The coronavirus pandemic has altered the landscape of Canadian workplaces. Now, more than ever, communication and compassion are imperative for employees to feel secure and supported by their employers. Before the pandemic arrived in Canada, Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. accelerated its emphasis on mental wellness in January 2020 by tripling its mental-health coverage (from an […]
Retirement income can be sliced into three broad categories: what an individual receives from their employer, what they receive from the government and everything else. While plan sponsors are naturally most concerned with what they provide for plan members, including all forms of income in the conversation is integral to properly planning for retirement, says […]
ABC Technologies Inc.’s director of total rewards talks wellness, new retirement savings plans and gardening. Q. What top challenges do you face in your role? A. The top challenge is a combination of many factors linked to the unprecedented times we’re experiencing. Like many organizations, the pandemic hit us hard. We’ve had to reduce our […]
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, technology was blurring the lines between work and home life. An unhealthy attachment to our mobile phones made it easy to get lured back into our work worlds when we were supposed to be on vacation, socializing with family and friends or just enjoying some downtime. During the pandemic, millions […]
Nearly half (45 per cent) of working Canadians said they’d prefer to work remotely at least three days a week, while more than a quarter said they’d prefer to work flex hours, according to a new survey by ADP Canada Co. and research firm Maru/Blue. The survey, which polled more than 1,500 working Canadians, also […]
How long is your attention span? Be honest and think back to the last time you received an email about your employee benefits and didn’t tune out just a little bit. Now think about your intended audience and where their heads are at these days. The reality is, most people now have an attention span […]
With almost 100,000 employees in 30 countries, Scotiabank’s approach to global benefits provision is more about aligning philosophy or guiding principles than it is around aligning specific tactics of the benefits plan. “No surprise, every country, every region has its own set of legislation, social norms, priorities, different health-care infrastructure and different maturity in terms […]
While the vast majority of Canadians say the coronavirus pandemic is impacting their mental health, just 60 per cent are receiving the treatment or social support they need. “We’ve asked them, what are the barriers? Why aren’t they accessing the resources?” said Sophie Ouellet, vice-president of business development at Sun Life Canada, during a session on […]
Voluntary benefits are the ‘choose your own adventure’ of the insurance world. For readers who remember and enjoyed those novels, they felt empowered by their inclusion in how the story played out. The same principle applies when selecting personal benefits. Voluntary benefits allow an individual employee to secure additional coverage or preferred pricing outside of any […]
Company culture is a common term, but what does it actually mean? Though it’s one of those non-tangible concepts that can be difficult to put into words, company culture is generally recognized as an integral part of how employees view and value their employer and their workplaces — and that’s never been more true than […]