At the beginning of April, the OPSEU Pension Trust made a change to a definition in its plan text that will have meaningful implications for plan members with disabled children who need to continue to rely on their parents into adulthood. The organization expanded the definition of a child eligible for survivor benefits to include […]
After leading the way in supporting transgender employees, Accenture is continuing to expand its diversity, equity and inclusion offerings to meet workers’ evolving needs. In 2011, the professional services company was one of the first employers in Canada to support transgender employees through its benefits offerings. “At the time of [the benefit’s] inception, Accenture worked […]
Considering women account for just over half of the population, Andrew MacDougall understands why — taken in isolation — the state of female representation at the top level of Canada’s public companies can seem a little underwhelming. According to the most recent round of disclosures, around 34 per cent of seats on the boards of […]
Employee resource groups have been a part of many organizations for several years, are usually created and operated by employees and evolve and grow over time. But at Kraft Heinz Canada, six fully-formed ERGs arrived at once. “When our Canadian and U.S. businesses merged last year, the company thought one of the best ways to […]
It has been called “the change.” Menopause. That time, occurring roughly between the ages of 45 and 55, when a female’s reproductive life ends and any number of incapacitating symptoms appear. These symptoms — from hot flashes to memory issues to muscle and joint pain — can impact physical health, mental health and, inevitably, performance […]
The gender pay gap is narrowing in Canada, with women earning roughly 21 per cent less than men in 2022, compared to 24 per cent less in 2021, according to a new survey by ADP Canada. The survey, which polled more than 1,500 workers, found the average salary for men was $72,743, compared to $57,725 […]
The University of Toronto is supporting employee well-being with enhanced gender affirmation coverage. Heather Boon, acting vice-president of people strategy, equity and culture at U of T, says the coverage was negotiated in several of its recent collective agreements and is also available to non-union employees. “Gender affirmation coverage is being provided to help support […]
PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada is continuing to foster an inclusive work environment and sense of belonging with the addition of three new employee resource groups. The new ERGs, which the company refers to as inclusion networks, are the Muslim Inclusion Network, Middle Eastern and North African Inclusion Network and the Jewish Inclusion Network. “These groups were created […]
An article on Saskatchewan’s Public Employees Benefits Agency transition to a not-for-profit corporation was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Saskatchewan’s pension and benefits administrator transitioning to not-for-profit model 2. University Pension Plan’s assets declined 9.1% in 2022, led by public equities 3. Survey […]
Benefits Canada is extending the deadline for entering the 2023 Workplace Benefits Awards to Friday, July 7 at 5 p.m. EST. The original industry awards program has been recognizing employers and plan sponsors for more than 20 years, highlighting their innovative approaches to supporting the mental, physical and financial well-being of their employees. Enter the 2023 Workplace Benefits […]