What are the policies in place that make Canada an attractive place to work? HR expert weighs in
Achieving the perfect blend of work and personal life can be quite difficult. After all, as employees get used to a hybrid workplace, working from home can also garner lots of distractions. However, it seems that Canadians have found the secret ingredient when it comes to maintaining a proper work-life balance.
A recent survey from global human resources company Remote placed Canada fifth in the Global Life-Work Index out of 60 countries, with our neighbours to the south in 55th place. The survey attributes Canada’s high ranking to its shorter average working weeks compared to other countries along with its reputation as one of the safest and most 2SLGBTQI+ friendly nations.
According to the report, Canadians have a professional but inclusive working culture. “What makes Canada a great country to work and play is really all about the legislation we have in place," says Olivia Cicchini, a Toronto-based HR expert at Peninsula Canada. She highlights the combination of employment standards, occupational health and safety regulations, and human rights protections all create an environment where employees can thrive both professionally and personally.
“When you compile all of those, it paints a pretty nice picture of our work-life balance and how we're able to achieve it,” Cicchini added. One key factor of employment standard she points to is Canada's generous vacation and leave policies. While Canadian employment standards vary by province, they consistently include generous paid vacation entitlements and comprehensive leave policies. Canadian workers are entitled to a minimum of two to three weeks of paid vacation time per year, with some provinces offering even more.
Cicchini also asserts that Canada also has robust parental leave programs, allowing new parents to take an extended, paid leave to care for their children. Maternity and parental leaves, for example, are funded through the Employment Insurance (EI) scheme and are substantial, allowing parents to spend significant time with their newborns without financial strain.
Canada’s human rights legislation also protects new mothers in the workplace, Cicchini noted. “When we look at the protected grounds in our human rights legislation, gender, sex, breastfeeding and pregnancy fall under those grounds, so they're also covered,” she highlighted. “For example, if a new mother was on mat leave and she returns, she still has to be provided a safe, sanitary, private place within the workplace to breastfeed or pump so she can return to the workplace sooner, instead of having to take more elongated leave. Then she can really balance her work and her life as she reintegrates into the workplace.”
Another progressive policy gaining traction is the "right to disconnect" policy. In Ontario, employers with 25 or more staff must have a written policy outlining employees' right to disengage from work-related communications outside of work hours. This helps prevent the blurring of work and personal time that can occur with remote or hybrid work arrangements. “I think with remote work, the line between work and life got really blurred because you have your computer at home and you feel almost guilty to shut it, but the right to disconnect really enables employees to do that,” Cicchini said.
As for the trust between employer and employee and how employees can manage their workday, it’s ultimately up to whatever the company’s expectations are, she says. Her advice to employers focusing on promoting a work life balance for their staff is “to focus on output instead of hours.”
“[You can say] ‘As long as you get all of your tasks done by this time, then you're good to log off’. Whether [employees] are starting earlier to finish at an earlier time while they work from home, or staggering their hours later to accommodate for childcare, whatever that may be. I think that's the way to do it.”
In addition to an excellent work-life balance and health and wellness benefits, employees are also seeking out employers that prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
"DEI is a huge factor for employees, especially millennials and Gen Z," Cicchini explains. "A lot of employees now want to know that the company they're going to work for is one that values diversity, values an equitable workforce, values equality. They’re looking at their internal policies. They're looking at their job postings to make sure that they're an equal opportunity employer and that they take value in that.”
“This generation is making sure that everyone feels valued, everyone feels respected and included in the workforce,” she added. “Companies that don't practice those values, unfortunately, are probably going to see a dip in productivity, a dip in retention, a dip in morale and even brand reputational issues as well.”
Aside from employee wellness benefits and flexibility in the workplace, Cicchini believes millennials are also looking to start families and planning for the next chapter of their lives.
“They’re looking for companies that have RRSP benefits. They're looking for pension plans. They're looking for things that they can invest in and have their company also match it and help them invest so that they can create that foundation for their future children and their future families.”
