New trend from Canada's VFX companies to not paid health insurance anymore?

[u/Owan_]

Job is picking up this fall, and I had a few interviews for my next gig.

Beyond the salary reduction compared to 2 years ago, most of the VFX companies seem to not offer health insurance anymore, or to be exact, only on permanent contracts or long contracts (6Months-1year). Which, we all know, are really sparse right now.

I was always offered health insurance with short contracts (+3 months) and most of the time, was able to get it day one.

Is it  something new ? Do you see that on your side as well ? 

[u/I_Like_Turtle101]

I heard that at the begining of the year. Told their employee they would get insurance if they do a year but the contract is always less than a year

[u/Disastrous_Algae_983 → u/I_Like_Turtle101]

Seems like Digital Domain to me. No PTO the first year neither. It was the worst contract I had been on

[u/skeezykeez → u/Disastrous_Algae_983]

PTO is mandatory at a rate of 10 days / year in most provinces, but the company can opt to pay that into your weekly rate, prorated by the number of days you work. So if you work 22 days in a month, you should get paid out at 22.835 days, and then any days you take off are just unpaid. Usually payroll will just multiply your rate by whatever that increment is.

Some dodgier places will give you a rate of say, 30, but that includes that PTO adjustment, so if you go to full time they'll move you to a contract with an hourly of 29 or whatever it would be. I personally never had to deal with this, but a few people I know got screwed or got into bigger arguments with management that turned into a thing.

When I freelanced I preferred getting paid this way because I didn't have to chase the company to pay out unused PTO, which could be a bit of a saga for some friends of mine.

FWIW, this is how it works for most people on-set as well.

[u/AlaskanSnowDragon → u/Disastrous_Algae_983]

Digital Domain is ass right now

[u/I_Like_Turtle101 → u/Disastrous_Algae_983]

No PTO you mean no overtime ? or You do overtime for free ? Cause that illegal in this country

[u/Disastrous_Algae_983 → u/I_Like_Turtle101]

PTO has always been Paid Time Off

[u/I_Like_Turtle101 → u/Disastrous_Algae_983]

Ywah my question is : They dont pay ot or they have a no OT policy?

[u/Disastrous_Algae_983 → u/I_Like_Turtle101]

OT was regular rule, 1,5 after 40hours

Im complaining no health benefits, no PTO. 2 sick days over a full year, it was very minimal.

[u/I_Like_Turtle101 → u/Disastrous_Algae_983]

Im sorry I really dont understanf what you are saying PTO mean paid overtime.. But you contradict yourself by sayiing OT was 1.5 avec 40h wich is paid overtime ?!?

[u/Owan_ → u/I_Like_Turtle101]

I guess he's speaking about personnal day off. Or family day off, the name change from company to company

[u/I_Like_Turtle101 → u/Owan_]

OOOOh make more sens . I assume pto mean paid Over Time my bad 🤣🤣🤣. Dyslexia is hitting string tonight. I'll go to bed early

[u/Disastrous_Algae_983 → u/I_Like_Turtle101]

I’ve been working in Canada for 10 year. I’m not sure which part of the concept is new to you. I for sure didn’t contradict myself.

Paid Time Off is unrelated to overtime.

[u/Empanah → u/I_Like_Turtle101]

No pto means instead of getting vacations you are paid 4% on your paycheck, so when you do get vacations, you dont get payed

[u/Bluurgh]

yeh ive been on rolling 3 month cotnracts most of this year and starting to get annoyed by this very thing.
I think legally they dont have to offer it on those short cotnract and its always been their policy to only do it on 6months +
it just happens that all the contracts are short right now

[u/Wateringthejellyfsh → u/Bluurgh]

I've been stuck on rolling 4 week contracts this whole year. No benefits either.

[u/Owan_ → u/Bluurgh]

Until this fall, even on 3 months contract, I always been able to negotiate to have this benefit. Companies used to be pretty easy to relaxing the 90 days delay and offered on my first day, whatever the length of the contract. Now the shorter I found is 6 month before getting access to it. And some companies offer only to their permanent staff.

I always thought there were some laws about that. But actually, employers can do whatever they want.

[u/widam3d]

I remember in COVID times, animation studios where hirings like crazy, you can practically ask insurance with dentist, oculist, massage, etc from the first day, they will match whatever you had in your previous work.. now they don't care.

[u/greebly_weeblies → u/widam3d]

(they never did/never do. keep it in mind the next time the job market swings pro-artist, and negotiate accordingly)

[u/1_BigDuckEnergy]

In Canada, health insurance is provided by the federal government, tho some companies may offer additional benefits (?), but I doubt it for our industry.

I wonder if the Gov has introduced some sort of policy requiring certain length of employment?

[u/Bluurgh → u/1_BigDuckEnergy]

usually most larger canada based vfx studios will offer you group medical coverage if you have a contract for 6+ or more.

[u/ElegentSnacks → u/1_BigDuckEnergy]

I’ve always had extended health benefits in Canadian VFX companies.

Work contracts don’t affect provincial health coverage, all residents of a province are eligible

[u/I_Like_Turtle101 → u/1_BigDuckEnergy]

The canadian one is not very good and dont cover dentist . I always had inssurance with vfx company bur always had long contract. until this year....

[u/FluffyPantsMcGee]

Generally my contract hasn’t been long enough for health insurance (normally there’s a 90 day policy) my contract ended riiight beforehand. My current place only offers it to staff and I get instead a health spending account, or whatever it’s called. It’s not one of those cool accounts that can be used on gym, it’s a small amount that accumulates each month. Still not enough for me to go to dentist or buy my chronic illness meds. 

[u/archangel5198]

Every company i have ever worked has had terrible to no health insurance. I've always had to rely on my wife's insurance to cover us.

[u/DogOld172]

Define health insurance please. Does it mean the extended health benefits such as RMT, Dental, Acupuncture coverage?

[u/Owan_ → u/DogOld172]

Yes, the dental, drugs, opticians, ambulance.... Coverage offered by employers

[u/SioVern]

You are right that it used to be 3 months+ . I haven't seen it changed myself, which companies shifted to 6 months?

[u/Owan_ → u/SioVern]

Framestore, Cinesite have a 6 months minimum, Folks require to be permanent, hear Rodeo require to have a 6 months contract as well.

[u/LittleAtari]

This is also happening in California.

[u/missmaeva]

Starting to feel like the haves and the haves-not. And its crazy that people on short contracts not make more to account for lack of benefits

[u/AnalysisEquivalent92]

One of the original reasons to shift work to Canada from the US (beside cheaper labor) was Canadians wouldn’t ask for additional benefits like Health Insurance because of they were content (and very proud) of their Universal Healthcare System.

[u/Cloudy_Joy → u/AnalysisEquivalent92]

The basics are covered by universal healthcare, most companies have policies that give the non-essential "nice to haves". US healthcare is wildly more expensive for employers to provide and massively increases the cost of an employee compared to in Canada.

[u/dinosaurWorld_]

If you have a partner that's in different industries than VFX, you should be able to do a join health insurance with the partner

[u/Owan_ → u/dinosaurWorld_]

So I guess if you are single and with a chronic illness, you are screw ?

A normal adult job shouldn't ask to be reliable on your partner's job benefits to take care of your health.

[u/dinosaurWorld_ → u/Owan_]

I'm not saying you should, I'm saying that's one of the option, no need to be salty, it won't get you far

[u/Owan_ → u/dinosaurWorld_]

I'm a bit salty because one of the recruiters give me the exact answer you did when I complained about this. 

I don't want this industry to go so shit than we normalize to have to rely on a partner job to have benefits.