While employees dealing with mental-health challenges like depression need quality and personalized care as quickly as possible, people seeking care through the public health system face months- or years-long wait times, according to Diane McIntosh, a psychiatrist and founder and chief medical officer of RAPIDS Health, speaking during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2023 Mental Health Summit. “We […]
As the proportion of Canadians living with one or more chronic disease continues to rise, plan sponsors have the opportunity to provide specific solutions to some of the most common conditions in their employee population, said Karen Callaghan, senior director of chronic disease education and patient support at Novo Nordisk, during Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Healthy […]
While Canadian culture has long been described as a mosaic, employers’ holiday policies are more likely to tie statutory holidays to Christian celebrations than reflect the country’s true multicultural identity. In 2022, to better support an increasingly diverse workforce in both Canada and the U.S., Victoria-based software company Redbrick formalized its policy of allowing employees […]
While many workplaces have shifted to hybrid arrangements coming out of the coronavirus pandemic, employment experts say workers should be cautious about using that added flexibility to work from home when feeling sick. It’s a situation that some observers of remote working trends predict could become more prevalent as companies increasingly make their hybrid arrangements […]
Citing a variety of surveys, Terry-Lynn Levy (pictured left), manager of human resources, benefits, wellness and HR information systems at Fluor Canada, said more than a third of Canadians cite money as their biggest financial concern and people experiencing financial stress are twice as likely to report poor overall health. These individuals are also more prone […]
An article on why a higher salary is the No. 1 reason employees are searching for a new job was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. 40% of Canadian workers say they aren’t fairly paid: survey 2. 45% of Canadian autistic employees feel […]
Employee absences and presenteeism are costing Canadian employers nearly $645 million annually, according to a new report by Manulife Financial Corp. The report — which analyzed data from nearly 50 Manulife group benefits plan sponsor clients, as well as survey responses from more than 4,900 employees — found an average of 48 days per employee were […]
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, employers will likely start to see more chronic diseases in their employee population and should consider proactive strategies for supporting workers’ overall health, said Peter Nord, chief medical officer at Medcan, during Benefits Canada’s 2023 Chronic Disease at Work conference in early February. “Employees are looking around for […]
Multiple sclerosis, which tends to strike at the height of people’s working years, can have a significant impact on their productivity at work, as well as an opportunity cost of being unable to do the work they want to do, said Larry Lynd, professor at the University of British Columbia’s faculty of pharmaceutical sciences, during […]
Employers can leverage choice and financial education to help close the retirement gap among the Black, Indigenous and people of colour community, says Janice Holman, a principal at Eckler Ltd. A 2021 study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, which analyzed data from the 2016 census, found racialized seniors were most reliant on public […]