Climate risk disclosure and gender diversity on corporate boards are key issues attracting majority support from institutional investors, according to a new survey by proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. Its latest global benchmark policy survey generated 400 respondents from institutional investors, corporate executive and others in Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia. It found 61 […]
At the risk of cementing my reputation as an unapologetic literary nerd (I opened my last editorial with a George Bernard Shaw quote), I’ve always drawn inspiration from Virginia Woolf’s seminal work, A Room of One’s Own. If you haven’t read the essay, it’s basically an argument for creating both a literal and figurative space […]
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 […]
Employers should consider adjusting their job posting requirements and becoming more creative to attract diverse candidates to their companies. Speaking at the Toronto Global Forum on Wednesday, Neil Parmenter, president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Bankers Association, recalled a conversation with an executive recruiter friend who often had difficulty finding a candidates for a board appointments. Organizations […]
Benefits Canada is proud to announce the finalists of the 2019 Workplace Benefits Awards. This year’s entries set records in many categories, with a total of nearly 100 nominations. The winners will be announced at a luncheon event on Oct. 17 at the Arcadian Loft in Toronto. Buy your tickets to this not-to-miss event today. This year’s finalists […]
Fund managers’ race appears to play a role in whether they’re selected by asset allocators, such as pension funds, according to a new report. The report, by Illumen Capital and a centre from Stanford University’s department of psychology, found racially diverse teams may face bigger barriers to advancement, even after they’ve established themselves as strong […]
When employees at Accenture begin a gender transition, they have access to a comprehensive suite of benefits. In 2011, the global consulting firm became one of the first companies in Canada to cover costs related to transitioning. Zoya Zayler, inclusion and diversity lead for Canada, says the organization worked with its benefits provider to design a fulsome and customizable […]
Lululemon Athletica Inc.’s benefits program manager discusses engaging young employees with retirement savings, yoga benefits and riding his motorcycle to Whistler. Q. What top challenges do you face in your role? A. I look after our retirement savings program, so the challenge we have is based on our demographics. All of our retail employees are fairly […]
Canadian people of colour, specifically employees who identify as black, East Asian and South Asian, are experiencing high levels of “emotional tax,” according to a study by Catalyst Canada Inc. The study, which involved 700 Canadians of colour, found this tax is putting the overall health of these employees at risk and causing them to consider […]
Institutional investors are focusing on board diversity and an increased clarity of communication with their portfolio companies, according to a new report by EY. The report, which examined investor activities during the 2019 proxy-voting season, found institutional investor pressure on companies to increase the gender diversity of their boards is beginning to take effect. As well, […]