Employee absences and presenteeism are costing Canadian employers nearly $645 million annually, according to a new report by Manulife Financial Corp. The report — which analyzed data from nearly 50 Manulife group benefits plan sponsor clients, as well as survey responses from more than 4,900 employees — found an average of 48 days per employee were […]
In just three months, Jennifer Krahn’s life completely changed. The vivacious and confident ex-athlete and biology teacher began her journey with alopecia areata when she noticed a small bald spot on her head 14 years ago. She tried to treat the spot with steroids, but wasn’t successful. Within three months, she experienced total hair loss, […]
In 2021, Marcy came into Pavithra Ravinatarajan’s pharmacy with a handful of blisters on her face, which she thought was the result of a new moisturizer or detergent. Ravinatarajan could tell that wasn’t the case: it was clear the patient, whose name has been changed, had shingles. When Marcy went to see a doctor at […]
Multiple sclerosis, which tends to strike at the height of people’s working years, can have a significant impact on their productivity at work, as well as an opportunity cost of being unable to do the work they want to do, said Larry Lynd, professor at the University of British Columbia’s faculty of pharmaceutical sciences, during […]
Employers can leverage choice and financial education to help close the retirement gap among the Black, Indigenous and people of colour community, says Janice Holman, a principal at Eckler Ltd. A 2021 study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, which analyzed data from the 2016 census, found racialized seniors were most reliant on public […]
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is commonly misunderstood and can reduce the ability of a person to function while impacting their quality of life, said Anjila Arora, director of pharmaceutical benefits at Sun Life Financial Inc., during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2022 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum in Toronto in December. Although ADHD […]
An article on how employers can use ‘Blue Monday’ as an opportunity to discuss mental health was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Employers can use ‘Blue Monday’ to reset workplace mental-health strategies 2. Microsoft’s U.S. employees receiving unlimited vacation days 3. Walmart enhancing […]
While employment is more than three per cent higher than it was at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, working hours are up by only 1.75 per cent due to increased levels of absenteeism, according to a new report by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Relative to pre-pandemic years, wage costs increased by an […]
Approximately three million Canadians live with asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease that affects airways, limits airflow and makes breathing difficult, said Dr. Erika Penz, associate professor in respirology, critical care and sleep medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, during a webinar hosted by Benefits Canada and sponsored by GSK in November. Asthma, which affects people of […]
Treatment for mental health isn’t effectively covered by public health systems, which means care for chronic disease management and mental health — by and large — falls into the lap of employers and employees, according to Adam Kelly, CloudMD’s executive vice-president and chief commercial officer, speaking at Benefits Canada’s 2022 Mental Health Summit. Organizations are […]