Canadian HR Reporter

November 2019 CAN

Canadian HR Reporter is the national journal of human resource management. It features the latest workplace news, HR best practices, employment law commentary and tools and tips for employers to get the most out of their workforce.

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THE NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT November 2019 www.hrreporter.com PM41261516 'SLIGHT UPTICK' FOR 2020 SALARY FORECASTS More employers budgeting separately for promotional increases BY SARAH DOBSON D espite rumours of a recession and the uncertainty of a minority government in Canada, talk of a tight labour market is pushing concerns about the attraction and re- tention of employees, leading to more innovative approaches around compensation — and a "slight uptick" in raises, say the experts. "What we're seeing is... a reaction [to] a fairly robust and stable economic environment at the moment, and company performance being pretty positive overall, combined with a fairly tight labour market," says Ken Abosch, a partner and compensa- tion practice leader at Aon in Chicago. "at's caus- ing these numbers, I think, to escalate slightly over where they have been historically." Base salary predictions Employers in Aon's survey are projecting increases of three per cent for 2020, compared to an actual increase of 2.8 per cent in 2019 (and a forecast of 2.9 per cent). "at's very good news for employees… and is a slight uptick in these numbers from what we've seen over the last five to 10 years," he says. Employers in Canada are expecting base salaries to rise by an average of 2.7 per cent in 2020, accord- ing to Morneau Shepell's 2020 survey. is is an in- crease from the actual 2.6 per cent average increase in 2019. e forecast includes increases in salary structure, length of service, cost of living and merit pay, and it excludes salary freezes and promotional adjustments. e outlook has been steadily improving, with an uptick since 2017, says Anand Parsan, vice- president of compensation consulting practice at Morneau Shepell in Toronto. "Even though in the backdrop we're seeing a po- tential slowing in the economy, there's still a very tight labour market," he says. "We're in a situation where we're practically at full employment… In the U.S., the unemployment [rate] hit a 50-year low. So, when you have these kinds of conditions, you're Workers reluctant to speak up about mental health Fears of stigma, repercussions holding people back: survey BY JOHN DUJAY WHILE THERE'S been plenty of talk about the costs and chal- lenges of mental health problems, employers have one big challenge: Few Canadians are willing to speak up, according to a new survey. ree-quarters of workers say they would either be reluctant to admit (48 per cent) or would not admit (27 per cent) to a boss or co-worker that they were suffering from a mental illness. Many employers have merely paid lip service to the problem, says Michael Stroh, founder and director of Starts With Me, a workplace mental health consult- ancy in Toronto. "Actions speak louder than words. We have been good about talking about all this stuff, but I don't think people really have a thorough understanding of what it actually would take to change the dial on this whole workplace mental health stuff because it's difficult. It's not easy to change people's behaviour… everybody just wants to say things to make themselves feel better and to make themselves think they're part of this nice movement to create more acceptance. But when confronted with it in their own lives or with a co-worker, that's a whole other story," he says. Stigma a barrier e top reasons why? e public stigma (45 per cent), not wanting to be treated differently (44 per cent) or judged (40 per cent) and fear of negative consequences, such as losing their job (36 per cent), found the RBC survey of 1,501 Canadians. "Canadians fear repercussions if they admit to a mental illness, which may prevent them from getting the help they need," says Maria Winslow, senior director of life and health at RBC Insurance in Mississauga, Ont. This will take years, if not Credit: West Coast Scapes (Shutterstock) GREATER > pg. 8 labour-reporter.com HOW WILL YOU APPROACH YOUR NEXT AGREEMENT ? Whistleblowers in spotlight Trump's complaints showcase perils of process Pg. 2 Notice period of 30 months? Ontario court looks at exceptional circumstances Pg. 7 The tech sector in cities such as Vancouver should see the highest increases in salaries in 2020, according to the latest surveys. SHARING > pg. 6 Pensions over pay Employers take note: 80 per cent of Canadians say they would prefer a workplace pension over an increase in salary Pg. 15 Changes to pay transparency Feds introduce proposed amendments to Employment Equity regulations Pg. 3

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