Latest news in Absence management

2021 Mental Health Summit: The importance of self-management in employee mental health

Supporting employees’ mental health while teleworking will take on new importance as employers increasingly adjust their return-to-office plans to include some level of remote or…

2021 Mental Health Summit: A look at the lesser-known impact of diabetes distress

The World Health Organization has designated diabetes as the only non-viral epidemic and diabetes drugs continue to be ranked as the second highest cost category…

2021 Mental Health Summit: Pharmacogenetic testing success stories in mental-health treatment

Pharmacogenetic testing has become a popular addition to employee benefits packages, primarily because of its ability to inform personalized drug treatment, especially in mental health…

2021 Mental Health Summit: Rapid access, recovery and return to work with intensive outpatient programming

Approximately two in five Canadians live with a mental-health disorder and about eight million are struggling with non-prescriptive addiction. Medically managed intensive outpatient programming, or…

2021 Mental Health Summit: Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy a key mental-health strategy

Mental health is the leading cause of disability for Canadian employers of all types, sectors and sizes, with 70 per cent of employers saying expanding…

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2021 Mental Health Summit: Expanding the mental-health toolkit with ketamine-assisted psychotherapy

Mental health is a major pandemic in and of itself, with surveys showing a 300 per cent increase in people reporting symptoms of anxiety and…

2021 Mental Health Summit: A look at one employee’s struggle with mental health during the pandemic

When Nasreen, a 32-year-old marketing manager at a Toronto firm, started to suffer from anxiety and depression related to her isolation during the coronavirus pandemic,…

Employees seeking pet-friendly workplaces, benefits: survey

More than three-quarters (78 per cent) of U.S. employees said they want their employer to offer paid leave after adopting a new pet, according to…

  • By: Staff
  • December 8, 2021 December 8, 2021
  • 15:00
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KPMG supporting workplace diversity, inclusivity with gender affirmation policy

KPMG in Canada is supporting its transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse employees with a new gender affirmation policy. Stephanie Braid, director of inclusion, diversity and equity…

ACPM calling on feds to streamline pension overpayment recovery

Liberals introducing legislation on paid sick days for federally regulated employees

The federal Liberal Party is following through on an election campaign promise by introducing legislation that would provide 10 paid sick days per year to…

  • By: Staff
  • November 30, 2021 November 30, 2021
  • 15:00
Stigma, coverage barriers preventing proper treatment of migraine

Webinar coverage: How employers can support employees with migraine

Migraine affects 12 to 15 per cent of Canadians, said Dr. Elizabeth Leroux, a Montreal-based neurologist, president of the Canadian Headache Society and chair of…

Webinar coverage: How can employers better support working caregivers?

Many employees are engaged in a challenging “juggling act,” with about one in four Canadians aged 15 and older providing ongoing care to a family…

38% of plan sponsors planning to update benefits plan design in 2021: survey

More than a third (38 per cent) of plan sponsors are planning to update their benefits plan design by the end of this year, on…

  • By: Staff
  • November 3, 2021 November 3, 2021
  • 09:00
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Remote working helping employees with chronic conditions miss less work: survey

The shift to remote working due to the coronavirus pandemic is helping 77 per cent of employees with chronic conditions and/or chronic pain miss less…

  • By: Staff
  • November 1, 2021 October 27, 2021
  • 09:00
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Award finalists discuss mental health, enhanced communications amid pandemic

More than 19 months into the coronavirus pandemic, employers are focusing on enhanced mental-health offerings and streamlined communications for their benefits and pension plans. During a…

Majority of HR leaders believe benefits, retirement offerings meeting needs of all: survey

The majority of human resources professionals said they believe their organizations’ current benefits and retirement offerings are meeting the needs of a diverse workforce, according to…

  • By: Staff
  • October 29, 2021 October 29, 2021
  • 09:00

3M Canada wins mental-health award for refreshing support during pandemic

Refreshing and re-communicating its mental-health program during the coronavirus pandemic led to 3M Canada’s win at the 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 14. Back…

Should employers offer paid menstrual leave?

On the first day of her period, Amy Saunders says she’s often stuck in bed with a hot water bottle, downing painkillers and drinking tea.…

Shopify wins award for ‘digital by design’ employee health, wellness strategy

Shopify Inc. was awarded for its digital-first employee health and wellness strategy at Benefits Canada‘s 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 14. The technology company won the…

Editorial

Editorial: Chronic disease, mental health in spotlight as pandemic surges on

With the Delta variant leading the coronavirus pandemic in a renewed surge, employers continue to have a surplus of challenges, regardless of whether or not…

New study calling on permanent reforms to Canada’s sickness, caregiving leaves

With the coronavirus pandemic exposing gaps in sickness and caregiving leave provisions across Canada, the Institute for Research on Public Policy is calling for permanent…

  • By: Staff
  • October 8, 2021 October 8, 2021
  • 15:00

More Canadian employers topping up maternity leave benefits than parental leave benefits: survey

While more than half (58 per cent) of Canadian employers provide top-up pay for maternity leave benefits, just 33 per cent offer top-ups for parental…

  • By: Staff
  • October 7, 2021 October 7, 2021
  • 09:00

Pandemic putting absence management in spotlight for majority of U.S. employers: survey

A majority (75 per cent) of U.S. organizations said the coronavirus pandemic has influenced how they approach absence management as a whole, according to a…

  • By: Staff
  • September 24, 2021 September 24, 2021
  • 09:00

Germany ending coronavirus quarantine sick pay for unvaccinated

Germany is stopping sick pay for unvaccinated people who have to go into quarantine because of the coronavirus. Previously, Germans could claim for income lost due…

Head to head: Should provincial governments require employers to provide minimum paid sick leave?

Eighteen months into the coronavirus pandemic and counting, one of its hottest topics is still up for debate. Jim Stanford, economist and director of the…