Cassandra Williamson-Hopp

Hyundai Canada addresses coronavirus with mental-health, connectivity initiatives

The coronavirus pandemic has altered the landscape of Canadian workplaces. Now, more than ever, communication and compassion are imperative for employees to feel secure and supported by their employers. Before the pandemic arrived in Canada, Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. accelerated its emphasis on mental wellness in January 2020 by tripling its mental-health coverage (from an […]

  • September 18, 2020 March 2, 2021
  • 08:58

Q&A with ABC Technologies’ Cindy Xing

ABC Technologies Inc.’s director of total rewards talks wellness, new retirement savings plans and gardening. Q. What top challenges do you face in your role? A. The top challenge is a combination of many factors linked to the unprecedented times we’re experiencing. Like many organizations, the pandemic hit us hard. We’ve had to reduce our […]

  • September 18, 2020 March 2, 2021
  • 08:50

Q&A with the City of Mississauga’s Elena Shiganova

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 […]

  • August 14, 2020 March 2, 2021
  • 08:51

Webinar: Overall health key to employee well-being during, after pandemic

In this unprecedented time, it’s more evident the physical, psychological and financial components of health are all interconnected, said Charmaine Alexander, senior disability management advisor at Desjardins Insurance, during a webinar hosted by Benefits Canada. Prior to the pandemic, in May 2018, Desjardins conducted a survey to measure these interactions to better understand how they […]

  • July 20, 2020 November 23, 2020
  • 09:20

Webinar: Expanding access to high-quality health care with telemedicine

Health and productivity is affected by a lack of access to care, according to Dr. Hanif Jamal, Canadian medical director at Teledoc Health, during a webinar hosted by Benefits Canada. Referring to a recent survey by the Canadian Medical Association, he noted 73 per cent of Canadians said they believe virtual care will improve access, followed by more […]

  • July 3, 2020 November 23, 2020
  • 08:50

An in-depth look at LGBTQ+ benefits

In June 2017, the federal government amended the Canadian Human Rights Act to strengthen protections against employment discrimination for LGBTQ+ individuals, forbidding employers across all jurisdictions to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. While the protections and language used by organizations can vary, the intent of the protections is […]

  • June 19, 2020 March 4, 2021
  • 08:55

Q&A with Rolls Royce Canada’s Hosam Azara

Rolls Royce Canada Ltd.’s reward and pension manager talks benefits plan costs, Excel spreadsheets and playing soccer with his daughter. Q. What top challenges do you face in your role? A. Before the coronavirus crisis, a challenge I’d been dealing with was promoting awareness of the hidden value in group benefits plans, their escalating cost and who’s […]

  • June 19, 2020 February 7, 2021
  • 08:52

Webinar: Coronavirus and chronic disease: What are the effects on the workforce?

On May 21, Benefits Canada hosted a webinar to explore the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on chronic disease in the workplace, as well as how virtual solutions can support employee health through this unprecedented time. All employers are currently facing the same concerns, said Marie-Josée Le Blanc, a partner at Mercer, during the webinar. Pointing to the 2019 […]

  • June 18, 2020 May 12, 2021
  • 09:00

Webinar: Current health-care policies impacting private drug coverage

On May 12, Benefits Canada hosted a webinar to discuss the pharmaceutical industry’s efforts during the coronavirus crisis, as well as some key policy issues for Canadian insurers and their potential impact from the private-payer perspective. Since the end of April, 139 coronavirus treatments have been under investigation and Health Canada has approved several clinical trials […]

  • June 3, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 09:00

How OPG is leveraging virtual care to improve health access

In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, virtual health care is taking centre stage. But Ontario Power Generation was ahead of the curve, introducing a pilot project in 2019 to help employees with high mental-health incidences and absenteeism rates minimize their sick leave usage. The pilot, implemented on July 1, 2019, provides about 500 hydro […]

  • May 15, 2020 March 3, 2021
  • 08:58