Non-traditional workers are becoming more standard in the Canadian workplace, according to a new study by Randstad Canada. The recruitment firm found contractual, remote, consultant or freelance workers currently make up 20 to 30 per cent of the workforce, and expects this number will increase in the next decade. Read: The intricacies of providing benefits in […]
Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. has created a $55,000 fund to support postdoctoral scholars’ childcare responsibilities. Fellows are eligible to receive $2,000 per dependent child under age 12 per year to offset the cost of childcare. If the fund receives more claims than it can fund, each claim will be reimbursed on a prorated basis. There […]
The British Columbia Court of Appeal has overturned a ruling that gave a copper mine employee an 18-month severance package upon retirement. At trial last year, the B.C. Supreme Court had awarded Albert Aubrey, an employee at mining company Teck Highland Valley Copper Partnership in Logan Lake, B.C., $176,250 in damages for a breach of an employment contract. […]
Umbra Applied Technologies Group Inc. has introduced a new paid leave program for its employees. The defense company, headquartered in Tampa, Fla., will provide employees with up to 10 days’ paid bereavement leave to grieve an extended family member and up to four weeks of paid leave to care for a sick relative. It has […]
When employees are young and often working remotely, and when the wellness budget is non-existent, human resources managers have to be creative to ensure employees get a healthy balance at work. The vehicle history company Carproof, for example, began its wellness program in 2012 with a weight-loss contest, said Heather Coy-Robinson, the company’s human resources […]
Chartered professional accountant Chris Coben wanted to work internationally so he could experience how a different country approaches the type of work he does. At the same time, he was looking for an opportunity to travel. That’s why Coben, an audit manager at Collins Barrow Calgary LLP, headed to Britain on an international secondment program […]
Forget crystal balls, tarot cards and tea leaves. Fortune-telling has no place at a futurist’s desk. “We’re not in the business of predicting the future,” says Laura Schlehuber, a futurist and a manager at consulting firm Kalypso LP in Houston. “But we do like to question our assumptions and prepare for alternatives.” While organizations consult […]
Among the changes announced in Wednesday’s budget that affect employers is a plan to revamp the rules around unpaid internships and introduce a right to request flexible work. In its budget, the federal government announced it would give federally regulated workers the right to request flexible work arrangements, such as working from home or adjusting their workday, from their […]
Employee engagement in Canada was “stable to improving” in 2016, says Todd Mathers, a partner in the talent, rewards and performance business at Aon Hewitt Canada. New research from the consultancy found engagement levels increased one percentage point, from 69 per cent in 2015 to 70 per cent last year. Globally, the survey showed a […]
A spokesman for a Saskatchewan agency that provides insurance and compensation for workers and employers says businesses should have policies in place before Canada legalizes marijuana. Ed Secondiak with ECS Safety Services spoke Tuesday at a meeting of the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board. He says businesses should develop ways to test workers for marijuana; penalties […]