Mental Health Leaves Are Surging. Is This the New Workplace Norm?
A quiet revolution is underway in the workplace. Mental health leaves are no longer rare—they’re rapidly becoming a new norm. The question is, are employers
A quiet revolution is underway in the workplace. Mental health leaves are no longer rare—they’re rapidly becoming a new norm. The question is, are employers
Startups don’t win on perks. They win on people. Free snacks and a cool office won’t keep employees around, especially in today’s economy. What does?
The 2024 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey is an annual survey that sheds light into critical trends shaping the future of employee health benefits and wellness
Five years ago, the pandemic forced us to rethink how we live and work. Now, halfway through the decade, organizations are preparing for yet another
Protecting employees while managing a tight burn rate is no small feat for startups. It can be a delicate balancing act on what items to
Employee benefit plans in Canada and the U.S. differ significantly due to each country’s varying government policies, healthcare systems, and labour laws. While both countries
With insurers increasingly adopting preferred pharmacy networks to cut costs, some plan members are pushing back, finding it inconvenient and challenging to switch pharmacy providers,
The debate over public versus private healthcare is intensifying. As virtual care has become a critical resource for many, particularly in the wake of the
Employee financial health isn’t just an individual problem—it has significant implications for all businesses. Your team deserves to feel confident about their financial future with
Canadians are relying more and more on employer-sponsored health benefits to support their everyday lives, which is a reassuring sign that they’re being properly used.
One thing is undeniably clear about today’s workforce: employees are far more empowered than ever. The shift in perspective regarding employees is a welcome change.
Summer is approaching, and in the employee benefits industry, we eagerly await the annual report on the top employee benefits providers from the previous year.
A Tailored Employee Benefits Product Offering Flexibility And Control For Tech Startups TORONTO, ON—Orchard Benefits announced today the launch of WellTech+, an innovative employee benefits
Family-building practices have been evolving for decades, and while several viable options are now available to those in the family planning stage, they often come
Let’s face it – dealing with formulas, percentages, administration costs, and loss ratios probably lies somewhere between mundane and daunting on the spectrum of HR
2024 is set to be a year filled with exciting changes to look forward to in the world of benefits. We’ve put together a short
In the latest cross-country trend toward better protection for Canadian workers and job seekers, the Ontario government has announced new legislation that will require employers
Universal healthcare in Canada recently reached a major milestone by including dental care in the federally funded public healthcare system. This decision reflects the shared
The results of the 26th edition of the Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey have been published – and they reveal some insightful evaluations that demonstrate the
International partnerships and cross-border projects are familiar customs for modern working professionals within the ever-evolving global business ecosystem. For a growing number of people, work
Employment Insurance is a complex forum that many people in today’s workforce have dealt with in some capacity. While it would certainly be ideal never
Canada’s new digital nomad program has entered the global chat. Canada has recently launched an innovative Digital Nomad Program to attract skilled workers and combat
No matter where you go, take travel insurance with you. With so much natural beauty and adventure to offer, travel within Canada is brimming with
For the past twenty-three years, Canada’s Top 100 Employers have been selected using the following eight criteria: Workplace Work Atmosphere & Social Health, Financial, &
With summertime on the horizon, temperatures are heating up, and excitement levels throughout the benefits industry are sky-high as the annual names of Canada’s top
As a nation widely known for its commitment to universal healthcare, Canada has reached a major milestone by finally including dental care as part of
Gone are the days when a standard employee benefits package that covered dental, health, and vision was enough to entice workers and provide adequate support
ChatGPT took the world by storm in only a few months, and since then, it has spurred an arms race with the titans of tech
The provincial dental associations plan every year to create a suggested dental fee guide on what they recommend dentists charge for regular work – and
Let’s face it, 2022 was a trying year. Between inflation, mass layoffs, skyrocketing costs of living, and anxiety over a looming recession, a lot weighed
Benefits Canada’s annual survey is out, and the results are eye-opening. While the usual stuff— like the effects of the pandemic and use of benefits—
After a two-year review of the Canadian EI program, the Federal Governments’ key findings were that “the increasing number of Canadians who work in non-traditional
Hospitals are reeling, and the system that runs them is seemingly circling the drain. Long-standing issues of not enough nurses, not enough beds, and shortages
In an era where people are already questioning what it means to work, COVID-19 has dramatically shaken up the conversation. With more and more employees
Employment Insurance (EI) is a lifeline for those who need a leg up in hard times. It serves are myriad of purposes. It can keep
Half a decade ago, a cloud of concern loomed over the employee benefits sector as a group of self-proclaimed “disrupters” threatened to transform the space.
It’s finally summertime! While many are excited for the increasingly warmer weather coming our way, the benefits industry is excited for the annual report covering
The news release issued last March announcing the Liberal-NDP supply-and-confidence agreement came along with the parties’ plan to prioritize improving the Canadian healthcare system. Among
According to the United States Social Security Administration, approximately one in four 20-year-olds will become disabled before reaching 67. In Canada, more than 62 percent
It is common for dental fee guides to increase over time. Based on data from the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association, the total amount
Considerable changes to our environment always come with new challenges which require adaptation. That’s the way it’s always been. It’s an integral part of evolving
2021 was a rollercoaster. Twelve months marred by lockdowns, isolation, and evolving health policies; the global health crisis continued to ingrain itself deeply into every
From a labour-centric work model to employee-focused, the labour force as we know it has undergone a seismic shift over the last two years. While
Plan administrators are the unsung heroes with all their work behind the scenes to keep everything glued together. And over the last two years of
In March 2020, when the pandemic swept the globe seemingly overnight and stay-at-home orders were implemented, we were all faced with real economic uncertainties. What
Everything nowadays is online. Amplified by the COVID-19 global pandemic, we were connected to work, school, friends, and entertainment entirely through our mobile, smartphone, and
There are always so many small things to remember in life. ‘Did I lock the door?’ ‘Do we need eggs?’ ‘What time is soccer this
It took a global pandemic to completely upended the way we live and worked. And while the residual effects will likely linger for years to
It’s almost summer, and in the employee benefits industry, that means we anxiously await the annual report covering the top employee benefits providers from the
The benefits space is ripe with consolidation, complementary benefits and new carrier options. With so much choice and constant change, the industry has seen quite
With an incredibly high adoption of virtual healthcare services since the onset of the pandemic, it’s been an eye-opener to the truly limitless potential that
Over the last few years, a troubling industry trend has become clear – more Canadians are going on disability. This is an alarming widespread trend
We aren’t just battling one pandemic – there’s been another one bubbling under the surface for a while now. One that essentially started the minute
Snowbirds, business travelers, and Canadian adventurers of all sorts are well-versed in the importance of having insurance when traveling to the United States — but what
The COVID-19 global health crisis changed everything. It changed the way we work, socialized, and lived our day-to-day lives. Everything we once glossed over and
Every year, Canadians throw away 3 million tonnes of plastic waste. Plastic is everywhere, harming our environment, killing our wildlife, and surviving even the harshest
It has been a very challenging and unprecedented time over these last few months, and everyone is trying to do their best to manage this
After a three-month suspension where dentists in Ontario had to close their clinics due to the pandemic, they’ve finally been given the green light as
Millions of Canadians haven’t left their homes in weeks. For many, the only outing is going to the grocery store, or stopping by a pharmacy
We will all have to adjust to very divergent views on how to handle the new norms in a post-COVID world. We are entering the
These are truly unprecedented times. Every business, community and household has been forced to adapt in profoundly new ways to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as
Why this is a big deal for maternity leaves Long-term disability coverage sometimes gets overlooked for its role in a benefits package, but this level
Despite the momentum we’ve collectively made towards better understanding mental illness and the programs in place to help folks, this invisible barrier of stigma persists
Imagine having all of your private health insurance across dental, vision, prescription drugs, life and disability coverage suddenly terminated by your employer at the
Mental health is the invisible disability that you don’t often see, but has lasting and profound effects that seep in and out of the workplace.
With summer officially in the rear-view and the collective feeling of ‘getting back into the swing of things’ taking shape, fall provides the perfect
This past year marked the big push towards a digital transformation among many of the top carriers in a way of aggregating information and representing
There was an overwhelming urge to better understand what absenteeism looks like in the workforce, according to the 2019 Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey. With four
The Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey reaches 1,500 employees and over 400 employers annually and has evolved over the past 22 years from a brief whitepaper
Sun Life Financial has officially expanded its extended employee-care plan to include gender affirmation coverage to help people who are transitioning. “We know there can
Last year around this time I wrote that I felt insurance providers needed to step up to the plate and start accepting electronic signatures –
There is a lot of money in insurance. According to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association, private insurers paid out a whopping $34 billion
The OHIP+ program, which has offered free prescription medication to all Ontarians under the age of 24 since January 1st, 2018, will undergo changes at
National Employee Benefits Day was created in 2004 and is celebrated annually each April in the United States and Canada. The value of offering benefits
The nature of work has changed rapidly over the past two decades. This new generation of workers are trading the stability of a traditional workplace
“With each passing unnecessary death, the importance of mental health comes briefly into focus – but that focus lasts no longer than a news cycle
With everything that went on in the insurance arena in 2018, I’m proud to see where everything is trending and evolving towards. Especially when you
When you work with start-ups as often as I have for so many years, you really see this, “I’m invincible” mindset that nothing is going
The Insurance Business Awards for 2018 are once again upon us, with an even bigger lineup representing the insurance professions’ best and brightest. This black-tie
Despite a somewhat rocky narrative surrounding the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s (CLHIA) plan to establish industry standards for compensation disclosure – it still
Toronto’s tech scene is scorching hot right now! According to recent reports, Toronto created more jobs than the San Francisco Bay area, Seattle and Washington,
In order for your company to be a success, you need your people to be successful in their lives too. They need to be healthy,
We’ve seen a massive shift in our collective attitudes towards equal rights in the workplace, but ageism is one area where we are seriously falling
Recent reports surfaced about how taxing employer-provided health and dental benefits would increase the federal net balance by $3.8 billion. While this might add significant
The digital revolution has made impressive strides in redefining modern health care, and we’re once again seeing technology shake up this industry by making medical
It’s spring, so in the employee benefits industry, that means that it’s time for one of the leading benefits publications, Benefits Canada, to publish their
As Canada is set to embark on being the first major industrialized nation to legalize cannabis, being an early leader in this field comes with
Private insurance stakeholders have consistently rated the TELUS Health Annual Conference as the industry-leading source for information on trends across the health benefits ecosystem. The
March is a month that is rich with big-ticket activities. The annual NCAA March Madness basketball tournament kicks off, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, and the
How many physical documents have you signed in the past three months? Chance are, it’s not very many. Maybe a form at the doctor’s office
Earlier this week I wrote about how governments and large businesses are helping erase the stigma around mental health in the workplace. In recent years,
Mental health is defined by the World Health Organization as a “state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can
Congratulations: You’re opening a branch or subsidiary office in Canada! Tapping into Canada’s market of 33 million citizens, not to mention its highly educated and
UPDATE: On July 1, 2018, the new Ontario Conservative government announced that OHIP+ will be revised so that for anyone under 25, claims first go
Insurance Business, the industry’s leading business resource, is presenting its second annual Insurance Business Awards. This year, it will once again shine the brightest light on
Most people don’t think about the worst-case scenario in life. In fact, our brains are actually wired with this defense mechanism in place so that
Employee Assistance Plans (EAPs) have been around since the 70s. But from the 70s to about the 90s they were strictly focused on addressing psychological
There is a shortage of tech talent in Canada, especially in cities like Toronto. To address this, the Canadian government launched the global skills visa
I speak with a lot of U.S. based startups that have or are looking to set up shop in Canada, specifically Toronto. Different laws, healthcare
It’s that time again – the latest figures on employee benefits coverage in Canada have been released. Every April, Benefits Canada releases data on the
You’ve made the decision to launch a health benefits plan for your growing startup. What do you do next? Before you do anything, read this
This is an article that I previously provided to The Globe and Mail. Although we often read stories about successful Canadian startups – Shopify, Wattpad,
This is an article that I previously provided to The Globe and Mail: If you’re a small business with staffing concerns, you’re not alone: over 50
Building a company certainly comes with challenges and pressures, including preventing your top talent from hitting the free agency market (especially in Toronto’s highly competitive
I talk to a lot of startups about health benefits coverage. While there are differences from company to company, massage, dental, vision and drug coverage
This is an article that I previously provided to BetaKit: When it comes to evaluating benefits for your startup, it’s not always about focusing on
These days, employee benefits are an important part of doing business, especially for startups. Fast-growing businesses that take care of their employees are the ones
To all Canadian startups and United States based startups with satellite offices in Canada (now, or in the future), this background information is important to
Quick question for you: How many different insurance companies are there in Canada, that provide employee benefits coverage? Five? Try again. Ten? Still not there.
Toronto, ON, Canada
