The growing adoption of prohibitions against demanding sick notes to substantiate short-term absences, related to the health of employees or their immediate families, is among the emerging trends that are challenging employers in 2026. In November, British Columbia joined Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador in imposing […]
The Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan is continuing to embrace a hybrid working arrangement for employees following positive feedback gathered through internal surveys. In the years since the organization introduced a hybrid arrangement in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, employee satisfaction and happiness has continually increased, says Anna MacDonald, the ASEBP’s director of human […]
An article on an Ontario Superior Court decision on the use of enforceable termination clauses in employment contracts was the most-read human resources story on BenefitsCanada.com this year. Here are the top 10 HR stories of 2025: 1. Ontario court rules employer’s termination clause enforceable due to clear language, entitlements 2. Quebec employment legislation introducing […]
Canada’s sick pay rate is the best in North America at an average of US$697.21 per week, according to a recent report by Moorepay Ltd. The report, which researched the statutory sick pay legislation in 113 countries, found the Bahamas was the second highest in North America, with $500.19, followed by Panama at $493.39 and […]
Since the only treatment for type one diabetes is insulin, there’s only one option for treating the condition, according to Andrew Muirhead (pictured right), territory manager at Insulet Corporation, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2025 Healthy Outcomes Conference. Around 400,000 Canadians require insulin multiple times a day with type one diabetes cases growing about 4.4 per […]
Despite growing awareness of reproductive health, two-thirds (67 per cent) of global employees who have experienced fertility challenges say their workplaces don’t offer support for employees undergoing fertility treatment, according to a new survey by Fertility Matters. The survey — which polled more than 3,600 employees in Australia, France, Japan, Poland and the U.K. — […]
Employers can mitigate the impact of seasonal influenza on the workplace by taking a proactive approach through flexible work policies and supporting preventative measures such as vaccination, says Peter Smith, president and senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. “For most workplaces, the impacts will be increased time off work from employees to […]
More than two-fifths (44 per cent) of Canadian employees in a hybrid working arrangement say they’re taking fewer sick days, according to a new survey by International Workplace Group. The survey, which polled more than 1,000 Canadian employees working in a hybrid arrangement, found 71 per cent said they experienced fewer stress-related health issues and […]
The Saskatchewan government has passed several amendments to the provincial Employment Act that will impact employers’ leave policies. The amendments include the creation of a new 16-week unpaid interpersonal violence leave in addition to the existing 10-day leave, of which five are paid and five are unpaid. Employers will also no longer be able to […]
U.S. meatpacking workers are getting their first new defined benefit pension plan in nearly 40 years under a contract agreement between Brazil-based JBS, one of the world’s largest meat companies, and an American labour union. The United Food and Commercial Workers union said 26,000 meatpacking workers at 14 JBS facilities would be eligible for the […]