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This is the weekly Careers newsletter. Radhika Panjwani is a former journalist from Toronto and a blogger. Companies scrambling to attract and retain talent should review their total rewards strategy and move beyond the base salary, bonus and other average incentives, say experts. Instead, compensation packages must be creative, flexible and customized, says Anand Parsan, national practice leader for compensation consulting at consulting firm Eckler Ltd. “Things such as flexible work arrangement or work-life balance that were non-negotiable in the past are now becoming table stakes as organizations adopt a more holistic strategy to retain employees,” he said. Imagine for instance, offering some employees a number of rewards credits to pick, choose and use whichever way they want. Those with a spouse and children will likely spend it differently than employees who are single, Mr. Parsan said. Programs that allow workers to choose and spend the money where they see fit will go a long w...

This is the weekly Careers newsletter. Déjà Leonard is a copywriter and freelance journalist based in Calgary. Historically, when someone is laid off it’s something they keep to themselves, or share privately with family and close connections who may be able to help them find another opportunity. It makes sense. Being laid off can be an emotional experience , leading to feelings of anger, sadness, fear and shame. Some people even experience physical symptoms like fatigue, weight loss or gain, and muscle pain. However, over the past few years, the feeds of social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter have been filled with professionals sharing news that they have been laid off, and how it has personally affected them. The past few years have normalized announcing layoffs Evangeline Berube, vice-president of strategic accounts at employment agency Robert Half, said she spends a lot of time on LinkedIn in her role and has observed this spike in announcements. “I think some of this is al...

This is the weekly Careers newsletter. Radhika Panjwani is a former journalist from Toronto and a blogger. Canadian entrepreneur Stuart Bruce says workers with learning disabilities have a strong work ethic and a distinctively unique approach to problem-solving, and organizations that hire, accommodate and nurture these workers will enjoy a competitive edge. Growing up, Mr. Bruce, chief executive officer of First Insurance Funding of Canada, struggled with reading and was continually admonished by his teachers to work harder. Outside the classroom, he was bullied. The fog of confusion lifted at the age of 8 when he was diagnosed with dyslexia, a neurological condition that’s often hereditary and is a common cause of reading difficulties. And so when it came to a career, Mr. Bruce opted for entrepreneurship, where he excelled because he chose to focus on his strengths and learned to lean on others for the skills he didn’t have. “The most successful organizations arise from bringing a ...

Canada's goalkeeper James Pantemis, from left, Alphonso Davies, Richie Laryea, Canada's Mark-Anthony Kaye and Ismael Kone react after losing 2-1 to Morocco in their last match at the World Cup in Qatar, on Dec. 1. Pavel Golovkin/The Associated Press This is the weekly Careers newsletter. Déjà Leonard is a copywriter and freelance journalist based in Calgary. While the Canadian men’s national soccer team left the FIFA World Cup tournament with no wins, there is a lot we can all learn from the team and its impact, according to two career coaches. Alan Kearns, managing partner and founder of Career Joy, and Shirin Khamisa, founder and practice leader at Careers by Design, share insight into how we can apply the experiences of these athletes to our everyday jobs. Don’t underestimate the power of setting an example Stephen Eustáquio from Leamington, Ont., had an article written about him and how he is inspiring younger players and bringing pride to his community. Eustáquio has ha...

This is the weekly Careers newsletter. Radhika Panjwani is a former journalist from Toronto and a blogger. This week’s newsletter looks ahead to trends in the workplace in 2023. Trend 1: Boomerang employees Self-retrospection combined with regret will spur many professionals who upped and quit during the pandemic to return to their old job, says Nancy D’Onofrio, a talent acquisition expert. Boomerang employees are those workers who leave an employer and return, explains Ms. D’Onofrio, who is the global director of business development at Visage Inc., a tech startup that combines human and artificial intelligence to create a list of potential candidates for roles. She says the ranks of boomerang workers may be set to swell in the new year. “The holidays are a time for self-reflection and many employees who have caught the I-want-to-return feelings, will most likely have those chats [with their former employers] early next year,” says Whitby, Ont.-based Ms. D’Onofrio. Considering the c...

This is the weekly Careers newsletter. Déjà Leonard is a copywriter and freelance journalist based in Calgary. What’s at the top of your work wish list this holiday season? According to a recent poll by recruitment agency Robert Half, the most popular answers were work-life balance, remote-work options and growth opportunities. The poll, which gathered data from about 800 LinkedIn users, suggests what individuals, managers and companies may expect to focus on in the New Year. Work-life balance Almost four in 10 (39 per cent) of people polled had work-life balance at the top of their priorities. Mike Shekhtman, senior regional director at Robert Half, said the past few years may have something to do with that. During the pandemic, people had fewer social obligations and could focus on work. Now, they need to rebalance their priorities during a busy time of year, he said. He said employers can encourage employees to take necessary breaks throughout the day and give people permission to...

This is the weekly Careers newsletter. Radhika Panjwani is a former journalist from Toronto and a blogger. As Canadian employers struggle to find temporary workers, experts say they must take a long-term strategic approach to remain competitive in a shrinking labour market. At the same time, they warn that the country’s labour-market policies need an overhaul given the shift in demographic trends. Canada’s temporary labour force helps fill seasonal jobs in sectors such as retail and food service, which typically spike during the holidays. At the same time, it helps fulfill the needs of a wide array of industries – such as agriculture, meat-packaging and fisheries – throughout the year. Companies have an opportunity to leverage some of those positions to fill longer-term gaps in their workforces. “Seasonal jobs should not be treated as short-term positions as there’s a possibility many workers will return to a full-time position if they feel satisfied with the overall company and the ...

This is the weekly Careers newsletter. Déjà Leonard is a copywriter and freelance journalist based in Calgary. Statistics Canada released data on gig work in its Labour Force Survey for the first time last week, defining it as “short-term tasks, projects or jobs, with no assurance of steady employment.” The data show men (73 per cent) and landed immigrants (55 per cent) from the ages of 16 to 69 make up the majority of the food delivery contractors. Women (58 per cent) make up the majority of content creators – those who create blogs, videos or podcasts online. Statistics Canada’s move to track this data highlights the growing role gig work is playing in the economy. The United States is certainly seeing that growth. The gross value of the gig economy south of the border was $US204-billion in 2018 and is expected to rise to $US455-billion in 2023, according to Statista . While we don’t have any other national numbers to compare how gig work is changing, Uber in Canada saw a spike in...

This is the weekly Careers newsletter. Radhika Panjwani is a former journalist from Toronto and a blogger. How should employers measure productivity in a remote or hybrid work model? And is it legal for a company to plant, track and collect data from a surveillance tracking software embedded in a worker’s device without their consent? Navpreet Chhina, a lawyer with Inlet Employment Law in Port Moody, B.C., has been mulling these questions in the wake of a recent B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal decision , which ordered an accountant who was fired to pay her former employer $1,500 as reimbursement for 50.76 hours of “time theft” or hours she claimed to have worked. The tribunal heard the employer, Reach CPA Inc., had installed the surveillance program TimeCamp on the employee’s work laptop. Data, including video gathered from the tracking software, was reviewed and produced as evidence for the “theft.” Time theft can be a grey area, Ms. Chhina said. “What constitutes work?” she asked. ...