When considering the legal cases attracting the most attention from the pension and benefits industry in 2018, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal’s decision in Talos v. Grand Erie District School Board was one of the most talked about of the year. “This case is important because plan administrators who previously relied on the Employment Standards Act […]
Uber pledged Wednesday to challenge a U.K. Court of Appeal decision that drivers should be classed as workers rather than self-employed employees, a verdict that has potentially wide-ranging implications for the rapidly growing gig economy and the rules that govern it. The challenge sets up a showdown in the U.K.’s Supreme Court that will determine […]
Providence Health Care isn’t new to offering health challenges to its staff. Every October during healthy workplace month, the company encourages its employees to change a habit they can easily integrate into their workday. But when Linda Rankin, the organization’s occupational health and safety coordinator, learned about the annual health challenge offered by Pacific Blue Cross, she was keen to roll […]
Hub International Ltd. is acquiring the employee benefits practice of Rise People Inc. Based in Vancouver, Rise offers an online platform of human resources, time tracking, payroll and benefits administration tools to Canadian employers. As part of the acquisition, Hub will begin offering Rise People’s services to its clients. Jesse McNeil, director of group benefits at Rise People, […]
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine is tying its professional focus into its employee benefits offering, piloting an online program to help employees get more out of the time they spend sleeping. In November, the U.S.-based Welltrinsic Sleep Network, a subsidiary of the academy, rolled out the program with the aim of helping employees track, monitor and […]
Almost half (49 per cent) of U.S. employers are concerned that employees delaying their retirements will increase benefits costs, according to a new survey by Willis Towers Watson. The survey, based on responses from almost 150 large employers in the United States, also found 41 per cent of respondents are concerned that delayed retirement will increase salary costs and 37 per cent […]
At the annual Mental Health Summit Toronto on Nov. 12, industry experts provided insights on mental health and the workplace, including how to remove the stigma, a look at new technologies and ways to help facilitate a smooth return to work. Here are some of the highlights of the sessions: Accommodation an affordable path to […]
With 44 per cent of Canadian workers experiencing mental-health issues and mental health the fastest growing and leading cause of disability claims, benefits plans are feeling the strain. “The numbers are staggering in terms of what we’re seeing and the continual growth of this as an issue,” said Rebecca Smith, director of group life and […]
Cognitive behavioural therapy is one field of mental-health treatment that’s moving progressively towards being digitally delivered. This is because digital CBT provides greater access to treatment, specifically for those in remote areas, and also helps to control costs, said Jennifer Wild, a consultant clinical psychologist and associate professor at the University of Oxford in England. Speaking […]
Two-thirds of Canadians have access to an employer-sponsored health plan, compared to one-in-five Australians and one-in-10 Britons, according to one speaker at Benefits Canada’s 2018 Mental Health Summit Toronto on Nov. 12. Research also found, when looking at publicly funded therapy programs in Australia and England, the goal was to increase access and bridge the gap […]