Employers can help employees achieve an optimal work-life balance by embedding a right-to-disconnect policy into their overall business practices, says Lidia Pawlikowski, associate vice-president of Hub International Ltd. Last month, Ontario’s right-to-disconnect legislation took effect, requiring employers with 25 or more workers to have a written policy for employees to disconnect from their job at […]
Shopify Inc.’s 2021 Workplace Benefit Awards win is helping the company build on the most successful elements of its employee wellness programs, with an emphasis on trauma-focused care. “We’ve been able to dive a bit deeper into that and better understand the different employee groups across the organization and help them [address] their wellness needs,” says […]
Long before the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe in early 2020, a massive transformation of the workplace was well underway. Advanced technologies, growing demand for better work-life balance and rising commercial real estate costs forced many organizations to reimagine the traditional way of working and, more broadly, the relationship between employer and employee. The pandemic […]
A third (34 per cent) of Canadians say their employer doesn’t provide training or support to deal with workplace conflict, while another 20 per cent say they’re experiencing increased aggression at work, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest mental-health index. The survey’s respondents reported an overall mental-health score of 64.9, up slightly from 64.8 in April. […]
Benefits Canada is extending the deadline for entering the 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards to Friday, July 8 at 5 p.m. EST. The annual awards recognize employers and plan sponsors that are leading the way with their approaches to supporting the mental, physical and financial well-being of their employees. Enter the 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards today. This year’s […]
As the coronavirus pandemic recedes, employers planning a return to the office have several legal issues to consider. Hugh Christie, a Toronto-based managing partner at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, suggests employers first ensure their offices are properly set up for each department, as well as the personal situations of employees, such as workers with […]
At the Alberta Investment Management Corp., diversity, equity and inclusion has catapulted up the priority list when it comes to investment strategy. While DEI has long played a role in the decisions of the AIMCo and other institutional investors, says Alison Schneider, the organization’s vice-president of responsible investing, she credits the coronavirus pandemic for catalyzing […]
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, fewer Canadian benefits plan members are making drug claims, according to Telus Health’s annual drug trends report. The report, based on the drug claims activity of more than 10 million plan members in 2021, found just 56 per cent made a claim in 2021, reflecting a decreased frequency of in-person […]
Just 0.9 per cent of 35 million U.S. defined contribution pension plan members ceased making contributions during the first quarter of 2022, according to a report by the Investment Company Institute. While this percentage was slightly higher than in the first quarter of 2021 (0.8 per cent), it was a substantial drop from 2020 (1.4 […]
KPMG in Canada is allowing employees to work remotely from another province or country in a bid to attract and retain talent amid a crowded labour market. The company’s Roam program allows eligible employees to work in any Canadian province for up to eight weeks per year or four weeks abroad in designated countries that […]