While the dawn of 2022 brings hope of the coronavirus pandemic becoming endemic, the year ahead is also filled with many unknowns for both employers and employees to navigate. Many organizations, including the City of Toronto, are planning on bringing white-collar staff back to the office after some spent nearly two years working from home. […]
As companies adapt their people strategies for return to the office or for a new remote or hybrid work arrangement, employee retention will be a key consideration in 2022. The coronavirus pandemic has created a buyer’s labour market with many people either contemplating or making a change in their employer. Employees are assessing how they […]
With many employers taking steps to support their employees’ emotional, financial and physical health during the coronavirus pandemic, the top benefits stories on BenefitsCanada.com in 2021 highlighted some of these innovative initiatives, including among the finalists and winners of this year’s Workplace Benefits Awards. Twitter’s monthly #DaysofRest initiative helping prevent employee burnout amid pandemic RBC […]
Employers are likely to see the expansion and tweaking of current health and well-being trends next year, according to the Business Group on Health. Virtual health care that integrates with in-person offerings and the continued expansion of mental-health and well-being services are among six trends that will underscore a “collective urgency” for employers and their […]
The Canadian Drug Insurance Pooling Corp.’s high-cost drug framework provided coverage to almost 28,000 Canadians and their families where drug costs exceeded $10,000 annually in 2020. According to its results, the CDIPC estimated that its member insurance companies reimbursed claims associated with 54 new high-cost drugs including those for rare diseases. As well, based on past experience, […]
Significant disparities exist between U.S. employers’ and employees’ perceptions of workplace mental-health support, according to a new survey by Lighthouse Research & Advisory. When employers and employees were asked to rank their organization’s support for mental health on a scale of one to 10, the average employer ranking was 7.6, while the average employee ranking […]
Kroger, the biggest traditional grocery chain in the U.S., is ending some benefits for unvaccinated workers as large employers attempt to compel more of their workforce to become vaccinated with cases of the coronavirus rising once again. Workers who haven’t received coronavirus vaccines will no longer be eligible to receive up to two weeks paid […]
Roughly a quarter (23 per cent) of Canadians working exclusively at physical workplaces said their working lives have worsened since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest mental-health index. The survey — which was conducted between Nov. 9 and Nov. 22, 2021 and prior to the spread of the Omicron variant […]
The union representing employees at a Loblaw Co. Ltd. distribution centre in Ajax, Ont. has ratified a new four-year contract that will increase employer contributions to a group registered retirement savings plan. For workers with five or more years of service, the employer’s RRSP contribution match will increase to five per cent from 3.5 per […]
Once again, the end of year is near. Besides the extraordinary presence of vaccines and the movements in public health restrictions across the country, most Canadians are likely experiencing a significant déjà vu of late 2020. But despite a rather stagnant 2021, this year’s December issue heralds several promising signposts for the year ahead. We […]