With 3.4 million Canadians living with the disease, diabetes is taking a toll on Canadians and the country’s health system. In addition to the human toll, there’s a significant economic impact. The disease cost the Canadian health system $12.2 billion in 2010, a figure expected to rise to $16.9 billion by 2020. As well, Irene […]
Dr. Milan Gupta has a heartfelt message for plan sponsors, managers and employees: Cardiovascular disease is a problem, and it’s one that’s not going away any time soon. “Every seven minutes, a Canadian dies of [cardiovascular disease] and it is the leading cause of death in women. It kills more women than all cancers combined,” […]
Seven years ago, sales of generic drugs were having a significant impact on drug plan costs. Those savings, however, are declining as overall pharmaceutical costs are climbing once more. Between 2010 and 2020, estimates suggest the demand for specialty drugs, including biologics, will grow by 600 per cent to more than $12 billion, according to […]
Millennial workers are more likely than their older colleagues to report having experienced mental illness, according to a new survey commissioned by the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace. Fifty per cent of employees aged 18 to 34 say they’ve experienced depression, compared to 39 per cent of generation Xers and 29 […]
Workplace mental health is a priority issue. Currently, one in four Canadians leave work due to anxiety, stress and depression. The Canadian Mental Health Commission estimates mental health costs the economy $50 billion annually, and every week more than 500,000 Canadians are off sick due to mental stress or illness. Mental illness is one of […]
As employee engagement garners more attention as a key performance indicator, it’s also weaving its way into the way employers design and construct their workplace policies and benefits programs. There are many compelling reasons why organizations focus their attention on employee engagement. There’s clear evidence that high engagement leads to improved organizational results, such as […]
How does an employer go about creating a mental-health strategy? In the case of Ontario’s Workplace Safety & Insurance Board, it brought its own employees into the conversation. Speaking during an event hosted by Manulife Financial Corp. in Toronto on Thurday, Lilian Riad-Allen, a senior consultant for the mental health and wellness program at the […]
BestLifeRewarded Innovations Inc. has launched a research project aimed at demonstrating how small changes in behaviour could make a significant difference in both employee health and its economic burden on employers. The project focuses on five modifiable risk factors: physical inactivity, smoking, excess weight, use of alcohol and low vegetable and fruit consumption. A one […]
Two-thirds of Canadians are tracking their health and well-being using either a mobile app or smart device, according to new research by Canada Health Infoway. The study, which surveyed more than 4,000 Canadians, found that among those who do use technology to track their health and well-being, 59 per cent are employed and 41 per cent […]
Aligning a mental-health strategy with an organization’s business values is key to ensuring the program has a long-term impact on employees and the company, according to one employer. “From our perspective, aligning with one of your strongest values, whether it’s safety or cost savings, and demonstrating how you can align with that and leverage what’s […]