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 […]
Early in Lana Burnstad’s career, she worked at a railway company that was merging several regional railways and their various benefits plans. Part of that process included working with multiple unions, which were traditionally male-dominated environments at the time. “That was a rough process — swearing and fist-pounding . . . . It was pretty […]
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 […]
Alberta Blue Cross is sharing exercise videos and tips on social media to help its employees and all Albertans make fitness a part of their work-from-home lives. Before the pandemic, the benefits provider encouraged its employees to take 15-minute wellness breaks led by Terry Skidnuk, a workplace wellness specialist. With the majority of people now working from home, it’s making […]
In considering changes to its retirement savings programs, Rogers Communications Inc. is generally focused on three main internal and external factors: regulatory changes, employee feedback and demographics. “As we see the millennial and gen Z workforce grow quite a bit, we’re really trying to understand what that’s going to do to our plans in terms […]
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Scotiabank kicked the expansion of its existing childcare offering for employees into high gear. “Given the bank has announced that anyone who’s working remotely will continue to do so until the end of 2020 minimum, we wanted to make sure we had some extra options available for employees since working remotely […]
Some employees are seeing less value in their benefits and are less confident in their employers’ ability to provide them, according to a new survey by the Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. The survey polled U.S. workers in March 2020 and again in June. In March, 80 per cent of survey respondents said they value […]
Best Buy Canada Ltd. has had a well-used on-site gym at its Burnaby, B.C. head office for a decade. But when employees started working from home during the pandemic, the company decided to bring the gym to their laptops with a virtual fitness program. “We realized that staying fit and staying active was something we […]
Formed a year ago through a merger and a spin off, Corteva Agriscience Canada is using change as an opportunity to redefine what it means to be a modern workplace. In 2015, Dow Inc. and DuPont agreed to merge and then subsequently spin off into three independent companies. Corteva Agriscience, the agriculture division of DowDuPont […]
With financial worries swirling through the minds of many employees as the economic impacts of the pandemic rage, some segments of employee populations may be feeling worse about their finances than others and it’s important for employers to be able to discern who’s struggling the most, according to a new report from U.S.-based think tank Financial […]