In the midst of the most significant socio-economic and health crisis since WWII — and maybe even longer — virtually every aspect of modern society has been affected in some way, and employee benefits programs are no exception. Before the coronavirus pandemic was in full swing in Canada, employers were focused on ensuring employees diagnosed with the […]
With the increase in job losses, illnesses, uncertainty and self-isolation, how is the coronavirus survey affecting Canadians’ emotional and psychological well-being? Half of Canadians reported a worsening of their mental health with 10 per cent saying it has worsened a lot, according to a new survey by the Angus Reid Institute. When asked to describe […]
Unions across the country are pushing for further measures to keep their members safe, whether they stock the frozen food section in a grocery store or care for critically-ill patients in an intensive care unit. Health-care workers Unifor had strong words for an Ontario government directive that allows employers to ask long-term care workers who’ve […]
More than a third (35 per cent) of Canadians said they expect to lose their job or the main source of self-employment income in the next four weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey by Statistics Canada. The survey, which polled more than 4,600 Canadians in all 10 provinces in late March and early April, found […]
Morneau Shepell Ltd. and fitness app Lift are partnering to add artificial intelligence-based fitness programs and live coaches to Morneau Shepell’s LifeWorks well-being platform. Through the platform, plan members will be able to access virtual fitness programs built for their personal goals using AI. They will also be able to receive live virtual coaching and can join live […]
Before the coronavirus pandemic, 20 per cent of BMO Financial Group’s 45,000 employees were working from home on a fairly regular basis. Since March, that’s jumped to 80 per cent. “We have, of course, people who are in branches who need to go in and serve customers face to face, but we have schooled up our work […]
People across Canada are stressed out about money. In fact, 41 per cent of Canadians say money is their No. 1 source of stress, according to Karrina Dusablon, vice-president of market development and strategic solutions at Canada Life, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2020 DC Plan Summit in Montreal in February. Overall well-being is […]
The federal government is expanding the Canada Emergency Response Benefit to include workers whose monthly income has been reduced to $1,000 or less, in response to concerns from gig economy workers who didn’t qualify for the original version of the benefit. The benefit will also now apply to seasonal workers who won’t have work because […]
While physical well-being is vital during the coronavirus pandemic, the situation is raising multiple mental-health issues, including rising stress levels exacerbated by job uncertainty and social isolation. Looking at mental-health policies and tools, innovative practices and work-from-home protocols, Benefits Canada hosted a panel of experts in a webinar on March 31 to answer plan sponsor […]
The mental-health repercussions of the coronavirus could see global sales of psychiatric drugs increase to more than US$40 billion by 2025, according to data and analytics company GlobalData. Global sales for drugs to treat mental-health disorders such as depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder are expected to reach US$27.4 billion in 2020, an increase of US$717 […]