While medications used for treating inflammatory disease accounted for just 0.7 per cent of claims across Telus Health’s Canadian block of business in 2021, they represent the largest percentage of eligible drug costs at 12.6 per cent, due to the prevalence of high-cost treatments in this drug class. By comparison, diabetes medications accounted for 12 […]
Employees are experiencing more pain than ever before, with nearly half of the workforce diagnosed with some form of chronic pain lasting more than three months, according to Dr. Ayla Azad, chief experience officer at the Canadian Chiropractic Association, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 Benefits & Pension Summit on June 1. Citing several different […]
As the pandemic winds down, employers can expect to see an increase in disability claims related to long-haul coronavirus infections and compensation claims resulting from injuries incurred while working remotely, says Joshua Goldberg, a Toronto-based personal injury lawyer. The most common long-haul coronavirus symptoms are fatigue, shortness of breath, brain fog and muscle and joint […]
More than two-fifths (45 per cent) of employees who work remotely or in a hybrid arrangement say their teams’ performance improved during the past two years, while just a third (34 per cent) of onsite workers feel the same, according to a survey by Eagle Hill Consulting Ltd. The survey, which polled more than 1,000 […]
More than two years after the coronavirus pandemic shifted many white-collar employees to remote working, some employers are planning their return to the office — even if it means bringing staff back kicking and screaming. Earlier this month, Tesla Inc. founder and chief executive officer Elon Musk made waves when, in internal emails, he demanded […]
Employees at Candu Energy Inc. were given just one business day’s notice to return to full-time onsite work, according to the union representing engineers, scientists and technicians at the company. The decision came in the midst of a labour dispute with employees represented by the Society of Professional Engineers and Associates, who began striking at the […]
Employees like Matt Fairbanks are one of the reasons the hospitality and restaurant industry is struggling to find workers even as the coronavirus pandemic wanes. The 34-year-old former bartender has moved from slinging beers in Toronto to selling software to restaurants for a Saskatchewan company, which he does remotely. “I was always kind of one […]
Two-fifths (42 per cent) of Canadian parents postponed returning to work in 2022 due to difficulties finding childcare, according to a new survey by Statistics Canada. The survey, which polled the parents of more than 11,500 children, found roughly four in 10 parents using childcare in early 2022 reported difficulty finding care. Among respondents who looked for childcare […]
Employees everywhere are redefining what work means to them and redrawing their expectations of employers. Mental-health supports and flexible working options are now imperative if an organization is to remain competitive. To these ends, workplaces need a mental-health strategy. But a workplace mental-health strategy isn’t ping pong tables and a snack bar. It requires real […]
Ottawa is among the world’s top cities for work-life balance, according to a new report by information technology company Kisi Inc. The report, which assessed 51 U.S. cities and 49 global cities, ranked Canada’s capital in seventh place — just behind Geneva — based on factors such as remote working opportunities (38 per cent), the […]