A better health benefits experience for small business

This article was produced in partnership with Equitable.

We often describe small businesses as the backbone of the Canadian economy. It’s no wonder. The most recent Statistics Canada survey revealed that small businesses employed more than 10 million Canadians.

But running a small business isn’t easy. Just finding and keeping good people can be a big challenge. It’s more important than ever for small businesses to have competitive health benefits to help attract and retain top talent.

“A health benefits plan is becoming a must-have for smaller companies that want to compete for the best people,” says Marc Avaria, Executive Vice President, Group Insurance at Equitable. “The problem is, they’re competing with larger organizations with big budgets and more resources. They need a benefits solution that’s affordable, sustainable and easy to manage.”

That’s why Equitable recently introduced Equitable EZBenefits™. It’s a unique benefits solution designed specifically for small businesses. Available to organizations with between 2 and 25 employees, it allows small employers to offer competitive benefits without breaking the bank.¹

“We created EZBenefits to provide a benefits solution that’s affordable and easy,” says Avaria. “Easy to understand, easy to implement and administer, and easy to use.”

Options to fit every need

Whether a small business is a start-up or in growth mode, EZBenefits offers a range of plan designs to match different needs and budgets. Options include a mix of Life, Health and Dental coverage.² Employers can also add Long-Term Disability (LTD) coverage or a Health Care Spending Account (HCSA).

Embedded health and wellness services

EZBenefits includes additional health and wellness services at no extra cost. Employees have access to Virtual Healthcare from Dialogue and an Employee and Family Assistance Program provided by Homewood Health®.

Extra HR support

Small businesses often don’t have in-house HR departments to handle the day-to-day personnel needs and issues.

So EZBenefits also comes with built-in HR support tools and services through Equitable’s partnership with HRdownloads®. Employers receive access to:

• an award-winning human resource information system,
• a library of over 3,000 HR documents and templates with 25 free downloads,
• a free Workplace Diversity and Inclusion online training course, and
• a free HR advice call with a seasoned HR expert.

“We wanted to help take the heavy lifting out of common human resources tasks and provide small businesses with extra HR advice and support,” adds Don Bisch, Director, Group Marketing at Equitable. “That’s why we embedded HR client support and health and wellness services in each plan design,” Bisch explains.

Find out more

Small business owners interested in learning more about EZBenefits should contact their advisor. They can also visit info.equitable.ca/ezbenefits to explore plan design options and get connected with an independent group benefits advisor.

_{1 Not available in Quebec.
2 Dental coverage is not included with the Bronze plan design option.}