Hundreds of Google employees are petitioning the company to extend its abortion benefits to contract workers. Google parent company Alphabet Inc. had pledged to pay travel and other health-care costs for employees seeking an out-of-state abortion and to help some workers relocate after the U.S. Supreme Court repealed the constitutional right to an abortion. The […]
The union representing roughly 3,000 Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. employees across Canada has ratified a two-year collective agreement that includes pension enhancements and increased benefits. Read: Arconic, Unifor agreement protects workers’ DB pension plan The agreement will allow members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference to join CP Rail’s pension improvement accounts and includes a 3.5 per […]
An article on HSBC Bank Canada’s new benefits offerings was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. HSBC adding coverage for fertility treatments, surrogacy, gender affirmation 2. Employee placed on unpaid leave over mask refusal not entitled to reasonable notice: Alberta court 3. LifeWorks acquiring […]
While nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of small- and medium-sized employers say cost is the biggest hurdle to offering employee benefits, a majority of SME workers say low-cost benefits or perks are most important, according to a new survey by software company PeopleKeep. It found 93 per cent of respondents said paid time off is […]
U.S. employers are anticipating health benefits costs will rise by an average of 5.6 per cent per employee in 2023, according to early results from a survey by Mercer. The survey, which polled more than 850 U.S. employers, found if respondents made no changes to their benefits plans, the cost for the largest plans would rise […]
LifeWorks Inc. is acquiring Benestar, an employee assistance program from Australia-based Cover-More Group. In addition to the acquisition, LifeWorks will provide certain EAP services for global clients of Zurich Insurance Group, Cover-More’s parent company, on a non-exclusive basis, according to a press release. Read: Telus acquiring LifeWorks for $2.9 billion “Benestar and LifeWorks are a […]
HSBC Bank Canada is enhancing its benefits plan by adding new coverage for fertility treatments, surrogacy and gender affirmation. The bank is introducing a surrogacy medical benefit up to a maximum of $30,000 per lifetime for eligible surrogacy medical expenses incurred by a surrogate and fertility treatments up to a maximum of $20,000 per lifetime for […]
Nearly a third (30 per cent) of insurers are making changes to ensure there’s diversity among the medical providers within their networks, according to a new report by Mercer. The report found more than a quarter (27 per cent) of insurers said they’ve changed their eligibility access processes to make coverage more inclusive for LGBTQ2S+ […]
An article on Canadian employers increasing salaries and offering remote work to attract talent was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Canadian employers increasing salaries, offering remote work to attract talent: survey 2. Expert panel: How national dental care could impact group benefits […]
In the midst of historically high inflation and ahead of a possible recession, it’s important for employers to offer benefits like financial counselling and flexible spending accounts to support employees’ financial and mental well-being. Mercer Canada predicts a 40 per cent chance of heading into a recession, according to feedback from investment managers and relevant data. […]