Canadian Employees Considering A Career Change Due To Pandemic
As we pass the 1 year anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has Canadian employees considering a career or job change. According to Morneau Shepell Ltd’s mental-health index, almost 1 in 4 Canadian employees (24%) are considering a different occupation or job.
Employees have noted they believe their employers have handled health and safety, technology and flexible work hours well. However, with employee’s mental well-being continuing to be a key issue since the Covid-19 pandemic began, it demonstrates that maintaining the status quo is not enough for employers to retain specifically younger employees. Employees under the age of 40 are more likely to reconsider their job as compared to Canadian employees over the age of 50.
Employers Need To Prioritize Employee Communication & Well-Being
Employers need to be proactive in prioritizing communication and the well-being of employees in everything they do. 81% of Canadians say Covid-19 is negatively affecting their mental health, and of note, a significant percentage of employees are considering changing careers despite having positive opinions of how their employer handled the pandemic.
With new information constantly being released, employers must continue to check in on their employees well-being to maintain a productive and healthy workforce.
We encourage you to connect with us on our Saskatoon social media platforms onFacebook,Twitter &Linkedin.
Contact us today for a quote…. find out if you can benefit!
The Chambers Plan Dental Coverage: What a Mouthful!
The Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan offers a wide range of dental options, designed to meet a variety of budgets and employee expectations. Basic coverage includes such things as check-ups, cleanings and x-rays; while more comprehensive coverage includes services like crowns, dentures and orthodontic services. So take a few moments and make sure your dental plan is up-to-date. A regular visit to the dentist will not only help you to maintain a healthy smile, but a healthy body as well!
What is Included in Dental Coverage with The Chambers Plan?
Whether you’re looking for basic maintenance or major coverage, our Dental insurance plans can help cover the cost of dental care for your employees and their families. Payments for Dental claims are typically processed within 48 hours. Employees can also track claims, review coverage and even see when they’re next eligible for a check-up by going online and using my-benefits.
Basic Dental coverage can include:
Check-ups and complete dental exams
Fluoride, polishing and scaling
Dental x-rays, periapical films and panoramic film
Pit and fissure sealants
Minor restorations including fillings and prefab crowns
Oral surgery – removal of erupted or impacted teeth or residual roots, and associated anesthesia
Endodontic and Periodontal procedures include:
Root canal therapeutics
Gum treatment
Major Dental coverage can include:
Crowns and onlays, dentures and bridges
Denture relining and rebasing, repair of dentures or bridgework
Orthodontic Dental coverage can include:
Orthodontic exams, X-rays and casts
Braces and retainers for dependents not yet 17 years old
Take care of your employees with dental coverage through The Chamber Plan. Get a free quote from YXE Benefits today.
We encourage you to connect with us on our Saskatoon social media platforms onFacebook,Twitter &Linkedin.
Contact us today for a quote…. find out if you can benefit!
A Career Coach Can Benefit Your Job Search Experience
It is becoming more common for current generations of employees to have job hopping and multiple career changes on their resumes. The path that you first chose may not suit your interests anymore so employees are seeking new jobs or different roles every few years, as opposed to the sought after lifetime employment at one or two organizations from the Baby Boomers.
With job changing every few years, it can still be difficult to find the right career path to go down. That is where a career coach can help provide you with guidance to sort through your skill set, experience and interests to see what your next move could be.
A Career Coach Provides Practical Job Search Advice
Finding a new job can be overwhelming for anyone. Searching for jobs mainly happens online, as networking events are becoming less and less especially in 2020.
A career coach can help you along the way by providing expert advice during all stages of the job hunt. Once they know the types of jobs you are looking for, they can help you with the right keywords to search for positions and assist with creating a resume that highlights your skills relevant to the job position.
They can also help you prepare for interviews, which is always an intimidating part of the job search process. Career coaches provide practical advice on what to wear, how to respond to questions, etc.
A Career Coach is Unbiased When Giving Advice
General advice for your career is readily available online, however nothing is tailored completely to you. With a career coach, they ask you questions to get to the root of the career you are looking for and provide you with their expert opinions you need to hear.
A career coach will provide you with realistic and unbiased advice when helping you on your job search journey. Your friends and family are there to support you no matter what, but they may not have the best advice to help you.
Career Coaches Help You Prioritize Your Time and Energy
Searching for a new job can feel like it takes up a lot of your time if it’s not prioritized properly. A career coach can help you dedicate your time and energy in the right outlets to show more success in your job search than if you were doing it alone.
By dedicating a specific amount of time with your career coach it can improve not only your job search but enhance your chances of moving your career forward in the direction you want. A career coach can help you tackle your job search and keep you motivated in the meantime by keeping your goals in mind.
Investing time to reflect and refine our careers is important as our work lives are such a large part of who we are as people. You don’t have to do it alone, reach out to a local career coach to provide you with valuable help along the way getting you into your dream job before you know it.
We encourage you to connect with us on our Saskatoon social media platforms on Facebook,Twitter &Linkedin.
Contact us today for a quote…. find out if you can benefit!
As businesses scrambled to adapt to strict new health measures, even the most stringent of change-evaders were forced to bend to forces beyond their control. Employees began working remotely, keeping in touch with clients from their at-home offices and connecting with co-workers via Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
For some employers, the experience was a hard push into a trend that had already been happening long before the pandemic. And for some, the biggest and most surprising lesson they learned from the experience was that people working remotely actually works.
Of course, it doesn’t work for everyone. Businesses that require employees to be on-site because the work is physical in nature or retail shops that serve customers in-store need real people at work. But for those with employees who already do the bulk of their work digitally – and for those who discovered during the pandemic that they were still doing well without people in the office – taking a deeper look into hiring more remote workers may be worth the effort.
The Benefits of Having Remote Workers
Research undertaken by organizations such as Gallup, Harvard University, Global Workplace Analytics and Stanford University shows a number of ways employers benefit from remote workers.
On average, teleworkers are 35-40 per cent more productive than their office counterparts.
Employees working remotely are more strongly engaged than their in-office counterparts, with 41 per cent lower absenteeism.
Employers who offer the ability to work remotely have better retention of employees. 54 per cent of employees say they would change jobs for one that offered them more flexibility – like where they can work from.
Organizations save an average of $11,000 per year per part-time telecommuter.
Another benefit: hiring employees who work remotely means you can access skills that might be scarce locally. Thanks to technology, employers can literally hire employees from anywhere around the world.
How Do You Hire The Right Remote Worker For Your Business?
Pay attention to their behaviour, even before they interview.
Do they respond quickly to your emails? Do they communicate clearly, politely, respectfully? Can they spell? How they communicate with you reflects how they’ll communicate with your clients.
Make sure they’re suited to working remotely.
Just because someone wants to work from home doesn’t mean they’ll be good at it. Weed out the couch surfers from the keeners by asking if they’ve worked remotely before and if they’re set up with the equipment to complete your projects. In the interview, ask them to walk you through a typical workday.
Ensure they’re a good fit for you and your culture.
Invite some of your employees to sit in on the interview and ask their own questions, including questions that aren’t all “business” so you can get a sense of the candidate’s personality and if it fits with your work culture. And don’t forget that your current employees can be a great resource. Ask them if they have recommendations for potential hires.
Give them actual work.
For candidates who look particularly promising, give them a paid test project with a firm deadline. The assignment should involve all aspects of the job – including working with your team and with supervisors – so you can see how they work, how well they meet deadlines and how they interact with the rest of your staff.
We encourage you to connect with us on our Saskatoon social media platforms on Facebook,Twitter &Linkedin.
Contact us today for a quote…. find out if you can benefit!
Looking for a way to save time managing your group benefit program? MyBenefits from the Chambers Plan can help!
What is MyBenefits?
MyBenefits is a secure, online tool that you can conveniently use anywhere, anytime. It provides you, as a business owner, a quick and easy way to access your company’s coverage and premium information.
Whether you are looking to ensure a new employee is set up for benefits or calculate payroll deductions, you can use it to keep employee records current. MyBenefits allows you to add new plan participants, change their coverage, or terminate benefits of former employees.
What are the Benefits of MyBenefits?
Contact Your Advisor
If you need to contact your benefits advisor, your employee’s assistance provider or anyone else connected to the plan, it is all just a convenient click away.
Instead of call centres, talk to a real life person. At YXE Benefits, we know being able to contact the Chambers Plan to speak with someone who ensures your needs are met is crucial for busy small to medium sized business owners, as well as your employees.
Access Group Benefit Publications
With MyBenefits you have access to a variety of group benefits publications. You also have access to time saving tools and resources like an employee deduction calculator and taxable benefit report. It’s like having your own personal benefits plan assistant at your convenience!
Provide your employees easy access to their own personalized benefits and claims information and more! Give them the details and resources they need, leaving more time for you with less questions being directed towards you.
Save Paper!
MyBenefits is eco-friendly when you register online! Do away with paper mailings by registering to receive billing statements online as soon as they are ready. No need to wait for the mail to be delivered when you have everything available to you online via phone, tablet or computer.
Start saving time by administering your group plans online today. To register visit my-benefits.ca and follow the instructions.
We encourage you to connect with us on our Saskatoon social media platforms onFacebook,Twitter &Linkedin.
Contact us today for a quote…. find out if you can benefit!
A partner in managing the Chamber Plan’s drug program is TELUS Health. They provide efficient processing, consistency of claims and develop polices to enhance sustainability for members.
One of these policies, which has a substantial impact by protecting the affordability of the drug plan, is the Health Enhanced Generic Interchangeability policy.
What is Generic Interchangeability?
Picture this. You and another person get prescribed the same drug. However, you are using the generic brand and they are using the brand name drug. They are a direct substitute of each other, so what is the difference?
Price. You paid less for the generic brand than they did for the brand name.
In most cases, when a generic brand is available over a brand name drug, the pharmacy is advised to substitute the generic drug.
This is Generic Interchangeability, which is a designation given to generic drugs that have been identified as a direct substitute for a brand name alternative. Not only are the same active ingredients shown in generic and brand name drugs, generic costs less.
One thing to note, is that the pharmacy is advised to substitute the generic drug and under the Chamber Plan, TELUS will reimburse the generic costs. This practice is not always followed by pharmacies, depending on the provincial drug rules. When you are prescribed a brand name drug, YXE Benefits encourages you to ask your pharmacist if a generic brand is available to cover your bases.
Most Chambers Plan Extended Health options include generic substitution for prescription drugs. What if your physician indicates there is no substitution on your prescription? Then the requested drug will be covered based on the brand name cost, as long as it is listed by TELUS.
At YXE Benefits, we encourage Plan members to speak to their healthcare providers about prescribing generic brand alternatives. This will reduce your expenses and contribute to the sustainability of their drug plan.
If you are interested in learning more about The Chamber Plan and how it could benefit you, contact us for a free quote or more information. Chambers Plan combines accessibility, flexibility and the stability of pooled benefits so whether you are looking to start a benefits plan or make additions throughout the pandemic, we are here to help.
We encourage you to connect with us on our Saskatoon social media platforms on Facebook,Twitter &Linkedin.
Contact us today for a quote…. find out if you can benefit!
Organizations have had to quickly adapt to the changes that have come along with the Covid-19 pandemic by managing policies and procedures daily to comply with government regulations. Through all the changes employees have endured, there are a few positive changes in the workplace that should continue including expanding wellness options, increasing communication practices and the need for absence programs.
Expanding Wellness Knowledge and Efforts
Mental and financial wellness have become more present during these uncertain times for employees. An increased awareness of the warning signs in the lives of people that are struggling with their mental health has been initiated, with virtual resources being offered from some employers. This gives employees a greater accessibility to the resources they may need, especially during the pandemic which has added stress and more attention around everyone’s personal mental wellness. At YXE Benefits we assist by providing resources for mental wellness to both employees and employers.
Employers are also aware of the financial struggles of their employees and some have included financial advisor services within their companies’ benefits program. Whether employees have been given less hours or are working from home on a limited schedule, there has been financial strain for those individuals during this time. We encourage employers to continue highlighting employee wellness within your company and offer a variety of benefits to help get you start initiating one.
In an article by Benefits Canada, they stated that 37% of employers expect to include new resources and tools for overall well-being while 19% of employers plan to increase their financial support for their employees well-being.
Heightened Communication Practices
Employers quickly increased communication practices during the Covid-19 pandemic to inform employees of how the business and their position was affected and the changes moving forward. Employees represent your brand to the community, if they don’t understand what the company is going through or are misinformed, that could cause harm to the brand’s reputation. After the pandemic is over, employers should continue communicating to their employees about what is going on in the industry and how it not only affects the company but the employees themselves.
Regular communications via email blasts, social media or on the company’s website continue to flow leaving employees and the general public aware of company updates. Communications from the Chambers of Commerce Plan regarding the Covid-19 pandemic are available online.
Changes in the Workplace – Need for Absence Programs
One of the top recommendations to do if you feel ill during the Covid-19 pandemic is to stay home. If employees are back to work or when they return, they may feel obligated to still go into the office in fear of missing work for financial reasons. With short-term and long-term disability options among other absence programs included in an employer’s benefits plan it relieves the stress employees may feel while increasing a safer work environment and decreasing the risk of spreading the infection in the workplace.
The Covid-19 pandemic has enforced change on all of us. It is becoming more vital for companies to provide wellness resources to employees through increased communication practices as well as the ability to offer employees leave without financial strain. These few changes discussed are positive to come out of the pandemic and should be kept in mind long after the pandemic is over.
If you are interested in learning more about The Chamber Plan and how it could benefit you, contact us for a free quote or more information. Chambers Plan combines accessibility, flexibility and the stability of pooled benefits so whether you are looking to start a benefits plan or make additions throughout the pandemic, we are here to help.
We encourage you to connect with us on our Saskatoon social media platforms on Facebook,Twitter &Linkedin.
Contact us today for a quote…. find out if you can benefit!
Anytime is a good time to think about our daily habits—things we’d like to change, but have yet to put into action. Many consider diet change or exercise regimens, but without considering the value of moderation. Many resolutions are not sustainable, and, as a result, go up in flames weeks after launch. A basic online definition of moderation is “avoiding excess or the extreme.” What we do while we are not at work matters, and moderation in our personal lives can positively impact our business lives.
Whether it’s choosing a small instead of the large popcorn at the movie theatre, or saying “no thanks” to work that doesn’t meet your business or personal priorities at the time, opportunity to practice moderation is everywhere.
Diet.
It’s safe to say, moderation is everything when it comes to the food and drinks we consume. In a world where we face open boxes of donuts in the office kitchen, and huge portions at restaurants, we are up against a lot. That is, our will power has to be rock solid.
The latest cleanse challenge or hip diet might seem like the way around this, but more times than not, we turn into ticking time bombs. Once the cleanse is over, we go right back to eating what we always eat (and sometimes over eat to make up for lost time). We are social beings—showing up at the pub for a water and salad is hardly fun, but choosing the healthy option 5 out of 7 days a week can take us a long way.
Moderation tip: If you’re eating out today, consider saving half of your meal to take home, or eat it later this afternoon.
Exercise.
Everyone knows, when it comes to exercise, consistency is key. Like cleanses and diets, exercise challenges can be fun, but usually only produce short-term gain. If you’ve gone from working out 2-3 days a week to 6 days a week, it can also be a recipe for injury if not supervised by a professional. A challenge is fun, but do it safely. If the gym bores you, change it up! Monday, yoga, Wednesday, gym, Friday kick-boxing, or whatever gets you pumped.
Moderation tip: Commit to that exercise slot in your schedule the same way you commit to showing up to work on time. The commitment to yourself is as important as the commitment you make to your boss, partner, or co-workers.
Saying Yes.
Stop it. You are burning yourself out, not leaving enough time or energy for personal growth, relationships, business growth, or whatever is important to you. As President and CEO of Lead from Within, Lolly Daskal says, “You can be a good person and still say no.” It’s been said a hundred times before—define your priorities, vocalize your goals, put them somewhere visible, and you will know what to say yes to, and what to delegate.
It also helps to have something prepared, like a script, so you feel confident you can turn away work without offending or burning bridges when you’re asked. Your instinct can actually be a strong indicator of whether or not a project is aligned with your business goals. Hang on to that initial feeling when you were asked to participate; if there was a sense of excitement from the beginning, it’s probably work you won’t regret taking on.
Moderation Tip : Above all else, give yourself permission to respect your own personal boundaries.
Spending.
According to Stats Canada, in 2017, “Canadian households in the lowest income brackets spent an average of $33, 764 on goods and services, compared with $105,493 for those in the top 20% of household incomes,”—a good indication that we tend to live up to the lifestyle we make for ourselves. In other words, we spend what we earn.
But imagine, this year, you stay put and decide against a bigger mortgage, buy an older vehicle, take one less shopping spree, try a staycation. There might be a natural cleansing to be experienced in having less “stuff” and more in the bank account. We are a consumer culture, but if you step back for a moment the next time you are about to make a purchase and ask, do I really need this? Or better yet, will this make me happy for longer than a day, what will your honest answer be? If you don’t make the purchase, what will you have left at the end of 2020? It might be worth the experiment.
Moderation Tip : If you were to make a personal budget, what would it look like?
Whether you are moderating your single-use plastic consumption, trading in the car for public transportation, cutting back on screen time, or choosing the single-patty burger instead of the double, we all know, but sometimes fail to acknowledge less, more times than not, is more.
We encourage you to connect with us on our Saskatoon social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter & Linkedin.
Contact us today for a quote…. find out if you can benefit!
The Chambers Plan offers an innovative group retirement savings plan designed to help Saskatoon businesses like yours be competitive and assist in your employees’ future financial needs.
Stay Competitive With a Group Retirement Savings Plan
Submit contributions
Access support tools and reports that are easy to read and understand.
Having access to our online retirement planning tools, statements, and educational materials, Chambers Plan Group Retirement Solution works well with your company’s overall compensation approach by enhancing the future financial security of your employees and their families. Implementing a comprehensive retirement savings plan will help you to stand out when recruiting and retaining employees and create a sense of long-term loyalty and pride in your team.
Benefits to Your Employees
Low fees. The investment management fees (IMFs) in a group plan are typically lower than the management expense ratio fees charged by individual mutual funds and banks.
Immediate tax savings. Employees see immediate tax savings with the group RRSP if contributions are deducted from their gross pay, which means they pay income tax only on the reduced amount.
Simple online administration:
Fast and easy online enrolment
A secure website featuring comprehensive education and support tools
Ongoing online administrative support, including access to live support through our customer service centre and from licensed financial education specialists
An annual statement that is mailed to the employee’s home, summarizing account activity
The YXE Benefits and our marketing team at Trusted Marketing Services have spent the past 6 months filming various scenes around Saskatoon and we are proud to launch our YXE Benefits branding video to Saskatoon.
We wanted to explain who we are, what we do and showcase some of our clients and the community activities that we engage in as exclusive representatives of the Chambers Plan in Saskatoon.