BDO Canada LLP employees who are considering taking a pottery course, planning a family vacation or even booking a caterer for their wedding can get a little financial assistance from the company’s newest benefit. The consultancy’s Do What You Love program, which launched in 2022, provides plan members with a set annual reimbursement amount for […]
The City of Philadelphia is ordering all 26,000 municipal employees back to the office five days per week, according to a report by National Public Radio. While several unions representing the city’s workers argued that change in work arrangements must be negotiated, a Philadelphia County judge ruled in favour of city officials, who have maintained that […]
Employers can support sandwich generation caregivers by providing extensive well-being benefits, flexibility and leadership training, says Michael Mousseau, national well-being practice leader at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Sandwich generation caregivers are people, typically middle-aged individuals, who find themselves tasked with taking care of their children while also looking after their parents or older family members. […]
As Canadians face the dual effects of the rapidly rising cost of living and interest rates, the resulting financial stress has major implications for plan sponsors, said Valérie Fernandez, senior advisor of workplace health best practices and strategic support for group insurance at Beneva, during Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Healthy Outcomes Conference in October. Indeed, employers […]
Canadian employers are investing in innovative financial, physical and mental-health benefits to drive their attraction and retention efforts, according to a new survey by Mercer. The survey, which polled more than 300 employers, found 59 per cent said they’ve invested in employee discount programs, followed by budgeting and other financial wellness education and support (51 […]
A four-day workweek promotes gender equity in the workplace and enables male employees to help their partners with household duties, says Grace Tallon, director of operations at the Work Time Reduction Center of Excellence. The responsibility for childcare or elder care has traditionally fallen on women, she adds, so shorter workweeks can level the playing […]
The TD Bank Group’s inclusive benefits offerings resulted in a win in the Drug and benefits plan innovation category at Benefits Canada’s 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 18. In March, the bank enhanced coverage to include fertility and reproductive treatments and introduced new surrogacy and adoption benefits, with a $20,000 lifetime maximum for each benefit. “We heard […]
The Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan’s response to the coronavirus pandemic led to a win in the Coronavirus and benefits category for an employer with fewer than 1,000 employees at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 18. When the pandemic was declared in March 2020, the organization quickly responded with measures such as […]
An article about an open letter that highlighted how proposed amendments to the federal Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act could have a positive impact on defined benefit plan members was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Amendments to insolvency legislation would secure DB pensions, […]
Scotiabank is supporting employees with elderly relatives by providing five back-up days for elder care. The benefit provides in-home visits by personal support workers and was modelled after an existing program providing the bank’s employees with back-up childcare days, says Dominic Cole-Morgan, senior vice-president of total rewards. “It was about understanding sources of potential mental-health […]