As part of efforts to add to its mental-health training for staff and faculty, the University of British Columbia is in the process of rolling out a mindfulness program from technology giant Google Inc. The Search Inside Yourself program, an effort launched internally at Google in 2007, follows the research of leading experts in the fields of mindfulness, neuroscience and […]
While many Canadian organizations continue to search for solutions to rising health-care costs, most are falling short. That’s why they must investigate any opportunity to find substantial savings and then take action. One health-related cost that hasn’t gained much attention is absenteeism. As issue often linked to mental-health issues, it’s costing Canadian organizations billions of dollars in payroll costs, […]
More than half (57 per cent) of Canadian employees and managers are currently suffering from a mental-health problem or sleeping disorder, or have done so in the past, according to new research by Morneau Shepell Ltd. However, 27 per cent of employees and 32 per cent of managers surveyed said they’re able to go through their daily work […]
The Co-operators Group Ltd. is expanding its mental-health support for employees by increasing its annual coverage of mental-health services to $5,000 a year per family member. It’s also expanding the number of eligible practitioners covered by its plan, beyond psychologists and social workers to include family therapists, clinical counsellors and psychotherapists. The company is also introducing a new […]
Keeping workplace stress in check is a job perfectly suited to the four-legged set, or at least that’s the hope of a few enterprising petting zoos and some companies. Organizations such as Squeals on Wheels, a mobile petting zoo in Potomac, Md., bring animals into workplaces for employees to cuddle, pet and hold as a break from […]
How employees react to stress has a bigger impact on total health than the condition itself, according to a new report from Morneau Shepell Ltd. “Stress itself is not something that is good or bad — it is merely a demand on physical or mental energy,” said Bill Howatt, chief research and development officer for workplace […]
Commercial landlord Cadillac Fairview Corp. Ltd. is hoping to list the spirits of employees in Toronto with pop-up puppy parks in several of its downtown Toronto properties. The middle Monday in January is known as the most dreary day of the year due to the the gloomy weather, post-holiday blahs and pile of unfulfilled New Year’s resolutions. […]
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is expanding its work-related mental-stress policy following decisions at the appeals tribunal that found the limits currently placed on entitlement criteria are unconstitutional. Over the last few years, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal has issued several decisions that determined the provisions in the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act limiting entitlement only […]
Poor financial well-being is a growing problem, impacting Canadian employees’ on-the-job performance, health and absenteeism rates, according to a new survey by Willis Towers Watson. Its survey found that 23 per cent of respondents identified themselves as struggling. Among that group, almost half said that worries about finances were preventing them from performing their best at work. More than […]
From lack of sleep to post-traumatic stress disorders, employees facing a range of challenges that can have an impact on their work. What are some of the causes of mental-health issues and how can employers recognize when an employee is having difficulties? At the 2017 Mental Health Summit in Toronto on Nov. 7, experts provided […]