With the return of the holiday shopping season, employees may be tempted to spend more than they planned, despite the rising cost in living. According to a recent survey by Deloitte Canada, Canadians plan to spend, on average, $1,478 for the holidays this year, up 10 per cent — or $131 — from 2023 but […]
The union representing 1,750 employees at Extendicare’s long-term care facilities across Ontario has ratified multiple three-year collective agreements that include benefits gains. The agreements include increasing vision coverage from $350 to $400 every 24 months, as well as increasing parental leave to a maximum of 78 weeks from 52 weeks. In terms of sick leave, […]
Global benefits costs are projected to increase by 10.4 per cent in 2025, according to a new survey by WTW. The survey, which polled nearly 350 insurers, found in North America, costs are projected to rise to 8.7 per cent in 2025, up from 8.1 per cent in 2024. In the U.S., insurers projected a […]
An article on employees’ views of employer-sponsored benefits plans was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: 1. Survey finds seven in 10 Canadian workers dissatisfied with their employer’s benefits plan 2. Claims for obesity, diabetes medications up in 2023: […]
With Canada’s workforce in the midst of multiple significant demographic shifts, group benefits plans will need to evolve to meet the changing needs of workers, according to Shelley Sjoberg, assistant vice-president of group product development and support at Canada Life. Speaking during Benefits Canada’s 2024 Healthy Outcomes Conference, she pointed to Statistics Canada data that […]
As plan sponsors contend with high utilization of their drug plans and a host of costly new drugs coming to market, a variety of cost-containment measures can ensure plans remain sustainable while still supporting members. Plan sponsors’ annual drug plan spend has been steadily rising, said Martin Gascon, senior director of group benefits at Eckler […]
Plan sponsors are facing the perfect storm of rising benefits costs, a surge in chronic disease prevalence and fierce competition for top talent. All the while, 55 per cent of Canadian workers feel their employee benefits plan doesn’t fully meet their needs, according to Telus Health’s mental-health index. More than 50 per cent of plan members […]
While migraine is a complex neurological condition that can significantly impact patients’ quality of life and ability to work, it’s also poorly understood and often accompanied by the weight of stigma, said Elizabeth Leroux, faculty lecturer at McGill University, during a session sponsored by Lundbeck at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Healthy Outcomes Conference. One in 10 Canadians […]
During the coronavirus pandemic, McCarthy Tétrault elevated its well-being program and made sure employees had access to the resources they needed. But within a couple of years, Rita Apa (pictured right), the law firm’s chief human resources officer, said her team realized it was “deploying tactics instead of truly developing and implementing a coherent wellness […]
A significant share of Canadians with diabetes struggle to keep their glucose levels in check, a worrying trend given the growing prevalence of diabetes in the country. Roughly 75 per cent of Canadians who use insulin to manage their diabetes — and 40 per cent of those who don’t — aren’t hitting their glucose targets, […]