In response to the coronavirus pandemic, more than half of Canadian employers (53 per cent) are enhancing their well-being programs, while 27 per cent are planning to make changes to improve health benefits, according to a new survey by Willis Towers Watson. The survey, which polled nearly 150 Canadian employers with more than 800,000 employees, […]
Alberta Blue Cross is sharing exercise videos and tips on social media to help its employees and all Albertans make fitness a part of their work-from-home lives. Before the pandemic, the benefits provider encouraged its employees to take 15-minute wellness breaks led by Terry Skidnuk, a workplace wellness specialist. With the majority of people now working from home, it’s making […]
Toronto-based disease prevention technology company Newtopia Inc. is introducing a product suite aimed at preventing, reversing and slowing the progression of three chronic conditions. Targeting plan members of employer-sponsored health plans, the tools aim to assist users with hypertension, type 2 diabetes and weight management. They combine human interaction, virtual care, digital tools and data science to deliver personalized […]
Best Buy Canada Ltd. has had a well-used on-site gym at its Burnaby, B.C. head office for a decade. But when employees started working from home during the pandemic, the company decided to bring the gym to their laptops with a virtual fitness program. “We realized that staying fit and staying active was something we […]
The City of Mississauga’s acting senior manager of total rewards talks virtual health care, pension communications and spending time with family. Q. What top challenges do you face in your role? A. I think we can say there are two worlds: pre-coronavirus and post-coronavirus. In the current situation, the top challenge is making sure our […]
Virtual-care options are gaining ground, according to the 2020 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. Looking at a scenario where plan members would receive health-care services through secure digital chat or video devices — where the health-care professionals aren’t the member’s usual providers, but would be able to share the consultation information with them if requested — […]
Benefits plan members are increasingly using digital devices and mobile apps to improve their health, according to the 2020 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. More than half (53 per cent) of plan members said they used at least one device or app in the past year to help them achieve a personal health or fitness goal, a […]
Employers across Canada are facing a number of challenges in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, including staying connected with employees and looking after their well-being. “Our people are our most important resource,” says Michelle Desnoyers, Canada benefits and human resources information services lead at Fluor Canada Ltd. “At such a challenging time, we want […]
There’s no question that COVID-19 has disrupted usual work-life routines. The need to work from home, self-isolate and quarantine can have significant impacts on the well-being and mental health of employees. For this reason, it’s important that employers continue to provide support through a virtual wellness program during the pandemic — and likely beyond. Here are […]
With the expectation that most of its workers will be working from home for the rest of 2020, Google is giving all of its global employees an allowance of US$1,000, or the equivalent in their country, to purchase necessary equipment and office furniture. In a letter to employees on Tuesday, Sunder Pichai, chief executive officer […]