Blake Wolfe

As the mental-health concerns of employees in remote working arrangements continue to evolve, Thomson Reuters Corp. is taking a flexible approach to supporting these workers. “Overall, there’s less of a [mental-health] crisis now [than there was at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic], when people felt they needed to always be on [their computers] and […]

  • February 9, 2024 February 8, 2024
  • 08:54

The impacts of climate change and federal super-priority legislation on Canadian pension plans are among the issues that the Canadian Institute of Actuaries is monitoring in 2024, says Simon Nelson, a principal at Eckler Ltd. and chair of the CIA’s pension practice committee. While climate change is a consideration across all of the CIA’s practice […]

  • January 25, 2024 January 24, 2024
  • 09:00

While there’s more work to be done before lifetime pension pools are widely implemented in North America, employers are increasingly aware of concepts such as variable payment life annuities, says Barbara Sanders, an associate professor at Simon Fraser University. “It seems that it’s being discussed fairly often. When in industry meetings, it’s certainly a very […]

  • January 10, 2024 January 8, 2024
  • 09:00

Nearly all (92 per cent) Canadian employers say they plan to award a year-end bonus to their teams, according to a new survey by Robert Half Canada Inc. The survey, which polled more than 900 employers, found nearly half (45 per cent) said they’re awarding a larger bonus than last year, while two-fifths (39 per […]

  • December 15, 2023 December 13, 2023
  • 09:00

With more than 40,000 employees across the country, Amazon Canada is a microcosm of the wider national workforce. Comprising five generations, the online retailer’s workers represent a wide spectrum of savings goals and related challenges. And to support these goals, it has developed a diverse array of options to meet staff at every stage of […]

  • December 15, 2023 December 14, 2023
  • 08:57

Nearly all Canadian employers that have implemented a four-day workweek report increased employee happiness (96 per cent) and say they’d continue with this schedule indefinitely (93 per cent), according to a new report by York University. The report, which analyzed responses from around 30 Canadian companies across the public and private sectors that have moved […]

  • November 29, 2023 November 28, 2023
  • 09:00

For Canadians and people around the world, the current news stream can be particularly bleak. While a brief ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hamas punctuated the conflict in Gaza last week, the war’s wider impact on people’s mental health and psychological safety will likely last far into the future. Meanwhile, Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine […]

  • November 27, 2023 November 24, 2023
  • 09:00

Long before the coronavirus pandemic upended the workplace and impacted absence and disability management, employers have been rethinking these programs by taking a proactive approach. Lululemon Athletica Inc.’s accommodations program supports employee financial well-being and building employer trust by allowing employees to continue working as much as possible, said Jared Fu (pictured right), the apparel […]

  • November 20, 2023 November 30, 2023
  • 07:53

Hydro Ottawa Ltd. is marking Financial Literacy Month by promoting tools and resources for employees grappling with the rising cost of living, says Donna Burnett Vachon, the company’s director of change and organization development. “We see [the impact of the rising cost of living] every day from people who have increasing rental costs to even just […]

  • November 17, 2023 November 16, 2023
  • 09:00

Amazon Canada is supporting deaf employees at its Edmonton fulfilment centre through enhanced accessibility measures and manager training. The online retailer’s site-specific initiatives include classes in American Sign Language, the addition of supplementary ASL videos on its intranet and designated safety vests that communicate deaf employees’ status to other workers. Amazon is also increasing its […]

  • November 16, 2023 November 15, 2023
  • 09:00