Most employees, given the opportunity, would rather return to work as soon as possible after being off with an illness. And most employers are only too happy to make this happen by offering appropriate programs. However, work absence rates among Canadian employees have been steadily increasing for more than a decade and there is no […]
1 The RDSP has its own abilities and disabilities HR Managers should do their homework on the new Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) before discussing RRSPs and TFSAs with disabled employees. Otherwise they may be providing ill advice. Read more 2 The elephant in the room: managing disability The prognostications of how long this economic […]
HR Managers should do their homework on the new Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) before discussing RRSPs and TFSAs with disabled employees. Otherwise they may be providing ill advice. The RDSP is designed to help with long-term savings since a disabled person has a much lower income potential and significantly higher medical expenses than a […]
Employers today are facing tough business decisions relating to their benefits plans driven by the difficult economic environment. In particular, they may need to consider the potential impact of the economic downturn on the costs related to their disability benefits plans, as well as the value of those plans when financial resources are tight. While […]
When it comes to dealing with short-term disability, employers may have more options available than they think. A company’s goal is to generate revenues that exceed its expenses—a particularly challenging proposition in this economic environment. And what happens if your most valuable employee can’t work? What is the effect on your company’s bottom line? Suppose […]
Canadian income security benefit programs are fragmented and disorganized and have resulted in disparate delivery of benefits to workers with disabilities, according to a study. The Institute for Work & Health’s Disability Income Security Benefits for Working-Age Canadians report describes a patchwork of provincial, federal and private benefits programs which are uncoordinated and sometimes work […]
The design of most long-term disability plans can best be described as “too little too late,” leaving employees in an unfortunate but predictable situation. Group long-term disability (LTD) plans can be non-taxable (employee-paid premiums resulting in non-taxable claim payments) or taxable (employer-paid premiums resulting in taxable claim payments). Canada Revenue Agency’s Interpretation Bulletin IT-428 makes […]
The recent Supreme Court of Canada decision in Keays v. Honda Canada appears to be the continuation of a shift toward a more moderate judicial approach to employment-related issues. While the trial judge’s decision made headlines in 2005 due to the sheer magnitude of the damages awarded, the Supreme Court’s decision has done so by […]
As disability management becomes more complex, plan sponsors should consider a global approach to preventing absence and returning ill or injured employees to the workplace sooner. More than ever, employee disability and absence is having a direct and adverse impact on the well-being and health of organizations. According to the 2007 Watson Wyatt Staying@Work survey, […]
Honda Canada was before the Supreme Court last week in an effort to have an Ontario Court’s landmark ruling of discrimination against a former employee overturned. Kevin Keays was originally awarded 24 months pay and $500,000 in damages after a court ruled that his employment at Honda had been terminated in bad faith. Keays, a […]