MP Benefits Perspective

As all employers are responsible to adhere to Employment Standards and Guidelines both Provincially and Federally, when an Employee Group Benefit Plan is enacted, the employer has the duties and responsibilities as the policy holder to uphold the conditions of the...

Customization

No matter the size of the business, when it comes to benefits, most do not want an “in the box” program and size is NOT an issue. Customization—most entrepreneurs agree—is key to the attraction and retention process of a well thought out, well-structured compensation...

Impacts of Marijuana in the Workplace, A Human Resources Perspective

Did you know that medical cannabis has been legal in Canada since 1999? Outside Uruguay, Canada is the only other country in the world to legalize possession, cultivation, and sale of recreational marijuana nationally. According to Health Canada, there were more than...

Benefits

TeleMedicine

Have you heard of Telemedicine? The latest upgrade in virtual healthcare is Telemedicine, a full-service, 24/7 unified, total well-being approach to health delivery. Whether for pharmacy delivery, lab tests, referrals, mental health, chronic disease, long-term, and...

It’s NOT “we” verses “they” in benefits

Custom benefit plans are a tool to be used Too many times there is benefit bashing, whether based on cost, usage, carrier, employers, etc. Someone is always looking to blame someone else for the cost, lack of coverage, policy wording, access, etc. The fact of the...

What business owners need to know about Alberta’s Bill 47

Throughout the year, in any given year, changes in government legislation can impact how we conduct business, our employee relationships, and our obligations therein. It is important to corporate success to be surrounded by experts to keep appraised of these changes...

Compensation

Tiered Health Care

Two-tier heath care…buzz words for any news story talking about the ever increasing costs of providing health care in Canada. Whenever I hear the words two-tier health care, it seems like there is always a lot of opposition to the concept, equating two-tier health to...

Employee’s Waiving Coverage

The employee doesn’t want to be part of the benefit plan. They have coverage elsewhere.” Can employee’s waive off benefits whenthey have alternate coverage? Yes, but not ALL coverage. On a typical benefit plan, an employee MUST be enrolled for the Life, AD&D,...

Terminations—Reinstatement Periods—Leave of Absences

Rules and protocol vary from provider to provider, which often leads to confusion when there is a maternity, leave-of-absence or reinstatement, but below are some general guidelines. Terminations: The date an employee is no longer active, (via termination or layoff)...

Culture

What’s Missing?

Guidelines, Policies, Procedures for Employee Group Benefits The Benefit Administrator’s Checklist is just the beginning… Who manages your guidelines, policies, and procedures regarding your organization’s employee group benefit plan? Do you even have a policy that...

Benefit Discrimination based on Marital Status

There have been more than a few situations in which spouses who are both employed within the same organization have been declined access to benefits because an employer “thought” they need only offer benefits to one or the other, but not both. This is just one example...

Discretionary Effort

As business owners, we know there is a difference in our hired staff between those who just meet the basic requirements of the position—make do or get by to get paid—and those who maximize what they are capable of and “shine” to become the stars of the organization....