Eight months into the coronavirus pandemic, employees continue to face a myriad of stressors, including health anxiety, isolation, financial concerns, family issues and increased workloads. This prolonged stress is impacting sleep, energy and motivation, while driving a heightened demand for mental-health services and medication. “If you think of a classic disaster, . . . [like] an […]
As coronavirus cases rise across the country and some return-to-work plans become return-to-home plans, many employers are wondering how to help their employees adapt once again as the second wave of the pandemic slams into Canada. Will there be another lockdown this year? Will children be expected to learn remotely again while employees work? How can we, as […]
EQ Care is offering free access to its on-demand mental-health support program to help people cope as Canada endures a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. “Being committed to empathetic and compassionate care for the last 30 years, we recognize the important role EQ Care is privileged to play in improving the health of Canadians during this challenging […]
Like a spiky meteorite, when the coronavirus pandemic hit earlier this year it demolished employer’s best-laid plans and is forcing them to find innovative ways to support, motivate and retain employees. During a virtual roundtable on Oct. 16, the 2020 Workplace Benefits Awards finalists discussed how they’ve quickly responded to everything from employee mental health to supporting financial wellness […]
Scotiabank secured its second win at Benefits Canada‘s 2020 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 16 for adapting its existing benefits and introducing new resources to support employees in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. In the Coronavirus and Benefits category for an employer with more than 5,000 employees, the bank’s entry outlined how it transitioned 60 […]
Telus Health is launching a mobile mental-health app for frontline workers, first responders and their families. The app, Espri, aims to provide confidential and ready access to crisis and prevention support, as well as mental wellness tools, such as a resource hub, task manager, a video-conferencing feature and resources list. “The current health emergency has highlighted […]
At Benefits Canada‘s 2020 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 16, Scotiabank was recognized for a mental-health strategy that starts at the top of the organization and focuses on total employee well-being. “It’s one thing for [human resources] to preach from the centre the importance of mental health, but it’s quite another — and quite inspiring — to […]
More than two-thirds (67 per cent) of working Canadians said they’d use video chat, web or telephone-based health support to consult with a mental-health practitioner, up 17 percentage points since 2019, according to a new survey by RBC Insurance. The survey, which polled 1,001 employed or recently laid-off Canadians in July, also found the percentage of working […]
MindBeacon Group is launching a digital mental-health option to support all Canadians through heightened anxiety and stress related to the coronavirus pandemic. The organization found nearly half (46 per cent) of people starting therapy since the beginning of the pandemic via its Beacon digital platform indicated anxiety as their primary mental-health concern, which was up by 12 per cent when […]
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, technology was blurring the lines between work and home life. An unhealthy attachment to our mobile phones made it easy to get lured back into our work worlds when we were supposed to be on vacation, socializing with family and friends or just enjoying some downtime. During the pandemic, millions […]