While employers recognize employee benefits are an important part of attracting and retaining talent, seven in 10 (70 per cent) say it’s impossible to offer all of the benefits that employees are currently demanding, according to a new survey by the Harris Poll on behalf of Express Services Inc. The survey, which polled more than […]
If absenteeism is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to employees’ mental health and well-being, presenteeism is the bulky underwater mass, said William Lindsay, senior disability management advisor at Desjardins Insurance, during Benefits Canada’s 2023 Mental Health Summit. While absenteeism — defined as an employee being repeatedly absent for more than half a day — is […]
British Columbia is introducing new protections for ride-hailing and food delivery app workers including a minimum wage, compensation for expenses and other standards. A minimum hourly wage of $20.10, which is $3.35 more than the current general minimum wage, would apply for a gig worker’s ‘engaged time,’ beginning when they accept an assignment to the […]
More than two-thirds (70 per cent) of U.S. small- and medium-sized employers that offer parental leave are providing the same leave option to all employees, according to a new survey by Hub International Ltd. The survey, which polled more than 500 employers, found 26 per cent provide paid parental leave, up from 23 per cent […]
The union representing 3,700 frontline grocery workers at 27 Metro Inc. stores across the Greater Toronto Area has ratified a collective agreement that includes pension and benefits gains. The agreement was reached following a month-long strike by workers at the 27 stores. It includes an enhanced future service pension credit for full-time workers, increasing by $2 to […]
Yukon is the first jurisdiction in Canada to provide government-funded paid sick leave with a program targeting workers who are most likely to suffer from taking unpaid time off. Retroactive to April 1, 2023, employees without paid sick leave through their employer and who are making less than or equal to $33.94 per hour, will […]
Microsoft Corp. is providing its full-time U.S. employees with unlimited time off, effective this week. The policy, which will only apply to salaried U.S. workers, will be available to these employees as soon as they join the company, according to a report by technology news website the Verge. Employees who have an unused vacation balance will […]
While employment is more than three per cent higher than it was at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, working hours are up by only 1.75 per cent due to increased levels of absenteeism, according to a new report by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Relative to pre-pandemic years, wage costs increased by an […]
Ontario education workers are striking over extended benefits, short-term disability leave and wage increases, among other requests by the workers’ union the Canadian Union of Public Employees. The CUPE is asking the provincial government to provide additional funds to cover the increasing costs of medications and health and dental services, according to the CUPE’s Ontario […]
A gig worker by any other name would be a lot more expensive. In most jurisdictions, Uber Technology Inc. drivers and their app-based brethren are classified as independent contractors and not employees. As contractors in Canada, they’re not entitled to minimum wage, employer Canada Pension Plan and employment insurance contributions or to participate in tax-advantaged […]