3M Canada’s two 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards wins are empowering employees to take control of their health and wellness journey, says Jacqueline McLennan, the company’s benefits specialist. The organization’s revamped, targeted mental-health strategy won the mental-health program award for employers with fewer than 5,000 employees. The strategy built on 3M’s existing mental-health programming and includes […]
Scotiabank is marking Pride Month by setting new targets for LGBTQ2S+ representation and connecting employees with volunteering opportunities in a range of communities. Dominic Cole-Morgan, senior vice-president of total rewards with responsibility for diversity and inclusion, says the bank is working toward a representation target of seven per cent in Canada by 2025, noting the […]
Sun Life Financial Inc. has completed its previously announced acquisition of U.S.-based dental benefits provider DentaQuest. DentaQuest is now part of Sun Life’s U.S. business, which offers dental benefits through employers for their benefits plans and has an extensive national commercial dental network. The completion of the acquisition is expected to bring Sun Life U.S.’s total […]
The union representing 225 part-time workers at Metro Inc. warehouses in Etobicoke, Ont. has ratified a three-year agreement that includes multiple benefits gains. Unifor members voted overwhelmingly in favour of a collective agreement that includes a prescription drug plan for all eligible part-time workers. The plan offers single coverage with a three-year maximum of $6,000, […]
The Heart and Stroke Foundation is marking Stroke Awareness Month by promoting employee preparation and workplace wellness initiatives. Ontario Power Generation is among the employers preparing its employees to recognize the signs of stroke, says Tanya Hickey, OPG’s senior manager of health and safety strategies. She recalls a recent incident where this preparedness paid off. […]
Enhancements to the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce’s gender affirmation coverage is the latest way the bank is supporting LGBTQ2S+ employees during Pride Month and beyond. The expanded coverage was added to the organization’s benefits program last month and includes reimbursement for specific gender transition surgeries and procedures up to $10,000 per year, up to a […]
Employees everywhere are redefining what work means to them and redrawing their expectations of employers. Mental-health supports and flexible working options are now imperative if an organization is to remain competitive. To these ends, workplaces need a mental-health strategy. But a workplace mental-health strategy isn’t ping pong tables and a snack bar. It requires real […]
It’s become a common sight: jubilant Starbucks Corp. workers celebrating after successful votes to unionize at dozens of U.S. stores. But when the celebrations die down, a daunting hurdle remains: to win the changes they seek — like better pay and more reliable schedules — unionized stores must sit down with Starbucks and negotiate a […]
An article on how employers can create health benefits and retirement plans for gig workers was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Expert panel: How employers can design health benefits, retirement plans for gig workers 2. Hitachi, Unifor agreement includes DB, DC pension […]
The union representing 700 employees at Resolute Forest Products has ratified an agreement that includes benefits gains. Unifor members working in Resolute’s paper mills voted 90 per cent in favour of the four-year agreement. Vision and dental care will increase by $100 per year on Jan. 1, 2023 and dental will increase by another $100 on […]