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How Foresters Financial redesigned its pension, benefits plans to provide employees with more flexibility

In 2021, Foresters Financial redesigned its retirement and benefits plans to be more flexible, relevant and competitive, modernizing the plans with the recognition that employees have varying financial priorities. “Overall, we have a very diverse employee base,” says Ken Adams, the financial services company’s vice-president of total rewards. “Someone who is a few years out […]

  • April 14, 2022 April 14, 2022
  • 08:58

Freedom of design, stability top employer concerns around proposed portable benefits plans

With two of Ontario’s government parties promising to develop portable benefits plans, it’s important to remember that plan sponsors need the freedom to design and price their benefits packages, as well as stability in terms of government processes, says one expert. “Plan sponsors are already delivering programs to a large proportion of the workforce and […]

  • April 5, 2022 April 4, 2022
  • 09:00

Editorial: Benefits, pension plans continue to feel the impact of the pandemic

This month marks the two-year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring the coronavirus a global pandemic. In some ways, we’ve come a long way since then, but in others, we’re hovering close to where it all started. One thing is for sure: the pandemic continues to create a through line in Benefits Canada’s content […]

  • March 18, 2022 March 18, 2022
  • 09:00

A look at the U.K.’s menopause-supportive workplaces

While global employers are introducing inclusive benefits and programs to support employees across all life stages, many U.K.-based companies are shifting their focus to one life stage that has typically been taboo. Cereal manufacturer Kellogg Co. is training managers on how to talk about menopause. Multi-national telecommunications firm Vodafone Group is introducing a toolkit focused […]

  • March 18, 2022 March 23, 2022
  • 08:52

Editorial: Focus on mental health a Catch-22

It’s a Catch-22, this rise in the focus on mental health. Nearly two years after the coronavirus became a household name, employers are still ramping up their mental-health supports, a testament to the sustained attention to making people’s mental wellness a focal point — in the workplace, at home and in society at large. But […]

  • February 11, 2022 February 10, 2022
  • 09:00

A spotlight on six employers’ winning mental-health strategies

Nearly two years into the coronavirus pandemic, leading Canadian employers are demonstrating their unwavering commitment to supporting their employees’ mental health. In fact, Benefits Canada’s 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards’ mental-health category was so packed with standout entries that it was split into two categories based on company size. The four finalists and two winners have […]

  • February 11, 2022 February 10, 2022
  • 08:58

Q&A with Sobeys’ Ross Taylor

Sobeys Inc.’s mental-health program manager discusses simplifying support, the echo pandemic and the joys of new parenthood. Q: What top challenges do you face in your role? A: My role was created during the pandemic, so it’s probably no surprise that [mental health] tops the list. Sobeys’ workforce is made up primarily of essential workers […]

  • February 11, 2022 February 10, 2022
  • 08:51

Editorial: Promising signposts for the year ahead

Once again, the end of year is near. Besides the extraordinary presence of vaccines and the movements in public health restrictions across the country, most Canadians are likely experiencing a significant déjà vu of late 2020. But despite a rather stagnant 2021, this year’s December issue heralds several promising signposts for the year ahead. We […]

  • December 17, 2021 December 16, 2021
  • 09:00

2021 DC Plan Summit: CPP/QPP delay a simple solution to improving retirement readiness

Managing and drawing down retirement savings is an “impossible task” with contributing factors including the trend away from workplace pension plans, historically low interest rates and high life expectancies. In the keynote address at Benefits Canada‘s 2021 DC Plan Summit, Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald (pictured), director of financial security research at Ryerson University’s National Institute on Ageing, […]

  • December 17, 2021 January 24, 2022
  • 08:47

2021 DC Plan Summit: Using DC investments to take on high interest rates, inflation

While it’s easy to get into the weeds of inflation in the current economic environment, the fundamental question for DC plan sponsors and their members is its impact on a traditional 60/40 multi-asset class investment portfolio. “In normal times, that diversification benefit that we know and love in a multi-asset class portfolio, where stocks do […]

  • December 17, 2021 December 14, 2021
  • 08:46