All Uncategorized – Benefits Canada.com

How should investors interpret the recent rise in interest rates?

alessandrob — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 05:00:42 +0000

United States 10-year bond yields have risen substantially from their lows of 0.50 per cent last summer, hitting 1.6 per cent by late February. Canadian 10-year yields have taken a similar trajectory to reach a range of 1.5 per cent in March, which is up from 0.43 per cent in August. At the short end […]

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Five lessons for employers to apply to the pandemic’s second wave

mschmit — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 04:45:37 +0000

As coronavirus cases rise across the country and some return-to-work plans become return-to-home plans, many employers are wondering how to help their employees adapt once again as the second wave of the pandemic slams into Canada. Will there be another lockdown this year? Will children be expected to learn remotely again while employees work? How can we, as […]

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A legal update on the government’s CEWS and CERB programs

mschmit — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 04:30:35 +0000

The COVID-19 pandemic has created many complicated issues for employers. Prudent employers should ensure they’re aware of the resources that may be available during this uncertain time when information regarding government support is rapidly changing. Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy On March 30, the federal government announced the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, a program that will […]

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Considering how mental-health support, accommodation is changing

mschmit — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 04:50:58 +0000

Sixty per cent of working Canadians have experienced a mental-health issue, an increase from 52 per cent in 2017, according to Sun Life’s 2019 barometer survey. However, the survey also found 60 per cent of working Canadians who are suffering from mental-health issues aren’t accessing support through their workplace benefits, said Carmen Bellows, the insurer’s senior mental-health […]

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A look at ROI benefits of employee mental-health programs

mschmit — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 04:49:27 +0000

Workplace mental-health programs can demonstrate a huge return on investment for an organization’s bottom line, as well as reducing absenteeism and presenteeism, said Nir Yahav, mental-health specialist on the national disability best practices team at Manulife, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Vancouver Mental Health Summit on Dec. 12. There are huge costs associated with presenteeism, […]

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Health-care cost of migraine rising as patients face reduced wages, lost productivity

mschmit — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 04:49:58 +0000

Although migraine is disabling, it’s also very common, with 2.7 million or 8.3 per cent of Canadians suffering from the condition, according to Dr. Farnaz Amoozegar, a neurologist and clinical assistant professor at the University of Calgary. The condition affects one in seven people and is the second-leading cause of disability worldwide, she said during […]

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Just a quarter of plan sponsors review claims data regularly: Sanofi

mschmit — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 05:00:59 +0000

Just 24 per cent of plan sponsors said they regularly receive claims analyses to help identify disease states in their workplaces, according to the 2019 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. This number rose to 31 per cent for employers with 500 or more employees and dropped to 13 per cent among small employers. It also found […]

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Fertility benefits on the rise as employers look at needs of diverse employee base

mschmit — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 05:30:43 +0000

Digital employee health benefits platform League Inc. is now offering its employees and their spouses or common-law partners $5,000 per lifetime toward in vitro fertilization or other similar fertility treatment. According to Kim Tabac, League’s chief people officer, the startup began offering the IVF benefit in the last nine months, in response to interest from […]

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Working moms face more challenges than working dads: survey

mschmit — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 05:05:24 +0000

While becoming a parent is a major identify shift, some of the most significant changes are related to the workplace, and affect women much more than they affect men, according to new research by Merrill Lynch and Age Wave. The research, which surveyed more than 2,500 U.S. working parents, found 54 per cent of female […]

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A final forecast on the future of Canada’s pension industry

mschmit — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 04:30:37 +0000

I’ll be retiring at the end of September, so this will probably be my last article for Benefits Canada, and certainly my last as an employee of Morneau Shepell Ltd. While the natural final topic would have been a look back at the high points in the pension industry since the mid-1970s, it may be […]

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