Benefits Corner: March 2025

What a cold snap we experienced last month – and what a wonderful break it is to have warmer weather come rolling through this month (although, admittedly, it is a tad snowy again today)!

We might have had to brave a whole bunch of cold before things finally thawed out, but the benefits industry continues to be as consistently bustling and red-hot as ever (how’s that for a segue?? ??). And with that, I’m happy to welcome you to the latest edition of the Benefits Corner – my monthly-recurring article series that shines a spotlight on all the benefits-related news and info you need to find success in the days and weeks ahead.

There’s no shortage of things to chat about this month –?so let’s jump right on in!

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The Way We Work in 2025

ADP has released its annual People at Work survey, and it’s as comprehensive and chock-full of data as mindful leaders have come to expect. The report itself is divided into five main research notes –?Skills Development, Engagement, Stress, Multiple Jobs, and Discrimination –?all of which are extremely interesting and informative.

The data points I wanted to focus on today, though, involve how and where people are working in Canada and across North America in general. As someone who’s long spoken to the ROI that can be derived from integrating flexibility into working scenarios (allowing individuals the ability to manage their work-life balance accordingly means presenteeism and absenteeism drop while team member retention and engagement go up, after all), I was intrigued to learn the results of the ADP report in this space –?and they didn’t disappoint.

Interestingly, our country’s own trajectory when it comes to workplace flexibility has begun to depart from the larger trends being witnessed across North America the past year. Continent-wide, 2024 saw 60% of the workforce align with a policy of return-to-office – an 8% increase from the year before. However, here in Canada, the percentage of onsite workers dropped to closer to half (53%), with 47% of respondents aligned with hybrid or remote work scenarios.

New data from the International Workplace Group suggests Canada’s seeing very real results from this more-flexible tack too, with 79% of Canadian employees claiming that their overall wellbeing has significantly improved due to the flexibility offered by hybrid work. “Hybrid working offers a balanced approach between office and home, work and life,” said?Terri Pozniak, executive vice-president and Canada country manager at IWG, in a press release. “By embracing a flexible working model, the lives of employees are significantly improved. For employers, they have a more productive workforce and are able to attract and retain the top talent, which ultimately drives an organizations competitiveness in the market.”

Explore ADP’s People at Work 2025 report in-depth here and take a look at the data from the International Workplace Group here.

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Changes are Coming to Alberta’s Workplace Violence and Harassment Policies

As mindful leaders may already know, Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Code is being revised for 2025, with amendments taking effect next month on March 31. Benefits Canada recently shared some information detailing what employers and employees can expect from these changes, leaning on the informed expertise of Cristina Wendel –?an Edmonton-based employment lawyer at Dentons Canada LLP –?to help light the way forward.

The first major change to the legislation comes in the form of a streamlining of the number of separate violence and harassment prevention plans an employer is accountable for. Whereas businesses were once required to establish and maintain four separate plans, under the new legislation they’ll only need to have one overarching plan in place. “Having four separate documents also raised concerns because a lot of employers,” Wendel explained to Benefits Canada, “particularly ones that have operations across the country, like to have an all-in-one [violence and harassment policy] and it made it difficult for them to know if they were compliant [with the Alberta legislation].”

The other big change to the legislation is an adjustment to the review requirements of the new single violence and harassment prevention policy. Whereas a plan used to require review every three years or after the occurrence an incident, the new policy requires plans to simply be reviewed every three years or when an incident indicates a review is required.

Learn more from Benefits Canada’s coverage of the changes here.

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Declining Workplace Fulfillment Could Cause Retention Difficulties in 2025

Team member retention is influenced by all number of factors –?not least of all including just how fulfilled an individual finds themselves in their role. To this end, recent data released by Ricoh USA on workplace fulfillment throughout the past year might be something mindful leaders find extremely interesting, especially as we push forward into 2025 and, for many businesses, head toward a new fiscal year kicking off in the coming weeks.

The report, which surveyed more than 2000 Canadian and American workers, found that more than half (51%) of employees claimed to be feeling less fulfilled than they did five years ago, with hybrid workers tending to feel more fulfilled than fully-remote or fully-onsite workers. Critical to this conversation is the additional detail that most employees (84%) also reported that workplace fulfillment is a key influencing factor in whether they stay with a company or move on to something new.

This information coincides with a different series of data released by Aon saying that nearly six out of ten Canadian employees (57%) are planning to change their jobs this year – and that more than fifth (22%) feel undervalued in their roles.

"With employees across North America craving a sense of overall fulfillment, in their professional and personal lives, companies must address this growing gap in what employees view as fulfilling and what is being provided beyond traditional measures in the workplace," detailed Donna Venable, Chief Human Resources and Shared Services Officer for Ricoh North America. "Companies can work to bridge this gap by creating an ongoing feedback loop with employees, developing engaging mentorship programs and removing hierarchy barriers through servant leadership."?

Explore Ricoh’s 2024 North American Workplace Fulfillment Gap Index report here and learn more about the Aon survey data here.

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Thank you once again for stopping by the Benefits Corner today – even while the sun is shining and the snow and ice are melting outside!

Looking to help make sure your team members feel fulfilled and engaged in their roles? Start by offering them a benefits plan that gives them (and your business!) what they need to find success –?contact us at Excel Benefit Consulting to learn more today!

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By Caroline Kugelmass. As our President, Caroline is our fearless leader. She’d do anything to make a client smile and extends the same care to her staff every day.