While a flurry of capital accumulation plan member activity might indicate their anxiety amid an economic crisis, not many are choosing to make changes to their investments right now. In meeting with record keepers, Rosalind Gilbert, associate partner in the retirement and investment consulting group at Aon, says plan sponsors are more eager than usual for […]
While physical well-being is vital during the coronavirus pandemic, the situation is raising multiple mental-health issues, including rising stress levels exacerbated by job uncertainty and social isolation. Looking at mental-health policies and tools, innovative practices and work-from-home protocols, Benefits Canada hosted a panel of experts in a webinar on March 31 to answer plan sponsor […]
The coronavirus pandemic has hit us all hard, and pensions and benefits are no exception. The pandemic has implications for out-of-country emergency travel insurance, disability benefits and even day-to-day health-care claims, since plan members aren’t able to access many of their usual practitioners and may be looking for virtual alternatives. From a pension standpoint, the recent […]
The coronavirus pandemic is expected to impact employers’ short-term disability claims’ experience as workers fall ill and require time off work to recover from the virus, but plan sponsors may also have to prepare for an increase in long-term disability claims after the crisis eventually ends. The spike in claims could follow the same pattern as it did […]
In normal circumstances, pension plan members don’t respond well to being inundated with information about their plans. Typically, a deluge of content can turn off plan members, says Jillian Kennedy, leader of defined contribution and financial wellness at Mercer Canada. But today’s circumstances are far from ordinary. “Right now, you can’t over communicate.” In 2008, the financial […]
It’s the only story around these days. COVID-19 — the coronavirus — has broken out all over the world, leading to strain on health-care resources, uncertainty in capital markets and strict social distancing and lockdown measures from governments. The pandemic is naturally causing fear, anxiety and uncertainty, both among employees and among managers. But here’s […]
Ryerson University is taking a well-rounded approach toward supporting its staff and faculty who are working from home due to the coronavirus outbreak. The university has released a new guide to remote working, covering best practices such as developing a routine, setting up an ergonomic workspace and establishing an after-work ritual to signal the day […]
As employers across the globe adjust their work environments to help slow down the spread of the coronavirus, one thing that shouldn’t get lost in the fray is a focus on supporting employees’ mental health. Employees are facing a myriad of stressors right now, including financial worries about the effects of the volatile market on […]
Employees are mostly satisfied with employers’ communications around the coronavirus crisis, according to a new survey by Fierce Inc. The survey polled more than 1,000 people last week, prior to the World Health Organization declaring the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. It found nearly 70 per cent felt their employer was very or somewhat clearly communicating […]
The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network is working to make counselling from Indigenous elders available to employees in several provinces through its employee assistance program. The APTN has reached out to six elders in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia, with three to date confirming they’ll participate. Once the APTN has sufficient elders on board, […]