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The definitive guide to flexible benefit programs in Canada – completely revised and updated. Now in a new third edition, Canadian Handbook of Flexible Benefits offers everything organizations need to know about designing, implementing, communicating, and administering a successful flexible benefits program. The 2007 Handbook is equally relevant to employers introducing a new plan and to those looking for insight and direction on maintaining an existing program. This edition answers the question "What’s new in flex?" and includes up-to-date information on: the expansion in the range of flexible programs in the last decade, from simplified to total compensation designs; incorporating the numerous innovations in health care cost management into a flexible program; legal aspects of flexible benefits, including the latest word from Canada Revenue Agency on converting taxable performance bonuses to pretax benefits; administration alternatives, including outsourcing, co-sourcing and multi-process outsourcing; Completely new material covering: retiree flexible benefit programs, maintaining and revitalizing an existing plan flex for executives, special considerations for specific provinces, case studies of companies that have successfully implemented flexible benefits, and flexible benefit developments in eight countries on five continents.

Flexible Benefits and Employee Choice summarizes literature on a series of issues related to flexible compensation. Both academic and practical pieces published in the areas of economics, demography, business, sociology, psychology, law, and administration are included. The review is divided into five main sections. The first section presents an overview of the literature on flexible compensation. Within this broad overview, subsections focus on (1) the advent and growth of flexible compensation; (2) the present legal status of flexible compensation; (3) the design, structure, and operation of flexible compensation plans; (4) the advantages and disadvantages of flexible compensation plans; and (5) the future outlook for flexible compensation. The second section presents seven organization case studies. The organizations were chosen so as to capture a range of industries, flexible compensation plans, and experiences with those plans. The third section presents 56 abstracts of the main published pieces on this subject. References to the abstracted material plus some additional pieces relating to fringe-benefit systems and benefit planning are listed in the section entitled "Recommended Reading." The section on "Additional Reading" lists many older pieces on flexible compensation and fringe benefits which might be of some use to practitioners and other individuals trying to develop a deeper and more historical understanding of the development of the literature on this subject.