Member mindsets, motivations, and metrics: Inside Canada’s workplace retirement plans

Across Canada, workplace savings plans have become the anchor of many employees’ retirement strategy, shaping not only how they save but how confident they feel about the future. At the same time, plan sponsors face rising expectations around plan design, digital tools and guidance, even as member needs and behaviours evolve. In this BPM Talk episode, Benefits and Pensions Monitor highlights new Sun Life research that compares how members perceive their workplace savings with what their actual account data reveals, surfacing critical insights into retirement readiness, engagement and long term financial security. Featuring Hilda Tang, Senior Vice President, Client Growth and Solutions at Sun Life Canada, this episode brings together findings from Sun Life’s Designed for Savings report and a new study that marries survey responses with real member data. Hilda explains why workplace plans are central to many Canadians’ retirement outcomes, why confidence can matter more than knowledge, and how gender and behaviour patterns show up in the numbers. Listeners will gain practical ideas on how plan sponsors and advisors can use plan features, digital experiences and targeted guidance to better support members along their path to retirement. Don’t miss this episode to learn how you can: • See how member perceptions align with actual workplace plan data. • Understand why financial confidence can drive stronger savings behaviour. • Recognize how the gender wealth gap appears inside group retirement plans. • Apply a simple framework of simplify, automate and incentivize to improve engagement. Tune in now to hear the insights and apply them to your own plans.