While Portugal is the latest country to jump on the four-day workweek bandwagon, with 39 private sector businesses participating in a five-month program ending this month, a similar program conducted in the U.K. last year has yielded some interesting results. Of the 61 companies that participated in the U.K. pilot from June to December 2022, […]
It has been called “the change.” Menopause. That time, occurring roughly between the ages of 45 and 55, when a female’s reproductive life ends and any number of incapacitating symptoms appear. These symptoms — from hot flashes to memory issues to muscle and joint pain — can impact physical health, mental health and, inevitably, performance […]
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Town of Newmarket is prioritizing the well-being of its staff and its community by creating a new role — chief positivity officer. “First and foremost, it was about the collective health of the organization,” says Jamie Boyle, the Town’s supervisor of customer service, who was given the […]
From rowing to rugby, skiing to athletics, coaching has long been an intrinsic part of sports. In the workplace, however, coaching is a newer development. “Twenty years ago or so, I met with [human resources] managers to introduce having a coach accessible on the worksite to offer individuals a confidential sounding board to air their […]
The weekend is short enough, but if a new survey by Robert Half International is any indication, it’s getting shorter. The survey found Sunday evenings are eating into Canadians’ remaining weekend time, as 38 per cent of workers reported having the “Sunday Scaries,” the anxiety felt the night before the start of the workweek. The cause of this […]
The Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities has published an updated version of its guideline No. 8 for defined contribution plans, focusing on three main areas: the payout phase, plan sponsor/administrator responsibilities and advice. Introduced in March 2014, Guideline No. 8 aims to spell out the rights and responsibilities of DC plan administrators, providers and members. It […]
As the traditional workforce evolves and the era of the 25-year career with a single company comes to an end, the contract employee is likely here to stay. While it’s a worldwide phenomenon, gig workers now comprise a good portion of Canada’s working population. Some 2.2 million Canadians were categorized as temporary employees in September […]
Women made up nearly half (47.7 per cent) of Canada’s workforce in 2016, according to figures from Statistics Canada, marking a noteworthy rise on 1976’s 37.3 per cent. While that’s good news for the labour force in general, women continue to come up short in some sectors, including financial services. Camilla Sutton, president and chief […]
It’s not supposed to be fun — that’s why they call it work. It’s a common adage, but it’s one that may be past its due date as more companies are focusing on employee experience and even hiring for positions that emphasize the issue. “In the vast majority of organizations, you’re still looking at a […]
Employer-sponsored drug plan spending increased 2.5 per cent from 2016 to 2017, according to Express Scripts Canada’s latest drug trend report. “The trend was fairly moderate in terms of the year-over-year increase that we saw,” says John Herbert, director of strategy, product development and clinical services at Express Scripts. “But there’s still cause for concern when we […]