Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER MARCH 2018 NEWS 7 New benefits, leadership behaviour help support mental health: Panel Manulife, RBC, AGS, Stikeman Elliott see results with proactive programs BY JOHN DUJAY WHEN Manulife took a look at its disability claim a couple of years ago, it was astonished to discover that mental health was the leading cause among workers ages 18 to 40, and the likelihood of recurrence was seven-times higher for this demographic than for other conditions. "When you think about your younger workforce, the odds of recurrence are staggering," said Sue Reibel, executive vice-pres- ident and general manager of institutional markets at Manulife Financial. "at means that if we are not supporting our employees as early as possible, we have an incred- ible impact from a productivity perspective and the health of our workplace." Reibel was part of a five-person panel who spoke recently at a con- ference in Cambridge, Ont., enti- tled "Mental Health in the Work- place: Driving Action in Canada and Globally." So Manulife's senior manage- ment decided it had to be doing more to support a "healthy frame- work" for employees, according to Reibel. "It wasn't an HR initiative, it was a company initiative; it was critical to our strategy." In 2017, the company imple- mented a new $10,000-per-em- ployee-per-year benefit for men- tal health support. "People were saying that they didn't have enough access to care," said Reibel. "It doesn't mean 'I can't find a psychologist,' it means 'I've run out of money and I can't afford to get the treatment I need.'" With the new benefit, Manulife saw a reduction in claims, higher return-to-work rates and a de- crease in its drug costs, said Reibel. RBC also instituted a new benefit for its workers, according to panellist Nadine Orr, vice- president of pensions and benefits at RBC. Workers now have access to $3,000 for each family member for psychological coverage from a list that includes social workers, fam- ily counsellors, marriage counsel- lors, behavioural counsellors and autism therapy, she said. "We got very positive feedback on the program, but what's inter- esting is we are now six months into the program and the use of the benefit is far exceeding any- thing I have ever imagined," said Orr. "People are now coming up to me in the hall and they are say- ing, 'is is so great. I was strug- gling to support (my family); I have two children with disabili- ties: It's just one less thing I have to worry about.'" RBC has seen increased costs due to more employees using their mental health care benefits, said Orr, but they see it as part of being competitive. "We need to have good people in order to continue to (earn) new business," she said. "We're telling employees: 'This is important, what are you going to do to take care of yourself?'" Leadership models For RBC, it was the company's CHRO who led them through an exercise in 2017 to establish a "leadership model," said Orr. "e world at work is changing. Workplace stress is always going to be there." "We came up with a leadership model, in really simple English, (that showed) every single RBC employee 'ese are the behav- iours and the capabilities that each one of us, because we are all leaders in our own right, we need to be effecting in order to drive the business forward and to adapt to this ever-changing environment,'" she said. "We need every single one of our employees to come to work and bring their best self to work because for you to be curious, to go innovate, you need to be pres- ent for you to unlock the potential of your other teammates." Leaders would best serve their employees by exhibiting more reasonable work habits them- selves, said panellists. "ey see you working at all hours and they are modelling their behaviour because to them... especially the young people, they thought that, 'Yeah, I know that's what you are saying, but you are modelling very different behav- iour, and to be successful, I need to do that too,'" said moderator Jackie King, COO of the Cana- dian Chamber of Commerce, talking about her past experience working at public relations firm Hill & Knowlton. "It was important to us to ask them what they thought they To order your subscription call 1.800.387.5164 or 416.609.3800 www.payroll-reporter.com/subscribe Canadian Payroll Reporter is designed to keep you up to date on legislation, regulations, court decisions, technology advances and other developments that affect payroll departments. With the help of Canadian Payroll Reporter you will be able to prioritize your needs and invest in options that optimize your resources. Discover the latest policies and initiatives of the CRA, and how to apply them to your workplace. Receive timely information on pension reform, tax changes, parental leave and other requirements that affect the payroll function. PROVEN METHODOLOGY, PROFOUND IMPACT AND SUSTAINABLE RESULTS Access a sample issue now at: bitly.com/CPR-FreePreview-16 Subscribe today for only $99 * Order No. 20186-18-64768 Save $86 Payroll Reporter Can R Can R adian adian a www.payroll-reporter.com September 2016 see BRITISH COLUMBIA page 7 PM #40065782 Legislative Roundup Changes in payroll laws and regulations from across Canada News in Brief pg. 4 Feds still working to fi x Phoenix payroll problems|B.C. Tax Commission to issue report in October|Little change in average weekly earnings in May Ask an expert pg. 5 Reporting fake SINs|Successor employers and vacation entitlement |Maintaining benefi ts while on leave Alberta Reminder: Minimum wage rates going up The general minimum wage rate in Alberta will rise from $11.20 an hour to $12.20 on Oct. 1. The rate will now apply to liquor servers since the government is eliminating a separate minimum wage rate for them on Oct. 1. Other minimum wage rates are also going up at the beginning of October. The rate for certain salespersons specified in provincial regulations will rise from $446.00 per week to $486.00. The rate for domestic employees who live in their employer's residence will in- crease from $2,127 per month to $2,316. Labour Minister Christina Gray says the government will keep an see CONSIDER on page 6 Credit: Adwo/Shutterstock New folio pg. 3 The CRA has retired its Employee Fringe Benefi ts Employer Interpretation Bulletin and replaced it with a new Income Tax Folio chapter. Advocacy leads to changes Canadian Payroll Association works with government to ensure payroll's voice is heard BY SHEILA BRAWN CODES NOW replace footnotes on the T4. There are now higher thresholds for Can- ada Revenue Agency (CRA) and Revenu Québec accelerated remitters. There are now graduated penalties for late remittanc- es. The timeframe for issuing electronic ROEs now better aligns with pay cycles. These are just some of the changes the Canadian Payroll Association (CPA) has successfully advocated for governments to make in recent years. From source deduc- tions to year-end reporting to employment standards and workers' compensation, CPA president and CEO Patrick Culhane says the association regularly works with government officials and civil servants to make payroll-related laws more efficient and effective for employers, government, employees and the general public. "Advocacy is important to us," says Culhane. "Our core purpose is payroll compliance through education and see GRADUATED page 2 Payroll technology changes don't have to cause headaches Research, well-defi ned plan and stakeholder inclusion help transition BY KIM GROOME BECAUSE PAYROLL plays such a critical role, it can be easy to jus- tify keeping your existing solution even when it means managing work-arounds, manual processes and maintaining external spread- sheets. In spite of this, to provide the best possible experience for em- ployees and to make a more strategic impact in your organization, The Canada Revenue Agency in Ottawa has worked with the Canadian Payroll Association through the years in making changes to payroll-related laws. Start your subscription and receive: • 12 issues of Canadian Payroll Reporter • Full access to www.payroll-reporter.com (including a searchable archive of articles) • Email alerts to keep subscribers up-to-date on breaking news and notifications of new issues TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER *Available to first-time subscribers only OPENING > pg. 10

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