Organon Canada is marking International Women’s Day by giving all employees a paid day off to reflect on the workplace gender disparities that have grown since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Litsa Spiridonakos, director of human resources at the women’s health-care company, says the response to the paid day off — including how it […]
Landing in the emergency room in the middle of the night was a wake-up call for Margaret Eaton. She started a new job as the Canadian Mental Health Association’s national chief executive officer in January 2020. Then, about two months into her new gig, the coronavirus pandemic hit. As the pandemic’s finish line kept moving […]
While flexible working arrangements have reduced operational costs and improved workplace diversity, only 34 per cent of human resources professionals said their company has a formal policy explaining how hybrid work should be organized, according to a new survey by the HR Research Institute. The survey, which polled almost 300 HR professionals, found 48 per […]
The shift to hybrid and remote work models during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is one of several issues impacting pension plan and group benefits administrators in 2022, said Michael Wolpert, a pensions and benefits lawyer at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, during a webinar on Jan. 13 hosted by the Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute. Specifically, […]
While the dawn of 2022 brings hope of the coronavirus pandemic becoming endemic, the year ahead is also filled with many unknowns for both employers and employees to navigate. Many organizations, including the City of Toronto, are planning on bringing white-collar staff back to the office after some spent nearly two years working from home. […]
As 2021 winds down, I have a few predictions of the human resources trends for employers to keep top of mind in 2022. Employers finding ways to improve diversity, equity and inclusion will continue to be a vital area of focus. While some employers have drafted or adopted DEI policies in recent years, it’s important […]
Several Canadian financial institutions are delaying their return-to-office plans as concerns increase about the highly-transmissible Omicron coronavirus variant. Scotiabank is pausing a planned return to the workplace for head office employees, following the latest coronavirus pandemic guidance from the Ontario government. In an emailed statement to Benefits Canada, a spokesperson from the bank said timing […]
With the shift to working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, some leaders are concerned about what employees are actually doing, or not doing, during the workday. Howard Levitt, senior partner at Levitt Sheikh LLP Yes, time theft is a concern when it comes to remote work. A study by Aternity Inc. found overall productivity […]
Employers of all sizes are rethinking their plans to send workers back to the office as the new Omicron variant adds another layer of uncertainty. Google and Ford Motor Co. are among those once again delaying their return-to-office plans, while other businesses whose employees have already returned are considering adding extra precautions like requiring masks. […]
Supporting employees’ mental health while teleworking will take on new importance as employers increasingly adjust their return-to-office plans to include some level of remote or hybrid work, said Simon Coloumbe, associate professor in the department of industrial relations at Université Laval. Speaking at Benefits Canada’s 2021 Mental Health Summit, Coloumbe said employers can do this […]