A Toronto-based software company is offering a virtual veterinarian service through its benefits program. Nicola Watson, human resources manager at Tribalscale Inc., says pet-owning employees can use the service, operated by Vetster Inc., to schedule up to four virtual vet visits per year. She notes the offering is in line with TribalScale’s decision to shift […]
A majority (92 per cent) of Canadian employees feel they’re at risk of experiencing burnout as the coronavirus pandemic drags on, according to a new survey by Mercer. The survey, which polled 11,000 employers and employees from 16 countries, found 59 per cent of employer respondents are concerned about high employee sickness/absence rates and remote […]
Using a real-time benefits scoring tool, Targeted Strategies Group is making changes to its benefits plan to enhance its employee value proposition amid a tight labour market. Since 2017, the insurance brokerage firm, which has 142 employees, has used CloudAdvisors’ benefits ranking tool to gauge whether it’s accomplishing the goals it’s set out to achieve […]
Amid plans by the federal government to introduce national dental and pharmacare programs, key stakeholders in the private payer health-care sector should highlight the value of private health plans in Canada, according to a panel during a webinar by the Group Insurance Pharmaceutical Committee last week. In March, the Liberal Party and the New Democratic […]
Four months ago, my daughter woke up with a stye in one eye. While my 10-year-old was handling her infection like a champ, I wasn’t. All I could think was, “I need to get her to a doctor as fast as humanly possible.” But it had been almost two years since we visited her physician’s […]
In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, people found different ways of coping, from baking sourdough bread to clapping for health-care heroes to drinking ‘quarantinis’ during Zoom happy hours. While the baking, clapping and drinking has tapered off for many, some employees have struggled with substance use as the pandemic drags on. But many […]
Endy’s director of people and culture discusses the importance of the employee experience; diversity, equity and inclusion commitments; and exploring Toronto. Q: What top challenges do you face in your role? A: Working in a remote environment is difficult at times for our employees and the extended isolation can take a toll on their physical […]
The federal government’s 2022 budget, which set out $56 billion in new spending on Thursday, has a few offerings that could impact employers and employees. Dental-care program, pharmacare The budget confirmed the government’s commitment to rolling out a national dental-care program, which was announced in March, by specifying a $5.3-billion investment in its implementation. It also […]
Changes to Quebec’s policy on the use of biosimilars in its public drug plan could result in savings for private benefits plans, says one expert. On April 13, 2022, the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec will delist certain biologic drugs from its formulary, requiring patients covered by the plan to switch to a biosimilar […]
Telus Health is acquiring digital health platform Sprout Wellness Solutions. Sprout is designed to inspire employees to improve their health through behaviour change, according to a press release, which noted Sprout will be integrated with Telus Health’s virtual care service. Read: Telus Health acquires health division of Toronto-based software company “We know preventative health practices can […]