The National Payroll Institute recalls that the reliability of a payroll service is not the subject of negotiations in an employment contract, but is nevertheless a major issue when it is faulty. Everyone still has in mind the setbacks of the Phoenix payroll service which caused harm to the federal employees affected. According to a new Institute survey released Monday, 91% of Quebecers would look for a new job if their pay was regularly disrupted, while 87% would do the same if their pay was regularly inaccurate. Payroll is the main reason why employees come to work and it is at the heart of the relationship of trust between the employer and its employees, recalls the Institute.
In many retail businesses, restaurants and cafes, employees already have a salary higher than the minimum required by law. Nicolas Couture, president of Couture Timber Mart, which has four stores in the Eastern Townships, says less than 2% of its employees are paid minimum wage. “It’s not a retention argument in that someone who is hired for the salary will often leave for the salary,” he explains in an interview. Therefore, there must be additional working conditions such as flexible working hours. The owner of Quincaillerie C. Bélanger in Montreal, Dominique Bélanger, says he pays people above minimum wage as soon as they have some experience, saying he was in favor of this increase. . “It brought a lot of internal thinking. We even reviewed our working conditions. We reviewed the holidays. We improved them. »
Whether or not to include teleworking in collective agreements is currently an issue in several negotiations. Why do employers want him to stay out? “It’s not because they’re big bad guys,” explains Annie Boillard, president of Réseau Annie RH. If it becomes entrenched, it will be for everyone, when the employer may only be comfortable allowing it to be 95%, with underperforming employees being difficult [to coach] remotely. In this debate, the specialist was surprised by certain alleged facts to encourage teleworkers to return to the office, especially downtown. “We are referring to statistics on team mobilization when the scientific foundation is clear, teams are no less productive in telework. It is also for the health of local merchants, it is alleged, when it is not up to employees and unions to provide for that. »
Over the next 12 months, SMEs plan to increase employee salaries by an average of 3.3% according to the latest Business Barometer from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). This will delight the employees. To those who counter that this will contribute to higher inflation, the CFIB assures that even if SMEs raise wages more than usual, they cannot be called “major contributors to the increase”. Public sector wage demands are higher, and SMEs are already at a competitive disadvantage, says CFIB, which represents 97,000 members across all industries and regions. The peak of wage increases in SMEs was reached in June 2022, with 3.6%.
