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 […]
A national doctors’ group is raising concerns about the Ontario government’s move to allow employers to require workers to provide a doctor’s note to explain even minor illnesses, such as the common cold. Canadian Medical Association president Dr. Gigi Osler says the measure, included in the government’s Bill 47, could cause public health issues, as […]
Achieving radiant health through nutrition is an ancient trend that southern Alberta pharmacist Melissa Hozack is helping to revive. “In 400 BC, Hippocrates said, ‘Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.’ How can we promote health instead of looking at sick care?” said Hozack, a consultant pharmacist and owner of Redcliff Pharmasave, at […]
A large majority (89 per cent) of employers cited a better control of health-care spending as the top reason for having workplace medical clinics, according to a new survey by Mercer and the National Association of Worksite Health Centers. The survey, which queried 121 U.S. employers offering onsite or near-site medical clinics, found 84 per cent of […]
As part of the Ontario government’s new bill amending the Employment Standards Act, it’s bringing back the option for employers to request a medical note from employees taking sick leave, family responsibility leave or bereavement leave. As legislation currently stands, employers may require evidence classified as “reasonable in the circumstances” to prove an employee is eligible to […]
While Ontario Power Generation has had a major medical absence program in place for years, it saw an opportunity for a review and update in 2016, leading to changes that solidified its win for best absence management program at Benefits Canada’s 2018 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 11. Working with many stakeholders, including unions, human resources […]
Benefits Canada honoured winners across 11 categories at the 2018 Workplace Benefits Awards in Toronto on Thursday. In a room at the Arcadian Loft, more than 100 leaders in the benefits, pension and investment industry gathered to see awards presented to winning employers demonstrating the leading-edge work underway to improve employee’s physical, mental and financial health through tangible workplace programs. […]
Crawford and Co. Canada Inc. is adding a new software platform, designed to help employees return to work sooner, to its human risk service line. The software, called EmployerWorks, aims to streamline and standardize the collection, communication and analysis of “physical, cognitive and psychosocial demands tied to risk assessment and return to work efforts,” according to a press […]
As many organizations turn their focus to mental-health awareness in October, Staples Canada is reminding its employees they have help available if they need it. The company’s October campaign will include promoting the employee assistance program, sharing the mental-health website from Morneau Shepell Inc. and fostering a stigma-free work environment, according to Kate Tilsley, Staples Canada’s senior director of […]
In the coming five years, Canadians can expect to see the next stage of awareness around mental health, according one health expert. “Where we need to build on awareness is what the illness actually looks like. There’s still quite a lack of knowledge out there and I believe that’s improving greatly every day,” said Chris Anderson, president of Medaca Health […]