In October 2017, De Beers Canada senior management flew to the company’s remote Victor diamond mine near Attawapiskat, Ont., to tell its employees some tough but not unexpected news: the mine was slated to close in the first quarter of 2019. When the fly-in, fly-out operation opened in 2008, the company forecasted it would last […]
Compared with people who don’t access employer-provided employee assistance programs, Canadians who use the services have increased workplace engagement, as well as reduced presenteeism and distress at work, according to a study published last month in the U.S.-based Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health. The study, which looked at the causal effects of Arete Human Resources Inc.’s EAPs on mental […]
Employees dealing with mental-health or other well-being issues spend more than a third of their time at the office being unproductive, according to new research by Morneau Shepell Ltd. and the International Employee Assistance Professionals Association. The research found this ineffective time at work adds up to eight days a month of lost productivity. The same […]
The contents of employee assistance programs are growing and reflecting a wider range of services. At the same time, attitudes to pricing are also changing. Trader Corp., a Toronto-based digital marketing company serving the automotive industry, expects more from its EAP provider and is willing to pay for it. “Our workforce is increasingly diverse with […]
Mental illness and problems with mental health cost employers $20 billion annually, and it’s the cause of one in every three claims for short- and long-term disability, according to a study by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. It’s no wonder mental health remains an area of focus for Canadian employers. While they grapple with how to tackle […]
Bruce Power Ltd. Partnership’s manager of human resources and total rewards shares her view on optimizing the benefits plan, enjoying the great outdoors and employee assistance programs. Q. What are the top challenges you face in your role? A. Getting employees to be active participants in the benefits plan. We’re trying to encourage individuals to […]
Stress hurts, and it’s not just about mental and emotional health strain, it’s also about financial stress, according to a workforce well-being survey by Buck Consultants. Where physical well-being is concerned, “one of the headlines that screams at us is stress,” said Ruth Hunt, a principal in the engagement practice and global well-being survey lead at […]
During an employee’s gender transition, virtually every workplace benefit can come into play, including drug coverage, employee assistance programs, flexible working options, mental-health programs and diversity initiatives. For Tamara Hansen, a delivery manager specialist at Scotiabank, coming out as transgender after more than three decades with her employer has been an emotional journey. “I get […]
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 […]
With the start of a new year, organizations have new goals and budgets to meet. Many organizations take the new year as an opportunity to take a critical look at current practices and processes, including the way these align with their business goals. One area gaining attention over the years, due to increasing costs, is […]