PEO Canada Blog

EFAP (Employee and Family Assistance Program) or EAP (Employee Assistance Program) are generally provided in conjunction with your employee benefits package.  They are confidential services that you or your family members are able to connect with at any time to discuss a wide variety of personal, family, or work related issues that you may be struggling with. There are many different topics that these programs can assist with; a few include: Work/Life Balance and other workplace challenges Weight Management and Nutrition Addiction Issues Financial Guidance Relationship Issues and Parenting   Most EFAP providers no longer require you to place a phone call to start receiving support.  Many have...

With the Cannabis Act coming into force on October 17th, 2018, many insurers are in the process of determining how to best fit medical marijuana into current plan offerings.  To be eligible for reimbursement under a group benefits plan, a drug must have a Drug Identification Number (DIN). Currently, marijuana is not an approved drug in Canada and does not have a DIN, so this poses a challenge to insurers. While it isn’t currently considered an eligible expense under the extended healthcare plan, it is an acceptable expense for a healthcare spending account (HSA), as the guidelines for HSA expenses are provided by the Canada Revenue Agency. Your...

In 2016, the Alberta Government made a commitment to increase the minimum wage to $15.00. Workers will see an increase in their hourly pay from $13.60 to $15.00 starting October 1st, 2018. This is the third and final pledged hike implemented by Premier Notley’s government to increase minimum wage to $15.00. The new wage increase being in effect will also remove any lower minimum wage brackets for liquor servers and adolescents.  Minimum Wage Rates for 2017-2018 Most employees (general minimum wage) - from $13.60/hour to $15.00/hour Salespersons (including land agents and certain professionals) - from $542.00/week to $598.00/week Domestic employees (living in their employer's home) - from $2,582.00/month...

Baby boomers are approaching retirement age, but concerns are high among many employees about being financially ready to retire. This is causing some to decide that they want or even need to keep working. Many organizations are using this as an opportunity to re-think traditional retirements  by transitioning older workers from the “structured work” environment to a more “flexible and relaxed” work environment. Many employees are not ready to retire completely but would rather ease into retirement. This can help organizations who might be facing skill shortages and extends the time frame to transfer the valuable knowledge and plan for succession. Employees can also win in this scenario...

Bill 3 will bring more transparency on the hiring processes for women looking for jobs in the Province of Ontario.  Women will have more information regarding compensation and how it compares to their male counterparts, giving women more negotiating power during the hiring process. The bill is set to become law on January 1st, 2019.  At which point Ontario will: Require all publicly advertised job postings to include a salary rate or range Bar employers from asking a job candidate about their past compensation Prohibit reprisals against employees who discuss or disclose compensation Establish a framework to require larger employers to track and report compensation gaps based on...