Tonya Johnson, age 39, is single, happy and freezing her eggs to buy a little more time before she starts a family. The procedure is costly — as much as $15,000 for one egg freezing cycle with medication — putting it out of reach for many. But Johnson works for one of a growing number of companies in Canada offering egg freezing as […]
As the coronavirus pandemic enters its fourth year, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the health crisis has taken its toll on employee mental health. Scotiabank saw a notable rise in claims for mental-health drugs in 2022, says Ayman Alvi, the bank’s vice-president of global pension and benefits, noting the increased use of these medications aligns with […]
Humi is supporting employees with an annual $500 employer match to its group registered retirement savings plan and fertility drug coverage. Andrea Bartlett, the human resources software company’s vice-president of people, says Humi hopes to change the match to a percentage of employees’ contributions in the near future. After announcing the match, the company saw […]
The majority (88 per cent) of U.S. employers say they plan to change their health benefits provider over the next two years, according to a new survey by WTW. The survey, which polled more than 200 employers, found among respondents that offer well-being benefits, more than half (55 per cent) said they plan to make changes […]
Two-fifths (40 per cent) of U.S. organizations currently offer fertility benefits, up from 30 per cent in 2020, according to a survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. The survey, which examined benchmarking data from more than 500 U.S. employers, also found 28 per cent of respondents said they cover fertility medications, up from […]
An article on how employers can use ‘Blue Monday’ as an opportunity to discuss mental health was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Employers can use ‘Blue Monday’ to reset workplace mental-health strategies 2. Microsoft’s U.S. employees receiving unlimited vacation days 3. Walmart enhancing […]
Walmart Canada is enhancing its employee benefits plan with coverage for fertility treatments and gender affirmation. Nadia Cerisano, vice-president of total rewards and global mobility at Walmart, says the new benefits, which take effect Feb. 1, will help employees be their authentic selves in the workplace. Last fall, Walmart extended fertility benefits to its U.S. […]
Amid the lingering coronavirus pandemic, vaccination policies and paid sick leave were top of mind among Benefits Canada’s readers in 2022. However, stories about new employee benefits and compensation planning, as well as pension and retirement matters, also caught readers’ eyes. Here are Benefits Canada’s 10 most popular stories of the year: 1. Feds consider definition of ‘fully […]
PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada is supporting employees with enhanced family-building benefits. The enhanced benefits, provided by Sun Life Financial Inc., include coverage for procedures and drugs related to fertility; lab services, testing and other surrogate medical expenses; prenatal fitness classes, vitamins and other expenses related to surrogate wellness; as well as agency fees and other expenses related […]
The majority of Capital One Canada’s workforce are second-generation Canadians and/or immigrants, so many employees didn’t see their families during the pandemic. While they wanted to take extended leaves from work, the financial company found few were actually taking advantage of its existing leave program. “It’s because it was unprotected,” said Rita Mizzi-Gago (right), the […]