While society’s understanding of women’s health has significantly evolved in the last few years, employee benefits plans haven’t yet caught up. “We expect men and women to interact with their plan in the same way and that’s just not true,” said Erika Hatherly, strategic leader for drug programs, group benefits and retirement solutions at iA […]
Canadian plan sponsors are consistently underestimating the share of their employees living with at least one chronic condition, according to the 2025 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. While three in five (59 per cent) plan members reported having at least one chronic condition, plan sponsors estimated that an average 38.5 per cent of their workforce had […]
As employers and employees grapple with inflation, political turbulence and an economic slowdown, consultants are stepping up to offer support. That uncertainty also extends to broader business operations. Companies in the automotive and steel industries are particularly impacted by the tariffs, but many other sectors remain unsure of what the future holds more generally. The […]
With “disruptive evolution” a strong value for Arc’teryx Equipment, the organization developed its new benefits plan to reflect this mentality, according to Mikkaela Fernandez, manager of total rewards, benefits, wellness, leaves and retirement, during a fireside chat at Benefits Canada’s 2025 Vancouver Benefits Summit. The global retailer, which is based in Vancouver and has 3,000 […]
Plan sponsors are facing the perfect storm of rising benefits costs, a surge in chronic disease prevalence and fierce competition for top talent. All the while, 55 per cent of Canadian workers feel their employee benefits plan doesn’t fully meet their needs, according to Telus Health’s mental-health index. More than 50 per cent of plan members […]
Plan sponsors are facing a chronic disease “tsunami” that is leading to higher benefits and drug plan spend and increasing disability claims. But the three root causes of this growing problem — undiagnosed health issues, the availability of primary and preventative health care and challenges navigating the health-care system — are issues plan sponsors are […]
The union representing more than 5,200 Air Canada pilots has ratified a four-year collective agreement that includes multiple benefits gains, avoiding a possible strike. The agreement includes physiotherapy coverage of up to $5,000 a year per plan member and lifetime coverage for fertility drugs up to $10,000. Employees will also have a choice between $500 […]
Canadian benefits plan sponsors are increasingly seeking to balance providing competitive benefits against plan sustainability issues, said expert panellists during the launch event for the 2024 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey last week. Andrea Belvedere (pictured right), assistant vice-president of health benefits and solutions at Sun Life, said plan sponsors are starting to ask more questions […]
Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of Americans say they wish they’d started saving for retirement when they were younger than age 25, according to a new survey by Voya Financial Inc. The survey, which polled more than 1,000 Americans adults, found more than half said they started saving for retirement when they were between ages 18 […]
With millennials and generation Z employees representing roughly 75 per cent of the Canadian workforce, employers need to respond to the changing needs of these demographics, said Andrew Brandsma, director of sales for new business development at claims processing company National HealthClaim, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Vancouver Benefits Summit in May. Both […]