Employer-sponsored health benefits cost trends are expected to increase 8.1 per cent on average globally in 2022, according to a new survey by Willis Towers Watson. The survey, which polled medical insurers across various geographic regions, found cost trends are expected to be as high as 14.2 per cent in Latin America, followed by 10.6 […]
Many employees are engaged in a challenging “juggling act,” with about one in four Canadians aged 15 and older providing ongoing care to a family member or friend and about one in five caregivers spending 20 or more hours a week in that role, according to Sherry Hnatyshyn, managing director of Carepath. During a Benefits […]
The shift to remote working due to the coronavirus pandemic is helping 77 per cent of employees with chronic conditions and/or chronic pain miss less work, according to the 2021 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. Just over a third (34 per cent) of plan members said remote working definitely helped them miss less work due to their […]
Refreshing and re-communicating its mental-health program during the coronavirus pandemic led to 3M Canada’s win at the 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 14. Back in 2013, the manufacturing company began a journey to “empower employees to refresh, re-energize and feel well,” according to its award entry. However, while the wellness program was effective, the […]
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 […]
The vast majority (94 per cent) of employers said they expect an increase in medical services in 2022 due to delayed care during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by Business Group on Health. The survey, which polled 136 large employers that cover more than eight million plan members, asked about changes they […]
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 there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel with respect to the coronavirus pandemic and the return to normal life, the stress response from such a rapid and necessary shift in lifestyle has had and will continue to have profound impacts on mental health. Before the pandemic, Canada was already […]