Employers can take a proactive role in supporting employee mental health during the holidays through early intervention, communication and making wellness resources easily accessible, says Lindsey Gage-Cole, senior vice-president of client and member operations at GroupHealth Benefit Solutions. “For employees, the holidays can mean increased workloads, balancing holiday planning with work obligations and the pressure […]
Canadians employees aged 20 to 29 continue to have the lowest general well-being, with a score of 46.3 out of 100, according to a new report by Dialogue Health Technologies Inc. The report, which analyzes data across five dimensions of well-being — including mood, stress, sleep, activeness and sense of purpose — found Canadians’ average well-being has […]
Physically active workers in Canada lose 10 fewer workdays of productivity annually than their sedentary counterparts, according to Telus Health’s latest mental-health index. The survey, which polled 3,000 employees, found workers dissatisfied with their physical health scored 22 points lower in mental health and lost 21 more days of productivity annually than satisfied counterparts. The […]
Employees’ online searches for burnout signs and symptoms are up 50 per cent worldwide in 2024, according to a new study by Instant Offices. The global study, which analyzed trends across 30 major cities, found Toronto workers had one of the highest burnout rates worldwide when looking at online sentiment, with 710 burnout term searches […]
While Canadian privacy laws allow employers to track employees in a remote or hybrid working arrangement, this surveillance must be related to their job. “Employers have a proper and reasonable right to supervise their employees and ensure they’re doing their jobs and doing them safely,” says David Young, principal at David Young Law. “The flip […]
Nearly two-fifths (38 per cent) of Canadians say they’ve felt stressed to the point where it had an impact on their daily life at least once, according to a new survey by Ipsos that was released ahead of World Mental Health Day. The global survey, which polled more than 24,000 people in 31 countries, found […]
Employees who work remotely full time report higher levels of loneliness (25 per cent) than those who work fully onsite (16 per cent), according to a new report by Gallup Inc. The global report found that overall, a fifth of employees reported experiencing loneliness recently, with the percentage being higher among employees younger than age […]
Mental health and musculoskeletal problems are currently two of the main drivers of disability claims and it isn’t uncommon for plan members with a mental-health diagnosis to also have a secondary physical condition or vice-versa, said Rebecca Smith, director of group life and disability services at Medavie Blue Cross, during Benefits Canada’s 2024 Mental Health […]
By creating a psychologically safe workplace in which employees can feel free to be their authentic selves, employers can encourage increased communication and collaboration, said Paola Ardiles Gamboa, a senior lecturer who served as special projects advisor to the vice-president of people, equity and inclusion at Simon Fraser University, during a session at Benefits Canada’s […]
Mental-health claims by Canadians have increased by 132 per cent since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report by GreenShield. The report, which compiled data from the insurer’s claims database between 2020 to 2023, found women and younger generations account for the majority of mental-health services accessed. Among those accessing mental-health services, stress […]