The majority of Canadian employers are aware of workers who can’t conform to their normal schedule because of family responsibilities while working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. According to a survey by the Conference Board of Canada, 86 per cent of employers are aware they have employees in these situations. Three-quarters (76 per cent) of these employers […]
CSA Group’s vice-president of total rewards talks mental health, well-being programs and travelling with her family. Q. What top challenges do you face in your role? A. We’re in 13 countries and we have some global programs — our employee assistance program and business travel accident [insurance] — but then we also have to develop […]
Toronto city councillor and new father Joe Cressy would prefer to spend his entitled weeks of parental leave at home with his infant son. At the moment, his wife is taking time off, but both partners are highly dedicated to their careers and it will be his turn soon enough. However, the city’s policy doesn’t fully […]
Canadians on the hunt for a new job want improved benefits and better control over their schedule, according to a new survey by Indeed. The survey, which polled more than 1,000 full-time employees, found 32 per cent said they plan to change jobs within the next one to two years. A quarter said they’ve been actively recruited by another […]
Financial well-being benefits are on the rise in North America, according to a new survey by WorldatWork. Among the companies surveyed, 70 per cent said they currently offer financial well-being benefits, more than half said they intend to expand these benefits and 35 per cent said they’ve increased spending in this area. “Financial benefits play a critical […]
Since Grace Palombo joined Great-West Lifeco Inc. five years ago, she’s seen a shift at the company. Back then, in her role as executive vice-president and chief human resources officer, she was the only woman in a group of 12 executives who reported to the chief executive officer. Today, the company’s leadership includes eight members […]
Working Canadians are negatively impacted by the demands of caring for an elderly relative, according to a new study from Ryerson University. Michael Halinski, assistant professor of organizational behaviour and human resource management at the university’s Ted Rogers School of Management, found the demands of elder care results in less sleep and time to pursue […]
Federal and provincial policy-makers should pay close attention to effective tax rates when considering changes to the tax-and-transfer system, according to a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute. Geared-to-income fiscal benefits programs provide valuable financial assistance to families with children, noted the report, but these benefits often come with high marginal effective tax and participation […]
An evaluation of a federal benefit to help parents take time off work to care for critically ill children says fewer people have used it than expected because they didn’t know about it or didn’t understand how it worked. Annual applications for the benefit, delivered through the employment insurance system, have been well below the […]
Sweden, Norway and Iceland offer the most family-friendly policies of all 41 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and European Union countries, according to a report from Unicef’s Innocenti Research Centre. The report ranked the countries on the duration of their paid maternity, paternity and parental leave. It also measured the share of children under […]