Mediacorp Canada Inc. has revealed its 2025 list of Canada’s top small and medium size employers (SMEs) and your workplace could be on it – but is it? This annual competition ranks companies that offer Canada’s best workplaces and forward-thinking human resources policies.
Mediacorp’s editors publish criteria to provide transparency in the selection of winners and to catalogue best practices for both employers and jobseekers. One key criteria of the review is employee health, financial and family benefits.
What health benefits do Top Employers focus on?
Many SMEs now offer benefits that rival much larger enterprises, and Top Employer winners rise to the challenge with competitive benefits that prioritize employee personal and professional development at any stage of their career with a health focus
Wellness programs
Winners like BlueEarth Renewables Inc. who manage an in-house wellness committee and offers dedicated mental health practitioner coverage, as part of the health benefits plan, and PSB BOISJOLI LLP organizes Wellness Wednesdays with professional speakers such as nutritionists and psychologists and offers on-site massages to help employees de-stress.
Mental health support
C.F. Crozier & Associates Inc. / CFCA and CPCS Transcom Ltd.’s health plans feature employee health support with dedicated mental health practitioner’s coverage.
Hybrid work options
As part of FISPAN Services Inc. and Flipp Corp.’s hybrid work program, employees can apply to work remotely from anywhere in the world for extended periods of time.
4 Day Workweek
Nulogy Corporation reduces its work week from five to four days during July and August to allow employees to maximize their summer.
How do your health benefit offerings stand up?
While implementing some of the health support tactics used by Top Employers may seem hard to accomplish, did you know that many health insurance plans provide the basics – and more – to deliver optimal support? By providing health insurance you ensure your employees, and their families can thrive by protecting their health and finances from out-of-pocket healthcare costs. Read these insights to consider how your health plan stacks up.
- How health insurance helps employees cope
Health insurance helps employees with built-in resources like free subscriptions to apps and platforms and wellness programs that focus on overall well-being and offer health education, screenings for sleep disorders, and preventive measures such as smoking cessation, weight management, exercise, and healthy eating promotion. Some plans offer access to virtual exercise, meditation classes, mindfulness training, stress management and fitness coaches, as well as financial counselling services to help employees manage their finances, discounts for gym memberships and fitness programs that can help employees manage stress and improve their overall health.
- Health insurance helps employees thrive with crucial mental health support
As more employees deal with mental health challenges themselves or with their family members from stress and burnout due to anxiety, depression, and substance use problems, health insurance provides a strong foundation of support. It delivers many “built in” tools to help employees learn new ways to deal with the expected and unexpected in life including mindfulness tools, motivational programs to help them focus and achieve their health goals and access to recent articles on finding care, managing their health, and preventing illness. Expenses for therapy with marriage and family or addiction counsellors are reimbursed to plan maximums, and both in person and virtual appointments are eligible.
- Remote workers need health insurance
There are some unique health challenges your remote and hybrid work employees may be facing including back and neck issues involving muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints, nerves especially when they lack ergonomic workspaces. , They may also struggle with isolation and focus. Health insurance works as a key support – whether it is a small group plan option or individual coverage options for all on your team regardless of their work location. It works to eliminate the problem employee’s face that psychologist, physiotherapy and massage or chiropractic care is typically not covered by their government health plan, leaving them to struggling to pay out of pocket for treatment that could restore their comfort, productivity and functionality.
- The best formula for a productive workforce? The 4-day workweek
A 4-day workweek requires some flexibility on your part as an employer and may mean increasing staff numbers and wages. The concept of continuing to pay employees for a ’40 hour’ contribution while only requiring 32 hours of work may sound like a big expense, but it provides significant financial advantages for your employees. As an equally financially attractive compensation feature (and perhaps alternative to moving to a 4-day workweek), health and dental insurance helps your team members – new or existing – save on healthcare costs not covered by their provincial government plan, including expenses like prescription drugs, dental care, hearing aids, vision care and massage therapy and much more. And the coverage helps to keep them healthy and productive when they are able to address their health concerns with less worry about out-of-pocket costs.
Don’t have health insurance for your employees? We can help.
Health issues have a huge impact on your ability to recruit and retain employees, and your workforces’ productivity. Offering prescription drug and extended health coverage allows employees to address issues promptly and properly and can be the cornerstone they can depend on for mental and physical health support for themselves and their families.
Making health insurance available can be critical to helping your business be as successful as it can be – and even reach Top Employer status. At SBIS, we specialize in helping small business owners make the best possible decisions on what individual or small group health insurance plan will work best for your employees. Call us during our business hours Monday to Friday 8:45 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time at 1-800-667-0429 or 416-601-0429 or go online to discover small business health insurance options for yourself.
