The agreement on remote and flexible work between public sector workers and the federal government could set the stage for future union negotiations, according to labour experts. “We’re basically entering a brand new phase of what we talk about in collective agreements, which includes workers’ autonomy over their time,” says Armine Yalnizyan, an economist and […]
The Public Service Alliance of Canada and the federal government have reached a tentative agreement for more than 120,000 workers, which includes new protections around remote work and wage increases. The tentative agreement, which ends a two-week strike, includes negotiated language that requires managers to assess remote work requests individually — not by group — and […]
Around a third of Canadians report their physical health (30 per cent), mental health (32 per cent) and financial situations (34 per cent) have worsened or significantly worsened over the past two years, according to a new survey conducted by Environics Research and commissioned by Dialogue Health Technologies Inc. The survey, which polled more than 1,500 Canadians, […]
Roughly 155,000 federal employees represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada are striking over remote working arrangements and wages. The union is seeking to maintain remote working arrangements for employees, noting the working arrangement has become a part of everyday life for many workers. “Our experience during [the coronavirus] pandemic has shown that public […]
The coronavirus pandemic ushered in a new world of work when organizations in most sectors were forced to find ways to operate virtually. Three years later, many employees — especially younger generations — want these flexible working options to stay. “Like many other firms, our employee demographic is mostly made up of millennials and [generation] […]
Employees working from home during the worst part of the coronavirus pandemic were younger, more diverse and better educated, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau. In many respects, the demographic makeup of people working from home between 2019 and 2021 became more like workers who were commuting, while the share of […]
American Express Canada is providing a daily meal stipend and refreshments to employees who are working onsite. With most employees in a hybrid or remote working arrangement, these perks help recreate the work-from-home experience in the office and support employee financial well-being by reducing costs, says Annette Kingsley, AmEx Canada’s vice-president of colleague experience. Employees receive […]
The Royal Bank of Canada is asking its employees to return to the office three or four days per week, effective May 1. In an internal memo, the bank said its senior leaders will finalize plans and provide updates to individual teams in the coming weeks, according to a report by Reuters, which noted an […]
Nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of Canadian employers say they aren’t making changes to their benefits plans in 2023, according to a new survey by the Harris Poll on behalf of Express Services Inc. The survey, which polled more than 500 employers and more than 1,000 employees, found while more than a quarter (28 per […]
Three years ago this month, the world was grappling with the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Even then, with very little information available, people were beginning to turn their attention to the anticipated long-term ramifications of the public health crisis. With everyone experiencing this once-in-a-century moment simultaneously, no one had a response for how […]