When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Scotiabank kicked the expansion of its existing childcare offering for employees into high gear. “Given the bank has announced that anyone who’s working remotely will continue to do so until the end of 2020 minimum, we wanted to make sure we had some extra options available for employees since working remotely […]
The coronavirus pandemic is fundamentally changing the future of work and, very likely, the nature of employer-sponsored benefits and pension plans. Looking to the end of the crisis, Canadian consultants see an array of major changes on the horizon, from more flexible benefits plans and mental-health care to an outsourcing of pension administration and the […]
The City of Mississauga’s acting senior manager of total rewards talks virtual health care, pension communications and spending time with family. Q. What top challenges do you face in your role? A. I think we can say there are two worlds: pre-coronavirus and post-coronavirus. In the current situation, the top challenge is making sure our […]
The children of Manulife Financial Corp. employees can take a virtual visit to the International Space Station, create their own ice cream in a bag and design a toy boat during a virtual summer camp put on by the insurer. Camp Manulife is running for four weeks in late July and early August, with the […]
Over the past few months, we’ve all had to deal with the challenges of social distancing and self-isolation. Some people have faced the extra pressure of continuing to work without interruption to earn a living, while also providing daily childcare. Others have dealt with the challenges of social isolation and living alone. For those of […]
The coronavirus pandemic has pushed women’s participation in the labour force down to its lowest level in three decades and rebounding won’t be easy, according to a new study by the Royal Bank of Canada. The report showed 1.5 million Canadian women lost their jobs in the first two months of the pandemic and said […]
The pandemic changed our world and our jobs overnight and stretched compassion, empathy and flexibility to the limit. There has never been a better time to reconsider everything about employee benefits. For me as a benefits consultant, the crisis has highlighted how unprepared the typical benefits plan is to truly support the needs of employees in […]
The majority (95 per cent) of global employers said they include emotional and mental-health programs in their corporate well-being platforms, according to a new survey by Business Group on Health and Fidelity Investments Inc. The survey, which was fielded last fall and prior to the coronavirus pandemic, found the most common mental-health and well-being offerings […]
Competitive total rewards programs are a critical component of Canadian organizations’ human resources and corporate strategy, according to a new survey by WorldatWork. The survey, which polled 150 Canadian employers in February, found 96 per cent offer drug, dental, life insurance/accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability and employee assistance programs. Additionally, 93 per cent of […]
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is supporting its U.S. staff during the coronavirus pandemic with a series of programs they can tune into remotely, from fitness classes to story time for kids. The firm scheduled the programming over two weeks, with a plan to update it on a rolling basis. To help employees connect, Goldman is offering […]