OMERS Recognized for Absence Management Program

The pension fund's integrated approach cut short-term disability volumes by 28 per cent in 2025.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Human Resources

OMERS Recognized for Absence Management Program

Live Poll

Should employers be required to provide paid sick leave and disability support?

OMERS was recognized in the Absence Management category of the 2026 Workplace Benefits Awards. Its integrated absence management approach resulted in a 28 per cent drop in short-term disability volumes in 2025.

Why it matters

The recognition highlights a centralized, early-intervention model for employee absences across the company's global offices, including its 2,500 employees in Canada. The program's results show a higher share of cases ending in successful return to work, which the company credits to case escalation and outreach.

Short-term disability incidence fell from 4.2 to 3.0 per 100 employees, and average duration dropped by 4.4 days year over year. Transitions from short-term to long-term disability fell from 10 per cent of cases to six per cent.

The players

OMERS

OMERS is a Canadian pension plan and asset manager whose employee absence program was recognized in the 2026 Workplace Benefits Awards.

The details

Absences exceeding five consecutive sick days are escalated through workday case management and transition into short-term disability, with dedicated case managers initiating outreach within 24 hours. In Canada, employees receive 100 per cent of pre-disability earnings for the first four weeks and 70 per cent for the remainder of leave, while claims are independently adjudicated by a third-party provider.

2024: OMERS created a centralized disability management team overseeing medically related absences for its global offices.
2025: Short-term disability volumes dropped 28 per cent and the return-to-work rate rose to 71 per cent.
2026 Workplace Benefits Awards: OMERS was recognized in the Absence Management category.

Health Landscape

Employers have increasingly tracked short-term disability-to-long-term disability transition rates as a measure of absence management effectiveness. OMERS's drop from 10 per cent to six per cent shows how early case management can reduce progression into longer disability claims.

Employees in Canada who take sick leave beyond five consecutive days may be contacted by a case manager within 24 hours and placed into short-term disability. Pay during the first four weeks is 100 per cent of pre-disability earnings, dropping to 70 per cent for the remainder of the leave.

The takeaway

Early outreach and clear escalation paths can keep employees connected to work during absences. Employers looking to adopt similar practices can track return-to-work rates and STD-to-LTD transitions as core measures.