In recent years, advancements in technology have led to the development and cost-effective delivery of sophisticated digital mental-health programs, with burgeoning resources for common mental-health problems. Today, a Google search for ‘digital therapies for anxiety’ yields more than 67 million results, while ‘digital therapies for depression’ brings up more than 80 million results, said Dr. […]
Investing in residential real estate can offer benefits to pension plan sponsors, but it’s not an asset class that’s easy to access. However, a new strategy exists that harnesses the power of quantitative investing to make this option feasible for pension plans. Residential real estate should be top of mind for any institutional investor, said […]
OMERS Ventures, the venture capital investing arm of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, has hired former Uber Technologies Inc. executive Jambu Palaniappan to join its London office as a managing partner. Palaniappan joined Uber in 2012 and led its expansion into the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions before being named the general manager […]
Mercer is teaming up with Lift Digital Inc., an artificial intelligence-based fitness and wellness platform, to bring customized, on-demand digital fitness to employers and employees. The Mercer 365 platform, combined with Lift, will provide access to a number of fitness offerings, including customized and automated fitness sessions, access to wellness experts via chat, live online group classes and Lift […]
Morneau Shepell Ltd. is partnering with the Canadian Football League Players’ Association to make its LifeWorks platform available to the league’s players. LifeWorks is a total well-being platform that supports users’ mental, physical, social and financial well-being. It will be provided to CFL players as part of the CFLPA Academy, which already offers career transition programs. Players […]
As social media becomes increasingly pervasive, employers should consider adding the tool to their communications arsenal. Indeed, David McArthur, principal and creative director at Morello Communications Inc., says it’s too big a phenomenon for plan sponsors to ignore. “It’s something we’re certainly seeing a lot more of,” notes Cameron McNeill, senior vice-president and Canadian business […]
In tandem with Financial Literacy Month, Great-West Life Assurance Co. is adding Koho’s full-service spending account to select group retirement savings plans. The accounts are paired with a prepaid, reloadable Visa 0.5 per cent cash-back card and an integrated mobile app, which provides users with real-time insights into their spending habits, prompting real behavioural changes. […]
Mercer is launching an all-in-one digital platform that gives employees access to a variety of wellness vendors to support their physical, mental, financial or social well-being. Mercer 365, which will be rolled out in January 2020, allows employers to offer their staff benefits through an online, self-serve platform. It will also include access to benefits utilization and […]
Manulife Financial Corp. is teaming up with Mila, a Quebec artificial intelligence institute, on health and financial wellness research projects. The partnership will allow the insurer to beef up its AI and advanced analytics capabilities and to “deliver on its commitment to help make decisions easier and lives better,” noted a press release. The collaboration will provide Manulife […]
With more than 1,400 mental-health apps available for download, and more entering the marketplace every day, are these tools an effective way for employers to support employee well-being? The journal Nature Digital Medicine, which estimated the number above, also found only 2.6 per cent of apps that are clinically relevant specifically for depression provided evidence […]