When it comes to chronic conditions, there’s a difference in understanding and appreciating — “and this difference goes a long way in helping employers navigate their disability claims and accommodations,” said Yvonne Murphy, director of disability claims and group benefits at Sun Life Financial Inc., during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2023 Chronic Disease at Work conference. […]
Stigmatization is a pervasive issue for people living with a substance-use disorder, said Anthony Esposti, chief executive officer at the Community Addictions Peer Support Association, during a session at Benefits Canada’s Chronic Disease at Work conference in February. Stigma is best understood as a deeply held set of false beliefs about a group of people […]
For public relations executive Terance Brouse, the office is where creativity flows. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, employees at Maverick PR work from the firm’s office, a converted red brick Victorian home in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood. “We come to the office on the same days because we need a quorum,” says Brouse, the firm’s vice-president […]
Amid the shift to remote and hybrid working arrangements, employers should ensure their after-hours social events are “easy, intentional and sincere,” says Kim Siddall, vice-president of enterprise consulting in the west at People Corporation. “The [coronavirus] pandemic gave employees permission to start opting out of aspects of [workplace] culture they didn’t really like. They’ve also […]
Nearly three years have passed since the coronavirus pandemic became a household name. In some ways, March 11, 2020 — the day the World Health Organization declared the global pandemic — feels like yesterday, but in others, it feels like decades ago. In the days, weeks and months since then, the world has irreversibly changed […]
Two Canadian employers explain why it’s important to implement a combination of higher coverage and a variety of practitioners under their plans. Elaine Cheung, director of total rewards at Coke Canada At Coke Canada, employee benefits are key enablers of the overall employee experience. That’s why we listen to our employees and what they need, […]
Even though the pandemic phase of the coronavirus crisis may be waning, two winners and three finalists in the 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards’ mental-health categories are keeping their feet on the gas in making employee support a priority and overcoming the lingering stigma. Regardless of the sector in which they operate, all of these organizations […]
Exactly a decade ago this month, Canadian employers were introduced to the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace — a global first-of-its-kind framework designed to guide organizations looking to shift their workplace culture towards one that promotes mental health and prevents psychological harm at work. While the standard is still being […]
Amid the unprecedented events of the last three years, the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan has remained on course with its investment strategies, according to Asif Haque, the plan’s chief investment officer. “We held our focus on the key goal of the CAAT’s investment program. . . . The plan’s diversified asset […]
Finance’s toughest problem just got a whole lot trickier, thanks to the quandary of inflation. Legendary economist William F. Sharpe sealed his place in history when he collected the 1990 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on investment decision-making, but in defined contribution pension circles, the emeritus professor at Stanford University is […]