For Canadians and people around the world, the current news stream can be particularly bleak. While a brief ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hamas punctuated the conflict in Gaza last week, the war’s wider impact on people’s mental health and psychological safety will likely last far into the future. Meanwhile, Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine […]
The head of a group that represents psychotherapists and counsellors says Ottawa’s plan to lift federal taxes on those services is a good start to addressing barriers to mental-health support, but many people still can’t afford to pay for care that should be publicly funded. Carrie Foster, a couples and family therapist and president of […]
Even as signs emerge that the labour market is starting to shift in employers’ favour, employee attraction, retention and engagement remain top priorities. During Benefits Canada’s inaugural Future of Work Summit in October, a panel of employers, insurers and academics weighed in on the results of Benefits Canada’s 2023 Future of Work Survey. Almost two-thirds […]
When Desjardins Insurance launched a study to redefine employee health and well-being, an unexpected finding came through loud and clear: Canadian employers and insurers should be paying much closer attention to millennial plan members. Millennials are a cohort of people born between 1980 and 1996. Since 2016, the generation has comprised the largest segment of […]
Two-fifths (38 per cent) of U.S. employees say they haven’t taken a vacation in the past 12 months, according to a new survey by Eagle Hill Consulting. The survey, which polled more than 1,300 workers, found lower-income employees (59 per cent), generation Z (46 per cent) and workers without a college degree (46 per cent) […]
When tall poppy syndrome is left to manifest in the workplace, it can have an adverse effect on an organization’s culture and lead to issues with employee mental health and productivity, said Rumeet Billan, a leadership, emotional resilience and mental-health expert, during the keynote session at Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Healthy Outcomes Conference in October. She cautioned […]
Many plan members are experiencing risk factors related to poor mental, physical and financial well-being, but often don’t know they can turn to their benefits plans for help. Indeed, when Canada Life’s disability claims report asked plan members going on disability whether they sought out counselling through their benefits plans, more than half said they […]
As employers increasingly embrace diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, strong mental-health support can be a key pillar in those efforts, said Joby McKenzie, managing director for Canada at Teladoc Health, during Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Healthy Outcomes Conference in October. Highlighting statistics showing the mental-health disparities across diverse groups, she noted a third of Indigenous people […]
Since menopause often hits women at the peak of their careers and can have an impact on their workplace productivity, employers must re-evaluate their benefits plans and workplace policies to better support women through the transition. While the common age range for menopause is between 45 and 55, it can also happen before age 40, […]
Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc. is tailoring its benefits and wellness programs to its unique demographics to more effectively support employee well-being, said Donna Burnett Vachon, the company’s director of change and organization development, during Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Healthy Outcomes Conference in October. The company has four subsidiaries, with each doing slightly different types of work, […]