The Nova Scotia government has tabled a bill that would significantly increase the amount of unpaid time off for employees who develop a serious illness or are severely hurt on the job. Labour Minister Jill Balser told reporters if the bill becomes law, workers will get up to 27 unpaid weeks off without fear they’ll […]
While innovative benefits such as so-called ‘grandternity’ leave can support employee retention efforts, they’re best implemented through a diversity, equity and inclusion approach that includes similar programs for a wide range of employees, says Sandra Ventin, an associate vice-president at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. “I think [‘grandternity’] has some cachet and it obviously leads […]
U.S. employers are increasing their family and caregiving benefits in 2023, according to a new survey by the Society for Human Resource Management. The survey, which polled more than 4,000 employers, found a quarter (25 per cent) said they cover infertility treatments and in vitro fertilization, while five per cent cover egg freezing for non-medical […]
Two-fifths (40 per cent) of U.S. organizations currently offer fertility benefits, up from 30 per cent in 2020, according to a survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. The survey, which examined benchmarking data from more than 500 U.S. employers, also found 28 per cent of respondents said they cover fertility medications, up from […]
The City of Toronto is lifting its coronavirus vaccination mandate for employees, effective Dec. 1. According to a press release, the mandate, which was introduced in September 2021, is ending due to more than 99 per cent of City employees and more than 90 per cent of the public having at least two doses of […]
When it comes to paid time-off policies for religious holidays outside of Christmas and Easter, can provincial governments do more to ensure all employees receive two paid days off to observe their chosen faith? While Andrew Zabrovsky, an employment lawyer with Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP, says the government could make changes to the […]
An Alberta court has ruled that a Calgary grocery store worker placed on indefinite unpaid leave — for failure to comply with a mandatory mask policy — has resigned as opposed to being constructively dismissed and isn’t entitled to reasonable notice or compensation in lieu thereof. “This decision may signal that adjudicators will have little […]
Thomson Reuters Corp. is introducing new benefits for its global employees, including an expanded ‘work from anywhere’ policy and a new sabbatical program. To build on its existing Flex My Way program, which offers employees the opportunity to work from anywhere in their country of residence for up to eight weeks, the technology company expanded the […]
Alberta’s government is proposing an amendment to provincial labour legislation that would extend bereavement leave to parents who’ve experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth. The proposed amendments would expand access to any employee who would’ve been a parent, including biological parents, adoptive parents and surrogates, according to a press release. While employees won’t be required to […]
Rio Tinto Group is making parental leave more accessible for employees by removing the distinction between primary and secondary caregivers. The policy change — which takes effect in Canada in June and will be implemented worldwide by the end of 2023 — provides all new parents with 18 weeks of 100 per cent paid parental […]