Canadian companies are projecting a 2.5 per cent increase to salary budgets in 2018, according to a new report from Accompass Inc. However, the level of generosity depends on the size of the company. “Bigger is not better in this situation,” said Anne Peiris, vice-president of compensation at Accompass during a presentation of the survey results at the Toronto Board […]
With left-handed people comprising about 10 per cent of the population, there are likely to be a few of them in each workplace. Yet the majority (97 per cent) of employers don’t ask new recruits about handedness, according to a recent survey by Britain-based online recruiter CV-Library Ltd. The survey of 2,400 employees found 82 per […]
With employers already facing enough cost pressures around their benefits plans, adding additional coverage for paramedical services may be a daunting prospect. But with employees often looking for coverage for a broader range of services, is athletic therapy worth considering? The Canadian Athletic Therapists Association, in fact, helpfully provides employees with a sample letter on […]
What are the top challenges plan sponsors face?
While the Bank of Canada had long talked down the idea of raising interest rates any time soon, the sentiment changed last month when it announced the economy was now strong enough to handle an increase. The move followed the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision to raise its key interest rate for the third time in […]
Ontario is joining Alberta and New Brunswick in making abortion pill Mifegymiso available at no cost to the public. The abortion pill first became available in Canada in January 2017 at a cost of about $300. This spring, the common drug review recommended public drug coverage for Mifegymiso. “We continue to make important progress helping women across […]
An independent review panel has provided the Alberta government with a report that includes 60 recommendations to restructure the province’s Workers’ Compensation Board and its processes. The panel spent nearly two years compiling its review of the board. It examined previous reviews and spoke with employers, injured workers, unions, employee advocates and safety organizations. “It […]
While employees want good benefits, finding ways to effectively convey information about the plan can be a challenge, particularly when today’s workforce is far from homogeneous. Employees are different ages and at disparate stages of life. They may be from various ethnic backgrounds and speak different languages. Another distinction is union versus non-union settings where […]
There has been much in the news these days about concussions in sports. But concussions and traumatic brain injuries can occur on or off the sports field and can have an impact on the workplace. “For traumatic brain injury or concussion, there isn’t any common pattern,” says Sil Cabral, director of group life and disability […]
Many people would love to volunteer, but when it comes to actually doing it, time is a major concern. How can people give their time when they spend so much of it at work? Cisco Systems Inc. has given its employees a chance to use some of that time to volunteer. In 2015, the information […]