The union representing employees at Glencore’s Raglan Mine in Nunavik, Que. has ratified an agreement that includes benefits gains and increases in paid disability leave. Nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of the members of United Steelworkers Local 9449 voted in favour of the five-year agreement, which includes short-term disability coverage of 70 per cent of […]
After living through a prolonged global pandemic, Canadian benefits plan sponsors are facing a professional environment that’s almost unrecognizable to pre-2020 years. The coronavirus pandemic affected employees at a personal level and is also being felt by employers and their workplace benefits plans, said Jason Kennedy, general manager of virtual pharmacy for TELUS Health, during […]
Ontario’s school support staff are moving toward a strike vote starting Sept. 23 over extended benefits, short-term disability leave and wage increases, among other requests by the workers’ union the Canadian Union of Public Employees. In its initial proposal, the CUPE is asking the government to provide additional funds to cover the increasing costs of […]
While more than a third of disability claims under Canadian employer-sponsored benefits plans in 2022 were due to mental-health reasons, just two-thirds (63 per cent) of organizations are addressing this risk effectively, according to a new survey by Mercer. The survey, which polled more than 100 organizations globally, found more than half (55 per cent) […]
In the age of the #MeToo movement, the coronavirus pandemic and the global outcry for social justice, Canadians workers have been glued to their phones or tablets. Doomscrolling — the ongoing consumption of negative news — is taking its toll on their mental health. Doomscrolling is on the rise in Canada and employers need to […]
In the first quarter of 2022, new annual premiums for supplemental health insurance products totalled $1.1 billion in the U.S., a six per cent increase from the same period last year, according to LIMRA’s latest workplace benefits sales surveys. Most workplace supplemental health insurance product lines ― accident, critical illness, cancer and hospital indemnity insurance ― […]
U.S. employer-sponsored health insurance and well-being programs are expected to yield an average return on investment of 47 per cent this year, according to a new report by Avalere Health, commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It found the key drivers of this ROI are improved employee productivity (US$275.6 billion), reductions in direct medical […]
The union representing roughly 100 employees at Pilkington Glass in Whitby, Ont. has ratified a three-year agreement that includes benefits and pension gains. Members of Unifor Local 222 voted 84 per cent in favour of ratifying the agreement, which includes a short-term disability weekly benefit of $400 and two paid personal emergency leave days per […]
Employees are experiencing more pain than ever before, with nearly half of the workforce diagnosed with some form of chronic pain lasting more than three months, according to Dr. Ayla Azad, chief experience officer at the Canadian Chiropractic Association, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 Benefits & Pension Summit on June 1. Citing several different […]
Roughly two-fifths (37 per cent) of U.S. employers are increasing the quality of their existing benefits offerings to help with employee retention and attraction efforts, according to a survey by Principal Financial Services Inc. The survey, which polled 500 employers and 200 employees, found the top three enhanced benefits are short- and long-term disability insurance, […]