Many human resources teams that are planning 2021 salary adjustments and possible changes to total rewards programs need to focus on immediate ways to keep employee morale up as the coronavirus pandemic rages on, while also focusing on the longer term retention and attraction of top talent. The ongoing economic uncertainty wrought by the pandemic means many Canadian […]
More than a third (36 per cent) of Canadian organizations froze salaries in 2020, compared to a pre-coronavirus forecast of just two per cent, according to Morneau Shepell Ltd.’s annual salary projection survey. The trend is likely to hold true for the coming year, with almost half (46 per cent) of employers saying they’re uncertain […]
My last column, in April, talked about how Canadian target-date fund suites behaved differently during the first quarter of this year, where markets were reacting to the coronavirus crisis. The disparity of year-to-date returns continued in the following months. For some capital accumulation plan sponsors, the behaviour of their plans’ TDFs over recent volatile market […]
Since the mid-1970s, gold prices have increased in periods when investors were concerned about future inflation. Currently, gold prices are near highs comparable to January 1980, when concerns about stagflation were prevalent, and to August 2011, during widespread concerns about the impacts of quantitative easing. A new paper by Claude Erb, a retired managing director […]
New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party will support last week’s throne speech on the condition that more Canadians be granted access to paid sick leave as part of draft legislation covering the federal response to the coronavirus epidemic. The proposed legislation, Bill C-2, would see Canadians receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit transition […]
WestJet Airlines Ltd. is warning furloughed workers their pay will be cut by up to 53 per cent starting Sunday due to changes in the extended federal wage subsidy, prompting flight crews to call on Ottawa for action. The maximum weekly payment for more than 3,200 employees on furlough — a mandatory leave of absence […]
Images of parents trying to shush their kids during work Zoom meetings are now as commonplace as, well, Zoom meetings. With many people six months into working from home due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, employers can often literally see employees with kids trying to juggle it all. A new survey by Willis Towers Watson found the three-quarters (74 per […]
While the coronavirus pandemic is increasing employee burnout globally, the impact differs across countries, according to a new work trends index by Microsoft Corp. The survey, which polled more than 6,000 information and frontline workers in eight countries, including Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, India, Singapore, the U.K. and the U.S., found more than 30 per […]
Canadians who’ve experienced mental-health challenges, or have taken time off for disabilities, are more likely to view a mental-health illness as a disability, according to a new survey by RBC Insurance. Half (51 per cent) of Canadians said they see mental-health issues, such as depression or anxiety, as a disability. That number rose to 59 per cent among those familiar […]
With employers and employees still suffering through the limbo of the coronavirus pandemic, Wednesday’s throne speech clarified how the federal government plans to continue to support Canadians. In her speech, Governor General Julie Payette said the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy will be extended into 2021. She also said the government intends to shift away from emergency benefits […]