At a time when the workplace landscape is shifting under the weight of economic uncertainty, burnout, and changing employee expectations, companies across Canada are being forced to rethink how they engage, support, and retain their staff. The so-called "Great Detachment"—a term that’s quickly become part of the HR lexicon—describes a phenomenon where employees, though hesitant to quit due to a cooling job market and rising cost of living, have started to mentally and emotionally check out from their roles. According to a recent study cited by The Globe and Mail, two in five Canadian workers feel undervalued at work, with nearly half of women reporting this sentiment. The reasons are complex, but at the heart of the issue lies the struggle to balance work with caregiving responsibilities and personal well-being.
Kettlemans Bagels, a 24/7 operation based in Ontario, offers a compelling case study in how employers can address these modern workforce challenges. Shubhankar Purandare, the company’s director of human resources, has been at the forefront of implementing policies designed to foster loyalty and engagement through flexibility and wellness. “We often tell our employees, ‘Why don’t you come in early morning six o’clock, get everything set up, work for a couple of hours, then you’re out and then you’re back in again at like three or four,’” Purandare explained to HRD Canada. “Once we're able to give that flexibility, managers are much more productive, they're much more psychologically balanced.”
This approach, known as a split shift, allows managers and staff to balance family and caregiving responsibilities—demands that disproportionately fall on women, as highlighted by Professor Jessica Riel of the Université du Québec à Montréal. Riel notes that many workplaces are still designed around an "ideal worker" who is always available and unencumbered by caregiving or reproductive health needs. "Since women are statistically more likely to carry these responsibilities and needs, women may face greater challenges and a higher risk of disengagement," she told The Globe and Mail.
Flexibility at Kettlemans Bagels isn’t limited to shift workers. For non-operational roles, hybrid work is encouraged, and staff are supported in working from locations near their homes when needed. When a recent snowstorm hit eastern Ontario, leadership simply shifted operations to nearby stores, ensuring continuity and safety without the stress of long commutes. This adaptability is a far cry from the rigid, one-size-fits-all policies that often leave employees feeling trapped and disengaged.
Beyond scheduling, Kettlemans has invested heavily in wellness and mental health benefits. After finding their previous Employee Assistance Program (EAP) lacking, the company worked with its provider to develop a more inclusive and robust support system. The upgraded program now offers immediate-access hotlines, free therapy, financial literacy coaching, and confidential services for both employees and their families. Purandare emphasized the importance of privacy in encouraging staff to use these services, especially when dealing with topics "stigmatized in the workplace."
Recognizing the physical toll of long hours in repetitive roles, Kettlemans redirected some of its benefits budget into services like massage and chiropractic treatment. Purandare summed up the company’s philosophy: “It’s not necessarily reinventing the wheel, it’s just about knowing your team, what they want, and then customizing your current plan to suit that better.”
This kind of customization is precisely what experts say is needed to combat the Great Detachment, particularly among women. Charmaine Alexander, a senior advisor in disability management at Desjardins Insurance, told The Globe and Mail that employers need to be open to different working arrangements and to truly understand their workforce. Anonymous surveys and direct feedback can help gauge morale, but, as Kettlemans discovered, face-to-face, open-ended conversations often yield the most genuine engagement. The company now conducts informal emotional check-ins about once a quarter, often over a cup of coffee, to discuss how employees are doing and what support they might need.
In terms of compensation, Kettlemans has overhauled its structures to reward loyalty and tenure. Employees receive performance-based bonuses and additional pay based on years of service. There’s even a loyalty program in development, modeled after the company’s customer rewards system, to provide both monetary and non-monetary incentives for long-term staff. Wage fairness is another priority: when Ontario’s minimum wage increases, Kettlemans not only adjusts pay for those directly affected but also adds an extra 20 cents for employees not covered by the legislated hikes, helping to close pay gaps across the board.
Looking to the future, the company is considering shifting its benefits cost-sharing model from the standard 50/50 employer-employee split to a more generous 60/40 or even 70/30 arrangement. Purandare believes that lasting culture change "takes a long time" and must come from the top. "HR leaders are always in a position where they are the speaking voice for the organization to get that buy-in from them and then set that tone," he said. "Working your culture and knowing your team will really affect your transparency as well as the accountability factor… Your employees will be much more responsive."
Experts agree that such intentionality is essential, especially for supporting women in the workplace. Flexible work policies like compressed workweeks or hybrid arrangements, on-site daycare or daycare subsidies, and paid time off for personal matters (such as miscarriage recovery or adoption) are all recommended. Importantly, advancement should be based on output, not hours worked, to ensure women with caregiving duties aren’t overlooked for promotions. As Alexander pointed out, "Nowadays, we do see advancement in vendors and benefit providers providing services that are geared towards women." This includes coverage for contraception, fertility treatments, and menopause support—benefits that are still rare but becoming more common.
Inclusive mental health supports, such as workshops and training modules, can also boost engagement and job satisfaction, helping to turn the tide from detachment to what some are calling the "Great Engagement." As more companies follow Kettlemans’ lead in listening to employees, personalizing benefits, and fostering authentic workplace cultures, the hope is that the infectious energy described by Purandare will become the norm, not the exception.
For organizations willing to adapt, the path to a more engaged, loyal, and productive workforce is clear—one paved with flexibility, fairness, and a genuine commitment to employee well-being.
