At Hydro Ottawa Ltd.’s third annual International Women’s Day event, employees were invited to solve 15 large puzzles around the room — and think about their own piece in the larger puzzle of working toward gender equality. International Women’s Day events have been a staple at Hydro Ottawa since 2018, with the company trying to connect […]
Back in 1709, the poet Alexander Pope wrote that a little learning is a dangerous thing and a new study of defined contribution pension plan members finds this proverb still holds true today. The Invesco study, which compiled responses from 110 U.S. plan sponsors and more than 2,000 DC plan members, found that, while some DC plan members were […]
Amid growing concern over the coronavirus, North American employers are taking steps to protect their employees, according to a new survey by Willis Towers Watson. The initiatives include launching employee communication campaigns, reviewing human resources policies, expanding the number of employees working remotely and restricting travel to and from countries deemed to be high risk. […]
While Pink Shirt Day started in elementary schools as a way to take a stand against bullying, the City of Vancouver uses the day to encourage a respectful workplace and educate its employees on what harassment looks like. For more than five years, the City has dovetailed its “Respect Works Here” campaign with Pink Shirt Day, says […]
CSA Group’s vice-president of total rewards talks mental health, well-being programs and travelling with her family. Q. What top challenges do you face in your role? A. We’re in 13 countries and we have some global programs — our employee assistance program and business travel accident [insurance] — but then we also have to develop […]
With three confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Canada, 40 potential cases under investigation and the World Health Organization declaring the virus an international public health emergency, unions — especially those representing transport and health-care workers — are calling on employers to ensure sufficient safety measures are in place. The Ontario Nurses Union sent out […]
Workplace mental-health programs can demonstrate a huge return on investment for an organization’s bottom line, as well as reducing absenteeism and presenteeism, said Nir Yahav, mental-health specialist on the national disability best practices team at Manulife, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Vancouver Mental Health Summit on Dec. 12. There are huge costs associated with presenteeism, […]
People don’t often make the association between nutrition and long-term mood, as well as how diet can impact the brain’s function and its structure, according to Charmaine Alexander, senior advisor on Desjardins Insurance’s disability management team. “We know that between the rise of mental illness in our current lifestyle, just as with obesity, maybe what we’re […]
In a world flooded by media messages, how can employers cut through the noise to engage employees in their pension and benefits plans? This is an ongoing challenge for human resources professionals and communicators. Part of the solution lies in developing communications that are relevant and visually interesting. But perhaps most importantly, these communications should answer the question: […]
In recent years, advancements in technology have led to the development and cost-effective delivery of sophisticated digital mental-health programs, with burgeoning resources for common mental-health problems. Today, a Google search for ‘digital therapies for anxiety’ yields more than 67 million results, while ‘digital therapies for depression’ brings up more than 80 million results, said Dr. […]