Canadian women are bearing the brunt of a gender health gap that has led to poor understanding and heightened stigma around their unique health needs and worse physical and mental-health outcomes over time. However, there are ways for employers to help, said Sam Mikail, director of mental-health solutions for group claims at Sun Life Financial Inc., […]
In the face of soaring mental health-related disability leaves and broader challenges with access to mental-health care, integrated disability management programs that include early intervention, accommodations and return-to-work supports can help shorten leave durations. “Having an effective disability management program not only prevents and mitigates the impact of disability leaves on an organization, but it […]
If absenteeism is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to employees’ mental health and well-being, presenteeism is the bulky underwater mass, said William Lindsay, senior disability management advisor at Desjardins Insurance, during Benefits Canada’s 2023 Mental Health Summit. While absenteeism — defined as an employee being repeatedly absent for more than half a day — is […]
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 […]
When Desjardins Insurance launched a study to redefine employee health and well-being, an unexpected finding came through loud and clear: Canadian employers and insurers should be paying much closer attention to millennial plan members. Millennials are a cohort of people born between 1980 and 1996. Since 2016, the generation has comprised the largest segment of […]
As employers increasingly embrace diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, strong mental-health support can be a key pillar in those efforts, said Joby McKenzie, managing director for Canada at Teladoc Health, during Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Healthy Outcomes Conference in October. Highlighting statistics showing the mental-health disparities across diverse groups, she noted a third of Indigenous people […]
Since menopause often hits women at the peak of their careers and can have an impact on their workplace productivity, employers must re-evaluate their benefits plans and workplace policies to better support women through the transition. While the common age range for menopause is between 45 and 55, it can also happen before age 40, […]
As Canadians face the dual effects of the rapidly rising cost of living and interest rates, the resulting financial stress has major implications for plan sponsors, said Valérie Fernandez, senior advisor of workplace health best practices and strategic support for group insurance at Beneva, during Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Healthy Outcomes Conference in October. Indeed, employers […]
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 […]
Since defined contribution plan members will experience a wide variety of market conditions over the course of their working lives and into retirement, it’s important for the strategic asset allocation of target-date funds to be diversified and able to stand the test of time, according to Jon Knowles, institutional portfolio manager for global asset allocation at […]