I was a little daunted to write a piece for Benefits Canada’s 45th anniversary issue — it has been almost 15 years since I last penned a column for the magazine and I’m a little out of practice. The assignment seemed straightforward — 500 to 600 words on how benefits have evolved or what’s expected […]
A majority of plan sponsors (80 per cent) and plan members (77 per cent) described the quality of their health benefits plans as excellent or good, according to the 2022 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. Employers with 500 or more employees (86 per cent) were more likely than those with fewer than 50 employees (72 per […]
An article on virtual health-care findings in the 2022 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. 88% of benefits plan sponsors satisfied with virtual health-care offerings: BCHS 2. OTG Management using earned-wage access cards to help employees contend with […]
A majority (88 per cent) of benefits plan sponsors are very (34 per cent) or somewhat (54 per cent) satisfied with their organization’s virtual health-care offerings, up from nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) in 2021, according to the 2022 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. More than a quarter of plan sponsors (29 per cent) and plan […]
A fifth (22 per cent) of Canadian benefits plan members report their mental health over the past year was generally poor, more than twice the percentage (11 per cent) who said their overall health was poor, according to the 2022 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. The survey, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, found […]
The technology company’s senior benefits consultant on employee well-being, the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion and bikes races in Western Canada. Q: What top challenges do you face in your role? A: Although there can be day-to-day challenges supporting our employees across Canada, Amazon continues to support the increased needs created by the coronavirus […]
The modern economy is highly uncertain, with inflation and rising interest rates cutting into bottom lines everywhere. Employers are nervous as the cost of capital and the cost of their inputs seems to rise every day. But employees are nervous, too. And since no one knows when inflation will end, it’s difficult for anyone to […]
U.S. employers are anticipating health benefits costs will rise by an average of 5.6 per cent per employee in 2023, according to early results from a survey by Mercer. The survey, which polled more than 850 U.S. employers, found if respondents made no changes to their benefits plans, the cost for the largest plans would rise […]
In the age of the #MeToo movement, the coronavirus pandemic and the global outcry for social justice, Canadians workers have been glued to their phones or tablets. Doomscrolling — the ongoing consumption of negative news — is taking its toll on their mental health. Doomscrolling is on the rise in Canada and employers need to […]
Two-fifths (43 per cent) of U.S.-based human resources leaders say workers are having difficulty accessing mental-health care, according to a survey by virtual health care provider Uprise Health. The survey, which polled more than 540 U.S.-based HR leaders at firms with 100 or more employees, found 35 per cent of employers aren’t currently offering any […]