A majority (83 per cent) of Canadian benefits plan members have at least one concern regarding returning to the workplace, including commuting time (44 per cent), people who don’t follow public health safety measures (42 per cent) and working/interacting with co-workers who aren’t vaccinated against the coronavirus (38 per cent), according to the 2021 Benefits Canada […]
The Council of Parties to the United Nations’ climate convention, known as COP26, which is currently underway in Glasgow has put climate change on the global stage and top of mind for many employers and employees. There are many elements an employer can take into consideration when crafting a benefits strategy — competitiveness in the […]
The decision to favour contributors to Italy’s defined benefit pension plan during its transition to a defined contribution model favours early retirees and disadvantages younger people, according to an article in the Journal of Pension Economics and Finance. In 1995, Italy’s public pension plan, which operates in a similar manner to the Canada Pension Plan, […]
A Toronto-based software developer is offering additional workplace flexibility to employees, leading to increased productivity and growth. Marco Osso, vice-president of employee success at Tulip.io Inc., says the company launched a shortened work week in August, allowing employees to work four or 4.5 days depending on their personal schedules. Read: Employers prioritizing mental health, permanent hybrid […]
With the Delta variant leading the coronavirus pandemic in a renewed surge, employers continue to have a surplus of challenges, regardless of whether or not they’re planning a return to the workplace. I discussed this latter challenge in my Editorial last month, but at the risk of heaping on more doom and gloom, it may […]
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, mental health was viewed as a workplace challenge waiting in the wings, but it’s moving to centre stage for many employers as companies across the globe prepare to mark a second World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10 in the clutches of this public health crisis. “The pandemic has created […]
The coronavirus pandemic is making Canadian employers more cognizant of the need to offer flexible working arrangements, according to a new survey by Randstad Sourceright. The survey, which polled 850 C-suite and human resources leaders across 17 countries, found 84 per cent of Canadian respondents said they’ll consider some sort of permanent work-from-home policy post-pandemic. […]
The majority (68 per cent) of Canadian employees working at their job sites said they feel a greater sense of belonging and acceptance at work than those who work from home or in a hybrid workplace, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest mental-health index. The index found isolation scores among those working exclusively from home are […]
With restrictions gradually lifting across the country this summer, employers started to turn their attention to their return to the workplace plans. Now, the fourth wave is underway and uncertainty continues to hang around us like a heavy, dust-covered curtain. But it’s time to clean up, move forward and set out plans for the big […]
In the old days, many employers served up one option for employees: work 9-to-5 in the office. Then the pandemic hit. For the past 18 months and counting, office workers around the globe have worked everywhere from their beds to their balconies to their backyards and many have logged hours in between helping kids with […]