As his name indicates, Gerry Good has gone above and beyond as the chair of the City of Regina Pension Investment Board. Unlike the other officers on the Regina Police Service, Gerry Good actually looked forward to stakeouts. “I did a lot of drug enforcement work in the ’80s, and when we’d be doing surveillance—you’d […]
AstraZeneca’s Bev Haines gets personal with plan member communications. Trying to get defined contribution pension plan members to diversify their assets isn’t easy. Case in point, AstraZeneca. At the end of last year, a large number of employees at the pharmaceutical company in Mississauga, Ont., had 30% or more of their assets in the default […]
Whether opening global markets to pension funds or communicating with indifferent plan members, thousands of individuals go above and beyond to demonstrate leadership and innovation in their contributions to the retirement security of Canadian employees and their families. This year, Benefits Canada honours three such individuals for outstanding achievement in the following categories: Pension […]
The Canadian Cancer Society estimated almost 160,000 new cases of cancer for 2007. And 30% of these cases and 18% of deaths will occur in young and middle-aged adults, our working population. Colleen Savage, president and CEO of the Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada, discusses the effects of this disease on both the employer and […]
At this year’s Solutions in Drug Plan Management Conference, experts, employers and health professionals shared how they’re promoting workplace health programs and helping employees take charge of their health—for everyone’s benefit. Cost containment is an issue for any business, especially when it comes to health and drug spending. As one approach to keeping costs down, […]
It’s not easy to get the right fit for the right job. According to a survey by the staffing firm OfficeTeam, 59% of the 400 Canadian and American human resources(HR)managers surveyed admitted they were wrong about a candidate’s fit for a job. However, the survey indicated that job searchers are also guilty of error. Of […]
Organizations are headed for greener pastures. A survey of 62 plan sponsors and 44 investment managers worldwide indicates that most of them are incorporating environmental, social and governance issues into their investment policies. According to the survey by Principles for Responsible Investment(PRI), a United Nations group of institutional investors, 67% of plan sponsors and 83% […]
It’s not SAD(seasonal affective disorder)that employees will be suffering from this summer, but SAS(seasonal absence syndrome). According to a recent U.S. survey, 39% of full-time employees have “called in sick” to work to enjoy a day off during the summer months. The reasons for the “sick day” included an opportunity to enjoy the weather, to […]
As mental health-related disability claims rise, employers look to new strategies to combat stress, depression and other mental disorders in the workplace. As our 24/7 culture continues at breakneck speed, our minds become backlogged with life stressors, which we carry with us into the workplace. The consequence is a plague of mental health issues affecting […]
Talking about mental illness in the workplace may sometimes be frowned upon, but this attitude needs to change, according to Alfred Apps, former chair of the Foundation Board for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, speaking today to The Economic Club of Toronto. “We can talk easily about our own prostate problems, our wife’s […]