Highlighting a long-standing commitment to the health of its employees, SSQ Life Insurance Co. was awarded the Sanofi Canada Wellness Pioneer Award at Benefits Canada‘s 2020 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 16. Its health and wellness program, which was established 15 years ago, integrates health prevention and health promotion, a lever it considers essential to […]
Scotiabank secured its second win at Benefits Canada‘s 2020 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 16 for adapting its existing benefits and introducing new resources to support employees in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. In the Coronavirus and Benefits category for an employer with more than 5,000 employees, the bank’s entry outlined how it transitioned 60 […]
While the majority of Canadian employers feel confident about the economy, 49 per cent of employees are seriously considering leaving their role, according to a new report by Hays Specialist Recruitment (Canada) Inc. Among the reasons cited by dissatisfied employees were reduced social interaction due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic (45 per cent), increased workloads […]
The Canadian workforce is still undecided on the longevity of the shift to working from home, but across the border U.S. employers are increasingly making it a permanent fixture in their office policies. According to Statistics Canada’s latest labour force survey, the proportion of Canadians who worked from home during the pandemic decreased very slightly, […]
Despite a decline in mental health and well-being since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Canadians are still hesitant to access support, according to Morneau Shepell Ltd.’s latest monthly mental-health index. About half (53 per cent) of respondents indicated the pandemic has made them less likely to access health care for physical (29 per cent) and mental-health […]
At IBM Canada Ltd, if an employee joins a meeting, but doesn’t turn on their camera, the solution is simple: don’t worry about it. This is one attitude the company has formalized during the coronavirus pandemic to safeguard the mental well-being of its staff, says Katherine Faichnie, the technology company’s director of human resources. From a technology perspective, […]
Images of parents trying to shush their kids during work Zoom meetings are now as commonplace as, well, Zoom meetings. With many people six months into working from home due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, employers can often literally see employees with kids trying to juggle it all. A new survey by Willis Towers Watson found the three-quarters (74 per […]
While the coronavirus pandemic is increasing employee burnout globally, the impact differs across countries, according to a new work trends index by Microsoft Corp. The survey, which polled more than 6,000 information and frontline workers in eight countries, including Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, India, Singapore, the U.K. and the U.S., found more than 30 per […]
Human resources professionals are facing a range of complex challenges since the global pandemic began, according to a new survey by ADP Canada Co. The majority (61 per cent) of HR professionals said their roles have become more difficult since mid-March. In particular, the pandemic has led to unique challenges for HR teams, with top issues including: protecting the health […]
The past few months have upended the traditional workplace, but whether remote working remains the norm is still up for debate. Robby Kwok, senior vice-president of people at Slack Technologies Inc. We’re never going back to the old way. The last few months have demonstrated that it’s possible for teams to thrive in a distributed […]