With the Delta variant leading the coronavirus pandemic in a renewed surge, employers continue to have a surplus of challenges, regardless of whether or not they’re planning a return to the workplace. I discussed this latter challenge in my Editorial last month, but at the risk of heaping on more doom and gloom, it may […]
During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ottawa Community Housing Corp. battened down the hatches and focused on addressing any absence management issues before they occurred. Now, Cindy Newell, the company’s director of human resources, says OCH is expecting to see fewer disability leaves post-pandemic, thanks to a proactive absence and disability management strategy […]
As the country began shutting down to focus on beating back the coronavirus at the height of the pandemic in March 2020, people with chronic health conditions fell to the back of the health-care line. “While all Canadians probably faced — to some extent — a negative impact due to some of the public health […]
At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, Julie Gaudry and her colleagues in the industry braced themselves for a surge in disability claims that never came to fruition. “We didn’t know what the prevalence of this virus would be . . . and how significantly it would make people ill,” said Gaudry, head of group […]
While the rates of drug and disability claims are returning to their pre-pandemic levels, employers are still contending with the impact of the coronavirus crisis on their benefits plans. Following the declaration of the pandemic in March 2020, there was a subsequent surge in drug claims attributed to medication stockpiling, said Frédéric Leblanc, strategic advisor […]
When Algonquin College decided to streamline its absence management process in 2019, it was important to partner with a provider that would go beyond merely adjudicating files and deliver a touchpoint for employees. The school quickly found that partner in Morneau Shepell Ltd., which was already providing ad-hoc absence management services to Algonquin, says Jessica […]
The coronavirus pandemic has significantly increased plan members’ willingness to seek help for their mental-health concerns and to access video or telephone counselling, said Julie Gaudry, senior director of group insurance for RBC Insurance, during Benefits Canada’s 2020 Mental Health Summit on Nov. 12. An RBC Insurance survey of plan members found two-thirds (67 per cent) […]
The long-term economic impacts of the COVID-19 s pandemic is anybody’s best guess, as are its long-term health impacts. Emerging evidence shows that, even after recovering from infection, longer-term symptoms such as exhaustion headaches and muscle aches in some patients can last for weeks. In more severe cases, resulting in hospitalization, longer-term consequences can include lung scarring, […]
The coronavirus pandemic has been disruptive for all and sadly, devastating and difficult for many. In the pandemic’s early days, we saw a great deal of change and upheaval very swiftly — both for organizations and our communities. The way in which we live our lives day to day changed very quickly. And for many Canadian employers, […]
Just half of Canadian employers said they’ve adopted a formal policy to clearly communicate their approach to disability benefits in the event of a conflict, according to a new survey by Aon. The survey, which was conducted before the coronavirus pandemic, asked Canadian employers about the disability benefits they’re offering to their employees and how […]