Many employees falsely believe that a disability means they can no longer engage in meaningful work, as their condition is now a defining aspect of their life that renders employment all but impossible. Disability case managers see that perception as one of their biggest challenges. Without goals, disability can result in a substantial and sustained […]
A recent decision by the Superior Court of Ontario has confirmed that working notice doesn’t count when an employee is away from work due to medical factors. The case, McLeod v. 1274458 Ontario Inc., dealt with Keith McLeod, who had worked as a mover at Frontier Sales in Scarborough, Ont., since 1998. In September 2015, he […]
An independent review panel has provided the Alberta government with a report that includes 60 recommendations to restructure the province’s Workers’ Compensation Board and its processes. The panel spent nearly two years compiling its review of the board. It examined previous reviews and spoke with employers, injured workers, unions, employee advocates and safety organizations. “It […]
Does your absence management strategy, pension plan or health and wellness program deserve to be recognized? Benefits Canada’s annual Workplace Benefits Awards is now open for nominations. The 2017 program includes three new categories: pension performance, diversity program and drug/benefits plan innovation. Markers for success in the pension performance category include cost containment, increased participation […]
In its response to the Ministry of Labour’s Changing Workplace Review, Ontario announced it will prohibit employers from demanding doctors’ notes for the first 10 personal emergency leave days they take each year. Read: Ontario’s response to workplace review includes paid personal leave Supporters of this policy argue that requiring sick notes for a few days off disrupts […]
Julie Holden would like nothing more than to see doctor’s notes for short-term absences confined to the dust bin of history. And it’s not just the notoriously bad handwriting of medical professionals that Holden, a senior vice-president at SEB Benefits & HR Consulting Inc., has a problem with. “Even if you could make out what’s […]
Umbra Applied Technologies Group Inc. has introduced a new paid leave program for its employees. The defense company, headquartered in Tampa, Fla., will provide employees with up to 10 days’ paid bereavement leave to grieve an extended family member and up to four weeks of paid leave to care for a sick relative. It has […]
The federal government is moving ahead with extending employment insurance parental benefits to 18 months and is creating a new 15-week benefit for caregivers. According to Wednesday’s budget announcement, the changes to parental benefits would allow parents to choose to receive employment insurance parental benefits over an extended period of up to 18 months at a lower benefit […]
There has been much in the news these days about concussions in sports. But concussions and traumatic brain injuries can occur on or off the sports field and can have an impact on the workplace. “For traumatic brain injury or concussion, there isn’t any common pattern,” says Sil Cabral, director of group life and disability […]
Facebook has doubled its bereavement leave offerings, allowing employees up to 20 paid days of leave when an immediate family member passes away, and up to 10 days following an extended family member’s death. “People should be able both to work and be there for their families,” chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg wrote in a […]