The workplace programs, tools and supports that employees value have changed over the last four years, leading many employers to pause certain office perks, such as table football or fancy coffee bars, to focus on offerings that can make a difference in employees’ everyday lives. “While no one can say employees won’t enjoy a foosball […]
TMX Group Ltd. was the winner at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Workplace Benefits Awards for its diligent approach to mapping out a future workplace that leaves the one-size-fits-all office in the past. The financial services company was this year’s winner in the Future of Work Strategy category for its hybrid-first way of working experiment, which was designed to […]
Admiral Insurance’s award-winning benefits program is demonstrating how employers can use versatility to strike a fine balance between finding innovative solutions and maintaining plan sustainability. The organization was the winner in the Drug/Benefits Plan Innovation category of the 2024 Workplace Benefits Awards. “We’re honoured to win this award and be nominated in three categories,” says Allison Jost […]
Longevity risk is still among the top concerns keeping defined benefit pension plan sponsors up at night. While a 62-year-old person that retired in 2002 had a life expectancy of 21.4 years, that has now increased to 26.2 years, said Darwin Bozek, president and chief executive officer of the Ontario Pension Board, during a panel discussion at […]
It’s important for employers to ‘walk the talk’ and ensure their employee well-being efforts are effecting real results and not just an exercise in ‘carewashing,’ said Paula Allen, global leader and vice-president of research and client insights at Telus Health, in an emailed statement to Benefits Canada. Carewashing occurs when companies lag in their efforts to turn their […]
More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of Canadian hiring managers are reporting an increase in employee productivity compared to last year, according to a new survey by Robert Half Canada. The survey, which polled 1,800 hiring managers and more than 1,750 employees, found among hiring managers, the factors that contributed the most to increased productivity were […]
Stronger regulations at the provincial level surrounding Ontario employers’ publicly advertised job postings can prevent companies from ‘ghosting’ applicants and provide candidates with more transparency in the recruiting process, says Patricia Hewlin, professor of social organizational psychology at Columbia University’s Teachers College. This year, Ontario is amending the Working for Workers Act to require employers to […]
Employers that are considering dropping dental coverage from their benefits plan following the launch of the national dental care program are advised to think twice, says Graham Young, director of employee benefits at Capcorp Financial Corp. The national plan — administered by Health Canada, with support from a third-party benefits administrator — provides dental coverage for uninsured Canadians with […]
CAA Club Group’s award-winning health and wellness strategy is showing employees, as well as potential candidates, that the organization is focused on supporting the holistic well-being needs of its workforce. Last year, the organization’s extensive employee well-being program led it to win Benefits Canada’s 2023 Workplace Benefits Awards in the Health/wellness program category for employers […]
While remote and hybrid working arrangements have revolutionized the modern workplace, they’re also fuelling unrealistic expectations for office communications, leading to what some have coined the ‘Great Exhaustion.’ In the pre-coronavirus pandemic office environment, employees understood that it would take a couple of days for colleagues to respond to an email or phone request, says Janet […]