According to Stats Canada three in five workers in Canada are employed in occupations with a high potential for exposure to AI technologies. As AI capabilities evolve and AI becomes more accessible, businesses are adopting these technologies to improve efficiency and respond to changing business conditions. In the second quarter of 2025, almost one third of businesses in Canada reported that investment in AI was important to their operations.
The smartest teams aren’t just hiring when they want to grow — they’re building smarter systems. From sales to service, automation and AI tools are helping small businesses handle repetitive tasks and stay focused on customer relationships – making their ‘live’ team’s capabilities more important than ever.
Growth objectives with AI can be exciting
The most successful teams aren’t doing it all — they’re doing what works. They’re simplifying their tech stack, unifying data through CRM, automating tasks with trusted AI, and building customer experiences that feel more human, not less.
Growth is exciting — until it starts to outpace your capacity. When new customers, new opportunities, new markets, and new channels come your way, it can stretch your team in every direction. And when your headcount stays small, the pressure doesn’t just add up — it spills over into burnout. If you feel like your team is doing the work of five with the hours of one, you may not be imagining it, but you do need to take steps to manage it.
How To Help Keep Your Work Team Healthy
As an employer, it’s up to you to stick-handle progress and productivity. What would happen if the individuals you depend on for a specific and often time-sensitive task or project suddenly became ill?
There is no doubt that as you work to grow your business, increased or changing work can be anxiety-inducing for your team. That anxiety can manifest in physical illness as well as impact mental health. Offering comprehensive health benefits is a signal to your employees that their well-being – not just your business automation — is a priority for the company. This can foster a supportive and caring work culture, which is essential for helping employees cope.
Actively promoting the use of health benefits and creating an environment where employees feel comfortable accessing these resources can make a significant difference in their ability to manage as your business grows.
Health insurance benefits are a powerful tool for supporting your employees, enabling them to access mental and physical health services they need while reducing their out-of-pocket healthcare costs that provincial healthcare doesn’t cover including
- Prescription Drug Coverage that helps ensure employees have access to necessary medication treatments without worrying about the cost.
- Counseling and Mental Health therapy to provide employees with the support they need to manage stress, anxiety and burnout related to ongoing changes.
- Physical health therapy coverage includes massage, chiropractic care, acupuncture, or other alternative treatments to help manage pain and discomfort that can accompany stress.
It is critical to form a strong relationship with those you depend on to be there when you need them. To foster a healthy connection, connect them to a health insurance program or if you are a start-up, connect them to a health insurance provider.
Offer health insurance – or smart access to it
Offering a strong health insurance plan – even if you have a very small team – makes your business attractive to employees and delivers critical health support so they can be productive. While it’s true that traditional group insurance really isn’t cost-effective if you have fewer than 10 people working for you, you might think that all you are left with is weak coverage options that are too expensive, especially when you are already investing in AI.
When you want health insurance for your team you’ve got options. The coverage you select can be as comprehensive and affordable as you like – simply choose the health and/or dental plan that best suits your needs and calculate your monthly premium. There are a variety of plans designed with premium stability in mind, which means you won’t see a big premium hike when your plan renews. And some plans include access to Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)so employees can go online for interactive tools, health and wellness assessments, child and elder care locators and personalized content and education. Many plans offer confidential counselling when they face difficulties and lifestyle coaching to help them with day-to-day challenges.
Without having to pay for a full employee benefit plan with health insurance, a simple approach is to connect your team to the SBIS team so your workers can select their own individual health insurance to
- pay for healthcare costs not covered by their provincial health plan or underfunded by their group plan — like prescription drugs, dental care, hearing aids, vision care and massage therapy
- put health benefits in place for life — once their application is approved, their coverage will continue as long as their payments are made, regardless of age or any future changes in their health.
Just like AI, Health Plans go beyond the traditional
When you have health insurance available to your employees, make sure they know it’s easy to access all the help the plan offers. Encourage employees to familiarize themselves with the resources available and make use of them whenever they feel stressed or overwhelmed, like:
- Free subscriptions to apps and platforms
- 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
- Access to virtual exercise, meditation classes, mindfulness training, stress management and fitness coaches
- Financial counselling services to help employees manage their finances during transitions
- Access to licensed mental health professionals and counsellors for confidential counselling and support dealing with personal or work-related issues
- Discounts for gym memberships and fitness programs that can help employees manage stress and improve their overall health.
It’s time to invest in your employees with health benefits
The success of an AI leveraged organization relies on the well-being of its people. When employees feel healthy and supported with health insurance you enable your business togrow and have an a exciting future.
As health insurance experts, at SBIS we understand the importance of supporting employees and offer access to a wide range of plans from Canada’s leading insurers. Best of all we assist you in choosing the right plan and putting it in place – making change as easy as possible. Give us a call today at 1-800-667-0429 or 416-601-0429 Monday to Friday, 8:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. ET or go online to discover small business health insurance options for yourself.
