Are you wondering how people are now paying remote workers? Or, do you want to know just how prevalent flexible work and scheduling is? Maybe your CHRO has asked you to find out whether paying for skills is really taking off?

Guess what? All this and so much more can be found in the Canada Compensation Policies and Practices Survey. If compensation and total rewards is your thing, then this is the report for you! It really is a fantastic read!

Check out some of the highlights below, reported by over 300 companies who took part in the survey, and pick up your own copy here.

Valuing jobs and managing pay

Job descriptions remain the most prevalent (93.5%) way to communicate job requirements, skills, and expectations; only 16.4% report using competency- or skill-based models. When it comes to valuing jobs, Canada differs from the US in that they more frequently include a standardized point factor valuation along with market pricing and career frameworks. Canadian companies rely on traditional salary grades, job-specific market ranges, and broad-band salary structures to manage base pay .

Looking for specifics on compensation structure design? Get your copy of the 2024 US Compensation Policies and Practices Survey here.

Flexibility and time off

Flexibility does seem to be the norm now with most companies reporting that they offer it to employees at all levels in the organization. The flexibility most companies are offering includes flexible work start and end times based on the manager’s discretion.

Despite some of the feature stories about the success of unlimited time off programs that you may have read in the not-too-distant past, the reality is that it’s just not that prevalent. Of the companies we surveyed, only 7.3% offer unlimited vacation days.

Here’s a fun fact: approximately 20% of companies reported that they have summer hours! They consist of half days on Fridays, a shortened work week, and/or altered start and finish times.

Compensation strategies

Most Canadian respondents reported that they have a formal market position for base salary; however, only 39.4% have one for total cash compensation and even fewer (19.4%) have one for total direct compensation. Nearly all companies report that their target positioning is the fiftieth percentile. Whether or not they actually meet that target is a different question, of course.

A topic that has been in the news continuously for the past couple of years is how to pay remote workers — what market do you use to anchor their pay? With several global companies issuing return-to-the-office orders, it’s safe to say that anyone who still has remote workers, even a small percentage, likely has their go-forward strategy in place. Canadian companies are pretty split between using the market rate of an employee’s home location (35.5%) and the market rate of the primary office location (35.5%).

Looking for more information?

The Canada Compensation Policies and Practices survey really is a powerhouse of all things compensation and rewards. From elements of plan design to how others are addressing newly emerging trends in what they offer employees, this survey really delivers!

Of course, if you need guidance on a topic not covered, give us a call at1-855-286-5302 or send an email to surveys@mercer.com.