During Canada’s unprecedented 2023 wildfire season, 6,500 individual fires burned more than 18.4 million hectares of land — and wildland firefighters bore the brunt of it all. “The working conditions are extremely dangerous and they’re getting more dangerous as fires become larger and more intense, and, in many cases, are going through communities,” says Bert […]
In 2023, women took 69 per cent of all leaves of absence related to mental health in North America, according to a new report by ComPsych Corp. The report, which analyzed data from more than 5,700 employers in Canada and the U.S., found 33 per cent of mental-health leaves were taken by millennial women, followed by […]
The Bank of Montreal is extending paid leave benefits to employees who are reservists with the Canadian Armed Forces. These employees will receive up to eight weeks of paid leave top-up of their earnings while they’re away for military training and 52 weeks of paid leave top-up to their earnings if they’re on domestic or […]
It has been called “the change.” Menopause. That time, occurring roughly between the ages of 45 and 55, when a female’s reproductive life ends and any number of incapacitating symptoms appear. These symptoms — from hot flashes to memory issues to muscle and joint pain — can impact physical health, mental health and, inevitably, performance […]
Fluor Canada Ltd.’s dynamic approach to absence management scored the company a win at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 18. The multinational engineering and construction company won in the Absence management program category for policies such as flexible work options, general leaves of absence, family-friendly resources and paid time off, including 26 Fridays off per […]
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 […]
As the effects of the coronavirus pandemic reshape the Canadian workplace and employees struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy, Citigroup Inc. is preparing for the future of work by rolling out a suite of paid-leave programs that aim to support employee work-life balance in 2021 and beyond. To meet the needs of shifting employee […]
As coronavirus cases rise across the country and some return-to-work plans become return-to-home plans, many employers are wondering how to help their employees adapt once again as the second wave of the pandemic slams into Canada. Will there be another lockdown this year? Will children be expected to learn remotely again while employees work? How can we, as […]
Vodacom Group, a South African telecommunications firm, is providing all global employees with 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. Employees will be able to take the leave if they or their partner are having a baby, adopting a child or becoming a parent through surrogacy. They can take […]