While remote and hybrid working arrangements have revolutionized the modern workplace, they’re also fuelling unrealistic expectations for office communications, leading to what some have coined the ‘Great Exhaustion.’ In the pre-coronavirus pandemic office environment, employees understood that it would take a couple of days for colleagues to respond to an email or phone request, says Janet […]
Four years after the coronavirus pandemic fuelled increased usage of employee well-being interventions, some employers are questioning whether these support tools are actually beneficial to workers. A recent study by Oxford University’s Wellbeing Research Center found little evidence that these interventions actually provide any benefits to workers. Indeed, the study found there was a “small […]
Nearly a quarter (21 per cent) of Canadian employees say they don’t perceive their workplace as supportive, according to Telus Health’s latest mental-health index. The survey, which polled 3,000 Canadians, found the average mental-health score among those who don’t view their workplace as supportive was 19 points lower than those who said the opposite. Indeed, 45 […]
Employers can support sandwich generation caregivers by providing extensive well-being benefits, flexibility and leadership training, says Michael Mousseau, national well-being practice leader at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Sandwich generation caregivers are people, typically middle-aged individuals, who find themselves tasked with taking care of their children while also looking after their parents or older family members. […]
Employers can use the time surrounding ‘Blue Monday’ to ensure they’re communicating properly with employees and highlighting mental-health supports, says Gianna Ricciardi, vice-president and practice leader at Vita Assure Inc. Blue Monday — typically the third Monday in January — is considered to be the saddest day of the year because the combination of dreary weather […]
Ahead of Giving Tuesday, nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of U.S. employers say they’ve seen an increase in employee volunteer activities this year, according to a new survey by the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals. However, despite this increase, the survey also found corporate social responsibility professionals have struggled to get participation levels back to a pre-pandemic […]
Even as signs emerge that the labour market is starting to shift in employers’ favour, employee attraction, retention and engagement remain top priorities. During Benefits Canada’s inaugural Future of Work Summit in October, a panel of employers, insurers and academics weighed in on the results of Benefits Canada’s 2023 Future of Work Survey. Almost two-thirds […]
In order to support in-person collaboration while maintaining flexibility, Hootsuite Inc. is encouraging employees to reconnect with their co-workers through its new Perch Days program. “We started our distributed workforce strategy during [the coronavirus pandemic],” says Tara Ataya, the company’s chief people and diversity officer. “With this strategy, we have taken a test-and-iterate approach to […]
UCS Forest Group’s chief human resources and administrative officer discusses the complexities of the post-pandemic workplace, training managers to adapt to the new working environment and ensuring her dogs live their best lives. Q: What top challenges do you face in your role? A: In this post-pandemic world, employees are dealing with a lot of […]
Fidelity Canada’s flexible return-to-office rollout landed the company a win in the Future of work strategy category at Benefits Canada’s 2023 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 20. In September 2022, the organization launched its future-of-work program, which classifies each employee’s role as either hybrid, remote or in person. Indeed, 87 per cent of roles at Fidelity are […]