While most employees agree working mothers bring value to the workplace and make strong leaders, women still find having children negatively affects their career, according to a survey by U.S.-based Bright Horizons Family Solutions. Almost three-quarters (72 per cent) of working parents surveyed agreed women are penalized in their careers for starting families, which can mean being overlooked […]
As 2018 draws to a close, professionals in the pension, investment, benefits and human resources industries have a number of dates to add to their calendars for the year ahead. Jan. 1: The Canada Pension Plan and Quebec Pension Plan enhancements take effect. In the first stage, employees and employers will see their CPP contribution rates climb from the current […]
Starting in 2019, Etsy Inc. employees will be allowed to trade in up to 14 weeks of parental leave for a cash payment to help with childcare or other family-friendly support as they return to the workplace. The e-commerce company is also introducing access to back-up childcare services, extending paid family leave to all global staff and is providing the option […]
More employers are adding unique perks to their traditional benefits packages to meet the changing demands of their workforces, according to a new study by human resources association WorldatWork and management consulting firm Korn Ferry. The study, which surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. employers, found more organizations are offering unique benefits such as employee discounts, eldercare resource and referral services, telemedicine […]
The British American Tobacco Group is rolling out a range of new parental benefits for its 55,000 global employees. The aim of the new benefits, which will be effective Jan. 1, 2019, is to help new parents balance their home and work lives during the first year of parenthood. It includes a minimum of 16 weeks’ fully […]
Rural and suburban postal workers across the country celebrated Thursday after an arbitrator ordered Canada Post to pay them more — much more — as part of a long-awaited pay equity decision. For a majority of the Crown agency’s mostly-female rural and suburban carriers, known as RSMCs, the ruling translates into a 25-per-cent pay hike, plus some increased […]
The federal government has published its findings from nearly a year of consultations on federal labour standards with Canadian citizens, unions, labour organizations, employers, employer organizations and other stakeholders. “We heard one strong message throughout the consultations: the way Canadians work has changed, but federal labour standards have not,” said Patty Hajdu, minister of Employment, Workforce […]
Some 71 per cent of global employers have a defined wellness program for their employees, according to a new report by the Top Employers Institute. The survey, which queried 1,300 employers audited and certified by the institute, found North America is leading the way in wellness programs, with 80 per cent of employers offering them, up 34 percentage points […]
A Quebec-based not-for-profit organization is suggesting a series of public policy proposals to encourage fathers in the province to take more parental leave and prompt employers to focus more on work-life balance. The Regroupement pour la valorisation de la paternité has identified five specific challenges faced by fathers. In the case of parental leave, it noted that fathers in […]
Expanded leave of absence entitlements in British Columbia, including parental and compassionate leave, took effect at the end of May. The changes to the province’s Employment Standards Act allow mothers to start their maternity leave as early as 13 weeks before their expected due date, which is up from the previous 11 weeks. The province also […]