Do you have employees stationed north of the border? Are you ready to implement a Canadian benefits plan?

In our blog, Canadian Benefits 101: Advice for Foreign-Based Employers, we discussed how Canada’s healthcare landscape is unique in many ways. So when looking at employee benefits in Canada, creating the right plan for your needs can be challenging.

Luckily, it doesn’t have to be. In this blog, we’ll break down the process, so you can better understand the next steps. Let’s get started.

Starting in January 2019, the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) will kick off a 7-year enhancement process, bringing major changes for employers and employees alike. Today, CPP benefits replace about 25% of employees’ pre-retirement income up to an annual maximum. But under the revised plan, they’ll replace closer to 33%.

What does this mean for you as an employer? In this blog, we’ll outline the key changes that lie ahead and what you can do to prepare for them.

Sleep is often underrated. But whether you realize it or not, Canada is experiencing a sleep epidemic.

In fact, we are the third most sleep deprived nation in the world, on par with the US (source).

And lack of sleep strongly correlates with low productivity. If your employees are sleep deprived, your business can take a hit—as much as $3,156 per employee annually (source).

While you can't revamp employees' home lives, you can lead them toward healthy habits. In this blog, we’ll discuss strategies to help your employees get enough z's—so they can show up to work bright-eyed and fully engaged.

What counts as too much screen time? In our plugged-in society, most of us spend more than 5 hours a day looking at a screen. For those in office jobs, that number is closer to 9 hours.

While technology is essential for most workplaces, it’s also important to provide staff with opportunities to disconnect. In this blog, we’ll discuss the risks of too much screen time, how it can negatively affect job performance and employee health, and, most importantly, what employers can do about it.

What's in your medicine cabinet?

Modern healthcare goes hand in hand with pharmaceuticals. You can bet many of your employees are taking at least one prescription drug.

The right drugs can be life-changing, but only if taken properly. Did you know drugs can interact dangerously with certain foods, supplements, and other drugs? 

In this blog, we’ll share the dangerous prescription drug interactions you need to look out for, how to reduce your team’s reliance on medications, and, ultimately, how to reduce the cost of your benefits plan.

Parental leave, terminations, cost-sharing. These are just some of the situations that could result in a change to your employee benefits plan.

To ensure you have the information you need to make these changes correctly, we put together this list of eight FAQs. So without further ado, here are some of your most common questions, answered.

"I'm feeling down."

"I feel bummed out"

"I'm depressed."

It can be pretty common to hear these kinds of statements. But clinical depression is not simple unhappiness. It's a complex mood disorder—and it's important to know the difference.

Continue reading to learn how to help employees who struggle with depression and mental health in the workplace.

In January 2019, the BC government will introduce a new Health Tax to replace the BC MSP premiums. The goal is to save individuals $900 and families $1,800 a year.

But how will it affect you as an employer? You might be worried about how to manage this extra cost.

So in this blog, we’ll share some key information about the new BC Payroll Health Tax, and how your business can save money in other areas.

If you have employees who are caring for ill, elderly, or disabled family members, you know the toll it can take on them. Those balancing work and caregiving have to deal with distraction, worry, and overloaded schedules on a daily basis.

So how can you help your staff manage these challenges? How can you retain them as workers, while also supporting the rest of your team?

In this blog, we’ll discuss the unique demands that come with being a working caregiver, and what you can do to help.

Today, we’re going to talk about marijuana coverage and benefits plans.

Because of recent legislation changes around marijuana legalization, this is a hot topic for many employers. In this article, we’ll focus on medical marijuana, and look at how it fits into your employee benefits landscape.