March 28, 2007 – Workplace e-News
Welcome to the March edition of the Workplace News
e-Newsletter!
A phased-in approach to retirement
Federal budget measures encourage greater leeway in plan design
If we needed any confirmation that Canada's economy is still strong, recent federal and Ontario budgets clearly demonstrate that both levels of government have money to spend. While I'll leave the commentary on tax changes and benefits to the financial folk, of particular note to those in the HR field are changes to the Income Tax regulations announced in the federal budget.
These changes affect provisions that prevented employees from accruing pension plan benefits under a defined benefit registered pension plan if they were receiving a pension from the plan of the same or related employer. In other words, once they started receiving benefits, there was no point in employees continuing to work.
The federal budget now proposes to allow employers to offer qualifying employees up to 60 per cent of their accrued defined benefit pension, while accruing additional pension benefits on a current service basis. Qualifying employees will be those who are at least 55 years of age and who are otherwise eligible to receive a pension without the plan imposing an early retirement reduction.
According to commentary released by Hewitt Associates, this change "opens numerous possibilities for new plan design based on workforce needs to encourage older workers to stay at work." And, while the idea of phased retirement is not new — Hewitt notes that both Quebec and Alberta already allow forms of phased retirement — these budget measures will accommodate those phased retirement programs to a greater extent.
In our May/June 2007 issue of Workplace News, we will include a special Focus On Retirement section which will examine not only pension plan design and management, with these new changes in mind, but will also offer advice on both how to manage older workers in your workforce and how to help them ease into retirement.
In terms of the Ontario budget, the proposed increases to the province's minimum wage over the next three years to bring the wage up to $10.25 by 2010 is cause for concern, particularly in industries such as retail and hospitality where labour costs can make or break the business. The Human Resources Association of Ontario (HRPAO) released the following comment, "We are pleased that the government has phased in changes to the minimum wage gradually, instead of raising it instantly as some had suggested. Phasing in the change will give employers time to prepare and do the appropriate business planning. Employers will have to consider how the increase in minimum wage will impact the compensation of their other employees."
The HRPAO issued a brief, which provides greater insight to the history of minimum wage legislation in Ontario and its effect on the economy. The document can be downloaded free of charge a www.hrpao.org/minimumwage.
As always, I encourage you to share this Workplace News e-newsletter with friends and colleagues by reminding them that the newsletter is a free service and signing up is as easy as visiting our website, hitting the "subscribe" button and providing an e-mail address! I'd also encourage you to consider becoming a member of our Reader Panel. Some of you have already responded and we're still looking for a few more before we start contacting panel members. My email address is below and I'm always delighted to receive mail from our readers
Cheers,
Laurie Blake
Editor
Workplace News
www.wpnonline.com
lblake@clbmedia.ca
TOP STORIES
In-house newsletters widely used to communicate benefits info
Survey found majority of organizations use them
Almost three-quarters of surveyed companies use newsletters to inform their employees about benefits and other organization news, according to Newsletters for Employees and Plan Participants, a new survey published by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. The survey offers a detailed look at newsletter provision, preparation, distribution, content and topics.
The survey found that:
• 71% of organizations provide a newsletter. These organizations are almost evenly split between those that provide newsletters to employees only (36%) and those that provide newsletters to employees and retirees (35%).
• The large majority, 72%, of newsletters are prepared by in-house staff. Only 25% of respondents partially outsource and a mere 3% completely outsource newsletter preparation.
• The most popular method for distributing newsletters was mailing them to the homes of employees and retirees (56%). Other popular methods include via e-mail (37%) and posting on an intranet (31%).
The survey also discovered that the top five issues included in employee and plan participant newsletters are:
• Information on employee benefit issues (88%)
• Organization news (72%)
• Health tips or wellness information (62%)
• Messages from specific executives such as the CEO or president (52%)
• Retirement planning information (50%).
Newsletters for Employees and Plan Participants includes 132 U.S. and Canadian samples of newsletters on a separate CD-ROM, allowing readers to enjoy the full-visual impact of these newsletters.
Newsletters for Employees and Plan Participants is 844 pages and is available for $125 (I.F. Members $50), plus shipping and handling. Order a copy online at www.ifebp.org.
Would you like a little humour with your burger?
McDonald's launches an innovative campaign to recruit young employees
A new, integrated marketing campaign launched in March by McDonald's Canada uses humour to demonstrate to young people looking for valuable work experience that McDonald's takes care of its employees. By taking real-life situations and adding a humorous and unexpected twist, the company hopes to show its commitment to its employees' professional and personal growth.
"At McDonald's, we work to go above and beyond to support our employees and offer exceptional opportunities for people, both at work and outside of it," said Len Jillard, Chief People Officer, McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited. "We customize the job for each of our employees and take special care in the things that are important to them like flexible hours, a discount card and scholarship opportunities."
The first of two television spots, titled "The Ex," features Pam, a fictional McDonald's employee on her way home from the gym. While walking, something catches her attention. Visibly concerned, she quickly applies lipstick and primps her hair just before encountering her ex-boyfriend coming around the corner. She passes him with an air of confidence that leaves him dumbfounded. Only then do we see what Pam saw prior to this encounter — on a bus shelter a McDonald's message saying, "Pam Bowers, your ex is around the corner", which alerted her to the situation and allowed her to prepare herself. This personalized message for Pam is an illustration of McDonald's efforts to take care of its employees, beyond the job experience itself.
Additional campaign elements include radio, out-of-home, cinema and online advertising, as well as local restaurant marketing initiatives.
A micro-site www.worksforme.ca launched nationally the week of March 19, provides a mix of entertainment and information on what it's like to work at McDonald's. It features extended employee stories, additional details on working at McDonald's, an online application form, job listings and local restaurant contacts for more than 1,400 restaurants. In addition, a dynamic simulated scrolling ticker updates visitors on employees recently helped by McDonald's. Visitors can also interact with the site by participating in polls linked to employee stories (i.e., should Pam go on a date with her ex-boyfriend?), with the opportunity to return and find out the results of the poll (and the date).
"The McDonald's Works for Me™ campaign was originally launched in Alberta in 2006, and involved several elements such as television, radio, and billboards, as well as a microsite. The campaign received many accolades, including a gold and a silver at the Media Innovation Awards 2006 and a bronze at Strategy Magazine's BIG Awards.
For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.ca.
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Coming in the May/June 2007 issue of Workplace News
- Employer branding: We'll examine the best practices in employer branding and how HR can both be involved in the branding process and make use of the company's brand in its recruiting and other processes
- Retention: Some people equate the hiring process and subsequent employment relationship to courtship and marriage. Read how successful employee-employer matchmaking will help you retain those valuable resources.
- Compensation: Establishing and administering compensation programs are a chore for most HR departments. So, what resources are available to you to make your job easier and more efficient? The May/June issue of Workplace News checks out the scene and offers some solutions for the busy compensation administrator.
- Focus on Retirement: Learn how to help your older workers plan for their retirement while still providing your organization with their valuable skills and experience.
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HR TECHNOLOGY
The latest software and hardware for HR professionals, managers and teams
New service allows employers to place value on jobs — and employees
PayScale makes salary and worker profiles easily accessible
 A well-established Calgary business was concerned about retention of its employees in the tight Alberta job market, which is currently experiencing its lowest unemployment rate in 30 years. In fact, says Chantelle Pinder, HR manager with the Calgary Winter Club, one highly valued employee "just up and left the club for a completely different career because he could make double the money."
The organization quickly realized that it needed to find out what other companies were paying their employees to retain and attract the top performers. That's when they discovered PayScale Professional's real-time salary survey data.
Launched in 2002, Seattle, Washington-based PayScale is a provider of global online compensation information for employers and individuals. With its database of individual employee compensation profiles, PayScale provides a snapshot of the job market. A real-time profiling system indexes custom employee attributes (such as industry-specific certifications) and specific job titles for every industry.
The PayScale Professional service provides employers with a information about compensation ranges in their area and in specific jobs not readily available before. Two other services, My PayScale and PayScale Premium, give individuals the accurate facts and negotiation know-how they need in order to make smart, informed career decisions.
Although originally launched in the States, numerous Canadian organizations from diverse industries such as food services, government, HR consulting, credit union, professional services and consulting, healthcare, software, construction and manufacturing use and also now rely on PayScale Professional.
A number of pricing options are available, including single report fees and one-year unlimited access. A For more information, visit www.payscale.com.
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COMING EVENTS
Looking for a dose of professional development? HR practitioners have a wealth of events, seminars and workshops to choose from in the coming months. Here's a snapshot of what's in store.
April 16-17: Change Management 2007: Performance through Transformation
Organized by The Conference Board of Canada
Location: Toronto, ON
For more information, visit: www.conferenceboard.ca/conf
April 16-18: Health & Safety Canada 2007
The Industrial Accident Prevention Association's (IAPA) annual conference and trade show at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Location: Toronto, ON
For more information, visit: www.iapa.ca/conference_2007
April 18-20: International Association of Labour Inspection (IALI) 2007 Conference
Follows IAPA's Health & Safety Canada 2007
Co-hosted by IALI, the Ontario Ministry of Labour, and the IAPA, in cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Labour Program, Human Resources and Social Development, Government of Canada
Location: Metro Convention Centre, Toronto, ON
For more information, visit: www.iapa.ca/iali
April 24-25: Winning HR Practices of the Best Employers in Canada
Organized by The Canadian Institute
Location: Toronto, ON
For more information, visit: www.canadianinstitute.com/bestemployers
May 6-9: Total Rewards 2007
WorldatWork Conference and exhibition.
Location: Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin, Orlando, FL
For more information, visit: www.worldatwork.org/orlando2007
May 9-11: Building Business Results: The People Equation
The BC Human Resources Management Association's 45th Annual Conference and Showcase.
Location: Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, Vancouver, BC
For more information, visit: www.bchrma.org/conf2007
May 10-11: 2007 Pension Summit
Organized by The Conference Board of Canada
Location: Toronto, ON
For more information, visit: www.conferenceboard.ca/conf
June 13-14: 2nd Annual Advanced Issues In Duty to Accommodate Conference
Organized by Insight Information
Location: St. Andrew's Club and Conference Centre, Toronto, ON
For more information, visit: www.insightinfo.com
July 3-6: The Canadian Payroll Association's 2007 Conference and Trade Show
Over 40 exhibitors and numerous experts leading more than 40 sessions.
Location: St. John's, NL
For more information, visit: www.payroll.ca
Got an event for HR professionals you want us to run in either this e-newsletter or the print edition of Workplace News? Send an e-mail to: lblake@clbmedia.ca and we can include it in upcoming issues.
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It all starts with a ting!