Hot Topics in HR

Karla Thorpe Director Leadership and Human Resources Research

The economic doom and gloom dominating the headlines is not yet affecting raises anticipated for Canadian workers.

According to The Conference Board of Canada’s latest compensation survey, employers are not letting the economic uncertainly change their plans for employees’ salaries ...

Karla Thorpe Director Leadership and Human Resources Research

A recent study by the Conference Board found that organizations spend $175 per employee on recognition annual ($123 in the public sector and $208 in the private sector). And more than half of this spending (54 per cent) is on milestone awards including long-service ...

Karla Thorpe Director Compensation and Industrial Relations Research

The past decade has seen organized labour decline as a share of the Canadian workforce. Between 1997 and 2011, union density in Canada fell approximately 1.7 per cent from 30.9 per cent to about 29.2 per cent. The overall decline in ...

Karla Thorpe Director Compensation and Industrial Relations Research

Employed adults spend many of their waking hours in the workplace. There is no doubt that the work environment can impact on our mental health in either positive or negative ways. Workplaces that are not supportive can cause stress and anxiety ...

Lisa Hughes Senior Research Associate Leadership and Human Resources Research

Last December we cautioned in our Industrial Relations Outlook that continued economic uncertainties and strained financial circumstances didn’t provide for a solid foundation for labour negotiations in 2011. Nevertheless, we anticipated a relatively quiet year in labour relations terms, ...

Lisa Hughes Senior Research Associate Leadership and Human Resources Research

Employment in the public service has gone through many incarnations. For Traditionalists, government employment guaranteed a secure, tenured position that cradled the workforce well into retirement. For Boomers, it represented much the same promise, despite the cutbacks incurred through ...

Lisa Hughes Senior Research Associate Leadership and Human Resources Research

There was, by many accounts, a sense of centering and spirit of cooperation during Obama’s second State of the Union address Tuesday night. Democrats and Republicans sat intermingled among one another rather than on opposite sides of the room, ...

Karla Thorpe Director Compensation and Industrial Relations Research

Are you too sick to work or sick of working? If so, you’re not alone. The absenteeism rate – that is, the average number of days that employees don’t show up for work – is at the highest level it’s been ...

Karla Thorpe Director Compensation and Industrial Relations Research

Last year was a challenge for many organizations, as they struggled to gain a tighter control on expenses, including benefits. Yet benefit costs for both active employees and retirees escalated by 10% between 2008 and 2009. If costs cannot be contained, ...