Employers that want to see their wellness programs pay dividends need to develop a strategy that’s rooted in behavioural science. “This idea of ticking a box on wellness is not working anymore,” said Cynthia Hastings-James, co-founder of BestLifeRewarded Innovations, during a webinar hosted by the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute on Thursday. “It really needs […]
An important part of a workplace wellness program is supporting employees’ physical fitness, but Rocky Mountain Soap Co. isn’t just encouraging its employees to be active — it pays them to do it. Since 2011, the soap maker has offered 45-minute morning fitness classes three times a week to employees at its Canmore, Alta. headquarters. […]
IBM Canada Ltd.’s director of HR talks data and analytics, holistic employee health and playing the piano Q. What top challenges do you face in your role? A. I want to help employees understand and fully leverage all of our benefits offerings. IBM provides competitive retirement saving vehicles and financial management tools, but I always […]
IKEA Canada is giving wellness days to its employees to support their work-life balance. The wellness days, introduced in January, can be used for when employees have personal needs, such as appointments, illnesses or injuries, taking care of a family member, dealing with personal emergencies, volunteering at or taking part in a community event, weather-related events, […]
Employers promote competition, interactive booths and benefits information to engage employees in their wellness offerings. “Someone lasted seven minutes,” says Stephanie Enright, the Mississauga, Ont. company’s director of talent management and administration. “Our employees really like the competitiveness, and these activities help draw people to the health fair.” Over the last decade, the organization’s health […]
CSA Group’s vice-president of total rewards talks mental health, well-being programs and travelling with her family. Q. What top challenges do you face in your role? A. We’re in 13 countries and we have some global programs — our employee assistance program and business travel accident [insurance] — but then we also have to develop […]
Flexibility on the job can go a long way to helping employees manage their mental well-being, according to a survey by FlexJobs. The survey, which polled 3,900 global employees, found 84 per cent of respondents said having a flexible job would help them better manage mental illnesses like anxiety and depression. More than a third (35 […]
More than three-quarters (76 per cent) of Canadians said the support offered by their employer around mental health is critical to how they view their workplace, according to a new survey by Morneau Shepell Ltd. Speaking at Morneau Shepell’s annual mental-health summit in Toronto on Wednesday, Paula Allen, the organization’s senior vice-president of research, analytics and […]
Over the past three years, 1,525 employers from across Canada have taken part in MindsMatter, CivicAction’s free online workplace mental-health assessment. “MindsMatter has helped neutralize the excuses for employers to take action,” said Sevaun Palvetzian, chief executive officer of CivicAction. “We’ve created an on-ramp and accelerated more supportive workplace culture and practices across Canada.” But […]
Employers should be closely examining the underlying drivers of cost growth in their drug plans, according to a new report by Innovative Medicines Canada. “Typically, [plan sponsors] get their report at the end of the year, they’ll see a cost for their drug plan and they don’t know what’s driving it,” says Joe Farago, the […]