Eight in 10 (80 per cent) small- and medium-sized employers in Eastern Canada say they don’t provide employee benefits, according to a new survey for Medavie Blue Cross by Abacus Data. The survey, which polled SMEs and SME workers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, found a third (35 per cent) of SMEs that don’t […]
An article on Ontario’s incoming electronic monitoring policy was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Ontario’s electronic monitoring policy ensures employer transparency: lawyer 2. Expert panel: How employers, employees can mitigate workplace microaggressions 3. Majority of plan sponsors, plan members view their health benefits […]
Canada’s gender pension gap is growing as Canadian women received an average of 18 per cent less retirement income than men in 2020, according to a report by Ontario’s pay equity office. It found the gap is more pronounced among women in visible minority groups (37 per cent), among sources of private retirement income (28 per […]
Employers with a workplace culture that promotes employee recognition and connection have more productive and engaged workers, according to a new survey by Workhuman and Gallup Inc. The survey, which polled more than 7,500 full- or part-time working adults in the U.S., found among those who strongly agreed recognition is an important part of their workplace culture […]
Thomson Reuters Corp. is marking Mental Illness Awareness Week and World Mental Health Day with the launch of a new mindfulness practice. The practice, called ‘be purposefully present,’ is the result of employee discussions and research conducted throughout the year, says Mary Alice Vuicic, chief people officer at Thomson Reuters. “We [want to help] employees adopt a new […]
In the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, Shopify Inc.’s chief executive officer Tobi Lutke was among the first technology leaders to declare most of his staff would “permanently work remotely” because “office centricity is over.” His belief in remote work went so far that he even dropped listing Ottawa as the e-commerce giant’s headquarters […]
Microaggressions — everyone has heard them or may have even used them. Defined as everyday verbal and behavioural slights against a person or group that communicate hostile, derogatory or negative feelings, these put-downs, assumptions and comments — regardless of intention — are hurtful, insulting and damaging to a person’s self-esteem. Especially prevalent in the workplace, […]
The union representing employees at a Blackburn Media Inc. radio station in Wingham, Ont. has ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes increased benefits and a flexible work schedule. The agreement includes an increase for vision care, from $100 to $300 every 24 months, and an increase in paramedical coverage to an annual maximum of […]
By requiring employers to have a written policy on the electronic monitoring of their employees, the Ontario government is aiming to increase employer transparency, says Andy Pushalik, partner and head of the employment and labour group at Dentons Canada LLP. “With so many employees now working from home, [the government] felt there was a requirement that […]
A majority of plan sponsors (80 per cent) and plan members (77 per cent) described the quality of their health benefits plans as excellent or good, according to the 2022 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. Employers with 500 or more employees (86 per cent) were more likely than those with fewer than 50 employees (72 per […]