A survey demonstrating the strong appetite by Canadian employees for an employer-sponsored retirement plan took the top spot over the past week on BenefitsCanada.com. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. 84% of employees consider retirement plan a critical benefit: survey 2. Bell Let’s Talk Day: Employers supporting staff amid pandemic stresses 3. Survey finds 29% […]
While 86 per cent of U.S. employers said mental health, stress and burnout are top priorities, only 25 per cent have already articulated and adopted a well-being strategy, according to a new survey by WTW. The survey, which polled 322 employers, found while 42 per cent redesigned their employee assistance program in 2021, 39 per […]
The median Canadian defined benefit pension plan generated returns of 3.8 per cent in the final quarter of 2021, according to a new report by Northern Trust Corp. The strong performance was driven by a rebound in equity markets during a quarter marred by escalating energy prices and uncertainty about central bank policies. Over the year, […]
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board are part of a consortium acquiring an Australian infrastructure investment fund. The consortium, which also includes KKR, paid A$5.2 billion ($4.6 billion) to acquire all outstanding equities in Spark Infrastructure. The deal has been approved by Australian regulatory authorities. Spark’s assets provide electricity […]
Slightly more than a third (38%) of working Canadians said having the option of full flexibility — regarding days, hours and location — for everyone would be the best working model for their team, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest mental-health index. Meanwhile, 17 per cent said they prefer all employees are together at the worksite and […]
Scotiabank is implementing a new global standard for parental leave across its global footprint by 2025. The enhanced offering will include eight fully paid weeks for all parents welcoming a new child, such as adoptive parents, and eight additional fully paid weeks for parents who’ve given birth. The enhancements to the parental leave policy, which […]
Global consultancy Willis Towers Watson is rebranding as WTW. “Since 2016 we have been known as Willis Towers Watson, the combination of Willis and Towers Watson,” said Carl Hess (pictured), WTW chief executive officer, while leading the Nasdaq’s market opening bell ringing ceremony on Jan. 25. “Now we move forward as WTW, both a celebration […]
Employers in the U.S. are budgeting salary increases of 3.4 per cent in 2022, according to a new survey by WTW, formerly known as Willis Towers Watson. The survey, which polled more than 1,000 U.S. employers, found 32 per cent of respondents raised their salary increase projections in recent months. Employers boosted their projected average […]
Canadian workers’ financial well-being score is declining amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest financial well-being index. The survey, which polled 3,000 working Canadians, found their financial well-being score declined in the fall of 2021 to negative 2.3 from negative 1.6 in the summer and 2.2 in the spring of 2021. As some […]
The percentage of institutional investor assets that are actively managed has dipped by eight per cent since 2019, according to a new study by institutional investment consulting firm Callan. The study, based on data collected from 160 U.S. institutional investors with US$598 billion in assets under management, found 62 per cent of assets held by […]