The university’s mental-health co-ordinator, discusses employee well-being, the ‘new normal’ and figure skating. Q. What top challenges do you face in your role? A. People feel very passionately about mental health and well-being, but it often exists as something “at the side of their desks.” That’s not an indictment; it’s that the daily operational requirements […]
Sun Life Canada is launching a new virtual mental-health coach for plan members that taps into the power of predictive analytics. The virtual coach will launch in the first quarter of 2021, starting with a small number of clients, and after six months, the insurer will slowly bring more organizations on board. The insurer’s goal with the pilot program is […]
With the coronavirus pandemic affecting plan sponsors in different ways, they can return to the basics and use data to manage their benefits spend, according to a webinar hosted by the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute on Tuesday. “It’s helpful for companies to pivot and take the conversation back to the basics, which is discussing the […]
The Toronto Transit Commission Pension Fund Society has been reminded of the importance of liquidity during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Sean Hewitt, the fund’s chief executive officer, during a virtual roundtable hosted by the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute on Thursday. “COVID-19 was a really interesting test study in liquidity,” he said, noting the TTC plan […]
Now is the time for institutional investors to buy value, small cap and cyclical stocks and hold steady while the economy builds back, says Bill Callahan, an investment strategist at Schroders. Indeed, energy and financial sector stocks saw gains Monday as investors are rotating from growth and large cap stocks after Moderna Inc. released data […]
Wellness apps are becoming an increasingly popular perk for Canadian employers to offer employees, particularly as stress continues to soar as the coronavirus pandemic drags on. CAA Club Group was ahead of the pack, launching its wellness app company-wide in 2018. However, a wide range of meditation and mindfulness apps are available, so plan sponsors have to do […]
Magna International Inc. is using data to personalize its wellness program, increase employee engagement and reduce costs. In 2012, the Canadian automobile parts manufacturer established its own internal health and wellness team. At first, the program focused solely on disseminating basic educational materials, such as quarterly newsletters, posters and handouts, said Dr. Krista Markew, manager […]
On the heels of winning re-election in British Columbia, the New Democratic Party’s work is just beginning, particularly in delivering on its promise to extend pensions and benefits to precarious workers across the province. In its re-election platform, the party pledged to develop a government-backed, collective benefit fund for independent contractors, self-employed and part-time workers, […]
EQ Care is offering free access to its on-demand mental-health support program to help people cope as Canada endures a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. “Being committed to empathetic and compassionate care for the last 30 years, we recognize the important role EQ Care is privileged to play in improving the health of Canadians during this challenging […]
With Canadian employees feeling the toll the coronavirus pandemic is taking on the economy, should policy-makers facilitate the use of workplace emergency savings plans? “We know from data that 28 per cent of Canadian households who are financially impacted by COVID in August were drawing down on their [tax-free savings accounts] and [registered retirement savings […]