Real progress means walking the walk, not just talking the talk. In recent months, many employers have shown support for the Indigenous community by lowering flags, participating in Orange Shirt Day and starting meetings with land acknowledgements. While symbolic gestures are a start, employers looking to attract and retain Indigenous employees need to do the […]
Canadian health benefits plan members’ top stressors have shifted to reflect the new work environments created by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the 2021 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. The survey, formerly known as the Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey, found that 35 per cent of plan members described their stress level at the beginning of 2021 […]
SAP Canada Inc.’s vice-president and head of human resources talks embracing flexible working, keeping the “human” in HR and winter sports. Q. What top challenges do you face in your role? A. SAP is a global organization, so everything we do must be within the context of what works for us in the country but […]
Various forms of digital health care have been available in Canada for several years, but I’d argue nothing has accelerated the awareness, need and adoption of these services more than the current coronavirus pandemic. No one has been untouched by this pandemic, which has compelled us to rethink our previous ways of doing things in […]
A third term for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau means some significant promises with the potential to impact employers and employees may soon become reality. During its campaign, the Liberal Party pledged to support workplace coronavirus vaccination mandates, a national childcare program, expanded public mental-health offerings and a right-to-disconnect policy. On vaccination mandates, the Liberals promised […]
It’s 18 months this week since a global coronavirus pandemic was first declared and employers are applying many hard lessons learned as Canadian organizations and employees stare down further uncertainty wrought by the Delta variant, fourth wave and stagnant vaccination rates. As the country and world looks towards another tumultuous fall and winter, employers are […]
The past year and a half has been characterized by marked change. The move to remote work, industry layoffs and the desire for more robust support left plan sponsors and consultants rapidly altering the ways they work together. Certain trends, such as virtual care, mental-health support, changing retirement needs and industry consolidation have slowly been […]
Carebook Technologies Inc., a Montreal-based digital health and virtual care solutions provider, is acquiring CoreHealth Technologies Inc., a Kelowna, B.C.-based global corporate wellness platform, for $9 million on a cash-free and debt-free basis. CoreHealth provides health and wellness programs for corporate wellness companies, major insurers, human resources consulting firms, employee assistance program providers, health systems, population health management […]
Employers want to offer employee assistance programs and employees want access to them — so why do they tend to be so underused? The average EAP utilization sits at just 11 per cent and just 39 per cent of employees said they’re satisfied with EAP programs, according to the 2016 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. And […]
Canadians have weathered two waves of the coronavirus pandemic and are now working their way through the third. But what happens when the fourth wave — of psychological trauma, economic injury and burnout — arrives? One half of Canadians said they’d experienced worsening mental-health challenges during the pandemic, according to an April 2020 poll by […]