In Canada, the year-over-year cost increase for claims under a medical plan on a per-person basis is projected to reach 8.6 per cent this year, up from eight per cent in 2021, according to a new report by Mercer Canada. The report, which analyzed responses from 210 insurers across 59 countries, found the year-over-year cost […]
New collective agreements for two separate groups of employees include improvements to health benefits and work-life balance. The negotiations between Federated Co-operatives Ltd. and Unifor, which have been bargaining since the last collective agreement expired on Aug. 31, 2020, include improvements to benefits, increased scheduling flexibility and a one per cent wage increase in each […]
The coronavirus pandemic has increased health-care costs in the U.S., while shifting how and where employees access care, according to a new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers. It projected that the costs of medical treatment in the U.S. will increase by 6.5 per cent in 2022, slightly lower than this year (seven per cent). “The pandemic’s long […]
An equal percentage of Canadian employees said their employer does (27 per cent) or doesn’t (27 per cent) provide resources to help those experiencing challenges related to substance abuse, according to the latest mental-health index from LifeWorks Inc. In addition, 40 per cent of respondents reported they either don’t know if their employer offers resources […]
Substance use disorder is the largest unmanaged disease in modern health care, but few options exist that allow those affected to continue to work while being treated and that address plan members whose substance use issues aren’t visible in the workplace. “The overwhelming majority of substance use cases is invisible to the eye,” said Elliot […]
While workplaces around the world deal with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many employees are also struggling with the secondary crisis of increased alcohol and drug use. This particular side effect of the pandemic was noted early on. Last July, a poll by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health found 25 per cent of Canadians […]
The Canadian Mental Health Association is publishing a free resource to help employers develop new workplace impairment policies or update their existing ones. The guide’s goal is to promote mental health and wellness in the workplace and help employers understand their legal requirements, according to a press release. When creating policies focused on impairment, the resource recommended employers […]
Since recreational cannabis was legalized across Canada six months ago, related workplace problems have mainly been notable by their absence. “It’s been a surprising lack of significant issues arising in the workplace,” said Angelo Tsebelis, president at Starseed Medicinal Inc., during a panel at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Benefits and Pension Summit in Toronto on Wednesday. This […]
More than half (60 per cent) of North American workforces said their employees are facing more mental health and substance abuse issues than they were two years ago, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. The survey, which polled 190 U.S. and 88 Canadian employers, found 40 per cent of […]
Substance abuse can be a killer—literally—for employers in safety-critical industries. So what can they do about it?