Plan members with a workplace wellness culture are much more likely (89 per cent) to be satisfied with their jobs compared to those without one (59 per cent), according to the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. It found plan members with a workplace wellness culture were also more satisfied with their health benefits plan (81 per cent […]
A third (34 per cent) of benefits plan members say they’ve received health-care services virtually by phone or computer over the past year, down from 41 per cent in 2022 and 43 per cent in 2021, according to the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. It found members recovering from a major injury (68 per cent) were […]
Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of Canadian benefits plan members say they appreciate their health benefits more today than they did before the coronavirus pandemic, according to the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. It found while this result is generally consistent across all cross tabulations, the biggest variation occurred regionally, with a high of 85 […]
After years of viewing diversity, equity and inclusion as a side-of-the-desk issue, Canadian employers are increasingly considering it a top priority and integrating their organizational DEI goals into their benefits plans. While employers have been introducing DEI initiatives for years, incorporating these goals into benefits plans had been neglected, according to multiple panellists during Benefits Canada’s […]
By March 2021, nearly half a million Canadian women who lost their jobs during the pandemic still hadn’t returned to work by the beginning of that year, according to data from the Royal Bank of Canada. It also found more than 200,000 women had slipped into the ranks of the long-term unemployed, a threefold increase […]
U.S. employers say they’re expecting their total health benefits plan costs to rise by an average of 5.4 per cent per employee in 2024, according to a new survey by Mercer. The survey, which polled more than 1,900 employers, found the projected increase comes after more than a decade of annual cost increases typically averaging […]
More than three-quarters (77 per cent) of large U.S. employers are reporting an increase in mental-health needs among their workforces, according to a new survey by Business Group on Health. The survey, which polled around 150 large employers employing 19 million people, found this is a 33 per cent increase compared to last year, when […]
With wildfires raging across the country over the past weeks, employers can support affected employees by offering easily accessible tools and resources, flexible work schedules and extended wellness benefits, says Alex Boucher, principal consultant and total health management leader at Mercer Canada. Whether they’ve been removed from their homes or are worrying about smoke inhalation, employees are […]
Sun Life Financial Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Dialogue Health Technologies Inc. for roughly $365 million. The insurer initially invested in the virtual-care platform in 2020 and subsequently expanded the relationship as a large shareholder and partner. Dialogue will maintain its head office in Montreal and will continue to operate as a […]
The majority (88 per cent) of Canadians employees say the coronavirus pandemic changed how they work in one or more ways, a percentage that increases among employees who work remotely (91 per cent) and those in a hybrid work arrangement (96 per cent), according to a survey conducted by RKI Inc. this spring. The results […]