Home Brooke Smith

How employers can support female employees’ financial, retirement wellness

Brianne Collins, age 29, has worked as a senior copywriter at a large Toronto-based advertising agency for just over a year. Collins’ agency supports employee financial wellness in several ways, including a group registered retirement savings plan, financial advice and Financial Literacy Month webinars with sessions covering various financial topics. “In busy day-to-day work, it’s […]

  • September 13, 2024 September 12, 2024
  • 08:57

How employers can support neurodiverse employees

Based on multiple studies, it’s estimated that roughly 15 to 20 per cent of the global population is neurodivergent, an umbrella term that includes autism, dyslexia, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and Tourette’s syndrome. With a significant portion of employees identifying as neurodiverse, organizations that aren’t tapping into this talent pool could struggle to remain competitive, says […]

  • June 21, 2024 August 19, 2024
  • 08:53

What can Canada learn from the U.K.’s four-day workweek pilot?

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, […]

  • November 17, 2023 November 16, 2023
  • 08:52

Back to basics on menopause support

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 […]

  • June 23, 2023 June 21, 2023
  • 08:52

Why you should hire a chief positivity officer

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 […]

  • December 18, 2020 April 23, 2021
  • 08:54

Why you should hire a workplace life coach

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 […]

  • December 20, 2019 December 11, 2020
  • 08:53

How to ensure employees don’t feel anxiety before workweek begins

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 […]

  • August 12, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 09:00

CAPSA updates guidelines on DC plan payout, responsibilities and advice

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 […]

  • March 7, 2019 September 13, 2019
  • 08:30

2018 CAP Suppliers Report: How to help contract workers save for retirement

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 […]

  • December 21, 2018 March 11, 2021
  • 08:55

Women in Canada’s pension, benefits industry discuss careers, pay equity and mentorship

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 […]

  • September 7, 2018 March 11, 2021
  • 08:58