This spring, Momentous Corp., an Ottawa-based tech company attracted a great deal of attention, both positive and negative, by publicly declaring its strict policy of not hiring smokers. Not only are Momentous employees not allowed to smoke on company time or property, they are expected to carry this forward to their personal time, too. Momentous claims that by taking this stand, it has slashed the cost of its health benefits and also increased productivity.
A Ceridian survey finds that although 90% of Canadian organizations believe mental health as an important part of a health and wellness strategy, only 22% of respondents believe the services they have in place are adequate.
A new, comprehensive study of employees at a Fortune 100 company found their overall well-being predicts future retention, productivity and healthcare costs.
If productivity and efficiency are the pillars of corporate competency, the quest for success might be the demise of employee health.
In corporate wellness strategies, measurement is often the missing component. To achieve its goals, a corporate wellness strategy must be able to answer two questions: Are we making a difference in employee health? And, is that difference resulting in a positive return on investment (ROI) and cost savings for the corporation? Without a defined measurement component, it’s impossible to know if these outcomes are being achieved.
A majority of working Canadians are feeling overwhelmed by stress, and the situation is particularly dire among young employees, according to results from the third annual Sun Life Canadian Health Index.
When it comes to workplace wellness programs, the question many employers face is no longer whether they should invest in such initiatives, but rather how to do it in a way that is strategic and cost-effective and aligned with their corporate culture. But no single wellness program equally matches the needs of all organizations. The following three Canadian companies—C.S.T. Consultants Inc., Intria and Direct Energy—have each approached wellness in unique ways based on their employee demographics, available resources and strategic goals. While their wellness programs differ, they all endorse one message: just do it.
Jennifer Allen, vice-president, HR programs and corporate communications, with Economical Insurance Group, says you don’t need to have a large budget and many resources to put a wellness program in place.
U.S. employers are increasingly using incentives to encourage participation in health screening programs, say new survey findings from Aon Hewitt.
Most organizations will see mental disorders as one of the top two categories on their drug utilization reports, and those conditions tend to be trending upwards, said Leanne MacFarlane, senior director, business development, with MHCSI, as part of a mental health panel at the conference.