Black, Latinx and Asian American-Pacific Islander employees feel less comfortable engaging in mental-health conversations in the workplace than their white colleagues, according to a new survey by the Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The survey, which polled more than 2,300 U.S. workers, found 48 per cent of white employees are […]
Roughly 2,000 Unifor members at eight Ontario casinos have voted to strike if new pension and benefits agreements can’t be negotiated by midnight on July 22. The union is also seeking to increase in the amount of stable jobs by converting part-time or casual positions into full-time jobs, according to a press release. Read: Pensions, retirement security […]
The union representing 60 employees at the Hilton Garden Inn in Ajax, Ont. has ratified a three-year agreement that includes retirement and benefits gains. The agreement establishes a new group retirement program and adds a fifth week of vacation for members upon reaching 20 years of service. It also includes increases in dental and vision coverage […]
Hub International Canada West is entering a strategic agreement with National Bank Insurance Firm Inc. to acquire all of NBIF’s group insurance activities based in Edmonton. “We are excited the group insurance services team of NBIF has joined us and will help strengthen our employee benefits solutions for [plan sponsor] clients in Western Canada,” said […]
A quarter (26 per cent) of U.S. employers are considering expanding the abortion services they cover, according to a new pulse survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. Almost half (46 per cent) of respondents said they aren’t making any changes to coverage levels, while 26 per cent don’t know or are waiting […]
The union representing more than 300 employees at HBC Logistics Ltd. warehouses in Scarborough, Ont. has ratified a three-year agreement that includes benefits gains. The new agreement maintains the employee contribution to the health benefits plan at its 2017 rate. Some 80 per cent of members of Unifor Local 40 voted to accept the new […]
In the first quarter of 2022, new annual premiums for supplemental health insurance products totalled $1.1 billion in the U.S., a six per cent increase from the same period last year, according to LIMRA’s latest workplace benefits sales surveys. Most workplace supplemental health insurance product lines ― accident, critical illness, cancer and hospital indemnity insurance ― […]
An expert panel about the impact of environmental, social and governance-focused target-date funds on capital accumulation plans was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: Expert panel: How ESG-focused TDFs could impact workplace CAPs CPPIB investing in discount grocery chain, OMERS acquiring infrastructure […]
U.S. employer-sponsored health insurance and well-being programs are expected to yield an average return on investment of 47 per cent this year, according to a new report by Avalere Health, commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It found the key drivers of this ROI are improved employee productivity (US$275.6 billion), reductions in direct medical […]
More than two-thirds (70 per cent) of large U.S. employers are planning to beef up their benefits plans in 2023 to enhance their attraction and retention efforts, according to a new survey by Mercer. The survey, which polled more than 700 employers, found a third (32 per cent) of large employers already offer inclusive family-building […]