Holiday Giving: Benefits for All
By Michele MactaggartAs our children eagerly count down the days until Santa’s arrival, thousands of charities across the country await donations and volunteering that will allow them to continue making a difference in their communities. According to Imagine Canada, over 40 percent of all annual donations happen the last eight weeks of the year. This year, the […]
Mending Fractures in a Deteriorating Healthcare System
By Letter MA chain is only as strong as its weakest link – but what if an entire country’s population depends on that chain – and what if every link in that chain is getting weaker every day? We know the Canadian healthcare system is collapsing. With the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, overwhelming staffing shortages, and […]
Financial Education: Small Benefit with Big Impacts
By Michele MactaggartDo you notice your shoulders tensing, your palms sweating, or your heart racing when thinking about your finances? Is there anything that occupies your mind so much of the time, you’d label it constant? Over 65% of Canadians report being stressed about money constantly. It’s not just you; that financial stress could be costing your business […]
Rethinking Big Bonuses: Get Creative with Your Incentives
By Michele MactaggartIn a super broad, umbrella definition, a bonus refers to cash payments given in lump sums. The term itself is rather exciting – it’s extra, additional… more! And in the language of making money, more is always good. As we’ve been reading, a signing bonus is becoming increasingly popular as employers pull out all the […]
Hybrid Work Environments: Company Benefit or a Way of the Future?
By Michele MactaggartWhat used to be a luxury quickly became the only viable option for sustainable operation when things came to a halt back in 2020. If you were in an industry that didn’t require you to be physically present, well, you weren’t – and over the last two and a half years, companies have begun to […]
Preparing for Fallout: Disability, Critical Illness, and Life Insurance
By Michele MactaggartEven if you’re not an avid air traveler (thanks, COVID), you likely know what they say when it comes to how to act in an emergency: always put your own mask on first. You’re better off putting your own mask on first so you’re best able to focus on helping others who may need your […]
Value Over Cost – How to Positively Approach Benefit Renewals
By Michele MactaggartWhen it comes to employee group benefits, the whole administrative process can be daunting – what makes it worse? When you go to renew, and the cost has spiked. What’s that all about? Group benefit costs in Canada are forecasted to rise 7 per cent in 2022. A combination of higher costs for prescription drugs, […]
Going Against the Grain – Staffing up during COVID
By Michele MactaggartFew small businesses moved through the pandemic without experiencing monumental change. For one company, the “pandemic pivot” didn’t mean retreating but instead providing full-time jobs with benefits. Two years ago (almost to the day), when panic and uncertainty prevailed, businesses of all sizes across the country were forced to make some difficult decisions. Finances were […]
Keeping Talent Through Corporate Social Responsibility
By Michele MactaggartNo one likes losing things, whether it be your keys, your wallet, or your lucky pencil. The same goes for amazing employees. That familiar “where did I put them?” becomes “where did we go wrong?”. Losing talent is inevitable in running an organization – if you’re lucky, it won’t be often (no one likes a […]
Three employee benefits trends to watch this year
By Michele MactaggartOnce again, a new year arrived with us all still living in a global pandemic. Cue the “rinse and repeat” jokes and “welcome to 2020 (part 3)” memes. As I help my kids grapple with online learning (again), the year so far does indeed feel like more of the same. However, how employees access their […]
