For many South Asian women, workplace pressures are deeply connected to responsibilities outside the office, requiring employers to look beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to employee benefits plans and workplace policies, says Herleen Arora, co-founder and managing director at the South Asian Women’s Collective. According to a recent report by the SAWC, cultural expectations often position […]
An article on how employers can support employees with vision loss when they’re required to use technology for work was the most-read article on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: How employers can support employees with vision loss when using technology […]
The union representing roughly 820 workers at Grand River Transit in Ontario has ratified a new three-year collective agreement that includes benefits and wage gains. The agreement includes increasing coverage for eyeglasses from $450 to $550 and adding speech pathologists and osteopaths to the list of covered paramedical practitioners. In addition, while the benefits previously […]
Working caregivers are placing growing importance on employer support, with 81 per cent saying it’s important for organizations to adopt caregiver-friendly policies, according to new research published by the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, a program of the Azrieli Foundation, during National Caregiving Month. The report found 36 per cent of working caregivers said their […]
May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a time when organizations create conversations around psychological well-being through campaigns, webinars and internal communications. In the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, it has been more important than ever for employers to prioritize employees mental-health needs. However, despite efforts to invest heavily in workplace mental-health benefits, there still appears […]
Flight Centre Travel Group’s pair of wins at the 2025 Workplace Benefits Awards is supporting the employer’s benefits communications strategy by reminding employees of available wellness offerings, says Anna Fisher, the organization’s health and wellness director. “The [Workplace Benefits Awards] are a big deal to us, because they give us a moment to pause and […]
More than half (57 per cent) of Canadian employees with a chronic condition have missed work, reduced hours or taken time off due to their condition, according to a new survey by Maple conducted with the Angus Reid Forum. The survey, which polled more than 1,520 Canadians living with or caring for someone with a […]
Employers are facing growing pressure on their benefits plans as financial stress shapes how employees access care, use coverage and experience health outcomes across life stages, according to a new report by Beneva Inc. It found mental illness alone is estimated to cost the Canadian economy $51 billion annually, while mental-health leaves cost employers twice […]
Health Canada has approved two generic versions of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist medication Ozempic, a move that could ease cost pressures for employer-sponsored benefits plans. The introduction of generics is a key lever for controlling drug costs in both private and public plans, says Philippe Laplante, a principal at Eckler Ltd. “As a rule of […]
The Bank of Montreal is supporting employee mental health through an enhanced employee assistance program, an upcoming Indigenous cognitive behavioural therapy tool and an internal wellness conference. In April, the bank launched an EAP service delivery model where employees can now speak directly to a trained clinician when calling the EAP, instead of waiting to […]