Unilever Canada’s holistic approach to supporting employees’ health and well-being throughout the coronavirus pandemic scored the company a win at Benefits Canada’s 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 14. The organization was awarded in the Coronavirus and Benefits category for an employer with more than 5,000 employees. Unilever’s global well-being framework is based on four […]
With the Delta variant leading the coronavirus pandemic in a renewed surge, employers continue to have a surplus of challenges, regardless of whether or not they’re planning a return to the workplace. I discussed this latter challenge in my Editorial last month, but at the risk of heaping on more doom and gloom, it may […]
During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ottawa Community Housing Corp. battened down the hatches and focused on addressing any absence management issues before they occurred. Now, Cindy Newell, the company’s director of human resources, says OCH is expecting to see fewer disability leaves post-pandemic, thanks to a proactive absence and disability management strategy […]
As the country began shutting down to focus on beating back the coronavirus at the height of the pandemic in March 2020, people with chronic health conditions fell to the back of the health-care line. “While all Canadians probably faced — to some extent — a negative impact due to some of the public health […]
SAP Canada Inc.’s vice-president and head of human resources talks embracing flexible working, keeping the “human” in HR and winter sports. Q. What top challenges do you face in your role? A. SAP is a global organization, so everything we do must be within the context of what works for us in the country but […]
Employees at several Indigo Books & Music Inc. stores across Canada are unionizing, as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has “highlighted the precarity of retail work in general and how little say workers have in rapidly changing work environments. “Joining [United Food and Commercial Workers Canada] provided security and gave workers a voice without fear of retaliation,” […]
Employer-provided medical benefits costs in Canada will rise seven per cent in 2022, according to a new survey by Aon. The annual global medical trend rates survey found the expected increase for Canadian employer-sponsored medical plan costs is due to a combination of higher costs for dental care, paramedical expenses and prescription drugs. It was conducted […]
Employees are prioritizing workplace benefits plans amid an increasingly competitive job market, according to a new Ipsos survey for RBC Insurance Inc. The survey, conducted among more than 1,000 working Canadians aged 18 and older, found 68 per cent would take a job with a good benefits plan over another that pays more but doesn’t […]
The core public service, as well as air travel and rail employees, must all be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Oct. 29, according to Canada’s new mandatory vaccine policy. The federal government announced Wednesday that public servants must attest they’re fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Oct. 29 or be put on unpaid administrative […]
Sun Life is buying DentaQuest, a U.S.-based provider of dental benefits, for $3.1 billion. The company, which offers dental benefits through employers, will become part of Sun Life’s U.S. business. The insurer said the acquisition will more than double the size of its U.S. employee benefits business by revenue. DentaQuest currently has more than 33 million members in 36 […]