Cadillac Fairview Corp. let the dogs out at four of its downtown Toronto office towers to cheer up its employees on Blue Monday, known as the gloomiest day of the year. The commercial landlord held pop-up puppy parks at Cadillac Fairview Tower, RBC Centre, TD Place and Simcoe Centre, where trained therapy dogs from the […]
Morneau Shepell Ltd. is teaming up with Interaxon Inc. to test meditation-aid technology for use in workplace well-being programs. Interaxon makes the Muse meditation headband, a research-grade electroencephalography device that aims to help in the meditation process by providing visual and auditory feedback relating to the user’s brain activity. The feedback is an attempt to encourage mental behaviours associated […]
Willis Towers Watson has promoted Wendy Poirier to the role of global well-being leader. With the consulting firm since 2005, Poirier’s previous roles include innovation leader, growth leader and region leader in health and benefits for Canada. She also spent 10 years as a managing principal at Towers Perrin before it became Willis Towers Watson. At the beginning […]
Strong competition to attract and retain talent will drive employers to adopt holistic employee wellness strategies in 2020, according to the Workforce Institute at Kronos Inc.’s global workforce predictions for the year. “We have these war for talent issues going on everywhere,” says Joyce Maroney, executive director at the Workforce Institute. “One of the ways […]
Since good nutrition contributes to better mental health, what people eat has a direct relationship to their mood and how they function, said Charmaine Alexander, senior advisor of disability management at Desjardins Insurance. “Let’s compare our brains to a car engine,” she said during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2019 Mental Health Summit on Nov. […]
Looking ahead to 2020, all indicators point to technology playing a greater role in human resources practices given the rapid advances in artificial intelligence and emerging virtual health-care services. But while HR and wellness professionals adapt to these new technologies, they should also be looking at other important considerations to help make their workplaces more comfortable and their employees […]
Looking ahead to 2020, the big story for health benefits is often avoided because it isn’t easy to address. It’s the elephant in the room. Over the past year, there’s been no shortage of momentum in new and emerging product offerings in the health benefits space — everything from digital cognitive behavioural therapy to virtual […]
Helping employees find meaningful ways to give back to their communities helps energize them, even during the busiest retail season of the year, says Chris Taylor, chief human resources officer at Best Buy Canada. “We have so many programs throughout the year, but like at many companies it really ramps up during the holidays,” he says. In […]
The beginning of a new year is a great time for employers to reflect on their benefits plans and take steps to get in ahead of potential challenges. Here are four ways to set the benefits year off on a good foot: 1. Review the company’s benefits philosophy Every organization should have a philosophy that drives the design and structure […]
To improve employee health and nutrition habits, HelloFresh Canada is taking staff out of the kitchen and into an online classroom — and then back into the kitchen. Employees of the Toronto-based meal-kit company can take interactive health and wellness courses through an online wellness portal to accumulate credits towards purchasing wellness rewards. The courses include modules on improving […]