Would a furry friend sitting under a colleague’s desk ease stress or cause distraction? That’s just one of many questions employers have to consider when it comes to deciding whether to welcome pets to the workplace. Issues can range from the minor, like dogs knocking over coffee cups, to the serious, such as co-workers suffering from severe […]
The debate over standup desks has been raging since a recent study found negative health impacts for employees who stand all day. But what about the other health and productivity benefits of being in a more active position at work? One the one hand, a study by the Texas A&M Health Science Center showed increased use […]
Hey Dan, wanna walk down to the boardwalk again?” It’s a muggy June night in New Liskeard, Ont., where my boyfriend is working for the summer, and we’re on a final stroll before my overnight bus ride back to Toronto. I still haven’t packed or eaten dinner but I’m desperate to keep walking. According to […]
What if you could play childhood games at work and be a better employee because of it? Nicole Cairns, health and wellness director at Thorpe Benefits, has run into that exact situation. “Simon was a wellness champion, especially in terms of physical fitness. . . . He took it upon himself to enhance what we […]
For legal software company Clio, employee engagement is crucial — so much so that it has revamped its five administration roles as employee engagement specialists. “Ultimately, [engagement] pays dividends,” says Rian Gauvreau, co-founder and chief people officer at Clio. “I think that people nowadays have a lot of options in terms of where they choose […]
Following the implementation of a workplace wellness program, there are two groups of employees that require followup and support. My last column covered how to help wellness champions maintain success. But participants who haven’t progressed also need extra attention. It’s not enough to be satisfied with a majority of participants improving. You should strive to […]
As part of its celebration of its 40th anniversary, Benefits Canada followed up on research undertaken five years ago into plan sponsors’ attitudes towards their pension and benefits plans. How do the results today compare to the 2012 findings? It’s no surprise that, according to Benefits Canada’s research, plan sponsors find costs the biggest challenge […]
Among the findings of the 2017 Sanofi Canada health-care survey, published last week, was the surprising decline in interest by employers in offering wellness programs to their staff. Fewer than a third (31 per cent) of employers said they plan to invest more in health education or wellness programs in the next year — down […]
Employer appetite for investing in wellness appears to be waning, delegates heard at the Toronto launch of the 2017 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. Representatives from the benefits industry, who also served on the survey’s advisory board, were surprised and concerned by these findings as they shared insights from the research at the event on Tuesday […]
Employees who cycle to work are less likely to die prematurely than their colleagues who don’t have an active commute, says a recent study published in the BMJ, a British medical journal. “The findings, if causal, suggest population health may be improved by policies that increase active commuting, particularly cycling, such as the creation of […]