Fengate Asset Management’s win in the Future of Work category at Benefits Canada‘s 2025 Workplace Benefits Awards is reinforcing its approach to workplace flexibility and hybrid work, says Alexandra McGuire, senior manager of total rewards operations. “Fengate’s hybrid work model is built on trust, accountability and flexibility. Since initially introducing hybrid work, we’ve intentionally moved […]
Corporate volunteering initiatives are playing a larger role as employers continue looking for ways to strengthen employee engagement, workplace culture and social purpose efforts, says Patrick Barron, vice-president of corporate citizenship and sustainability at Telus Communications Inc. The company’s long-running volunteer initiative, which marks its 21st year in 2026, encourages employees, along with friends and […]
Air Canada’s win in Benefits Canada‘s 2025 Workplace Benefits Awards is helping the airline reinforce its diversity, equity and inclusion strategy across the organization, says Christianna Scott, the employer’s director of DEI. “Obviously, it’s a very prestigious award. It was something that was well appreciated not just within our DEI team, but it was also […]
For many South Asian women, workplace pressures are deeply connected to responsibilities outside the office, requiring employers to look beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to employee benefits plans and workplace policies, says Herleen Arora, co-founder and managing director at the South Asian Women’s Collective. According to a recent report by the SAWC, cultural expectations often position […]
Working caregivers are placing growing importance on employer support, with 81 per cent saying it’s important for organizations to adopt caregiver-friendly policies, according to new research published by the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, a program of the Azrieli Foundation, during National Caregiving Month. The report found 36 per cent of working caregivers said their […]
Health Canada has approved two generic versions of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist medication Ozempic, a move that could ease cost pressures for employer-sponsored benefits plans. The introduction of generics is a key lever for controlling drug costs in both private and public plans, says Philippe Laplante, a principal at Eckler Ltd. “As a rule of […]
The Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ 2026–2029 strategic plan is focusing on regulatory harmonization, pension supervision and stakeholder engagement. The strategic plan comes as pension plan sponsors and members continue to navigate economic and geopolitical uncertainty, including inflation, higher interest rates and market volatility, alongside ongoing concerns around retirement readiness. Read:2026 DC Plan Summit: […]
PepsiCo Canada may be known for quenching thirst and satisfying snack cravings, but the organization’s leadership recently identified another kind of demand: clearer, more personalized financial guidance for employees. The organization already had a comprehensive suite of financial benefits, including savings programs and educational resources, and employees were using them. “We already had strong engagement […]
As millennials become a dominant demographic in Canadian workplaces, employers are rethinking how they communicate their savings plans. Indeed, that shift is reshaping how EllisDon approaches communications and engagement with its savings program, says Marie-Lynn Bromilow, the construction services company’s vice-president of total rewards, noting millennials make up a significant portion of its plan membership. […]
Language barriers are undermining employees’ access to workplace benefits, reducing enrolment and engagement and increasing the risk of errors and misunderstandings, says Parbudyal Singh, professor of human resource management at York University. “In many cases, employees will default to not enrolling or underutilizing benefits because they’re unsure how they work or whether they apply to […]