As employers continue to ramp up their focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, Benefits Canada is returning with its sophomore DEI issue. In my editorial at the front of last year’s June issue, I highlighted the overdue and rising attention on DEI in the workplace, but also pointed out the importance of going beyond ideas […]
There’s never a drought of challenges for employers and 2023 is proving no different. Today, they’re facing inflation, labour shortages, competition for hiring, high turnover and employee burnout, to name just a few. That’s why it’s no surprise the ball is firmly in employees’ courts. Alongside the interminable rise in the cost of living and […]
Speaking during the keynote session at Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Defined Contribution Plan Summit, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, New York Times’ bestselling author and former Google data scientist, told the story of a horse called American Pharoah, who became the first in 37 years to win the Triple Crown. Prior to the big wins, the horse wasn’t anything […]
With group retirement plans aimed at helping members avoid risks and achieve their savings goals, defined contribution plan sponsors are uniquely positioned to step up and take a more active role in managing risk, said Christine van Staden, regional vice-president of group customer and national accounts business development at Canada Life, during Benefits Canada‘s 2023 […]
The traditional aim for the defined contribution pension industry has been helping plan members save for retirement, but as the nature of employment, plan design, investment choice and member engagement evolves, that objective is changing to financial wellness. “The world has changed significantly since the defined contribution business emerged,” said Marc-Antoine Morin, assistant vice-president of […]
While a third of Canadians are very or extremely confident they’ll be able to retire at the age they want to, around 40 per cent are somewhat confident and a fifth say they don’t think they’ll be able to retire at all, according to MFS Investment Management’s 2022 global retirement survey. “Those stats for the […]
Even though it sounds obvious, maximizing retirement income and making it last for life isn’t what drives most retirees when it comes to making decisions — which is contributing to the challenges around decumulation, said Fred Vettese, an author and pension expert, during Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Defined Contribution Plan Summit. “The hurdles we have to […]
With multiple generations in Canada’s diverse labour force, each generation has distinct needs and expectations, with millennials, in particular, creating increasing challenges for plan sponsors. The age group is comfortable talking about finances, but they aren’t saving for retirement, said Maria-José Perea, vice-president of product innovation in group retirement savings at Desjardins Insurance, during Benefits […]
Any new benefit introduced at Amazon has to align to its 16 leadership principles, which the organization lives and breathes every day. These include: learn and be curious, think big, inventing and simplifying, customer obsession and bias for action. “When we roll out a benefit, it has to fit into our leadership principles,” said Adam […]
TMX Group Ltd. is among 23 Canadian employers that have signed on to a new parental leave pledge created by Women in Capital Markets. The pledge provides a roadmap for organizations to follow to ensure their parental leave policies and practices are inclusive and equitable to all those who use them, including non-birth parents and […]