Vancouver City Savings Credit Union is using its internal benefits and employee data to react to the financial realities that workers are facing amid the rising cost of living, says Ivana Afonso, the organization’s director of total rewards. “We know the cost-of-living crisis is hitting our core-aged employees hardest, especially those balancing housing, childcare and […]
Nearly seven in 10 (67 per cent) employees say they’d deliver 20 per cent to 50 per cent more output if they were recognized by their employer more often, according to a new survey by the Achievers Workforce Institute. The survey, which polled 3,600 global employees, found just 23 per cent feel meaningfully recognized at […]
For their 15th wedding anniversary, Katie Walley-Wiegert and her husband decided to take a beach vacation with their young son. But the trip didn’t go as planned: Walley-Wiegert wound up needing to pack her computer because of a work assignment she couldn’t ignore. The 38-year-old marketing professional had just landed a podcast interview for an […]
Gender differences in mental health manifest through biology, gender roles and cultural expectations, according to Carmen Bellows, registered psychologist and director of mental health solutions at Sun Life Financial Inc., during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2025 Mental Health Summit. Taking all mental-health disorders into account, she said there are no gender differences in the […]
The costs associated with mental-health stress and psychosocial risks are extremely high — in Canada, they amount to about $50 billion in direct costs and $500 billion in indirect costs, according to Maude Villeneuve (pictured right), coordinator and relief research chair in mental health, self-management and work at Laval University, during a session at Benefits […]
Mood, anxiety and related disorders are some of the most common conditions that arise in pregnancy and in the year after childbirth, according to Dr. Archana Vidyasankar, perinatal psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology in the faculty of medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland, during a session supported by Biogen Canada […]
With more than 70 per cent of individuals who use alcohol or illicit drugs actively employed, addiction is present in the workplace and has consequences for these individuals, their colleagues and their employers, according to Stephanie Ipavec-Levasseur, director of product development and group insurance at Desjardins Insurance. During a session at Benefits Canada’s 2025 Mental […]
While successfully reintegrating employees into the workplace following an illness or injury clearly benefits the returning employee, it also benefits employers by enabling employees to continue contributing to the organization and mitigating costs such as premiums. During a session at Benefits Canada’s 2025 Mental Health Summit, Robert Cross, senior director of claims, contact centres, group […]
Women’s mental health has historically been underfunded and under-researched, with just three per cent of neuroscience and psychiatry studies between 2009 and 2019 conducted exclusively in females, compared to about 30 per cent in males, according to research cited by Manulife Canada’s Georgia Pomaki during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2025 Mental Health Summit. Yet, […]
The group insurance industry saw a rapid rise in claims related to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly among women over age 40, said Catherine Biermann (pictured left), manager of digital products, solutions and partnerships at Medavie Blue Cross, moderating a Q&A session with two medical experts at Benefits Canada’s 2025 Mental Health Summit. […]