Employees hoping for large across-the-board raises in 2012 will be disappointed, as Canadian employers are projecting an average wage increase of 3.1%, according to the Mercer Compensation Planning Survey. Base pay is considered the most important element of total compensation for most employees, according to a previous Mercer survey, but only 53% said they were […]
As Canada’s post-recession economy recovers, attention is returning to the challenge of shifting demographics—specifically, the impact the impending wave of baby boom retirees will have. While many organizations have taken steps to ensure a good internal pipeline of senior managers and leaders, the question arises as to whether employers will be able to hang on […]
Mercer recently released its 2011 What’s Working—Inside Employees’ Minds survey on employee engagement. The survey asked more than 2,000 Canadian workers for their views on various aspects of the employment deal, including pay, benefits, careers, leadership, performance and engagement. The survey analyzes differences by workforce demographics and includes a conjoint analysis to determine what employees […]
Watch this video Lori Casselman, assistant vice-president, health and productivity solutions, with Sun Life Financial, talks about the importance of implementing health and wellness programs and the significant effect these programs can have on a company’s culture and employee engagement. Watch the video to hear more of what Casselman has to say on this topic.
Which factors do you consider when educating your members on their DC plans? Take our poll! A DC pension plan is a wonderful thing: with money from the company, steady investment performance over time and a sprinkling of pixie dust—voilà!—employees can make regular contributions from their own salary and grow a nice lump sum to […]
Watch this video At Unisource Canada, the DC plan is made up of two parts: a basic component and an optional component, and it’s a hit with employees. Larry Ketchabaw, manager, pension and benefits, with Unisource Canada, says the company measures the success of the plan by participation rates. With 90% of employees contributing to […]
Ensuring employees with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have access to medical care as well as other services—such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and drug coverage—is very important in helping them to be productive and active in the workplace. Dr. Diane Lacaille, an associate professor at the University of British Columbia, describes what employers can do to help […]
Despite the complexity of designing, communicating and administering a DC plan, employers do their best to get plan members engaged and on track with retirement savings. However, for each employer that does this, this poses some unique challenges. With this in mind, Benefits Canada sat down with four plan sponsors and asked each one to […]
It’s not just Air Canada and Canada Post workers who are unhappy with their employers, a new survey has found. Findings from Mercer’s What’s Working survey, released today, indicated that 36% of Canadian workers are seriously considering leaving their organization, up sharply from 26% in 2006. In addition, another 22% are indifferent about leaving but […]
Every Canadian wants a little more money. But what if you were offered more money in lieu of your health benefits plan? According to the 2011 sanofi-aventis Healthcare Survey, 59% of group health benefits plan members in Canada would rather keep their benefits plan than receive $10,000 in cash. When the amount is doubled to […]