Reference no: EM133658712

Benefit Examples Adobe Systems Canada incorporated employee feedback into a recent refresh of its physical work environment-the office includes sit-stand workstations, collaborative workspaces, private meeting rooms, informal break rooms, and an employee lounge complete with music, video games, pool table, foosball and table hockey, as well as an assortment of beverages for special events. The building also features an onsite Starbucks. It also provides support to new mothers and fathers with maternity and parental leave top-up payments, to 100% of salary for up to 26 weeks-adoptive parents may also receive an adoption subsidy of up to $25,000. They also offer generous tuition subsidies for relevant courses, up to $10,000. GlaxoSmithKline, a pharmaceutical company, offers its employees (and family members) free memberships to a fully equipped fitness centre at the head office, complete with instructor-led classes, personal trainer consultations and a basketball court, as well as an outdoor volleyball court and soccer area. It also offers new employees three weeks of paid vacation (long-serving employees get six), as well as additional time off over the holidays and up to six paid personal days off during the year. Indigo Books & Music Inc. ("Indigo") (TSX:IDG) is Canada's largest book, gift and specialty toy retailer, operating stores in all ten provinces and one territory and offering online sales through the indigo.ca website and the Company's mobile applications. The Company also has retail operations in the United States through a wholly-owned subsidiary, operating its first retail store in Short Hills, New Jersey which opened in 2018. As at December 28, 2019, the Company operated over 200 stores under the banners Indigo, Chapters, Coles, Indigospirit and The Book Company. Indigo is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario and employs approximately 7,000 people. With the shift in consumer behaviour from retail to online as well as the increased competition from behemoths like Amazon in the marketplace, many retailers find it challenging to attract the right talent. Indigo is no different. While we don't try to compete directly with the big players on individual components of the total rewards package, we do believe that our approach to total rewards makes us unique in the marketplace. At Indigo, we build big unconventional jobs and have big expectations for employees to perform. In return, we aspire to pay the best in the market. We're committed to rewarding creativity and excellence, paying for performance while maintaining internal equity and external competitiveness. In addition to base pay, most employees are also eligible for bonuses and a sales incentive program for our store associates, As part of the rewards package is an ever-evolving benefits program. We are constantly reviewing the program to ensure we are doing our best to attract the talent we need in this competitive environment. Small perks can have a big impact. We provide our employees with the opportunity to purchase most of our products both in store and online at a significantly discounted price. We show our appreciation for our employees through a variety of recognition programs such as our Employee Service Awards. We also have a Scholarship Program. At Indigo, we believe in supporting the development of our employees and their children in their pursuit of higher education. Each year, we provide five scholarships of up to $3,000 to assist with tuition costs at a certified university or community college. Our competitive benefits program includes the options of Health and Dental coverage, or a Health Spending Account (HSA), as well as the opportunity to purchase additional Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance. Indigo also provides significant support for employee mental health by providing leading edge training, access to resources and above market reimbursement for psychological care. At Indigo, we pride ourselves on going the extra mile for our employees with incentives that improve our employee's career, and help them reach their next life goal. We give employees the option to contribute and save towards their retirement through our competitive Group Registered Retirement Savings Program (RRSP) and Defined Profit-Sharing Program (DPSP) as well as access to a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) and Spousal RRSP with competitive group rates. One of the truly innovative components of Indigo's benefit package is the student debt repayment program (SDSP). In partnership with Great West Life (now Canada Life), Indigo was the very first national employer in Canada to launch a student debt savings program and, at the time of publication, remains the only retailer offering this program in Canada. With the SDSP, employees can focus on paying down their Canadian or provincial student loans, while Indigo makes a matching contribution, up to a maximum, to their group retirement and savings plan. This program helps Indigo increase talent recruitment competitiveness as well as helps employees with student loan debt get a head start on saving for their future.

Step 1: Review (Reading) Benefit Examples. Make a class list of all the benefits presented in the reading.

Step 2: Discuss the reasons for the growth of employee benefits packages. What might be reasons for current changes in benefit packages offerings?

Step 3: In a group, review the benefits listed in the reading. Imagine they were all provided within the same company. The CEO wants to save money and suggests cutting benefits.

Step 4: Make a list and rank-order employer-sponsored benefits from the ones you would most likely eliminate to the ones you would least likely eliminate. Step 5: Share your lists with the class.