Canadian Payroll Reporter

4 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2017 News in Brief A look at news, facts and figures shaping the world of payroll professionals CRA offering free payroll podcasts › OTTAWA — The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is offering free audio podcasts on payroll-relat- ed issues. The agency began providing the podcasts in late January, with the first one providing an introduction to taxable benefits. The CRA says each podcast episode will cover "detailed aspects and key concepts" that payroll professionals and employers need to know to meet their source deduction, remitting and reporting obligations. The episodes will also include information on other payroll questions the agency is asked. The CRA says the taxable benefit episode was the first in a four-part series on the topic, with future episodes to be released every two weeks. The podcasts are available on the CRA's website, iTunes and Google Play. To provide feedback or suggest topics for future episodes, email the CRA at podcast@ cra-arc.gc.ca. Feds continue to struggle with pay issues › OTTAWA — Close to a year after moving to a new payroll system, the federal government is still struggling with paying its employees. During a briefing on the government's Phoenix pay system in late January, Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada Marie Lemay said the department is having trouble processing pay requests for public-sector workers on time. "Since Phoenix was introduced last winter, we have been unable to consistently process them in a timely manner," she said. "In fact, we are only meeting our service standards (which are 20 days for most transactions) 20 to 30 per cent of the time." Going forward, Lemay said prompt processing would be the department's priority. She added that the department would reassign compensation advisors and implement technical enhancements to help bring down processing times. Lemay also noted that the department still has to clear up a backlog of about 7,000 employees with outstanding pay issues. While the number is down significantly from last summer, the backlog has dragged on past the government's original plan to eliminate it by the end of last October. Lemay said the department is also continuing to deal with overpayments to employees. CBC/Radio Canada reports that as of last December, the federal government had overpaid $68.6 million to thousands of public servants and had only made arrangements for about a third of the money to be repaid. The government will eventually get back all of the money it has overpaid, said Lemay. CPA calling on feds to act on electronic T4s › TORONTO — Employers could save more than $100 million a year if the federal government would make electronic distribution of T4s the standard method of delivering the forms to em- ployees, says the Canadian Payroll Association (CPA). Current rules require employers to give employees two copies of the form by mail or in person. Employers can only send the form electronically if an employee agrees to receive it this way. The CPA says a recent survey it conducted found that 95 per cent of employees prefer or are neutral to receiving T4s electronically. It adds that at an estimated cost savings of $5 per T4, employers could save over $100 million a year by only giving paper T4s to the remaining employees who request them. Not being able to use electronic T4s as standard practice for the nearly 27 million T4s they administer each year causes a paper burden for employers, the CPA says. It adds that this burden happens at a time when 98 per cent of Canadians are paid using technology and 84 per cent file their tax returns online. "In the CPA's numerous consultations with government representatives during the last six years, we have provided fact-based market research to outline the benefits of e-T4s for all stakeholders," said Rachel De Grâce, the CPA's manager of advocacy and legislative content. "We hope that the government supports this initiative in its 2017 Budget as it will significantly reduce red tape for employers," she added. Majority of Canadians feel entitled to workplace health benefits: Survey › TORONTO — More than three-quarters of Ca- nadians say they believe all employees are enti- tled to receive a health benefits plan sponsored by their employer, a recent survey finds. Even though employers are not legally required to provide health insurance plans, the Sun Life Canadian Health Index survey found that 77 per cent of respondents feel that they should. "Workplace health benefits play an essential part in our health-care system because they help Canadians pay for medical expenses that aren't typically covered by their provincial plan," said Brigitte Parent, senior vice-president of group benefits at Sun Life Financial Canada. "Canadians and their families have come to depend on these health benefits as they provide tremendous support towards their physical, mental and financial well-being," she added. According to 2016 data from the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association, approximately 24 million Canadians have supplemental health insurance through either their employer or their spouse or partner's employer. However, when the survey asked working Canadians if their employer supports their health, just 64 per cent said they get support for their physical health and 58 per cent said the same about their mental/emotional health. The survey results are based on findings from an Ipsos Reid poll of 2,402 adult Canadians last September. A separate Sun Life survey looking at the attitudes of different generations in the workplace found that only 37 per cent of Canadians with benefits said their plan fully meets their needs. Survey results show that employees want their plans to be more flexible, include mental health initiatives, and support financial health through programs offering personal financial planning. "Although employees are at different stages of their life, what they want, need and value from a group benefits plan is in many cases quite similar," said Parent. "With growing diversity in the workplace and increasing expectations of personalization, flexibility and customization are key to ensuring employees are getting what they want and need from their benefits package," she added. Stress at work growing problem: Survey › MENLO PARK, CALIF. — More than half (52 per cent) of workers said they are stressed at work on a day-to-day basis, and 60 per cent re- port that work-related pressure has increased in the last five years, according to a new survey by staffing firm Accountemps. Workers cited heavy workloads and looming deadlines (33 per cent), attaining work-life balance, and unrealistic expectations of managers (both 22 per cent) as top worries. The survey also found that company executives are aware of employee concerns, with 54 per cent of chief financial officers acknowledging that their teams are stressed, and 55 per cent saying worker anxiety is rising. "Business is moving faster than ever, and employees can feel the crunch when it comes to imminent deadlines," said Bill Driscoll, a district president for Accountemps. "A stressed employee can have detrimental effects on the department or company, including decreased morale and productivity, and increased burnout and turnover," he added. To relieve work-related stress, Accountemps recommends that managers help workers to prioritize workloads and set realistic expectations. Employers should also offer stress- relief programs and social activities. For employees, Accountemps suggests staying organized, taking breaks, and not being afraid to speak up if the workload is too great. The survey results are based on responses from more than 2,200 chief financial officers and more than 1,000 office workers aged 18 and older in the United States.

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