On any given week, thousands of Canadians won’t make it into work due to a mental-health problem or illness. “[Mental health is] the No. 1 cause of group disability claims and represents one out of three active, open claims with insurance carriers,” said Travis Kelly, director of group disability and rehabilitation at Desjardins Insurance, during […]
While preferred shares have historically been the domain of individual investors, they hold some attraction for institutional players seeking the regular income offered by bonds as well as higher returns. “That’s the theory,” says Todd Nelson, Toronto investment leader at Willis Towers Watson, of the argument for preferred shares. “You’re further down in the security […]
Exchange-traded funds are gaining ground. According to the London, England-based research and consultancy firm ETFGI LLP, assets invested in ETFs and exchange-traded products listed globally reached about US$3.1 trillion at the end of May 2016. Greenwich Associates’ 2015 study of Canadian institutional ETFs showed institutional users of ETFs had invested an average 21 per cent […]
With diabetes becoming more prevalent in Canada, Quebec-based Laurentide Controls Ltd. is among employers taking action by launching screening programs for the disease. Recently, the company participated in AstraZeneca Canada Inc.’s diabetes screening program called Motivaction. Based on the results of a confidential online survey for diabetes risk, employees who score as medium to high […]
You don’t need a psychologist to tell you financial debt creates stress. Almost a third (31%) of Canadians experience stress due to credit card debt, according to a 2015 Global News/Ipsos Reid poll. “The key issue is how they’re managing personally,” says Laurie Campbell, chief executive officer of Credit Canada Debt Solutions. “They’re often an […]
Picture this. John, a 10-year employee at Company XYZ, just gave his two-week notice. His boss didn’t see it coming. What happened? John’s a star employee. How could his manager not know he wanted to leave? While a 2014 CareerBuilder survey showed 59% of workers were satisfied on the job, just over one-fifth (21%) said […]
What are the benefits and challenges of outsourcing? As the old sports chant goes: This is our house. And it was true for HR departments, too…once upon a time. A 2008 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey showed that, of more than 4,500 SHRM members polled, 43% voiced preference for developing expertise in-house, instead […]
The first time I heard a co-worker use the term mental health day was back in the mid-1990s, when I was teaching at an elementary school in Toronto.
Expensive biologics are driving up drug claims costs…but how can employers choose between saving a life and saving the drug plan for everyone?
Retirement is on employers’ minds. Employers are revisiting how they view their retirement programs and how they view their role when active employees become retirees, said Nigel Branker, partner and leader of Morneau Shepell’s DC pension consulting practice in Ontario, at the firm’s Trends in Human Resources event in Toronto.