Inconsistency in public health care and private benefits coverage for vision care could be keeping many Canadians from getting their eyes checked regularly, according to Tracy Weng, an optometrist and clinical consultant at Specsavers Canada, during Benefits Canada’s 2025 Toronto Benefits Summit. About 60 per cent of Canadians have private insurance and, among that group, […]
An article on why Canadian retirees are withdrawing less income from their workplace savings plans was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: 1. Decumulation shift: Canadian retirees withdrawing less from workplace plans in recent years, says expert […]
Employers can mitigate the impact of seasonal influenza on the workplace by taking a proactive approach through flexible work policies and supporting preventative measures such as vaccination, says Peter Smith, president and senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. “For most workplaces, the impacts will be increased time off work from employees to […]
With more than 70 per cent of individuals who use alcohol or illicit drugs actively employed, addiction is present in the workplace and has consequences for these individuals, their colleagues and their employers, according to Stephanie Ipavec-Levasseur, director of product development and group insurance at Desjardins Insurance. During a session at Benefits Canada’s 2025 Mental […]
Despite offering generous benefits packages, many Canadian employers are seeing key benefits go unused or remain effectively invisible to employees, say several experts. A recent report by ADP Canada on employee satisfaction found compensation and benefits scored just 6.1 out of 10, the lowest-rated workplace satisfaction factor among Canadian employees. The gap between what’s offered […]
When Lisa, a 46-year-old marketing manager, started experiencing perimenopause, her career took a hit. Dealing with brain fog, sleep disruption and hot flashes, she shifted to a four-day workweek, cutting her income by 20 per cent, and also started to contemplate an early retirement. Her doctor dismissed her symptoms as just a part of aging […]
Canadian employees’ well-being is declining, with workers reporting an average well-being score of 43.7 out of 100 in 2024, according to a new report by Dialogue Health Technologies Inc. The report polled more than 13,000 employees and assessed their responses across five dimensions of well-being, including mood, stress, sleep, activeness and sense of purpose. It […]
As cases of measles continue to climb across Canada, employers can support employee health and productivity by educating workers on vaccines and encouraging them to maintain up-to-date vaccinations, says Ajit Johal, a community pharmacist, clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia and founder of vaccine education non-profit organization immunize.io. “A healthy workforce is […]
Two-thirds (64 per cent) of global employees in the ‘sandwich generation’— defined as those who are caring for young children and ageing parents — say they’ve experienced depression and anxiety, according to a new report by wellness platform Cleo. The report, based on more than 12,000 user assessments, found among the sandwich generation, half (51 […]
For the past 10 years, Benefits Canada’s Chronic Disease at Work conference has examined the current trends in chronic disease in Canada and what they mean for plan sponsors. Hosted in a virtual format on Feb. 12, the 2025 conference explored several chronic diseases, as well as their impacts on the workplace and the role of employers […]