With wildfires raging across the country over the past weeks, employers can support affected employees by offering easily accessible tools and resources, flexible work schedules and extended wellness benefits, says Alex Boucher, principal consultant and total health management leader at Mercer Canada. Whether they’ve been removed from their homes or are worrying about smoke inhalation, employees are […]
It has been called “the change.” Menopause. That time, occurring roughly between the ages of 45 and 55, when a female’s reproductive life ends and any number of incapacitating symptoms appear. These symptoms — from hot flashes to memory issues to muscle and joint pain — can impact physical health, mental health and, inevitably, performance […]
Financial education and well-being initiatives are in the spotlight as employees face the stress of multiple financial headwinds — from inflation reaching a 40-year high to the strong likelihood of an impending recession — and search for advice and clarity. “There’s a very strong correlation between financial wellness and mental wellness,” said Dr. Jim Chung […]
Employers planning to incentivize non-smoking employees should align these perks with a broader health and well-being strategy and ensure the rewards are significant enough to make behaviour change appealing for smokers, says Kim Siddall, vice-president of enterprise consulting for the West at People Corporation. Possible incentives include additional vacation time, increased credits in a health-care […]
The Ottawa Community Housing Corp.’s flexible employee well-being strategy led to a win in the Health/wellness program category for employers with fewer than 1,000 employees at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 18. “Our organization is happy about the win because this journey in terms of supporting employee health started about two to three years back,” […]
LifeLabs Inc.’s holistic well-being strategy led to its win in the Coronavirus and benefits category for an employer with more than 1,000 employees at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 18. In 2021, the organization recognized employees are likely to experience the coronavirus pandemic’s lasting impacts for months and years to come and turned its focus […]
The majority (84 per cent) of U.S. employers are increasing their benefits offerings to help with attraction and retention efforts, according to a new survey by CITE Research on behalf of Lively Inc. It found almost all (94 per cent) respondents said they believe parental leave benefits are the most important offering to attract and […]
The TD Bank Group’s innovative and engaging benefits communication strategy led to its win in the Benefits plan communications category at the 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 18. “It’s humbling and overwhelming to win this award,” says Darryl Burton, associate vice-president of Canadian and international benefits and well-being at TD. “When we’re trying to plan communications […]
The provision of employer-sponsored benefits has evolved significantly over the last 45 years, with the past decade ushering in the most consequential changes, fueled by technology, increased competition and demand. In the 80s and 90s, benefits plans were very siloed and one size fits all, says Chris Pryce, founder and president of Human Capital Benefits, […]
I was a little daunted to write a piece for Benefits Canada’s 45th anniversary issue — it has been almost 15 years since I last penned a column for the magazine and I’m a little out of practice. The assignment seemed straightforward — 500 to 600 words on how benefits have evolved or what’s expected […]