Throw everything you’ve got at chronic pain claims early on and you might just lessen future disability payouts, say the experts. Maria Czarnota learned just how debilitating chronic pain can be when a cross-country skiing accident left her with a severely injured knee in 1994. On crutches and in distress, she found herself suddenly unable […]
Do you have a workforce ranging in age from 20 to 70? Then your retention strategy should take into account all of your worker generations. Too preoccupied with keeping that newly hired, iPod-listening Gen-Yer happy in your workplace? You’ll have to think big picture, says Adwoa Buahene, co-founder and managing partner, n-gen People Performance, a […]
The CEO of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec speaks his mind: on hiring talent and the mismatch between pension assets and liabilities. BC: What kind of year have you had? HR: We did very well in the first quartile. The whole group did well in terms of improving their performance. BC: Can […]
YOU’VE JUST RETURNED FROM ONE OF THOSE HALF-DAY sessions on drug plan costs. You’ve seen the Power- Point presentations on new biologics and antidiabetics in the pipeline, the aging population statistics. You worry. But it’s all OK, soothe the consultants, offering up their ever-evolving bag of tricks: managed formularies, prior authorization programs, increased co-pays. Not […]
IT’S BEEN A MONTH OF FERVENT DEBATE CONCERNING Ontario’s Bill 102, The Transparent Drug System for Patients Act. First, George Smitherman, Ontario’s Minister of Health and Long-term Care, touted the bill, aimed at reforming the province’s drug system, as a means of creating a fair drug system which provides “the right drug to the right […]
© Copyright 2006 Rogers Publishing Ltd. The following article first appeared in the May 2006 edition of BENEFITS CANADA magazine. Industry Q&A: Renewal or reform? The Alberta Government recently released proposed reforms to its healthcare system—with potentially serious cost implications for employers. By Anna Sharratt Iris Evans, Alberta’s Minister of Health and Wellness, Edmonton […]
© Copyright 2006 Rogers Publishing Ltd. The following article first appeared in the April 2006 edition of BENEFITS CANADA magazine. Predictions about avian flu hitting Canada might be unfounded. But having a contingency plan can’t hurt. By Anna Sharratt “I THINK THE AVIAN FLU IS BECOMING ANOTHER CASE OF Chicken Little,” writes […]
DO YOU HAVE AN OFFICE FULL OF THIRTY-SOMETHING MALE frontline managers? If you think you’re saving bundles on maternity leave costs, think again. You likely have some heavy-duty users of Employee Assistance Plans(EAPs), as well as potential productivity costs to total up. That’s because men in this age bracket are the most likely to experience […]
© Copyright 2006 Rogers Publishing Ltd. The following article first appeared in the February 2006 edition of BENEFITS CANADA magazine. Fact Check Hot off the assembly line: new pension and benefits legislation. By Anna Sharratt While you were working… Over the last little while, there have been significant modifications in benefits and pension legislation […]
© Copyright 2006 Rogers Publishing Ltd. The following article first appeared in the February 2006 edition of BENEFITS CANADA magazine. Benefits Trends: Legal-ease Increasing numbers of large employers are discovering that adding prepaid legal advice to their EAP can be an inexpensive way to augment benefits. By Anna Sharratt IF YOU’VE EVER HAD A […]