While insurers are consistently providing innovative plan design options for employers, that doesn’t detract from the reality that it’s a difficult time for employers, according to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s Karen Voin. “At the heart of it, they want to ensure they’re not impacting their employees, and are really conscious of what the impact […]
Accompass Inc., a division of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., is appointing Sherry Shaw as a vice-president in its benefits and health practice. With 26 years of experience in the group benefits industry, Shaw was previously vice-president and local practice lead for health and benefits in Toronto at Aon. She was also an account executive at Sun Life Financial […]
While a new collective agreement negotiated between the British Columbia Nurses’ Union and the Health Employers Association of B.C. won’t bring significant changes, the round of negotiations did raise an issue with paramedical benefits, specifically the amount spent on massages. Currently, nurses in the province have unlimited dollars to spend on massages, which are 100 per cent paid […]
A lawsuit filed by a former firefighter and paramedic against Syncrude Canada claims the oilsands giant wrongfully denied him benefits and fired him after he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder related to his job. Mike Swan is seeking damages for lost compensation and benefits, improper paycheque deductions and in lieu of reasonable notice, says a statement […]
A Cape Breton call centre that abruptly shut down last month, tossing hundreds of people out of work, has hired back more than 90 per cent of its workforce, offering enhanced benefits and increasing entry-level wages. The Sydney Call Centre Inc.’s owner Anthony Marlowe said about 480 workers have returned to the operation after being […]
Canada should be considering the feasibility of a portable benefits plan for employees across the country, according to the Public Policy Forum. A portable benefits plan would fill the needs of transient employees engaged in part-time or temporary work who have limited or no access to benefits and pensions, noted the report. It would also provide […]
Fewer U.S. employees are reporting their employers are offering benefits, according to a new survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald & Associates. Despite a tight labour market, the survey found declines in eight out of the 10 most popular benefits offerings. Health insurance remained the most frequently offered (78 per cent) benefit in […]
iA Financial Group is introducing a virtual assistant to help personalize group benefits and pension plan member experience. The virtual assistant can be accessed using Google Assistant on a cell phone, tablet or via Google Home. It can calculate how much a group registered retirement savings plan member should contribute or estimate the amount saved when they retire, […]
Morneau Shepell Ltd. is offering its internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy program as an approved paramedical benefit through several insurance companies. The program, AbilitiCBT, delivers online CBT that combines therapist guidance with interactive exercises and activities. It focuses on changing negative thought patterns, emotional responses and behaviours to reduce absenteeism and improve engagement, shorten return-to-work timeframes and […]
As the cannabis industry rapidly grows, employers in the sector are feeling overwhelmed with the sheer volume of employees they need to recruit. A network for human resources professionals in the cannabis industry, called Cannabis HR Network, was launched on Friday to meet the need. It aims to provide a forum for employers in the regulated […]