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Walmart Canada offering new virtual health, well-being program for its employees

Walmart Canada is rolling out a new benefit program for its 100,000 employees and their families across the country.

The program, with a focus on health and well-being solutions, will provide access to hundreds of health professionals from a variety of disciplines, it said.

It includes mental health and nutrition advice along with access to virtual consultations with clinicians.

Programs include:

Virtual care: Employees and their family will have access to primary care 24/7, with on-demand text and video consultations.

“Drawing from diverse backgrounds, these healthcare professionals are trained to deliver inclusive care in a variety of language, including occupational awareness, gender and sexual identity, ethnocultural diversity and faith, allowing associates to be matched with a compatible clinician,” it said in a press release.

Employee enablement: It described this benefit as “next generation” one that transform the traditional employee assistance program (EAP) into a single and collaborative access point. Unique to this platform are “dedicated care advocates” who develop compassionate and guided care plans that support staff “on their path towards improved health, mindfulness, performance and self-esteem.”

Well-being: Walmart staff will be able to engage with like-minded communities and take part in friendly challenges with colleagues to build healthier habits, it said.

“At Walmart, we support our associates. We do so in a manner that is meaningful to them and fulfills their personal and career goals. Whether it’s by supporting their physical and mental health or helping them reach their development goals; we strive to do so in an easily accessible and customizable way at a time that works for them,” said AnnMarie Mercer, chief people officer for Walmart Canada.

The company chose TELUS Health as its provider for these new programs, she said.

Associates can access the TELUS Health suite of solutions in French and English 24/7 via a single smartphone app or direct telephone number. Employees will also be able to access the services in 220 other languages and dialects through specialized translation services, the first client to do so, the company said.

“At the core, an associate’s wellbeing is a balance between a variety of components — not only physical and mental health but also a series of wellness programs designed to help address work-life challenges,” said Michael Dingle, Chief Operating Officer, TELUS Health. “By considering an associate’s total well-being, we are helping Walmart Canada achieve this balance with a modern, digitally-enabled health and wellbeing experience, and dedicated care advocates, who can personalize care plans, especially for associates who may find themselves managing complex and interrelated challenges.”