Imagine if employees made benefit choices that not only improved their health but saved their employer money. It seems like a winning proposition for both parties, but experience has shown time and again that people don’t always make the most rational decisions when faced with a range of options. That’s where behavioural economics comes into […]
Benefits enrollment season is only a few weeks away for many organizations. At this point, employers are thinking about what they need to tell their employees, but may not be spending as much time on how to convey their messages effectively. While answering the question “What do I have to do?” is critical, employers also […]
It is said that “the medium is the message” and that expression certainly holds true with respect to online benefits administration. No longer are providers merely supplying tools. Now it’s all about the “employee experience.” In less than a decade, benefit administration solutions have evolved from a means to perform day-to-day functions to strategic portals […]
Two years ago, Hewitt Associates conducted one of its short online Rapid Response surveys and learned that only a quarter of the 155 organizations that responded had a complete pandemic preparedness plan in place—even after the 2003 SARS outbreak and subsequent outbreaks of Avian Flu. Another 26% of respondents were working on a plan. Less […]
The media are increasingly featuring reports of companies that, due to the recession, are letting employees go. For many, there is no other alternative besides layoffs in order to salvage the business. For other organizations that still have options, all items on the HR budget are coming under scrutiny. Fortunately, there are ways of belt-tightening […]
During a period of global financial uncertainty, the question of whether an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure becomes more relevant. Add to that increases in preventable chronic diseases, stress-related illness, and the number of older workers as some baby boomers postpone retirement either by necessity or through phased retirement programs, and […]
Effective benefits and retirement communication does more than merely inform plan members about the plan—it drives them to take action. Really effective communication goes one step further—it drives members to take the right action. Assume your organization is implementing a program for the first time, making changes to an existing plan, or fulfilling fiduciary obligations […]
Given changing demographics, competition for talent will be stiff over the next decade and beyond—not just in this country, but around the world. Accordingly, if Canadian employers are to have a constant supply of skilled workers, they will need to find ways to attract and retain diverse groups of employees. Benefits have not traditionally held […]
As the labour shortage begins to spread across Canada, employers are considering how to tackle the issue of too many jobs and not enough workers. One possible solution is to hire more part-time employees, tapping into a pool of workers who, due to commitments or preference, have decided that, at least for the moment, full-time […]
Covering lifestyle drugs as part of a healthy workplace strategy may also help attract and retain employees. Employers looking to reduce, or at least contain, healthcare expenses often categorically refuse to provide coverage for so-called “lifestyle drugs,” viewing them as a low priority because they’re merely for “cosmetic” or “discretionary” purposes. However, in an increasingly […]