Less than half (44 per cent) of working Americans say their current job affects their overall health, according to research published by National Public Radio,…

  • By: Staff
  • July 20, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 08:57
How wellness programs can empower employees with knowledge and support

How wellness programs can empower employees with knowledge and support

As we all well know, one of the top reasons for an organization to implement a workplace wellness program is to reduce the costs associated…

  • July 18, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:30
U.S. financial workers most likely to work from home, statistics show

U.S. financial workers most likely to work from home, statistics show

Last year, a significant minority of U.S. workers in the management, business and financial sectors (38 per cent) and the professional occupations (35 per cent)…

  • By: Staff
  • July 15, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 10:30
Starbucks increases health benefits, stock plan and pay for U.S. employees

Starbucks increases health benefits, stock plan and pay for U.S. employees

Starbucks is launching an online health benefits platform, doubling its annual stock award program and raising base pay by at least five per cent for…

Addressing the challenge of chronic disease

Addressing the challenge of chronic disease

What’s it like for employees to work with an autoimmune condition and what do they need from their employers? Benefits Canada’s June 22 Chronic Disease…

  • By: Staff
  • July 11, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 12:30
Plan sponsors get a primer on autoimmune conditions

Plan sponsors get a primer on autoimmune conditions

With the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, plan sponsors got a primer on autoimmune conditions, treatment options and the impact they can have on employees…

How can employers do a better job of accommodating staff with chronic disease?

How can employers do a better job of accommodating staff with chronic disease?

With an aging workforce and the large number of people over the age of 40 having at least one chronic condition, employers have an incentive…

A look at the tools to address drug plan cost pressures

A look at the tools to address drug plan cost pressures

With rising drug costs on the minds of many plan sponsors, a speaker at Benefits Canada’s Chronic Disease at Work event outlined some of the…

Employees tell their stories of working with chronic diseases

Employees tell their stories of working with chronic diseases

What’s it like to work while dealing with an autoimmune disease? At the 2016 Chronic Disease at Work conference on June 22 in Toronto, Dawn…

A look at the tools to address drug plan cost pressures

A look at the tools to address drug plan cost pressures

With rising drug costs on the minds of many plan sponsors, a speaker at Benefits Canada’s Chronic Disease at Work event outlined some of the…

Mississauga library staff on strike over pay and benefits

Mississauga library staff on strike over pay and benefits

Library workers in Mississauga, Ont. went on strike at midnight after pay and benefits negotiations with the city fell through over the weekend. The motion…

  • By: Jann Lee
  • July 4, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 11:07
EY raises employee engagement in well-being with new online resource

EY raises employee engagement in well-being with new online resource

Since EY introduced a new employee well-being portal in April, the site has had more than 7,000 page views and 1,500 users tracked. The site,…