Growing EAPs in Canada was no easy task, but Warren Shepell’s rural upbringing taught him the value of perseverance. Shepell points to his education as an instrumental part of his success in the employee assistance program (EAP) field. But he says the fact that he was able to receive an education is as inspiring as […]
Manulife Financial has launched Health Management Services, a new service to help plan sponsors manage their benefits costs. The new service offers employers a “unique and practical solution that takes the traditional approach of promoting employee health and wellness two steps further,” according to a release from the company. Health Management Services creates an analysis […]
Great-West Life has introduced a new smart-phone app to help plan members better manage their prescription medications. DrugHub, which is available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, serves as “a virtual library of prescription drug information at your fingertips,” says Brad Fedorchuk, vice-president of group marketing at Great-West Life. “Managing prescription drug usage can […]
A new type of employee benefit trust — the employee life and health trust (ELHT) — was created recently after amendments to the Income Tax Act received royal assent. This new trust maintains the basic principles of health and welfare trusts (HWTs), codifying many of the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) administrative positions with respect to […]
What’s cooking for employees at Campbell Company of Canada? A lot, according to Fanny Karolev, Campbell’s manager of health and wellness, who we caught on camera at the Healthy Outcomes Conference in Banff, Alta. in April. Campbell’s recently launched the online nutrition, fitness and health information portal, Nutribasic. The resource promotes healthy lifestyles to its […]
Many of today’s employees work in an environment where companies fight to hire the best. In its February 2010 review of hiring trends, HRinfodesk.com (a site dedicated to Canadian payroll and employment law) reported that one significant trend is a move to recruit top talent to replace low performers. Companies, it said, “will need to […]
In 2009, there were almost 58,000 oil patch jobs in Alberta. Analysts say if oil prices continue to rise, there would be about 102,000 jobs that need to be filled by 2020. According to a report by the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada, Alberta may need nearly double the number of workers in its […]
U.S. employees are participating in employer-sponsored DC plans at a record high rate, says a recent report from Aon Hewitt. And this is a direct result of the use of automatic enrollment. Aon Hewitt analyzed the DC saving and investing behaviours of more than three million employees across 120 large companies. The results show that […]
Today’s workforce is made up of four different generations—gen X, gen Y, boomers and traditionalists—but that is only one aspect of workforce diversity. Family units have changed drastically over the last several decades and could include any number of scenarios. For plan sponsors, this means the needs of their workforce are changing. But plan sponsors […]
Sun Life Financial plans to offer a free mobile application for group benefits and group retirement and savings plan members. Submitting benefit claims and saving for the future will be easier with a single mobile app that will redefine the Canadian plan member experience. “Sun Life Financial was the first Canadian provider to introduce e-claims […]