Simply Balanced Benefits

02/27/2026

Proud sponsor of the Ken Gill & Forrest Owens Memorial Hockey Tournament ❤️

Come out to watch some great hockey 🏒 and support an even greater cause! ❤️🎉❤️ See you at the rink!!

10/11/2024

Business owner friends...I'd love to help you out with a benefits package for your company! If you're in BC - I can help!

100% this 💙

THIS ... is my normal 🤩

www.sbbenefits.ca

10/11/2024

100% this 💙

THIS ... is my normal 🤩

www.sbbenefits.ca

09/09/2024

Thank you so much for the lovely review James! Very much appreciated 🙏🏼💙 and you are very welcome! It's always a pleasure working with you and the crew!

www.sbbenefits.ca

03/21/2024

Onboarding new employees can be a lot of work, but if not done properly, can cause all kinds of issues later on.

Leading up to your employee’s first day, it’s important that you have everything you need to set them up for success from day one.

"Did you know, that 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experienced great onboarding?"

Check out this helpful "checklist for managers" from hypercontext.com:
1. Book multiple 1:1 sessions around tool and process walkthroughs
2. Outline the outcomes you expect them to achieve in their first 30-60-90 days
3. Audit and update your team’s internal documents (including benefits enrolment/change forms 😉)
4. Announce your new employee in multiple places
5. Set up your first one-on-one

Read the full article with additional checklists and HR help at: https://hypercontext.com/blog/employee-motivation/new-employee-onboarding-checklist

They even offer a "new employee onboarding template"!

Imagine seeing a post like the post below, about your company ☺️

Thanks Hypercontext for the helpful advice!

02/26/2024

And for the men 😊

"What's your PSA?!" If you don't know what that means...please read on...

My very good friend, Don Helgeson, has a ridiculously important message...please, get your PSA checked or get your loved one to get their PSA checked as soon as possible...and continue to get it checked on a regular basis. It's SO simple!! and it could save your life! ❤❤❤

https://manuptocancer.org/
https://seawolvesmenscancer.ca/

When retiring Nanaimo RCMP officer Don Helgeson got on his computer to check his blood-test results, the first thing he searched for was his cholesterol level, the most likely thing to be out of whack for a man his age.

At 51, Helgeson was retiring due to nagging complications from an injury he suffered during an arrest. He figured it was prudent to get a medical check before he lost his full medical benefits package.

“That’s when I saw that I had a PSA reading that was really, really high,” he said. “And I didn’t even know what that meant.”

A prostate-specific antigen test measures the amount of PSA in the blood, primarily to screen for prostate cancer.

He searched online for what a PSA reading of 12.2 could mean. Every search came back with a strong indication for prostate cancer. In December 2020, Helgeson was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

He opted for radical prostatectomy surgery and his prostate was removed at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

Helgeson, now 54, is undergoing more testing and will find out next week if the cancer has returned. Recent bloodwork indicates a rising PSA level that should not be happening if all his cancer was removed in 2020, he said.

“l look back on that now and wonder how did I get to be 51 years old and not have a clue what a PSA reading was or what I could have done to educate myself better,” said Helgeson, adding women generally tend to look after their health better than men.

“I know hindsight is 20/20, but if I had gone maybe a year sooner than I did to get that blood work done, I would not be in the situation I’m in right now.”
(full article: https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/nanaimo-man-54-with-prostate-cancer-aims-to-raise-awareness-8288928)
credit: [email protected]

www.sbbenefits.ca

02/26/2024

Menopause?? As an employer, how does this affect me, Tasha??

Did you know that there are three stages to menopause
- Perimenopause
- Menopause
- Postmenopause

The menopausal transition most often begins between ages 45 and 55. It usually lasts about 7 years, but can be as long as 14 years. The duration can depend on lifestyle factors such as smoking, age it begins, and race and ethnicity.

As an employer, you may not realize it, but menopause could be affecting your workplace!
The most commonly reported difficulties that menopausal women report at work include poor concentration, tiredness, poor memory, feeling low/depressed and lowered confidence. It has also been reported that women with severe menopausal symptoms felt less motivated at work and that this provokes some women to consider changing jobs, reducing their working hours or leaving the workforce altogether

THIS is how menopause affects you – and your company 😉

It’s time to start taking menopause seriously.

Consider joining the “Menopause Inclusive Workplace” campaign through the Menopause Foundation of Canada Menopause Foundation of Canada / www.menopausefoundationcanada.ca

The Menopause Works Here™ campaign champions menopause inclusive workplaces in Canada, and encourages employers to demonstrate their support for the wellbeing of employees experiencing menopause.

Also consider making sure your plan offers testing and therapies for menopause either through your insured program, or by adding a health and/or wellness spending account. Check with your advisor for more information! Don’t have a plan in place yet – call me! 😊

www.sbbenefits.ca

02/07/2024

Thanks to all of you, I get to do something I love to do and am extremely passionate about, every day 💙. Making your day a little bit easier and a lot less stressful - makes me happy!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your support over the last 7 years, and cheers to many, many more! 🥂💗

www.sbbenefits.ca

01/22/2024

Over time, it’s natural that your information on your group or individual benefits file may change.

Have you:
- Gotten married, separated, or divorced? Which may also mean changing your beneficiary on file!
- Welcomed a new child to your family (Birth, adoption or other)?
- Changed your name?
- Moved?
- Had a child turn 21, but they are still attending school full time and therefore need to remain on your plan?

Life events like those above are all examples of life changes that could affect your employee benefits.

Speak with your Benefits Advisor (ME!) or Plan Administrator about updating your information if you’ve experienced any of these or other significant life events!

Have the best day! 💙

www.sbbenefits.ca

01/17/2024

Why? In a nutshell: employees can take advantage of claiming those premiums as a medical expense on their taxes.

Employee may not know that it’s possible to claim health and dental premiums and other medical expenses that are on the list provided by CRA, as to which there are over 150 items. Employees can claim the premiums and the part of medical expenses they were not reimbursed for, to reduce the tax they pay.

The catch - the total must exceed 3% of the employee’s net income to be claimable on either their own or their spouse’s tax return.

Want to know more?
* Read the great article: https://www.canadianmoneysaver.ca/blog/box-85-is-my-box
* Check out the eligible medical expenses listing: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/about-your-tax-return/tax-return/completing-a-tax-return/deductions-credits-expenses/lines-33099-33199-eligible-medical-expenses-you-claim-on-your-tax-return.html
* Chat with your bookkeeper or accountant

Enjoy the day!

www.sbbenefits.ca

01/10/2024

PLAN ADMINISTRATORS – If you have any salary based benefits such as Life Insurance, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, Critical Illness, Short Term Disability (Weekly Indemnity) or Long Term Disability, and have not been updating your benefits advisor of employee salary changes as they happen, January is a great time to update!

Send an employee listing to your advisor, with updated salaries noted, and they can take care of that for you right away.

Enjoy the day!

www.sbbenefits.ca