New collective agreements for two separate groups of employees include improvements to health benefits and work-life balance. The negotiations between Federated Co-operatives Ltd. and Unifor, which have been bargaining since the last collective agreement expired on Aug. 31, 2020, include improvements to benefits, increased scheduling flexibility and a one per cent wage increase in each […]
While many organizations had to press pause on their hiring plans at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Willful, a Canadian online estate planning company, had to ramp up its hiring efforts during this time. Before the pandemic, all new employees at Willful received a variety of perks, including a $500 annual education budget, summer […]
SAP Canada Inc. is accelerating the expansion of virtual wellness offerings through its benefits package amid the coronavirus pandemic. “The pandemic has essentially pressed fast-forward on a direction that the market was already going,” says Megan Smith, vice-president and head of human resources at the software company. “It forced the issue of remote work, causing employers […]
Hootsuite Inc. is supporting employee mental health by giving workers more time off this summer. The social media marketing and management company held its inaugural wellness week from July 5 to 12, allowing employees to recharge and make time for personal goals and activities. Claire Adams, director of learning and development at Hootsuite, says the […]
As vaccination efforts continue rolling out across the country, ambiguous return-to-work plans are impacting Canadian workers’ mental health, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest mental-health index. While the mental-health score among Canadians for June was negative 10.7, a slight increase from May’s score of negative 11.2, it was the 15th consecutive month where it sat in the […]
Nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of Canadian employees said they prefer a hybrid or remote working arrangement, according to a new survey by Accenture. It found 37 per cent of Canadian respondents said they feel they can be productive and healthy primarily while working remotely, while another 41 per cent said they can be productive […]
Purolator Inc. is adapting its benefits plan to proactively respond to employees’ mental-health needs amid the coronavirus pandemic. The company has expanded both the dollar value and scope of its mental-health benefits offering, including access to cognitive behavioural therapy and social workers, says Anna Manocchio, senior director of total rewards and human resources technology at […]
Just over half (51 per cent) of senior leaders are considering leaving, retiring or downshifting from their current organization or position due to decreased mental well-being amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey from Deloitte Canada and LifeWorks Inc. It found nearly a quarter (23 per cent) said they’re considering resigning, while 16 […]
The coronavirus pandemic has increased health-care costs in the U.S., while shifting how and where employees access care, according to a new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers. It projected that the costs of medical treatment in the U.S. will increase by 6.5 per cent in 2022, slightly lower than this year (seven per cent). “The pandemic’s long […]
While there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel with respect to the coronavirus pandemic and the return to normal life, the stress response from such a rapid and necessary shift in lifestyle has had and will continue to have profound impacts on mental health. Before the pandemic, Canada was already […]