For the University of British Columbia (UBC), integrating health and wellness practices into the institution’s culture has been a process. Health promotions for faculty and staff at the 103-year-old Vancouver-based university formally began in 2003 with a one-day Health Symposium, which included a keynote speaker, a lunch and a series of sessions. “Employees were encouraged […]
Equitable Life of Canada has introduced an online health assessment tool aimed at helping plan members better understand and manage their health. The tool, developed in partnership with Ceridian Canada, prompts plan members to respond to a series of questions regarding health indicators and preferences (nutrition, exercise and/or workplace-sponsored events). While individual health assessment responses […]
Watch this video Cyndy Nayer, president, CEO and co-founder of the Centre for Health Value Innovation, discusses the importance of creating a culture of wellness in the workplace. “It’s intrinsic for employers to take a leadership role in health and performance,” she says. And how those health initiatives are delivered is just as important. The […]
While 96% of Canadian employers have wellness initiatives or plan to introduce them, only 24% have fully implemented wellness strategies, according to Buck Consultant’s recent survey, Working Well: A Global Survey of Health Promotion and Workplace Wellness Strategies. The survey found that fewer than one in four workplace wellness programs in Canada have a strategy […]
When it comes to wellness, Canadian companies are getting it—in part. Most benefits plan sponsors understand the importance of investing in ways to keep their employees healthy. Not only do wellness initiatives make a difference in the lives of the people who represent an organization’s most valuable asset, but they also offer benefits to the […]
According to a 2010 Conference Board of Canada survey, 64% of respondents indicated that their benefits programs are focused on health promotions and disease management. However, only 26% reported that their organizations had fully developed a comprehensive wellness strategy. “Health as a strategic business issue is something that businesses can no longer afford to ignore,” […]
A recent Canadian study finds $33 billion per year is lost in the workplace from employees suffering from emotional disorders. Dr. Robert Wilson, presenter at The Canadian Health and Wellness Innovations Conference in Las Vegas, hosted by the International Federation of Employee Benefits Plans, got the room’s attention when he revealed this astounding number during […]
According to the Sun Life Canadian Health Index, almost 45% of Canadians don’t put their health at the top of their priority list—for some, it’s not on the list at all. The study categorized respondents into the following categories: overconfident (23%), overextended (22%), health achievers (22%), resilient (18%) and inhibited (16%). Those in the overconfident […]
One in five Canadians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime, according to a 2002 Health Canada report. In any year, 12% of Canadians ages 15 to 64 suffer from a mental disorder or substance dependence, as stated in a 2004 article in Healthcare Papers. Mental illness accounts for more than 15% of the burden […]
In 1979, not many people would have shared Dr. Robert Wilson’s vision of creating an employer-sponsored psychological health benefit for workers with mental health issues. As Wilson says today, the common view at the time was that employers had no right to interfere in the personal affairs of their employees. But his experience setting up […]