CAA Club Group’s commitment to supporting employee health and wellness led to a win in the Health/wellness program category for employers with more than 1,000 employees at Benefits Canada’s 2023 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 20. “We were up against some strong competitors and we’re excited that the work we do in the wellness space […]
While ChatGPT is helping benefits communications become more efficient, detailed and reliable, the risks may outweigh the rewards when it comes to full automation, says Tom Milne, a principal at Normandin Beaudry. The possibilities for generative artificial intelligence in the benefits space are infinite, he says, noting the algorithms are helping expedite the research and […]
In 2022, Xero sent out a global survey to all of its employees asking them to rank the most important components of its total rewards program, from time off to flexible working policies, salaries to employee benefits. The software company’s Canadian employees ranked health benefits as one of the most important aspects of total rewards. […]
Nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of employers recognize they’ll need to offer a wider variety of benefits options to meet the expectations of the different generations in their workforces, according to a new report by LIMRA and EY. In particular, the survey, which polled more than 800 U.S. employers and more than 1,800 employees, found demand […]
Increased flexibility, enhanced digitization and a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion are among the trends shaping 3M Canada’s benefits plan in 2023, says Jacqueline McLennan, a benefits specialist at the company. In particular, 3M’s wellness program offers employees the flexibility to support their personal health and well-being. “We don’t have it narrowed down to only use […]
The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association will now be working with participating insurers to collaborate on joint investigations into suspected benefits fraud schemes. This initiative builds on last year’s launch of a CLHIA-supported program that uses advanced artificial intelligence to identify fraudulent activity across a vast industry pool of claims data. “We’ve been working […]
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, employers will likely start to see more chronic diseases in their employee population and should consider proactive strategies for supporting workers’ overall health, said Peter Nord, chief medical officer at Medcan, during Benefits Canada’s 2023 Chronic Disease at Work conference in early February. “Employees are looking around for […]
The unmet medical needs across Canada are substantial, with the number of Canadians using cannabis for medical needs — close to 15 per cent of individuals over age 16 — one of the best barometers, said Dr. Steven Grover, professor of medicine at McGill University, during Benefits Canada’s 2022 Mental Health Summit in November. “For […]
The first issue of Benefits Canada hit the desks of the country’s human resources, benefits, pension and investment professionals in 1977, four years before I was born. That same year, Canada’s inflation rate was eight per cent, very close to July 2022’s annualized inflation rate of 7.6 per cent. A lot has changed in 45 […]
Our industry sometimes gets a bad rap for being overly traditional and slow to change. But there’s no question we’ve seen some major shifts in employee benefits over the past 45 years. Three of those shifts will have implications for employers going forward. Greater onus on the individual to save for retirement Over the years, […]