Vodacom Group, a South African telecommunications firm, is providing all global employees with 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. Employees will be able to take the leave if they or their partner are having a baby, adopting a child or becoming a parent through surrogacy. They can take […]
In 2019, Telus Communications Inc. bumped up its combined lifetime plan maximum per employee for fertility benefits to $15,000 for both treatment procedures and drugs. “More than anything, it’s just recognizing that we want to be a good place for women to work,” says Carol Craig, director of pensions and benefits at Telus. Generally, Canadian […]
Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge employees who were on leave in the months leading up to the coronavirus shutdown appear to have fallen through a crack in the federal government’s wage subsidy program. The Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees has pointed out that the airline’s unilateral use of the […]
Women are in a worse position than men when it comes to pension savings, thanks to several systemic factors. So how can plan sponsors bridge the gender pension gap and help women prepare for retirement? The gender pension gap continues to be a real and pressing issue. Globally, the World Economic Forum estimates that women’s […]
Scotiabank is expanding its maternity and parental leave top-up pay for Canadian employees and providing access to a virtual health-care program. Eligible employees will receive six weeks of parental leave top-up pay at 100 per cent of salary, which supplements employment insurance maternity and parental benefits. As such, birth mothers will receive 12 weeks of […]
Among countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, South Korea has one of the lowest birth rates and one of the highest gender pay and employment gaps. In addition, according to a 2019 OECD report, men in the country are reluctant to take parental leave because of perceived constraints put on them by […]
Employees’ parental leave has “no measurable effect” on their company’s profits, output or survival, nor does it have a negative impact on the well-being of those employees’ colleagues, according to a study by the U.S.-based National Bureau of Economic Research. The paper, which looked at data from small firms in Denmark, compared organizations where female employees were […]
As Mountain Equipment Co-op makes major changes to remain viable, the Vancouver-based retailer is investing in its frontline employees. MEC converted more than 950 jobs classified as casual, non-permanent roles into full- and part-time positions. Those employees will now receive MEC’s benefits package, which includes extended health and dental coverage, a tuition assistance benefit, a […]
Major Canadian insurers are no longer resetting the long-term disability pre-existing condition clause for women whose benefits coverage lapsed during their maternity leave when they return to work. Women covered by these insurers — which include the Co-operators Group Ltd., Desjardins Insurance, Empire Life Insurance Co., iA Financial Group, Manulife Financial Corp., RBC Insurance and Sun Life — […]
Roughly 3,200 Canadian National Railway Co. workers are on strike with outstanding issues including time-off provisions and lifetime caps on certain benefits. The strike, which began at midnight on Nov. 19, has seen conductors, train personnel and yard workers represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference pushing for further bargaining progress on these issues and others, including safety and fatigue. […]