Latest news in Health benefits

B.C. tribunal finds reduced benefits for older workers not age discrimination

The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal has dismissed a complaint from a Molson Coors Beverage Co. retiree who alleged the company’s employee benefits plan was…

Stigma a barrier to EAP use: study

Perceptions of the stigma around receiving professional psychological help can be a barrier to seeking out mental-health services, according to a new study. The study,…

Employees to put holiday bonuses towards financial well-being: survey

Employees to put holiday bonuses towards financial well-being: survey

A majority of Canadian employees who are expecting to receive a holiday bonus this year want to put it towards their financial well-being, according to a…

  • By: Staff
  • December 4, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 15:30
GoodLife launches employee giving and volunteering program

GoodLife launches employee giving and volunteering program

Goodlife Fitness Centres Inc. is launching a giving and volunteering program for its employees. On the new GoodLife Gives platform, which is provided by Canadian…

  • By: Staff
  • December 4, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 09:15
Improving employee mental-health benefits is good for everyone

Improving employee mental-health benefits is good for everyone

Whether it direct or indirect, mental illness affects everyone. Beyond an individual’s personal suffering, which can range from mild to severe, the effects are also felt by…

iA Financial launches medication adherence pilot project

iA Financial launches medication adherence pilot project

iA Financial Group is launching a pilot project to help benefits plan members with medication adherence. The Quebec City-based insurer will offer access to mobile…

UBC study uses pharmacists in preventative approach to heart health

UBC study uses pharmacists in preventative approach to heart health

The combination of preventative medicine and pharmacists can be powerful. Through a collaboration between the University of British Columbia’s pharmacists clinic and its human resources’…

Shoppers teaming up with SilverCloud for online CBT

Shoppers teaming up with SilverCloud for online CBT

Shoppers Drug Mart is partnering with SilverCloud Health Ltd. to make the digital mental-health solutions company’s online cognitive behavioural therapy program available to Canadian plan sponsors. SilverCloud’s…

  • By: Staff
  • November 28, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 15:00
Meal-kit companies encouraging healthy eating habits among employees

Meal-kit companies encouraging healthy eating habits among employees

To improve employee health and nutrition habits, HelloFresh Canada is taking staff out of the kitchen and into an online classroom — and then back into the…

Vacation shaming a rising workplace trend: study

Vacation shaming a rising workplace trend: study

Just 66 per cent of Canadian employees are taking the full amount of vacation time they’re owed, according to a new survey by research firm…

  • By: Staff
  • November 28, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 08:45
Global health benefits costs expected to rise slightly in 2020: survey

Global health benefits costs expected to rise slightly in 2020: survey

With employer-provided health benefits costs expected to increase globally in 2020, mental and behavioural conditions are predicted to become more common over the next five…

  • By: Staff
  • November 27, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 15:30
Express Scripts Canada rolls out medication non-adherence detection program

Express Scripts Canada rolls out medication non-adherence detection program

Express Scripts Canada is launching a medication non-adherence, early-detection program in 2020 to identify plan members who are most likely to cease taking their prescription medications.…

  • By: Staff
  • November 27, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 09:45
Canadian plan sponsors say employee expectations for benefits are changing

Canadian plan sponsors say employee expectations for benefits are changing

While nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of Canadian plan sponsors believe their benefits plans meet current workforce diversity needs, 87 per cent noted employee expectations…

  • By: Staff
  • November 27, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 09:15
How employers are supporting employees’ financial literacy

How employers are supporting employees’ financial literacy

It’s no surprise that FreshBooks takes its employees’ financial literacy seriously. The Toronto-based accounting software firm regularly holds lunch-and-learn workshops and hosts subject manner experts…

Morneau Shepell to provide well-being platform to CFL players

Morneau Shepell to provide well-being platform to CFL players

Morneau Shepell Ltd. is partnering with the Canadian Football League Players’ Association to make its LifeWorks platform available to the league’s players. LifeWorks is a total…

  • By: Staff
  • November 25, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 15:15
Draft PMPRB guidelines include changes to reference countries, drug price factors

Draft PMPRB guidelines include changes to reference countries, drug price factors

The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board has published draft guidelines, including new factors for setting patented drug prices and an updated list of reference countries for Canada to compare…

  • By: Staff
  • November 25, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 09:15
Plan sponsors, members increasingly open to medical cannabis use: survey

Plan sponsors, members increasingly open to medical cannabis use: survey

Both plan sponsors and plan members are more open to the use of medical cannabis than they were five years ago, according to a new…

  • By: Staff
  • November 22, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 09:15
Morneau Shepell’s Rita Fridella to retire, Neil King to take role

Morneau Shepell’s Rita Fridella to retire, Neil King to take role

Morneau Shepell Ltd. is appointing Neil King as executive vice-president and president of LifeWorks, effective Jan. 1, 2020, as Rita Fridella retires at the end…

  • By: Staff
  • November 22, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 09:10
Head to head: Which is more disruptive: absenteeism or presenteeism?

Head to head: Which is more disruptive — absenteeism or presenteeism?

Both absenteeism and presenteeism affect employers’ bottom lines and employee morale, but does one have more impact on the workplace? Julie Holden, principal at Holden…

How Borden Ladner Gervais brought its mental-health strategy in-house

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP is taking its employees’ mental health seriously. Four years ago, it implemented a strategy to focus on building awareness, reducing stigma…

A look at medical cannabis coverage’s growing pains

A look at medical cannabis coverage’s growing pains

After the Arthritis Society’s extensive advocacy for medical cannabis research, it seemed only natural for the organization to cover the drug under its employee benefits…

Q&A with the City of Toronto’s Hatem Belhi

Q&A with the City of Toronto’s Hatem Belhi

The City of Toronto’s director of pensions, payroll and employee benefits discusses pension changes, data technology and being a soccer dad. Q. What top challenges…

CN Rail workers continue strike over drug benefits, safety concerns

CN Rail workers continue strike over drug benefits, safety concerns

Roughly 3,200 Canadian National Railway Co. workers are on strike with outstanding issues including time-off provisions and lifetime caps on certain benefits. The strike, which began at midnight…

  • By: Staff
  • November 21, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 09:23
Flexible offices could contribute to local Canadian economies in next decade: study

Flexible offices could contribute to local Canadian economies in next decade: study

Flexible office spaces and co-working locations could contribute more than $13.7 billion to local Canadian economies in the next decade as they become more prevalent…

  • By: Staff
  • November 21, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 08:30
Diversity and inclusion, education support increasingly part of total rewards: survey

Diversity and inclusion, education support increasingly part of total rewards: survey

In 2019, employers are increasingly making diversity and inclusion initiatives and education assistance for employees part of their total rewards offerings, according to new research by WorldatWork.…

  • By: Staff
  • November 20, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 15:00