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 […]
As a job title, ‘drug case manager’ can imply different things across the health-care and benefits industries. In Canada, a drug case manager may be part of a drug manufacturer’s patient support program or an insurance company’s preferred pharmacy network, while hospitals have case managers at various levels, says Suzanne Nagy, drug consulting leader for […]
When catastrophe or tragedy strike, people turn to their savings, their insurance plans or their families for help. But at some companies, a specialized monetary fund allows employees to seek help from their colleagues. Employee relief funds — also known as hardship or sunshine funds — provide financial support in times of crisis. While they’re […]
The Canadian Automobile Association Atlantic Ltd.’s vice-president of human resources talks employee wellness and education, tax-free savings accounts and learning how to code. Q. What are the top challenges you face in your role? A. I would say trying to balance programs that fit the needs of everyone. It’s difficult. We have fleet drivers out […]
While the group benefits renewal process may seem like simply a box to tick each year, it’s important to approach the process holistically. “There are many factors that go into a renewal, the biggest of which are claims experience, insurer trend and utilization, as well as claims reserve, admin expenses, demographics and credibility,” says Adrianna […]
As 2018 draws to a close, and the benefits and pension industry looks ahead, what’s next for the year’s biggest topics? Stephen Frank, president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association, is expecting a shift from Canadian and global regulators in the way they govern how customers are treated: an […]
Providing accommodation to employees with mental illness can yield major benefits savings of about $56,000 to $200,000 per employee over a five-year projection. Speaking at Benefits Canada’s 2018 Mental Health Summit Toronto on Nov. 12, Nitika Rewari, manager of workplace mental health at the Mental Health Commission of Canada, shared the results of employer case studies, […]
Despite the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression’s goal to define biosignatures that make depression cases unique by looking at molecular profiling, pre-clinical work, data science and neuroimaging, Dr. Claudio Soares said the organization is about 10 years behind other specialties. “We’re just trying to play catch up. We’re trying to do what other specialists have been able […]
With 44 per cent of Canadian workers experiencing mental-health issues and mental health the fastest growing and leading cause of disability claims, benefits plans are feeling the strain. “The numbers are staggering in terms of what we’re seeing and the continual growth of this as an issue,” said Rebecca Smith, director of group life and […]
Cognitive behavioural therapy is one field of mental-health treatment that’s moving progressively towards being digitally delivered. This is because digital CBT provides greater access to treatment, specifically for those in remote areas, and also helps to control costs, said Jennifer Wild, a consultant clinical psychologist and associate professor at the University of Oxford in England. Speaking […]