Insurers in Quebec are preparing for a shifting risk landscape as Bill 27 introduces new requirements for employers to include psychosocial risk prevention in workplace health and safety programs.
Under Bill 27, employers in Quebec will be required to formally identify, assess, prevent and mitigate psychosocial risks in the workplace. These risks include factors such as workload, lack of decision-making autonomy, inadequate recognition, low social support and organizational injustice.
The legislation marks a major step toward recognizing mental health as an occupational risk, one that could reshape how insurers assess, price and manage workplace liability and group benefits coverage.
Responding to these changes, Beneva has launched a suite of initiatives aimed at helping employers comply with the law and reduce exposure to psychosocial cliams. The insurer's Workplace Health Solutions Guide, Transforming Psychosocial Risks into Opportunities to Enhance Team Performance and Commitment, outlines practical strategies for identifying stress factors, such as excessive workload, poor recognition and lack of managerial support. An upcoming webinar series will also offer further guidance to businesses seeking to integrate prevention measures into their risk management frameworks, the company said.
Beneva’s program also reflects the insurance industry’s growing focus on mental health-related risk. The company has partnered with Université Laval’s Relief Research Chair in Mental Health, Self-Management and Work to provide diagnostic tools, training, and reference materials that help employers build psychologically healthy environments.
According to Brigitte Marcoux (pictured above), director of Workplace Health Best Practices and Strategic Support at Beneva, the initiative supports both workforce well-being and long-term business resilience. For insurers, these preventive measures also play a role in mitigating claims frequency, stabilizing premiums, and improving outcomes under group life, disability, and workers’ compensation policies.
The new regulatory environment is expected to prompt insurers to reassess coverage structures for mental health and employer liability. By embedding psychosocial risk prevention into underwriting considerations, carriers could gain better insight into the operational and cultural risks that drive loss ratios.
Analysts said Beneva's proactive stance underscores an emerging trend -- insurers moving from passive claims management toward active prevention partnerships. As mental health becomes a core component of workplace safety compliance, insurance providers are likely to expand their role from financial protection to strategic risk advisory.
