MP Benefits Perspective

Special thanks to Gavin Mosley for igniting the spark for this posting. After years of working with employers on building benefits, I think there are one of two roads for employee group benefit plan discussions: 1. Build a plan according to the rates (premium)...

Is it Mandatory?

The constant question…is it mandatory? Why? Typically employers offer an employee group benefit plan as an incentive, part of their positive culture building to retain staff and add to overall compensation. However, despite the best intentions, some employees refuse...

What is exact?

We are all familiar with the “Fair is not Equal and Equal is not Fair”; however, when competing professionals use the term “exact” what “exactly” do they mean? We’ve all been there, a client has their head turned by a competitor offering “exactly” the same for great...

Benefits

Pros and Cons of an Administrative Only Services (ASO) Plan

Enjoy this guest blog from Benefits by Design (BBD) Inc. There are many innovative ways to help employers save money on a benefit plan. An Administrative Only Services (ASO) plan is a great example of this. ASO covers employees for Extended Health and Dental in the...

Benefits Bloopers

We are, none of us, perfect. Despite best efforts and preparation, sometimes we simply trip all over our tongue when speaking, or have our words auto corrected without noticing. Opps. Over more than two decades in benefits, I can safely say I have done this more than...

Are marketing’s for amateurs?

After more than two decades in the business of benefits, what I have come to learn is the value of consultancy when it comes to clarity. We see our role as the instrument to remove artificial barriers, to align with the successful outcome as defined by the...

Compensation

The value of offering Short Term Disability benefits

Employment Insurance (EI) is a form of worker wage protection, which began in the 1930’s. For reasons of unemployment due to lack of work or being disabled, the employee is entitled to 55% of their pay up to the set weekly limit. This payment is taxable. The changes...

Complaints Happen

Issues—Questions—Concerns…they’re all part of the job description. Hey, it’s an employee group benefit plan—a group of differing insured products, grouped together for a group of distinct individuals, grouped together through common employment. Therein lies the recipe...

The Shift in the Canadian Workforce

Not only are Canadian workers getting older, but there is a distinct shift the types of workers being employed. According to Statistics Canada, for the first time ever, there are now more people age 65 and over than there are under 15. With these changes, it is no...

Culture

What Absenteeism | Presenteeism reveals about Workplace Culture

Both absenteeism and presenteeism have a significant impact on the corporate bottom line. While typically rooted in the same causation, reflecting equally on the workplace culture and attitude toward wellness, they are often treated very differently. Absenteeism is...

Mindful Leadership

The difference between managing—doing tasks and getting things done, all quantifiable—and leadership—is about creating relationships, said Lalith Gunaratne on “Let’s Talk About This SHifT”. Motivating and inspiring others to action requires an emotional intelligence,...

The “Art” of the Conversation

Special thanks to Aileen Gibb from her chat on Spotlight on Culture—the Conversation—for inspiring this piece. Start with Engagement My take on conversations follow the ABC’s of engagement…Always Be Considerate. Align with people have an Agenda Agree when, where and...

Wellness

Massage Usage on the Rise

Have a look at the latest usage trends on your benefit plan. Where health care services used to amount to perhaps 3%-8% of the claiming activity on a benefit program, it is now creeping up, in some instances, to rival pharmacy and dental usage depending on the...

Holiday

“A change is as good as a rest,” my mom was fond of saying. Though I didn’t exactly know what that meant growing up, as I got older and into my career routine, I came to understand the importance of that advice. Growing up we were never a family who could afford to go...