Everyone is talking about cognitive behavioural therapy, but do most people understand it? It’s important for plan sponsors to fully understand what they’re paying for when they decide to provide mental-health benefits, said Peter Gove, innovation leader in health management at Green Shield Canada, in a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2019 Vancouver Benefits Summit at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel […]
Ontario Power Generation’s win in the absence management category at Benefits Canada’s 2018 Workplace Benefits Awards has meant a lot to the organization, especially for upper management, because it showed them it’s putting employees first, says Tanya Hickey, senior manager of health and safety strategies. She believes OPG won the award because of the many proactive things it’s done. “We took a look […]
On May 22, the 2019 Calgary Benefits Summit focused on how employers can make their organization its healthiest by starting with their benefits plans. Here’s what you missed! How a Blue Zone concept can benefit the workplace What can a small Alberta town of 70,000 people do when the provincial government’s response to, “We need […]
Employees who think about their upcoming role at work during their morning commutes are less likely to be negatively affected, according to a recent study by the Harvard Business School. The study noted the average commute time for employees is 38 minutes each way, meaning each commuter spends nearly 300 hours travelling between work and home in […]
The National Football League and the NFL Players Association are putting more resources in place for players’ pain management and behavioural health through new union agreements. The two parties will be forming a joint pain management committee, with medical experts appointed by both the league and the union, according to a press release. The committee will […]
The majority of U.S. employees feel they can’t share an idea, opinion or concern at work due to a fear of disrupting their role at the company, according to a new survey by Fierce Conversations. The research, which surveyed more than 1,000 full-time employees across the U.S., found nearly 63 per cent of respondents have chosen not […]
Benefits plans tackle everything from retirement to rheumatoid arthritis, but should they help employees cross items off their bucket lists, too? In her research, Erica Pearson, co-founder and chief executive officer of Vacation Fund Inc., says usually about 50 per cent of people indicated they don’t have the budget to take vacation and 50 per cent […]
EY Canada is adding online cognitive behavioural therapy to its benefits toolkit, at no cost to employees. The new program, which was introduced at the beginning of May, is in addition to the company increasing its mental-health benefits to $5,000 per employee last December. “It’s another tool in the quiver,” says Stephen Shea, managing partner of talent at […]
Medavie Blue Cross is launching a pharmacogenetic testing pilot project to help group benefits plan members find ideal medication and dosing amounts. The project uses GeneYouIn Inc.’s Pillcheck cheek-swab DNA test, analyzing patients’ genes to understand how their bodies might process certain medications. After the test, the swabs are destroyed for patient privacy. While the project will initially […]
PCL Construction Ltd. is encouraging its employees to talk about their mental-health journeys and take breaks when they need it during the month of May. Employees can share their stories on the company’s WellPCL internal blog, which is promoted and shared by the company’s human resources department. “They range from, ‘I’m a superintendent on a […]