As the days grow warmer and Canada’s gradual seasonal shift steers toward spring, employers across the country are finally implementing their longstanding and much-delayed plans for returning to in-person offices or worksites — despite the fact that the coronavirus pandemic is deep into a sixth wave. It’s important to recognize that the workplaces we’re returning […]
As employers increasingly customize their human resources, benefits and pension communications campaigns, how are these methods connecting with employees? Long gone are the days of chunky tomes of group benefits and pension information. Once the norm, those pages and pages of minutiae have gradually been replaced by more personalized and targeted communications. “Direct communication is […]
Earlier this year, I received an email from a Canadian National Railway Co. employee who had recently learned their defined benefit pension plan was winding up and they’d be moved into a defined contribution plan. According to the plan member — who will remain anonymous — CN closed the DB plan to new hires more […]
In 2021, Foresters Financial redesigned its retirement and benefits plans to be more flexible, relevant and competitive, modernizing the plans with the recognition that employees have varying financial priorities. “Overall, we have a very diverse employee base,” says Ken Adams, the financial services company’s vice-president of total rewards. “Someone who is a few years out […]
With two of Ontario’s government parties promising to develop portable benefits plans, it’s important to remember that plan sponsors need the freedom to design and price their benefits packages, as well as stability in terms of government processes, says one expert. “Plan sponsors are already delivering programs to a large proportion of the workforce and […]
This month marks the two-year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring the coronavirus a global pandemic. In some ways, we’ve come a long way since then, but in others, we’re hovering close to where it all started. One thing is for sure: the pandemic continues to create a through line in Benefits Canada’s content […]
While global employers are introducing inclusive benefits and programs to support employees across all life stages, many U.K.-based companies are shifting their focus to one life stage that has typically been taboo. Cereal manufacturer Kellogg Co. is training managers on how to talk about menopause. Multi-national telecommunications firm Vodafone Group is introducing a toolkit focused […]
It’s a Catch-22, this rise in the focus on mental health. Nearly two years after the coronavirus became a household name, employers are still ramping up their mental-health supports, a testament to the sustained attention to making people’s mental wellness a focal point — in the workplace, at home and in society at large. But […]
Nearly two years into the coronavirus pandemic, leading Canadian employers are demonstrating their unwavering commitment to supporting their employees’ mental health. In fact, Benefits Canada’s 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards’ mental-health category was so packed with standout entries that it was split into two categories based on company size. The four finalists and two winners have […]
Sobeys Inc.’s mental-health program manager discusses simplifying support, the echo pandemic and the joys of new parenthood. Q: What top challenges do you face in your role? A: My role was created during the pandemic, so it’s probably no surprise that [mental health] tops the list. Sobeys’ workforce is made up primarily of essential workers […]