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UPFRONT
HR PROFESSIONALS SAY "NO"
TO ONTARIO PENSION PLAN
HR professionals reject the proposed
Ontario Pension Plan: that's the clear
message coming out of a recent member
survey conducted by the Human Resources
Professionals Association (HRPA).
In a recent Ontario Retirement Pension
Plan Survey, 55 per cent of HRPA
members surveyed are against the proposed
Ontario Retirement Pension Plan
(ORPP), while 58 per cent think that the
Ontario government should continue negotiating
with the federal government to
raise the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and
close the retirement gap.
“There does not seem to be a savings
gap," said Bill Greenhalgh, CEO of
HRPA. "It is clear that a majority of our
members' organizations already have adequate
benefit plans.”
Respondents to the survey questioned
the need for an ORPP when current
workplace benefit plans already exist. In
fact, 75 per cent of HRPA members' organizations
currently offer a savings plan to
their employees – more than half of which
offer a defined contribution pension plan.
Affordability is another issue. Of those
polled, almost half cannot afford to pay up
to $1,643 per employee per year, while 41
per cent said that it would force them to
either cancel or invest less in their current
workplace plan.
“The employee benefit plans that companies
currently offer will be affected," said
Greenhalgh. "Of those surveyed, 44 per cent
have 500 employees or more, making it challenging
for these companies to maintain
their existing plans while also incurring the
cost of yet another mandatory savings plan.”
For full survey details, please visit:
http://bit.ly/1EQxOm6
CFOs PREDICT WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN YOU EMPOWER
EMPLOYEES
A little employee empowerment can go
a long way if you're the boss, new research
suggests. Nearly one in three (29
per cent) chief financial officers (CFOs)
in a Robert Half Management Resources
survey admitted they would be more
productive if they gave their employees
greater autonomy at work. Only 21 per
cent of executives feared their performance
would decline if they gave workers
more control.
The survey was developed by Robert
Half Management Resources, a global provider
of senior-level finance, accounting and
business systems professionals on a project
and interim basis. It was conducted by an
independent research firm and is based on
telephone interviews with more than 270
CFOs at companies across Canada.
CFOs were asked, "If you gave your staff
greater autonomy over how and when they
do their jobs, such as flexible work hours,
working remotely or less direct supervision,
what effect, if any, do you feel it
would have on your productivity?"
Increase in productivity 29%
No change 44%
Decrease in productivity 21%
Don’t know 6%
“Executives at successful companies focus
on the big-picture direction of the
firm and trust their staff to achieve current
goals," said David King, Canadian president
of Robert Half Management Resources. "It
can be difficult to let go of the day-to-day
but executives who perform at their optimal
levels maintain focus on strategic
planning and analysis, and mission-critical
initiatives. An organization with empowered
staff is in line to achieve the long-term
benefits of increased innovation, better morale
and improved retention."
olavs/Shutterstock
FORTY-ONE PER CENT SAID THAT THE NEW ONTARIO
PENSION PLAN WOULD FORCE THEM TO EITHER CANCEL
OR INVEST LESS IN THEIR CURRENT WORKPLACE PLAN.
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ MAY/JUNE 2015 ❚ 7