A. Hopkins Insurance & Financial Services

Tag: corporate wellness provider

  • Is This the Year You Learn How to Meditate?

    Is This the Year You Learn How to Meditate?

    Dating back to ancient times, meditation has been used to facilitate mindfulness, awareness, enlightenment, and reflection. And now, researchers are looking at how the practice of meditation affects our mental and physical health, and even how it changes the brain .

    What was once considered a mystical exercise in mastery of the mind, meditation is everywhere with many companies like Google and General Mills encouraging employees to incorporate it into their daily routines. Despite its ubiquity, it can still be intimidating to jump headfirst into the practice of mindfulness.

    How does it work? Where do I start? Do I need to bring a yoga mat to the office?? Relax, take a deep breath, and read on to learn how the practice of meditation can make you work better. You’ll be optimizing productivity and improving focus in no time!

    Benefits of Meditation for Leaders and Team

    The founder of the mindfulness curriculum at General Mills, Janice Marturano, went on to start the Institute for Mindful Leadership — a non-profit training institute that offers retreats and workshops to teach employees how mindful practice can build resilience, increase creativity and focus, and help foster compassion.

    Marturano studied over 100 participants of a seven-week mindfulness workshop from 2008 to 2010. She asked them to reflect on how mindful practice was manifesting in their daily routines and what benefits they had noticed. Marturano found that 83% of participants were carving out time each day to think about ways to optimize their personal productivity, and 82% were eliminating tasks of limited value. On average, eight out of ten noticed improvements in decision-making and nearly 90% reported that they had become better listeners.

    As researchers continue to evaluate the effects of meditation practice on our bodies and behaviour, the evidence is stacking up in its favour. Much like aerobic exercise improves the cardiovascular system, meditation trains and tones the mind to function more effectively. According to Healthline.com these are a few other known health benefits of meditation:

    – Reduced stress & anxiety

    – Improved emotional health

    – Enhanced self-awareness

    – Lengthened attention span

    – Delayed age-related memory loss

    – Greater kindness to self and others

    – Improved sleep

    – Pain control

    Which Type of Meditation Works Best?

    A quick Google search and you’ll find that there are anywhere from six to 23 different types of meditation out there. Where do you even start?

    While you won’t likely start out of the gate with a handle on all 23 techniques, varying your practice with different styles of meditation will give you a well-rounded practice. You’ll soon discover which methods work best for you and how different situations or challenges may require different techniques to help guide you through. Here are five types of meditation to get you started:

    1. Mindfulness Meditation – Start by being fully present with your thoughts and aware of where you are and what you are doing. Typically using a focus on breath to anchor the practice, you observe thoughts and emotions as they come, but release them without judgement.
    2. Transcendental Meditation – Using a personally assigned mantra such as a word, phrase or sound that is repeated in a specific way for 20 minutes twice daily, this technique is meant to inspire deep inner peace, relaxation, and rest.
    3. Guided Meditation – To help achieve a fully relaxed state, a guide will lead you through a series of mental pictures and visualization using smell, sound, and texture to create a sense of calm and peacefulness.
    4. Vipassana Meditation – This ancient Indian form of meditation aims to create self-transformation through self-observation. By developing a strong awareness of physical sensation in the body, the connection between body and mind is strengthened.
    5. Metta (Loving Kindness) Meditation – As the name suggests, this practice focuses on directing goodwill towards oneself and others through the repetition of the following phrases: “May I be happy. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be peaceful and at ease.” The practice continues as you visualize someone else and repeat the mantra, replacing the “I” with “you.”

    Taking Meditation to Work

    Interested in using mindfulness and meditation to help boost engagement and innovation for your team? From online seminars to corporate meditation workshops, there are plenty of ways to bring the practice of mindfulness to the office.

    Mindset Brain Gym in Toronto offers drop-in classes, multi-week courses, and customized corporate mindfulness training sessions. With a focus on clinical mindfulness techniques, positive psychology, and neuroscience, Mindset has been helping companies like Uber, Holt Renfrew, and BMO bring mindfulness to the workplace.

    Vancouver’s Salt & Spirit Wellness creates customized programs, workshops, and retreats ranging from four to 12 weeks in length. Meditation programs focus on stress management and fostering greater focus, connection, and clarity. They also offer corporate rates for companies so that employees can enjoy unlimited meditation, wellness, and fitness classes at Salt & Spirit.

    MindWell-U delivers the popular Mindfulness Challenge — a 30-day online training program that delivers a meditation curriculum using short videos, podcasts, emails and text messages for 5-10 minutes each day. This delivery style makes it easier for employees to find time during their busy day to attend to self-care and mindfulness.

    It’s never been easier, or more encouraged, to adopt meditation practices as part of an overall approach to mind and body wellness. Let this be the year you make more time for you. You’ll thank yourself for it later.

    Author: ChamberPlan.ca

    Read the original version of this article.

  • The Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant

    The Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant

    We spend, on average, 12-18% of our work week answering email—that’s an average of 620 emails a week, and about 11 hours of sifting through our inboxes, reading and crafting responses to connect and bring in business. Virtual Assistants (VAs), both human and AI (Artificial Intelligence), are a growing necessity for a business owner looking to keep her or his head above water.

    There are all types of VAs for hire : social media or blog management; VAs specific to product launch, administration, transcription, accounting tasks, and everything in between. Hannah Paré of Liferaft Virtual Assistance specializes in email clean-up and maintenance, and customer service support. She supports her clients in anything from grocery shopping for a food truck to helping clients respond to business leads.

    “A VA is a great fit for an entrepreneur, business owner or executive who wants the flexibility of a contractor,” explains Paré. “ The ROI makes sense—you don’t have the expenses of a full-time employee and, depending on your hourly rate, you reduce the number of hours on tasks that are not revenue generating.”

    Other reasons to invest in a VA:

    1. Stay on top of new technologies and trends. Hire someone who understands the world of social media, changing algorithms and social influencers. “What if your customers are more inclined to shop based on social media influencers?” suggests Paré. “That’s good information to know before you spend money on traditional marketing avenues.”

    2. Support to automate weekly and monthly tasks. “Some of my clients are working a full-time job as well as trying to manage all the details of a side business and a family at home,” explains Paré, “That gets overwhelming pretty quickly if there aren’t certain processes in place. This is where things like automated invoicing processes, accounts receivable follow-up, or GST preparation is made easy if someone can take them off your plate.”

    3. Services and Apps audit. Business owners and entrepreneurs do it all the time—pay a “bells-and-whistles” price for a software they only use for its basic functions. “There are hundreds of choices out there for programs and software, such as a file-sharing or storage, but to research them all takes time. A VA can look for the money-saving alternatives that are better suited to their clients’ needs.”

    4. Costs audit. Online storage, file sharing services, memberships, SEO and website maintenance, floor mat cleaning, insurance—and the list goes on—how often do we really assess what is coming out of the business bank account every month? We sign up for memberships and services, and months (sometimes years) later are still paying for them, but not using them. “Like checking for quality control, check for holes in your bottom line that can be rectified by pressing the ‘unsubscribe’ button. A VA can help in finding and getting rid of those extraneous costs.”

    5. Digital clean-up. It’s all those educational articles, those docs from professional association’s membership, it’s the list of blogs you want to read, that will benefit you, but you can’t get to right away. Your VA can file them, put them where you can easily access them when you have the time.

    Also, business owners meet the expectations of their clients when they have all documentation at their fingertips. Get help organizing all your client’s emails and attached docs into a filing system that is easily accessible. “Digital organization and efficiency can be so time consuming, but also saves you so much time in the end, and results in better service delivery,” explains Paré.

    Some tips for getting the most out of your Virtual Assistant?

    1. Set the communication expectations from the beginning,” says Paré. “Do you expect your VA to be available in the evenings? Within 24 hours or less?”

    2. Avoid micromanaging your VA. “Before you hire, know what tasks you want your VA to be responsible for and make sure you are comfortable delegating those tasks.”

    3. When hiring your VA, interview your candidates face to face if possible, not only over the phone. “You need to know if you are going to click with the person who is managing your inbox.”

    4. Decide what contracts you need your VA to sign, whether it is non-disclosure, or other.

    5. Have your access codes, passwords and logins available so that your VA can accomplish what they need to without the roadblocks.

    Author: ChamberPlan.ca

    Read the original version of this article.

  • Responding to COVID-19 for Employers and Employees

    Responding to COVID-19 for Employers and Employees

    As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, I will do everything I can to provide the most up-to-date information for my valued clients and community. The best way for us to all do our part in the prevention of this virus starts at taking social distancing measures to help reduce the number of new cases, and protect communities. Self-isolation is essential if you have symptoms or have been diagnosed. Of course, it’s best to stay home if you do not need medical assistance. When out and about for essential reasons (i.e. grocery shopping) keep a distance between yourself and others. At this time it’s important to avoid crowds and large social events entirely, if possible.  

    Here are some common questions that might clear up your immediate confusion and anxiety related to Covi, as of March 20, 2020:

    Do I have disability coverage if I contact COVID-19 or am quarantined?

    If you hold Weekly Indemnity coverage under Chambers Plan and have contracted COVID-19, or have been under quarantine, or both, you can submit a claim. A self-imposed quarantine, not ordered by a Provincial Health Authority or a physician, is not considered a disability. A quarantine requested by an employer is also not considered a disability. If you do not have Weekly Indemnity coverage and are placed under quarantine, you may be eligible for Employment Insurance benefits. 

    Given these uncertain times and the possibility of delays in public services, what’s the best way to manage my plan and submit claims?

    The best way to manage your plan is through our online benefits platform, my-benefits.ca. If you haven’t created an account, you can do so by clicking “sign-up” and then following the steps.

    Once you’ve created an account you can sign up for direct deposit of claims payments to receive reimbursement of your claims, as soon as they are processed.

    Do I have any trip cancellation? If I need to return home prior to the end of my scheduled trip, will I be covered?

    Chambers Plan does not offer any trip cancellation or interruption under the out-of-country coverage.

    For employers, the best ways to proceed in the workplace with the risks of COVID-19 include practicing the following:

    • Make sure employees are informed and have access to reliable information
    • Assess the situation daily and adjust the information if necessary
    • Rely on trusted sources of information to share with your teams – for support, contact our Health Information Specialists or refer to your Health Navigation platform
    • Provide access to handwashing areas and hand sanitizer while promoting hygiene best practices
    • If possible, allow employees to work from home or arrange schedules to reduce social contact
    • Be flexible with sick day requests and adjust your policies as needed
    • If you are sick, stay at home
    • Learn from COVID-19 and prepare for future similar events

    Below is a resource guide created by the clinical team at Novus Health®, our partner that powers our my-benefits health® platform, containing useful information for employers and their employees and further developed answers to the questions above, and more. 

    CH_COVID19 update, 03-15(1)

    Watch this webinar, where Teladoc Health’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Lew Levy, and Director of Clinical Quality and Informatics, Dr. Bridget K. McCabe, discusses the latest updates on the COVID-19 outbreak, protocols in place to identify and report cases, best practices for educating and preparing your population, and the role of virtual care in minimizing exposure to potentially contagious viruses.

  • Wellness at Work

    Wellness at Work

    Supporting staff wellbeing in the workplace is the responsibility of every business owner. Priorities that come to mind include: paying competitive wages and offering comprehensive benefit plans, or encouraging career development opportunities through educational programming and training.

    But what about mental health? Here are some mental-health focused activities, resources and strategies that can be incorporated in an employee’s wellness program:

    Enlist the help of a corporate wellness provider

    As increasing research supports a correlation between healthy workplaces and increased productivity, higher engagement levels, and cost savings relating to reduced absenteeism and job turnover, the number of companies offering expert programming — wellness retreats, seminars, and even private health and medical services — is on the rise .

    For example, Well Street, a Toronto-based workplace health solutions provider, delivers onsite, customized wellness programs to companies nationwide. Services range from a flu prevention clinic to healthy eating seminars and keynote presentations on topics like stress and work-life balance. Flexible, customizable delivery options make it easy for businesses to provide quality wellness programming to their teams that is relevant and informative.

    Organize a meditation workshop

    In addition to helping achieve greater focus and mindfulness, which are helpful in today’s hectic, distraction-laden workplace, increasing research shows that there are many health benefits associated with the practice of meditation. From overall stress reduction to more successful management of physical and psychological disorders, there are a number of reasons why people are turning to meditation as a personal wellness solution.

    Modern + Mindful , a mobile meditation company in Calgary, has helped companies like Lululemon, Uber, and The Forzani Group with customized meditation workshops. Some of the benefits their clients attest to include reduced stress, pain, or depression, as well as improved sleep quality, and a boost in immune response to illness.

    Offer regular Mental Health First Aid training

    For years now it has been fairly commonplace to have a designated fire warden, safety officer, or first aid responder in the workplace. Gaining momentum in recent years is Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training, which provides team members with the skills they need to respond to someone who may be either developing a mental health problem, experiencing the worsening of an existing mental health problem, or currently undergoing a mental health crisis.

    The Mental Health Commission of Canada offers Mental Health First Aid training courses nationwide where participants learn how to confidently interact with others about mental health issues. In addition to providing strategies used to successfully recognize, respond to, and guide someone who may be experiencing a mental health crisis, MHFA in the workplace helps break down mental health stigmas and increase awareness.

    Encourage and support opportunities for physical fitness

    Scientific evidence has long vouched for the positive health benefits of physical exercise on the body. From cancer prevention to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and nearly everything in between, there is really nothing that exercise can’t help. Not surprisingly, evidence is mounting for the mental benefits of exercise , with positive results relating to mood enhancement, alleviation of depression, and reduction in anxiety symptoms.

    The demands of daily life have changed dramatically in the last hundred years or so, with much of our time spent on pursuits that are mentally challenging, but largely sedentary and desk-bound. It has become increasingly difficult for people to make exercise a priority in their day.

    Many corporate wellness programs are looking to change this mindset by offering options like corporate fitness discounts or flexible work schedules to allow employees to attend gym classes or go for a run during the day. It can be as simple as installing a bike rack to encourage staff to ride to work or offering weekly lunch-hour fitness classes in the conference room. Supporting fitness in the workplace is an important step in supporting physical and mental wellness at work.

    Pet therapy

    Allergies permitting, doggos in the workplace are increasingly popular, with some good research backing up the benefits . There’s just something about being greeted by a wagging tail that can completely turn your day around.

    Not only are pets in the workplace known to help reduce levels of the stress-causing hormone cortisol, their presence also tends to trigger workplace interactions that would not normally take place, contributing to a boost in morale and relationship building.

    Employers want their teams to do their best and be happy at work. Providing access to supportive tools and resources helps make this happen. In addition to implementing programs and initiatives, being a champion for mental health in the workplace is an important way to reduce stigma and encourage people to access help if they need it.

    Author: ChamberPlan.ca

    Read the original article here.