Canadian employees and plan sponsors are on the same page when it comes to the quality of their health benefits plans, according to the 2018 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. This year’s survey found that 58 per cent of plan members describe their benefits plan as excellent or very good, up from 48 per cent a […]
Just 41 per cent of plan sponsors said they offer a wellness program to their employees in 2018, down from 51 per cent in 2017 and a high of 64 per cent in 2013, according to the 2018 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. The downward slip is concerning since employees are more likely to have a positive […]
The majority (81 per cent) of plan sponsors said they have a philosophy or long-term view that defines why they offer benefits plans and that guides their decision-making, according to the 2018 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. Employers with a wellness culture are more likely (88 per cent) to have a philosophy around their benefits plan, compared […]
When Ontario abolished mandatory retirement in 2006, employers could still terminate benefits for workers who turned 65. But in May, the province’s Human Rights Tribunal determined the provision in the Human Rights Code that allowed employers to do so was unconstitutional. Previously, employers often offered benefits to older workers to encourage them to stay and […]
Despite not yet announcing its election platform, Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party may have the greatest potential for affecting pensions and benefits in Ontario. “The Conservatives’ broad focus on balancing the budget, which may result in their rationalizing OHIP and delisting some services, represents the real impact potential in this election,” says Anneliesje Warner, a health […]
More than a third (39 per cent) of U.S. employers see promise in using behavioural economics to help employees adhere to their medical treatment plans, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. Organizations are employing the theory of behavioural economics through a variety of methods that nudge their workforce […]
Some organizations are unique. Their employees are genuinely excited to be at work and an undercurrent of energy and vitality permeates the air. They’ve transformed the workplace into a compelling experience and built a thriving workforce. This kind of environment doesn’t come easily; it must be deliberately designed, intentionally built and carefully managed. In an age of […]
While a new report shows that introducing a tax on employer-paid health benefits would add $3.8 billion to the federal government’s coffers in the 2018 tax year, it would also dramatically raise health-care costs for many Canadians, according to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association. Tasked with measuring the federal fiscal impact of including employer-paid health […]
Julie Holden is principal of a new workplace health consultancy, Holden & Associates. Since July 2014, she worked at SEB Benefits & HR Consulting Inc., most recently as a senior vice-president. Holden’s career has spanned a number of consulting firms in roles that include: absence and disability management leader, health and productivity leader and assistant vice-president of […]
Green Shield Canada is offering plan members who suffer from chronic pain free access to a mobile app that tracks their pain, analyzes it and shares the data with their health-care providers. The pilot project, in partnership with Toronto-based startup ManagingLife Inc., also gives participants bonus points and access to rewards through the insurer’s incentive-based health […]