The Ontario government is introducing legislation that will require employers with 25 or more employees to draft a right-to-disconnect policy. On Monday, Monte McNaughton, the province’s minister of labour, training and skills development, announced the move as part of the Working for Workers Act 2021, as the Ontario government gears up for an election next […]
American Express Co. is eyeing January for the tentative launch of its hybrid working model. In an internal memo, Stephen J. Squeri, chairman and chief executive officer of American Express, said the model will go into effect only in locations where the company makes a full return to the office, likely starting with Germany, the […]
3M Canada’s long-term focus on helping employees “refresh, re-energize and feel well” secured the company a win at Benefits Canada’s 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 14. The manufacturing company won in the Health/wellness program category for an employer with more than 1,000 employees for its ever-evolving comprehensive wellness program, called Empowering Healthy Living, that focuses on […]
A Toronto-based software developer is offering additional workplace flexibility to employees, leading to increased productivity and growth. Marco Osso, vice-president of employee success at Tulip.io Inc., says the company launched a shortened work week in August, allowing employees to work four or 4.5 days depending on their personal schedules. Read: Employers prioritizing mental health, permanent hybrid […]
Shopify Inc. was awarded for its digital-first employee health and wellness strategy at Benefits Canada‘s 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 14. The technology company won the award in the Coronavirus and Benefits category for an employer with more than 5,000 employees. Although the organization already had a few remote workers, it swiftly transitioned all of its employees […]
Employers in the U.S. expect health benefits costs to rise 4.7 per cent on average in 2022 compared to 2021, according to a new survey from Mercer. The survey, based on more than 1,500 employer responses, found fewer employers than usual (38 per cent) are using cost-savings measures — such as raising deductibles or co-pays […]
Amazon.com Inc. is allowing many technology and corporate employees to continue working remotely indefinitely, as long as they can commute to the office when necessary. The new policy was announced in a blog post earlier this week. It’s a marked change from Amazon’s previous expectation that most employees would need to be in the office at […]
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 […]
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 […]