BC's Top Employers (2023)

Discover the search engine that brings you thousands of direct-employer jobs every day – plus exclusive employer reviews from the editors of BC’s Top Employers. Each year, millions of Canadians use Eluta.ca to find hundreds of thousands of new job postings in their field.

Visit us today on your laptop or smartphone.

Now search for hybrid workplace jobs on Eluta!

FIVE-STAR JOB

† For the 12 months ended August 31, 2022, Eluta.ca received 2,009,405 unique visitors (desktop and mobile), who performed 12,445,027 searches. Source: Google Analytics.

BC’S TOP EMPLOYERS

Anthony Meehan, PUBLISHER

Editorial Team:

Richard Yerema, EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Kristina Leung, MANAGING EDITOR

Stephanie Leung, EDITOR

Chantel Watkins, ASSISTANT EDITOR

Juliane Fung, RESEARCH EDITOR

Sonja Verpoort, RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Jing Wang, RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Advertising Team:

Ye Jin Suhe, MANAGER, PUBLISHING

Chariemagne Kuizon, JUNIOR COORDINATOR

Vishnusha Kirupananthan, BRANDING & GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Sabrina Wu, SENIOR CONTENT & PUBLISHING SPECIALIST

Sponsored Profile Writers:

Berton Woodward, SENIOR EDITOR

Brian Bethune

Deb Bourk

Abigail Cukier

Mary Dickie

Don Hauka

Peter Hendra

D’Arcy Jenish

Bruce McDougall

Rick McGinnis

Kelsey Rolfe

Diane Sims

Nora Underwood

Barbara Wickens

© 2023 Mediacorp Canada Inc. and Postmedia. All rights reserved.

BC’S TOP EMPLOYERS is a registered trade mark of Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Editorial inquiries: ct100@mediacorp.ca

beyond just compensation, and to ensure they are seen and heard in the workplace.

With the second-lowest unemployment rate in Canada, British Columbia is experiencing an economic renaissance. For job-seekers, the province’s labour market is white-hot, with strong hiring across almost every economic sector; even BC’s youth unemployment rate, long a source of deep concern, has declined by over two-thirds in the past two years.

At the same time, the pandemic has made employees think differently about work and what the ideal workplace should look like. Hybrid work arrangements and workplace flexibility have moved from something that was seen as a pandemic response to a highly desirable benefit at most workplaces. Employers have been adept at redesigning workflows to accommodate hybrid work, providing their employees with a better work-life balance.

While this has been happening, some forward-thinking employers have been proactive in also making sure remote and hybrid employees stay connected to their workplaces – and to their colleagues. This year’s announcement magazine features an array of fascinating initiatives by employers designed to help employees feel connected, even when they aren’t together physically.

Sometimes, these programs can be as simple as encouraging hybrid and remote employees to connect with each other through virtual lunches or coffee breaks.

Or recognition programs that move beyond compensation to reward employees for a job well done with more time off, or even allowing employees to work from another part of the world for some of the year.

In other cases, employers tailor initiatives to satisfy long-held dreams by employees, with colleagues voting on which merit company financial support. Richmond-based Great Little Box Company has created one such program (‘Dream Outside the Box’) that awards three employees $5,000 each, plus a paid week off, to fulfill a lifelong dream. Two awards are decided by staff vote, with the other chosen by lottery.

Programs like these foster employees’ connection to their workplaces and colleagues, especially when they are working remotely. They ensure employees are seen and heard, particularly when it comes to recognizing their hard work or a job well done.

You’ll find hundreds of additional stories and photos about this year’s winners in our editors’ reasons for selection, which were released this morning at: www.canadastop100.com/bc

If your organization would like to be considered for next year’s competition, please contact our editorial team at: ct100@mediacorp.ca – we’re always interested in hearing from employers that are raising the bar.

Tony Meehan

 BC employers are finding creative new ways to recognize their employees’ contribution,

2023 MAGAZINE

M.CRANE/GETTY

Diverse recruitment strategies needed for B.C. industries

Elevated commodity prices, a resurgence in tourism, a booming real estate market and many other factors characterize British Columbia’s economy, along with the immeasurable benefit of being the province that many newcomers would like to move to.

But a diverse economy also means intense recruitment competition, which, along with high living costs, poses

challenges for recruiters. Fortunately, this year’s winners of BC’s Top Employers competition provide insight into how these challenges are being met. The B.C. competition is organized by the editors of the national Canada’s Top 100 Employers project, who annually single out the employers in B.C. that lead the way in recruitment and retention.

Like the national competition, the editors of BC’s Top Employers annually

release their picks for the best employers. The winners are chosen based on the same criteria as the national competition, including compensation and benefits, work and social atmosphere, the quality of the workplace, training and upward mobility.

Kristina Leung, managing editor at Canada’s Top 100 Employers, points out that the post-pandemic jobs market is characterized by “revolutionary speeds of

change” and that unprecedented demand, the ongoing labour shortages and other factors “mean that much more skill is required in managing the workforce.”

Flexibility leads to empowered employees

TELUS is an iconic B.C. brand, and its success in recruitment is due to many factors, each recognizable as universal workplace objectives. “We help team

Broadening the geographic talent pool has also proven successful

 At TELUS, the longstanding Work Styles program enables employees to work from home, vary their start times, or come into the office to meet colleagues.

RECRUITING STRATEGIES

members get where they want to go through our award-winning career development and coaching culture, our learning and development programs and the opportunity for career mobility,” says Debbie Oster, TELUS’s vice president of talent acquisition and development.

Continued home, vary their start times or come into the office to meet with colleagues.” Remote work provides a larger talent pool

is 31, and they like the ownership of being able to work remotely in our hybrid workplace,” says culture and communication specialist Sally Noble.

with BC Children’s Hospital being a main beneficiary,” says Noble.

TELUS is equally committed to employee health. “We have a strategy that recognizes their physical, psychological, social, financial and environmental wellbeing,” Oster says, adding that the side effects “are positive impacts on innovation and team engagement.”

But of all the recruitment strategies, one of the biggest is flexibility. “Candidates daily cite our commitment to flexibility as one of the big reasons they’re drawn to TELUS,” Oster shares. “Our Work Styles program has been in place for over 16 years and enables our team to work from

Even the most progressive strategies are limited by the number of people in the local talent pool, and the fierce recruitment competition that characterizes many B.C.-based industries opens the door for companies to cast a wider geographical net.

“Having a global footprint and recruiting people from all over the world allows us to create this diverse workforce, and that’s a big part of what makes us successful,” says Liezl de Ridder, people & culture business partner at another B.C. winner, Groundswell Cloud Solutions Inc., which is a Salesforce consultancy.

Global recruitment aligns with Groundswell’s commitment to flexibility.

“The median age of our 100-member staff

Groundswell’s diverse workforce has also heavily influenced retention strategies. “They’re hungry for mentorship, and our New Grad program and other in-house interpersonal skills training address that need,” says de Ridder. “Upskilling is another big trend, and we cover the cost of Salesforce certifications and offer tuition reimbursement.”

Good wages aren’t always enough

Their people also have a desire to give back, hence the development of Groundswell initiatives such as its employee-driven Impact Team. “In addition to three paid volunteer days a year, the Impact Team has an annual budget to support our local community,

 Groundswell employees prepare to paddle board at the company’s annual summer picnic.

“Our Impact Team follows our operating philosophy of recruiting the right people and then enabling them to maximize their potential and trust them to get the work done.”

Leung says that while flexibility is a must for any type of employer, it should be part of a greater package of benefits: “Companies realize that a wide variety of strategies are necessary to attract and retain the best talent.”

As the work world continues to move further away from the dark days of the pandemic, the ingredients that have always enabled employers to stand out from the crowd are more important than ever. Good wages are one thing, but initiatives that make jobs meaningful and workplaces desirable are what really drive recruitment — and inspire loyalty.

– Robin Brunet

 CPABC organizes an annual ‘month of giving’ challenge and paid time off to volunteer in the community.

The following organizations have been chosen as BC’s Top Employers for 2023 (employee count refers to full-time staff):

ALIDA INC., Vancouver. Customer intelligence software; 290 employees. Offers paid family leave to help employees balance work and their personal commitments, up to five days off each year.

AQUATIC INFORMATICS ULC, Vancouver. Computer software; 87 employees. Revised its time-off policies to include three floating holidays that can be used to celebrate personal or cultural traditions and holidays.

ARROW TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

INC., Vancouver. Transportation, shipping and logistics; 1,060 employees. Launched a

new mental health benefit to provide coverage for marriage and family therapists, clinical counsellors, psychotherapists, and social workers.

AUSENCO ENGINEERING CANADA INC., Burnaby. Engineering services; 530 employees. Implemented a new parental leave program in 2022, offering top-up of 100 per cent of salary for 12 weeks for primary caregivers.

BC ASSESSMENT, Victoria. Property tax assessments; 683 employees. Invests in ongoing employee education with generous tuition subsidies for courses taken externally, to $7,500 per year.

BC CENTRE FOR ABILITY, Vancouver. Individual and family services; 94

employees. Created coaching and professional development plans to help employees manage career goals and progression.

BC CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION, Vancouver. Social advocacy organizations; 103 employees. Provides subsidized access to onsite child care at its head office.

BC FINANCIAL SERVICES AUTHORITY / BCFSA, Vancouver. Provincial government, financial regulation; 330 employees. Maintains a generous top-up program for new parents, ranging from 35 weeks to a full year of paid leave.

BC HOUSING MANAGEMENT COMMISSION, Burnaby. Administration of housing programs; 952 employees.

Offers substantial training on a variety of diversity topics, including respect in the workplace, unconscious bias, and anti-racism.

BC HYDRO, Vancouver. Hydroelectric power generation; 6,533 employees. Maintains the Power Pioneers group to keep retirees connected through social events and volunteer activities.

BC PENSION CORP., Victoria. Pension funds; 641 employees. Offers 10 paid personal days, enabling employees to take time for household emergencies, illness, or other personal matters.

BC PUBLIC SERVICE, Victoria. Provincial government; 33,041 employees. Hosts an annual Learn @ Work week to inspire employees to invest in their learning.

2023 WINNERS Continued

BC TRANSIT, Victoria. Public transit; 1,024 employees. Shows appreciation for its people through the Recognizing Excellence and Values program, featuring peer-nominated awards and instant recognition with redeemable points.

BEEDIE, Burnaby. Real estate development; 351 employees. Offers generous referral bonuses for employees who help recruit friends, to $5,000 for successful hires.

BEST BUY CANADA LTD., Vancouver. Retail; 5,214 employees. Introduced a mental wellness hub on its corporate intranet and expanded coverage for mental health services to include psychotherapy.

BINARY STREAM SOFTWARE INC., Burnaby. Computer software; 84 employees. Manages a points-based recognition program called SPICE to encourage employees to recognize their peers for a job well done.

BLACK & WHITE ZEBRA INDUSTRIES INC., Vancouver. Public relations agencies; 20 employees. Offers hybrid and remote work options and provides $3,000 to help cover the costs of home office set-up.

BRITISH COLUMBIA AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION / BCAA, Burnaby. Professional organizations; 1,214 employees. Enables employees to work remotely within Canada for up to two weeks each year through a new Workaway program.

BRITISH COLUMBIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY / BCIT, Burnaby. Post-secondary education; 2,368 employees. Introduced a wellness champion network to promote a culture of wellness and resilience.

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT CORP. / BCI, Victoria. Portfolio management; 608 employees. Offers generous maternity and parental leave top-up for new mothers, to 85 per cent of salary for a full year.

BRITISH COLUMBIA LIQUOR DISTRIBUTION BRANCH, Burnaby. Liquor and cannabis distribution and retail; 2,973 employees. Encourages employees to put their health first with no formal limit on annual paid sick time.

BRITISH COLUMBIA LOTTERY CORPORATION / BCLC, Kamloops. Gambling and gaming industries; 1,003

employees. Provides essential equipment for remote work as well as the chance to purchase ergonomic chairs at the cost of $1.

BRITISH COLUMBIA MARITIME EMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION / BCMEA, Vancouver. Industry associations; 86 employees. Provides health benefits that extend to retirees, with no age limit and 100 per cent premium coverage.

BRITISH COLUMBIA UTILITIES COMMISSION, Vancouver. Provincial utilities regulation; 92 employees. Increased maximums for its health spending account and wellness spending account, to $900 and $500 respectively.

CALABRIO, INC., Vancouver. Software developers; 54 employees. Encourages employees to be active in the community with paid time off to volunteer, up to two days annually.

CANADIAN UNION OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES BRITISH COLUMBIA / CUPE BC, Burnaby. Labour unions; 9

employees. Requires employees to create two to four self-care objectives as part of their annual performance plan.

CANFOR CORPORATION, Vancouver. Forest products; 4,379 employees. Cultivates the next generation of talent with summer student roles, co-op opportunities, in-house apprenticeships and paid internships.

CAPILANO UNIVERSITY, North Vancouver. Post-secondary education; 626 employees. Offers paid educational leave in support of ongoing education, ranging from two to 52 weeks depending on employee group.

CENTURY GROUP LANDS CORP., New Westminster. Real estate development and management; 82 employees. Recently implemented a maternity leave top-up policy, providing new mothers with 100 per cent of salary for up to 15 weeks.

CHARTERED PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANTS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA / CPABC, Vancouver. Professional organizations; 139 employees.

Maintains a transit reimbursement program, reimbursing up to 75 per cent of monthly public transit passes.

CLIO, Burnaby. Computer software; 708 employees. Offers compassionate leave top-up for those called upon to care for a loved one, to 100 per cent of salary for up to 16 weeks.

COAST CAPITAL SAVINGS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, Surrey. Credit unions; 1,712 employees. Donated an impressive 6,000 volunteer hours on company time in the past year.

COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, THE, Vancouver. Professional organizations; 165 employees. Employees have the ability to extend their time out of office by combining up to four weeks of remote work with vacation time.

COMMUNITY LIVING BC, Vancouver. Community services; 598 employees. Provides excellent maternity and parental leave top-up payments for new mothers, to 75 per cent of salary for a full year.

 BCAA enables employees to work remotely within Canada for up to two weeks each year through a new Workaway program.

2023 WINNERS

Continued

CONCERT PROPERTIES LTD., Vancouver. Real estate development; 574 employees. Offers up to to five additional bonus days off per year as a reward for exceptional performance.

CONETEC INVESTIGATIONS LTD., Burnaby. Geotechnical engineering services; 247 employees. Encourages employees to adopt an ownership culture through a share purchase plan, available to all employees.

COPPERLEAF TECHNOLOGIES INC., Vancouver. Specialized computer software; 301 employees. Approximately 95 per cent of employees have the option to work remotely and receive an annual OfficeFlex credit of $500 for home office expenses.

COQUITLAM, CITY OF, Coquitlam. Municipal governments; 955 employees. Helps employees plan securely for the future with generous contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.

DELTA POLICE DEPARTMENT, Delta. Police services; 289 employees. Recently revised its top-up policy to provide new mothers with 95 per cent of salary for up to 52 weeks.

DEXCOM CANADA, CO., Burnaby. Specialized medical equipment; 96 employees. Employees can earn cash incentives for wellness-related expenses by participating in the company’s wellness program.

DLA PIPER (CANADA) LLP, Vancouver. Law firms; 505 employees. Helps make mental health services more accessible with coverage of up to $3,000 annually as part of its benefits plan.

DOUGLAS COLLEGE, New Westminster. Post-secondary education; 1,152 employees. Offers the convenience of onsite child care for employees with young children.

DP WORLD CANADA INC., Burnaby. Deep sea freight transportation; 272

employees. Matches employee donations to a maximum of $1,000 per year.

ENGINEERS AND GEOSCIENTISTS BC, Burnaby. Professional organizations; 116 employees. Helps employees save for life after work with matching RSP contributions.

ETRO CONSTRUCTION LTD., Burnaby. Construction management; 66 employees. Maintains a “Wall of 100” display at head office to showcase plaques and photos of employees who have achieved their five-year milestone.

FAMILY INSURANCE SOLUTIONS INC., Vancouver. Insurance agencies and brokerages; 74 employees. Supports employee volunteerism with two paid days off to volunteer each year.

FIRST CREDIT UNION, Powell River. Credit unions; 73 employees. Rewards exceptional performance with points that

can be used for local business gift cards or personal spending account dollars.

FISPAN SERVICES INC., Vancouver. Software development; 122 employees. Offers a bonus week of vacation for employees celebrating five years of service.

FRASER HEALTH AUTHORITY, Surrey. Hospitals; 13,686 employees. Allows employees nearing retirement to gradually reduce their hours with phased-in work options.

FRESH PREP FOODS INC., Vancouver. Food processing; 431 employees. Supports new mom, dads and adoptive parents with generous maternity and parental top-up payments, to 100 per cent of salary for up to 24 weeks.

GEOCOMPLY SOLUTIONS INC., Vancouver. Computer systems; 85 employees. Organizes a number of social events throughout the year, including a city-wide scavenger hunt aptly known as “GeoCaching”.

GREATER VANCOUVER FOOD BANK, Burnaby. Food banks; 55 employees. Encourages employees to put their health first with up to 10 paid sick days annually.

GREAT LITTLE BOX COMPANY LTD., Richmond. Corrugated and solid fibre box manufacturing; 478 employees. Manages a unique Dream Outside the Box Program, granting three employees $5,000 each as well as a paid week off to fulfill lifelong dreams.

GROUNDSWELL CLOUD SOLUTIONS INC., Vancouver. Cloud-based software services; 84 employees. Employees can work from home up to 80 per cent of the year and receive a work-from-home allowance of $800.

HOOTSUITE INC., Vancouver. Social media management software; 835 employees. Offers four weeks of starting vacation allowance, moving to five weeks after only four years on-the-job.

HUDSON PACIFIC PROPERTIES, Vancouver. Real estate development; 24 employees. Encourages employee volunteerism, providing up to four paid days off to volunteer each year.

ICBC / INSURANCE CORPORATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, North Vancouver. Automobile insurance; 5,875 employees. Supports parents with older kids through

 BCIT supports new parents with generous maternity and parental leave top-up (to 75 per cent of salary).

S.MCALPINE/BCIT

2023

2023 WINNERS

Continued an academic scholarship program for children of employees up to $2,000 per child per year.

INTERFOR CORP., Burnaby. Sawmills; 904 employees. Provides academic scholarships for children of employees, to $2,000 per child.

INTERIOR HEALTH AUTHORITY, Kelowna. Hospitals; 18,555 employees. Helps employees prepare for life after work with retirement planning assistance and generous contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.

IQMETRIX, Vancouver. Computer software; 368 employees. Encourages employees to put their health first with an unlimited paid sick day policy.

ISLAND HEALTH, Victoria. Hospitals; 11,544 employees. Maintains the Celebration of Excellence Program to enable employees to recognize peers for their contributions and achievements.

JACOB BROS. CONSTRUCTION

INC., Surrey. Construction; 308 employees. Helps employees achieve their fitness goals with free access to an onsite facility at the company’s head office.

KNIGHT PIÉSOLD LTD., Vancouver. Engineering consulting services; 163 employees. Helps employees gain international experience through a global career development program.

KWANTLEN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, Surrey. Post-secondary education; 1,340 employees. Supports employees who are new mothers with generous maternity and parental leave top-up, to 75 per cent of salary for a full year.

LANDSURE SYSTEMS LTD., Vancouver. Electronic land registration and information systems; 80 employees. Offers the option to purchase an additional week of paid time off.

LAND TITLE AND SURVEY AUTHORITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, Victoria. Land title and land survey systems; 112 employees. Provides a health spending account of up to $550, allowing employees to top up coverage as needed.

LAW SOCIETY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, THE, Vancouver. Professional associations; 221 employees.  Together, Coast

Capital employees donated

6,000 volunteer hours in the past year.

 Capilano University offers paid educational leave in support of ongoing education.

2023 WINNERS

Helps employees shore up savings for retirement with matching RSP contributions.

LAWSON LUNDELL LLP, Vancouver. Law firms; 360 employees. Offers generous referral bonuses as an incentive for employees to recruit friends, providing up to $10,000 for successful hires.

LEDCOR GROUP OF COMPANIES, Vancouver. Construction; 6,873 employees. Doubled its mental health coverage to $1,500 annually and includes certified Canadian counsellors or registered clinical counsellors as part of its coverage.

MCELHANNEY LTD., Vancouver. Engineering, surveying and mapping services; 1,041 employees. Leverages employee feedback when reviewing its benefits and maintains a three-year well-being strategy.

MEC MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT COMPANY LTD., Vancouver. Retail stores; 693 employees. Developed a formal wellness program with monthly workshops on physical, mental and financial wellness.

METHANEX CORPORATION, Vancouver. Chemical manufacturing; 263 employees. Offers an international mobility program, enabling employees to work at offices worldwide for terms ranging from three months to four years in duration.

MOSAIC FOREST MANAGEMENT CORP., Vancouver. Forestry; 160 employees. Makes donations to charitable organizations where employees volunteer their time, to $300 for every 10 hours volunteered.

MOTT MACDONALD CANADA LIMITED, Vancouver. Engineering services; 240 employees. Employees have subsidized access to an onsite fitness facility with a swimming pool, squash and racquetball courts, pilates studio, and personal trainers.

NATURE’S PATH FOODS, INC., Richmond. Food manufacturing; 247 employees. Hosts an annual health and wellness week featuring yoga classes, holistic nutritionists and biometric screenings.

NICOLA WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD., Vancouver. Investment management; 396 employees. Maintains an

 Employees and family compete at ETRO Construction’s annual summer games.

 Members of Dexcom Canada’s marketing team meeting to brainstorm ideas.

DEXCOM ETRO

2023 WINNERS

Continued

internal Nicola Gives Back charitable committee and matches employee donations to a maximum of $500 per year.

NORTH VANCOUVER, CORPORATION OF THE DISTRICT OF, North Vancouver. Legislative bodies; 569 employees. Sponsors a dedicated health and wellness team responsible for coordinating wellness workshops, mental health training, and yoga classes.

OPPENHEIMER GROUP, Coquitlam. Fresh fruits and vegetable distribution; 141 employees. Lets employees share in the company’s success through year-end bonus and profit-sharing programs.

PERKINS&WILL CANADA ARCHITECTS CO., Vancouver. Architectural services; 221 employees. Reaches out to the next generation of talent through paid internships, summer employment, apprenticeships and formal mentoring programs.

PHOENIX LABS, Burnaby. Video game developer; 197 employees. Helps employees save for the future with matching RSP contributions.

PLENTYOFFISH MEDIA ULC, Vancouver. Dating websites; 131 employees. Supports employees who want to start a family with maternity and parental leave top-up for new parents, to 100 per cent of salary for up to 12 weeks.

PREVUE HR SYSTEMS INC., Vancouver. Software; 23 employees. Encourages employees to become recruiters with new employee referral bonuses, ranging from $500 to $3,000 depending on the position.

PRINCE RUPERT PORT AUTHORITY, Prince Rupert. Port authorities; 83 employees. Offers leadership development programs for employees interested in advancing in their careers.

QHR TECHNOLOGIES INC., Kelowna. Computer systems design services; 558 employees. Cultivates an ownership mentality through a share purchase plan, available to all employees.

QUADIENT ACCOUNTS PAYABLE BY BEANWORKS, Vancouver. Computer software; 127 employees. Offers hybrid and flexible work options and provides a monthly reimbursement of $50 for home

 Methanex offers an international mobility program, where employees can work at offices worldwide for varying lengths.

 MEC staff prepare for a climb in Squamish.

M.KOOTNIKOFF/MEC

B.IVERSON/METHANEX

2023 WINNERS

Continued office expenses.

RECYCLESMART SOLUTIONS INC., Richmond. Waste treatment and disposal; 85 employees. Considers previous work experience when setting individual vacation entitlements.

R.F. BINNIE & ASSOCIATES LTD., Burnaby. Engineering services; 253 employees. Created a return-to-work program with employee feedback in mind and offers hybrid and flexible work options.

SAANICH, DISTRICT OF, Victoria. Municipal governments; 729 employees. Helps employees save for the longer term with generous contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.

SAANICH POLICE DEPARTMENT, Victoria. Police services; 242 employees. Supports a number of local and national charitable initiatives each year and encourages employees to give back with paid time off to volunteer.

SAP CANADA INC., Vancouver. Custom computer programming services; 3,325 employees. Offers support for family planning, providing coverage for fertility treatments and drugs if needed as well as an adoption subsidy of up to $10,000.

SAVE-ON-FOODS LIMITED

PARTNERSHIP, Vancouver. Supermarkets and grocery stores; 10,563 employees. Helps employees save on their day-to-day grocery bills through an employee discount program.

SILVERCHEF RENTALS INC., Vancouver. Commercial equipment wholesalers; 52 employees. Provides a health and lifestyle spending account which can be used for wide range of expenses such as ski passes, monthly parking and public transit, and pet care.

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY, Burnaby. Post-secondary education; 3,432 employees. Generous time-off policies include four weeks of starting vacation allowance and additional paid time off during the winter holidays.

SKILLEDTRADESBC, Richmond. Industry training and certifications; 136 employees. Manages a formal earned days off program for those interested in working a little extra for additional time off.

 Kaleb, a gateway operator at Prince Rupert Port Authority.

 Oppenheimer Group employees prepare for the fall cranberry harvest.

2023 WINNERS

SOPHOS INC., Vancouver. Custom computer programming services; 436 employees. Maintains a remote-first work model that lets employees set their onsite work schedules with their teams.

ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL, Vancouver. Elementary and secondary schools; 250 employees. Invests in employee education, offering generous tuition subsidies of up to $7,500 for courses taken at outside institutions.

SURREY SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 36, Surrey. Elementary and secondary schools; 10,194 employees. Helps employees plan securely for the future with generous contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.

TECK RESOURCES LIMITED, Vancouver. Mining; 8,944 employees. Generously matches charitable donations made by employees, to a maximum of $3,000 annually.

TELUS COMMUNICATIONS INC., Vancouver. Telecommunications; 25,474 employees. Established a formal work-from-home strategy in 2006 which includes a $1,000 expense to help employees cover the costs of home office set-up.

THINKIFIC LABS INC., Vancouver. Online learning software; 479 employees. Flexible work program includes the option to work from anywhere, as well as a home office budget of up to $1,500.

TRANSLINK (SOUTH COAST BRITISH COLUMBIA TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY), New Westminster. Public transit; 7,748 employees. Supports new mothers with maternity leave top-up payments and offers the option to extend their paid leave into an unpaid leave of absence.

TURNER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY LTD., Vancouver. Construction; 139 employees. Manages a reduced summer hours program featuring a company-paid early shutdown every Friday afternoon between the end of May and the end of August.

TYBO CONTRACTING LTD., Langley. Construction; 172 employees. Provides academic scholarships for children of employees who are pursuing post-secondary studies, to $2,500 per child per year.

 The junior school principal of St. George’s School greets students as they arrive.

 Kicking up good times at the Saanich Police Department’s annual polar plunge fundraiser.

SAANICH POLICE

ROB NEWELL/ ST.GEORGE

2023 WINNERS Continued

UBC / UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, Vancouver. Post-secondary education; 15,365 employees. Hosts the annual Thrive Week campaign to encourage healthy lifestyles and offers generous coverage for mental health practitioners, up to $2,500 annually.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA, Prince George. Postsecondary education; 595 employees. Provides generous maternity and parental leave top-up payments for new parents along with the convenience of an onsite child care centre when they’re ready to return to work.

UNIVERSITY OF THE FRASER VALLEY / UFV, Abbotsford. Post-secondary education; 902 employees. Offers its employees a range of flexible work options and sought employee feedback when developing an updated hybrid work strategy for post-pandemic working.

UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA, Victoria. Post-secondary education; 3,399 employees. Offers subsidized memberships to an onsite fitness facility that features everything from tennis, squash and badminton courts to a climbing centre and a multi-purpose field house.

VANCOUVER, CITY OF, Vancouver. Municipal governments; 8,127 employees. Encourages ongoing employee development throughout their careers, from paid internships and apprenticeships to tuition subsidies for courses at outside academic institutions.

VANCOUVER CITY SAVINGS CREDIT

UNION, Vancouver. Credit unions; 2,423 employees. Provides generous maternity and parental leave top-ups to 85 per cent of salary for 76 weeks for new moms and to 85 per cent of salary for 61 weeks for new dads and adoptive parents.

VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH,

Vancouver. Hospitals; 18,936 employees. Encourages employees to focus on all aspects of their health through formal wellness programs, coaching, regular wellness sessions and team mini-grants in support of their wellness initiatives.

VANCOUVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE / VCC, Vancouver. Post-secondary education; 875 employees. Offers retirement planning assistance services

along with generous contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.

VANCOUVER FOUNDATION, Vancouver. Non-profit grantmaking foundations; 53 employees. Introduced a formal hybrid work program that lets employees split their time between the office and home, along with the option to live and work anywhere in the province.

VANCOUVER FRASER PORT AUTHORITY, Vancouver. Port authorities; 452 employees. Helps its new parents with maternity and parental leave top-up payments available to moms, dads and adoptive parents along with the option to extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence.

VANCOUVER ISLAND UNIVERSITY, Nanaimo. Post-secondary education; 890 employees. Helps employees plan ahead with retirement planning assistance

services along with the security of a defined benefit pension plan.

VARD MARINE INC., Vancouver. Marine engineering; 98 employees. Offers a formal hybrid work-from-home program that includes a one-time $300 payment and an annual $100 subsidy to ensure employees have a proper home office set-up.

VEGA, Burnaby. Nutritional supplement manufacturing; 131 employees. Helps employees find balance between their work and personal lives through an unlimited paid vacation policy.

VENTANA CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION, Burnaby. Commercial construction; 173 employees. Offers generous new employee referral bonuses when employees successfully recruit new candidates, from $800 to $5,000 depending on the position.

VICTORIA AIRPORT AUTHORITY, North Saanich. Airport operations; 53 employees. Offers tuition subsidies for academic courses along with the option to apply for an unpaid educational leave of absence for full-time studies.

WESGROUP EQUIPMENT LP, Surrey. Industrial machinery and equipment distribution; 188 employees. Reaches out to the next generation of employees through apprenticeships and formal mentoring programs.

WEST FRASER TIMBER CO. LTD., Vancouver. Sawmills; 5,880 employees. As part of their flexible health plan, employees can transfer unused health coverage to their salary, savings or take as additional paid time off.

– Richard Yerema & Kristina Leung

 On site at Teck’s steelmaking coal operations in Elkford.

1. Thinkific Labs’ flexible work program includes the option to work from anywhere.

2. Mechanics at TransLink keep the bus fleet running smoothly.

PHOTOS (FROM TOP TO BOTTOM):

Match your degree or diploma with employers that recruit new grads with your academic background

Published annually since 1992, The Career Directory is Canada’s longest-running and best-loved career guide for new graduates.

Each year, our editorial team reviews thousands of employers to determine the academic qualifications they seek in younger job-seekers.

The result is a wonderful, free guide that helps new graduates find student jobs that make the most of their university degree or college diploma.

CareerDirectory.ca Match your degree or diploma with employers that actively recruit new grads with your educational qualifications!

PHOTOS (FROM CLOCKWISE):

1. Vancouver Coastal Health offers a variety of formal wellness programs.

2. A science instructional assistant at Vancouver Community College conducts a lab demo.

3. Doug Doig, granting director at Vancouver Foundation, in conversation with a colleague.

Remote work rules in B.C.

Flexibility and collaboration drive recruitment on the West Coast

Arguably more than other Canadian provinces, British Columbia’s natural beauty has resulted in an intense focus on lifestyle opportunities regarding recruitment and retention.

This focus dovetails nicely with the remote working trend — especially in the tech sector, as evidenced by some of the winners of this year’s BC’s Top Employers competition.

Richard Yerema, executive editor at the competition, says, “B.C. is almost its own country with its diversity of business and

industry as well as spectacular natural attributes. But it’s not the B.C. of my parents’ generation.”

What he means is that thanks to remote working, there are all kinds of policies and support for new talent who may want to work for a large urban company but in the comfort of a rural community.

At software company Quadient Accounts Payable Automation by Beanworks, flexibility is a key to flourishing in what people and culture manager Kristen Gameau describes as “an extremely competitive industry in a province that is internationally recognized

as a tech hub.”

She continues, “Remote working for us is big, it’s increasing and it’s an expectation going forward.”

While remote working is a lure for talent wanting to live where they choose, it also enables employers to make the world their recruitment pool. “We not only hire across the province but across Canada and beyond,” Gameau says of her 142-member company. “Last year, we also began utilizing the government’s BC Tech Pilot Program, which enables us to hire and obtain permanent residency for tech talent from India, Pakistan, Singapore and other

countries that view our neck of the woods as a desirable work-lifestyle location.”

Gameau cites another reason why remote learning is an important consideration for any B.C.-based company, not just tech: “While big cities like Vancouver are desirable, the high cost of living is beyond the means of many potential employees; remote options allow them to match their location to their budget.”

Flexibility in B.C. extends to municipal governments such as the District of Saanich, another one of this year’s winners, which has a workforce of about

 Quadient Accounts Payable by Beanworks reimburses $50 monthly for home office expenses.

REMOTE WORK RULES Continued

1,400 people. “Remote work options have become a key consideration,” says Sheila Allen, director of corporate services. “Saanich has implemented a permanent remote work program, with emphasis on trust, flexibility, connection and collaboration. This is part of a broader flexible workplace strategy, which includes where, when and in some ways how people work.”

Of course, this is backed by many other strategies. “We’re building a broader and more diverse candidate pool by engaging with local organizations and enhancing our promotion and online presence,” says Allen. Additionally, surveys such as the 2021 Your Experience at Saanich have proven vital in highlighting the District’s strengths and areas of improvement.

A unique labour arrangement has also allowed Saanich to bolster its workforce. Allen explains, “In 2020, changes in our CUPE Collective Agreement were made to limit the use of casual and temporary status, resulting in more than 60 conversions of casual and seasonal staff to permanent status.”

– Robin Brunet

PHOTOS (FROM TOP TO BOTTOM):

1. Instruction for a chemistry program at Vancouver Island University.

2. An automotive refinishing instructor guides students at Vancouver Community College in the paint booth.

Learning and purpose flow through Aquatic Informatics

When Amber Jelly heard about an opening on the marketing team at Aquatic Informatics ULC, she leapt at the chance to join the company.

Only two years out of a master’s program in publishing at Simon Fraser University, Jelly had been responsible in her previous position for communications and marketing for a non-profit association representing water and wastewater professionals in B.C. and Yukon.

“I’d been drawn to water,” she says, “and I wanted to know more about it, especially the technological tools to manage water more effectively.”

In Aquatic Informatics, she found exactly what she’d been looking for.

The company creates software to organize data on source water, drinking water and municipal and industrial wastewater. Organizations use the software to improve water data integrity, streamline regulatory compliance

and strengthen resilience. Founded in 2003, the company now serves customers in 60 countries.

Not only does the company operate in the area of water management that Jelly wanted to know more about, it also maintains a culture that corresponds to Jelly’s personal values.

“Before I joined the company, I watched a video in which management talked about the company’s mission,” she says. “I was inspired by what they described.”

“That mission hasn’t changed,” says Deborah Ardila, senior director of human resources. “To protect life with open and timely water information, by organizing the world’s water data, and

empowering industry experts to make data-driven, smart decisions.”

Since its acquisition in 2020 by the Danaher Corporation, the company has defined its focus even more clearly, says Ardila, bringing software, hardware and services together to accelerate the digitization of water data management.

For Jelly, the company’s plan to focus on solving key challenges for customers streamlines her role, as well.

“We’re getting more defined in our marketing,” she says. “That’s good for me, because I won’t have to be a master of all products.”

As the company’s marketing campaign specialist, Jelly is responsible for its presence on

social media. She edits videos and manages the company’s website. “No day looks the same,” she says. Nor has Jelly stopped acquiring new skills and new knowledge about her role and her industry.

Over her first year at the company, she enrolled in a business-tobusiness contact course at the University of British Columbia. She participated in several in-house marketing workshops.

“And I’ve been assigned to tasks that I’ve never done before,” she says.

These include pursuing paid search campaigns to enhance the company’s online presence, supporting the organization of conferences, and conducting

 Aquatic Informatics employees at a water quality conference and exhibition.

“I’d been drawn to water, and I wanted to know more about it, especially the technological tools to manage water more effectively.”

— Amber Jelly Marketing Campaign Specialist

data analytics for the company, working regularly with the parent company’s data analytics team.

“My manager gives me the opportunity to take responsibility for projects,” she says.

Aquatic Informatics has a formal learning management system, says Ardila, which includes

thousands of courses delivered online or face-to-face. It also gives employees an opportunity to take leadership development courses in areas such as effective leadership and coaching.

“Whatever connected development an associate wants, we can provide,” she says.

At the same time, employees like Jelly help each other in acquiring new skills, and that support extends beyond her five-person marketing team to include other areas of the company.

“I’m learning from my peers,” she says, “but I also work a lot with salespeople and with one of

our vice-presidents on security webinars.

“Knowledge sharing is really important here,” she continues. “Everyone has their own expertise, so we’re always learning from everyone else. After all, the more you collaborate, the better you can perform your role.”

 Aquatic Informatics provides software solutions that address critical water management challenges.

BC Assessment values people, places and purpose

As an appraiser with BC Assessment (BCA), Ashley BlackHarden works for a Crown corporation with a unique role in the province. Its core mandate is to create and maintain accurate, complete and up-to-date information on all properties in British Columbia and share that information with property owners and various tax authorities.

Black-Harden, like other BCA employees, is proud of her public sector role supporting B.C.’s communities. The fact her work is challenging and changes throughout the year only adds to her job satisfaction.

“We do different tasks depending on the season,” says Black-Harden. “Whether you’re verifying data or dealing with inquiries from the public, I love the fact that you’re not doing the same thing every day.”

Over time, municipalities had created their own assessment organizations so that by 1973 there were 140 of them, all using different criteria. In response to growing public demand for reform, the government established BCA in 1974 as a modern, professional property assessment authority with fair and uniform standards.

In keeping with expert advice, property assessments were also

clearly separated from property taxation. So, despite a popular misconception, BCA does not send out property tax notices. It shares its information with municipal and regional governments and the provincial government which determine the property tax rates.

Today, BCA is the trusted provider of property assessments that’s recognized as a global leader in its field. And each year, employees in 14 offices assess over two million properties with a total real estate value of close to $2.5 trillion.

“Our people are really proud of the work they do in support of communities and their finances,” says Susan Wood, vice president, people. “Our extensive appraisal expertise provides a stable, unbiased base for generating over $8 billion in tax revenues that goes toward parks, roads, hospitals and other services and infrastructure people rely on every day.”

Wood adds that she aspires for her colleagues in human resources, as well as employees in communications, finance and IT services, to all see the connection

between their work and the public good.

Indeed, it was BCA’s singular type of public service that inspired Wood to leave a 14-year career with the B.C. government and join the organization in Victoria in June 2021.

“There has to be a purpose to the work I do that resonates with me,” she says. “I passed by a new school recently and it felt really good knowing we helped that community to build it.”

On board at BCA, Wood found plenty more to like. She says she

 BC Assessment offers various opportunities for employees to develop and grow in their careers.

“Our people are really proud of the work they do in support of communities.”

— Susan Wood Vice President, People

was impressed to learn that over a five-year period, 78 per cent of job openings were filled through internal promotions.

That clearly demonstrates employees have plenty of opportunities to develop and grow in their careers at BCA, she says. It also tells her, Wood adds, that BCA

has a collegial workplace where employees are committed to both life-long learning and supporting one another.

Black-Harden, who joined BCA in Vancouver in November 2021 after working in the private sector, says all the coaching and mentorship is a new experience

for her. “It’s a safe learning environment,” she adds. “Everyone’s prepared to help you out when you need it.”

As well, BCA is paying her tuition for a post-graduate certificate that represents another key step in her career path. In fact, Black-Harden says, working

for BCA had been a long-term goal thanks in part to its highly regarded benefits package. And then there’s the work itself.

“The mass appraisal concept is really interesting,” she says. “I feel very proud knowing I’ve played a part in ensuring funds are distributed equally.” 

 BC Assessment provides a safe learning environment for employees to support one another.

BC Financial Services Authority is creating its future

The opportunity to work for a new Crown agency was too good to pass up for Saskia Tolsma. In 2020, she left a fulfilling job in Ottawa to lead stakeholder engagement at BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA). In 2022, Tolsma’s role increased to include accountability for policy matters.

In line with best practices, the provincial government announced its intention in 2019 to create a new Crown agency to oversee B.C.’s financial services sector. BCFSA was officially launched on Nov. 12, 2019, with a focus on ensuring confidence in the sector.

BCFSA’s accountabilities have continued to grow over the years, including the integration of B.C.’s real estate regulators into BCFSA in 2021. BCFSA now oversees pension plans, mortgage brokers,

real estate services, real estate development marketing, financial institutions (credit unions and insurance and trust companies) and B.C.’s deposit insurance regime.

With its focus on the overall financial services sector, departments are now organized by function, such as policy and market conduct, rather than by the different segments that make up the sector, Tolsma says.

“We’re tearing down silos and building something new,” she says.

“There’s new leadership and a lot of fresh thinking about the organization, about what we do, why we do it and how we do it.”

The opportunity to create a new department within the organization played a key role in Tolsma’s decision to leave a career with the federal Finance Department in Ottawa. She is the first to hold her position, which didn’t exist until she joined.

BCFSA has a broad mandate, ranging from policy to education to licensing to discipline. As a result, it hires diverse individuals with expertise in fields such as law, corporate accounting, investigation, information management, policy development and communications.

Tolsma says that means those committed to public service have

many ways to make a difference. Further opportunities to protect consumers will also emerge as BCFSA evolves to keep pace with a rapidly changing financial services sector in B.C. and beyond, she adds.

“We’re going to need all sorts of different competencies,” she says. “You want to apply quantum analysis? Investigate the future of cryptocurrency? Great – go for it!”

Investigator Candice Duncan has also experienced BCFSA’s evolution first-hand. She was working for the then Real Estate Council of British Columbia (RECBC) in 2016 when the province turned the self-regulatory

 Saskia Tolsma, vice president, policy and stakeholder engagement, at BCFSA.

“We’re tearing down silos and building something new. There’s new leadership and a lot of fresh thinking about the organization, about what we do, why we do it and how we do it.”

— Saskia Tolsma Vice President, Policy and Stakeholder Engagement

agency into a government body. The restructuring was the first in a series of measures that ultimately resulted in BCFSA’s current makeup.

“At RECBC, long-time employees said it felt like family,” Duncan says. “This has continued at BCFSA with a workplace where

everyone is still very caring and supportive of one another.”

Duncan, who works in compliance and enforcement –until recently real estate market conduct – says she can also now get help from colleagues with diverse types of expertise.

She also has the flexibility to

do her job, while maintaining work-life balance. As much of BCFSA’s transformation occurred during the pandemic, BCFSA has adopted a flexible model where employees can work at home or in the office. Duncan works out of the Vancouver head office, for instance, while Tolsma is

in Victoria.

Duncan adds that while she’s not expected in the office for routine work, employees are sometimes asked to come in for various team-building events.

Tolsma explains why: “Teambuilding,” she says, “is mission critical.” 

 The restructuring of BCFSA provides opportunities for diverse individuals with expertise in different fields, such as Candice Duncan.

BC Housing employees value making a difference

When Jennifer Breakspear began interviews for a job at the BC Housing Management Commission last spring, she couldn’t help but notice how much emphasis was placed on being committed to the core purpose of the organization.

Breakspear, who began working as its associate vice-president of housing and service delivery in April, quickly understood just why this was so important. “We’re looking for people who want to contribute, who want to be part of the solution, who want to make a difference,” she says.

“We want folks who feel that it’s important that they’re contributing to the issue of housing in B.C.”

Known as BC Housing, the commission is a Crown agency based in Burnaby and tasked with managing subsidized housing across the province. It requires every kind of skill set from its people, from finance, real estate development, health services and tenant support to maintenance, planning, groundskeeping, IT and building management.

“We have an incredibly diverse group of employees at BC Housing

doing a wide range of jobs,” says Stacey Lee, vice-president of human resources, who can talk about some 400 different job descriptions in an organization of just over 1,000 people.

“We have a lot of movement in our organization. Even in this period of rapid growth, we’re filling about 50 per cent of our positions internally and about 50

per cent with new, external hires,” Lee says.

As a new hire, Breakspear noted that when employees introduced themselves to her for the first time, they would always talk about how long they’d been with the organization, and that longevity was a point of pride. “I think that speaks well of the organization,” she says.

With so much internal hiring, Breakspear adds, there are abundant opportunities for internal training as well as informal coaching, which is available for anyone no matter where they started. “It may not even have been where they thought they were going when they started with the commission.”

In addition to the strong

 BC Housing employees support community organizations through volunteering and fundraising efforts.

“We’re looking for people who want to contribute, who want to be part of the solution.”

— Jennifer Breakspear

Associate Vice-President of Housing and Service Delivery

sense of mission, Lee says new employees are drawn to how the organization has embraced hybrid work. “We have remarkable workplace flexibility, particularly for a Crown agency in our sector,” says Lee. “We are truly hybrid with some employees on site, some teleworking, and most doing a

hybrid of both. We are renovating spaces for drop-in workspaces and freeing up more room for purpose-designed collaboration, meeting and training spaces.”

Lee says the importance of coaching in their workplace culture is key to keeping employees informed and engaged.

“Our employees are very much connected to the ‘why’ of what we do. No matter what role you play in this organization, you know that every single day, your work is about ensuring we’re improving the systems of housing and services in this province,” she says.

“Whether they are working

directly in the community, or working in one of our offices, folks come to work knowing they are contributing to real issues and impacting real results. They’re part of teams that are built on trust and respect, that care about each other as much as they care about the work they do.” 

bchousing.org

We’re proud of our professional, compassionate, forward-thinking employees who make a positive di erence in this province every day.

 BC Housing employees celebrating Pride month.

BC Pension Corporation offers a strong sense of purpose

Until she landed at BC Pension Corporation two and a half years ago, Gozde Ozbilim had tried a number of different jobs. After earning a degree as an industrial engineer in her native Turkey, she worked as a business analyst for one of the country’s biggest telecoms and then for a food-delivery startup, where she learned about e-commerce.

Ozbilim decided that she wanted to pursue an MBA and to gain some international experience –she’s an avid traveller, having already visited Europe, Southeast Asia, South Africa and Central America – and she chose the University of Victoria, in part because the city reminded her of her hometown. She’s never left.

After completing her MBA, she started work as a consultant, but didn’t like that she wasn’t around long enough to see the project succeed. She moved over to BC Pension Corporation – one

of Canada’s largest professional pension service providers – as a senior business systems analyst after some friends she’d met while volunteering turned out to have worked there and couldn’t say enough nice things about it.

“I definitely love the people and my colleagues – they’re highly talented, supportive, driven professionals,” says Ozbilim. “Every day I learn from my colleagues, and that helps me expand my skill set and grow.”

With around 600 employees, BC Pension Corporation is what Erika Taylor, vice-president, people and culture, considers a “nice size,” which enables them to maintain a strong corporate community and stay connected to one another.

“Employees say it’s the people that draw them and keep them here,” she says, in addition to creating peace of mind by delivering exceptional services.

BC Pension Corporation believes having staff with diverse

backgrounds and perspectives is essential to success, Taylor says.

“Just because your day job says you do one thing, you’ve got this whole breadth of experience that came with you as part of your career and part of your life and we really value that those individuals can help contribute to everything that we’re trying to achieve in the organization,” she says.

In addition to expanding her skill set, Ozbilim was also interested in getting noticed for

 BC Pension offers a hybrid work model where employees can work both at home and on campus.

“Meaningful work contributes to our sense of achievement and brings us together even more during times of change and uncertainty.”

— Erika Taylor Vice-President, People and Culture

her abilities.

“I was really quite impressed by the growth opportunities within the organization, to grow into new or more senior roles. To challenge yourself and leave your comfort zone is really embraced,” says Ozbilim, who was just promoted this past summer to team lead.

She also found the corporation’s transparency in terms of the direction it wanted to go in the future compelling.

“It has been inspiring to see that we’re able to plan and also deliver. Everybody has input, so you feel valued and appreciated,” Ozbilim says, adding that she’s “really

happy” at her job.

“We really do have good pension plans for ease of mind and to plan for our retirement years,” she says. “And I like the benefits of living in Victoria. We have a good work-life balance here.”

In addition to keeping employees engaged, Taylor believes that, in

the wake of the pandemic, it’s about “creating a sense of stability and everyone understanding the part they play in the corporation’s success. Meaningful work contributes to our sense of achievement and brings us together even more during times of change and uncertainty.”

 BC Pension headquarters is located in Victoria, B.C.

Well-designed surroundings support wellness at Best Buy

Given the chance to design a new corporate headquarters for Best Buy Canada, Carol Graziani and a cross-company, multi-team employee task force of 50-plus employees didn’t just rely on concrete, rebar and gyproc. They used the company’s core value pillars to create a space expressing its commitment to employee wellness, innovation and a sense of fun.

“There are a thousand details that went into the design because employees need different things at different times in their lives. We meet those needs and the office is a reflection of how we do that,” says Graziani, director, diversity, equity and inclusion and health and safety.

“We had the top five floors of a 10-storey office building and got to design the space from scratch for – and with – our employees, which was a rewarding experience.”

Best Buy is Canada’s largest consumer electronics retailer and most visited multichannel retailer, with over 350 million visits in-store and on its website annually. Its state-of-the-art

Vancouver headquarters is the hub of a company with a mission to enrich customers’ lives through technology.

Close to public transit to reduce employees’ carbon footprint, Best Buy’s new offices are in a LEED Gold certified building. Most desks are bookable and there are no corner offices. Employees and managers share space as needed daily. Natural light and view of the North Shore mountains too glaring? Brightness levels are individually controlled fixture by fixture.

Employees can hang in the sofa area, socialize around the foosball table, brainstorm in

the whiteboard corner or come together in the bleacher seating section. Hungry? Check out the sixth floor’s 18-foot-long coffee bar and patio while presentations and the odd sporting event play on a massive LED screen.

The space is half the size of the old head offices because Best Buy also introduced a new remote-first working model for corporate employees. Except for a few company-wide functions, they can work from home as much as they want.

“People love that flexibility –nobody is missing their commute,” says Graziani. “We’ve not lost an ounce of productivity. In fact, it’s

gone up.”

That sense of trusting and supporting employees radiates from headquarters to every Best Buy store. Ram Manaktahla visits B.C. and Alberta outlets as territory human resources leader, west.

“The environment people get to work in creates this amazing, energetic culture,” says Manaktahla.

“People are the heart of our organization and the company supports us so we can come to work not just as ourselves, but our best selves. Best Buy provides every opportunity for employees to be amazing.”

Manaktahla works actively with local champions who monitor the

 Best Buy Canada employees take a selfie.

“Best Buy provides every opportunity for employees to be amazing.”

— Ram Manaktahla Territory Human Resources Leader, West

5,223 31 100% 15

mental health of team members. Speakers, including senior management, share their personal stories of challenges to encourage employees to seek help if needed. Best Buy continues to expand mental health programs that were beefed up during the pandemic. The company also continues to

open new doors to community connections. It offers postsecondary scholarships to BGC Canada club members. Best Buy’s first Teen Tech Centre recently opened at the Hillside Boys and Girls Club in North Delta, giving young people a free, safe afterschool space to experiment with

cutting-edge technology. Other initiatives give local entrepreneurs a boost. The Mentorship and Accelerator Program gives Black or Indigenous entrepreneurs access to Best Buy mentorship and resources so they can bring their technology products to market faster.

With so many career paths open and so much support, it’s no wonder employees like Manaktahla love what is to them more than just a job.

“After 28 years I still wake up every day excited and ready to go spend some time with my friends,” he says. 

Proud to be one of BC’s Top Employers.

 Best Buy Canada employees enjoying work at a distribution centre.

Learning is built into the culture at Binary Stream

“Culture starts within the company,” says

Lak Chahal, president and CEO of Binary Stream Software Inc.

in Burnaby.

Chahal founded the company in 1999 as a developer of Microsoftbased enterprise solutions and has led its growth over the past 23 years.

“It forms at first in bits and pieces,” he says. “Over the years, we got better at communicating, better at building a growth path. We formalize and communicate and absorb our values over time.”

“Eventually, we reach a tipping point, and the culture takes off by itself.”

Binary Stream’s culture is now maintained by 140 employees globally who have built the company into an award-winning, Microsoft Gold-certified partner providing solutions to customers in the finance, health care, hospitality, real estate, manufacturing,

telecom and software industries in more than 30 countries.

“We sell through consulting companies,” says Chahal. “Our reputation has to be strong. Otherwise, they don’t come back.”

Peyton Lupul joined Binary Stream in 2016 as he completed his bachelor of business administration degree at Simon Fraser University.

“I joined because I thought it looked like an interesting company,” he says. He was also attracted by the size of Binary Stream. “It wasn’t so big that it was daunting.”

Since Lupul’s studies had focused on finance and technology, he was well-versed in the

company’s strengths. He’d taken high-level classes in management systems and database management as well as financial technology and accounting, so he could represent the company in his position as partner success manager and talk knowledgably about its services.

“I’m responsible for developing new business,” he says. “I identify new partners and grow existing partnerships.”

Lupul manages his own territory, but meets weekly with the company’s other partner success managers, each of whom oversees a territory as well, reporting to Binary Stream’s vice president of sales. “We talk about challenges and opportunities,” he says.

But Lupul’s interactions aren’t restricted to the company’s sales force. “There are more opportunities here than you’d find at a large company to collaborate with different team members,” he says.

“People’s voices are heard.”

In a fast-moving industry, Lupul and his fellow employees have to keep abreast of rapid changes in technology and applications. To reinforce their competence, Binary Stream has built education into its culture.

“Even when we were small, with not a lot of money, we allocated money for learning and training,” says Chahal.

Microsoft provides the company with an endless variety of learning

 Binary Stream employees enjoying a treat at their annual company picnic.

“Over the years, we got better at communicating, better at building a growth path. We formalize and communicate and absorb our values over time.”

— Lak Chahal President and CEO

opportunities, he says. But Binary Stream’s educational focus extends beyond technology to include the soft skills involved in teamwork and leadership such as collaboration, problem solving and critical thinking.

The company relies on external expertise to deliver some of its

 Winners of a team-based challenge at Binary Stream.

learning opportunities, and will cover the cost of such tools as books, audio books, conferences, courses and e-learning to contribute to an employee’s proficiency.

During his six years at Binary Stream, Lupul has taken sales courses offered by private firms and additional university-level

accounting courses. He has also earned certificates from his engagement in online programs.

“The company recommends courses,” he says, “but we also look at courses that interest us. It’s one of our core values to learn and grow.”

Chahal says that he and the

company’s leaders try to ensure that employees feel empowered to speak their minds and identify areas for improvement.

“In our industry, you have to be aware of change as a good thing,” says Chahal. “We never sit still. There’s always room for improvement.”

Driving careers forward is key at BCAA

Tauja Tutt started as a call centre agent eight years ago in the car-sharing Evo division of the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) but was soon fuelled by the desire to learn more about the nuts and bolts of the Evo vehicles.

— Eric

“I got excited by Evo and what we were doing for the community and wanted to continue my career. I became a team leader, then manager of the call centre,” Tutt says. “Once I had more experience in operations I transitioned to the fleet.”

Tutt, now manager, fleet support services for Evo car share at the Burnaby headquarters, oversees the cleaning, rebalancing and fuelling of the 2,000 vehicles in the Greater Vancouver Evo fleet.

Evo is a car-share service that lets BCAA members pick up a vehicle in New Westminster, for example, and drop it off in downtown Vancouver. The service

is also available in Victoria.

“Today,” adds Eric Hopkins, president and CEO, “there are many who don’t own vehicles. So we’ve launched car sharing and bike sharing and we’re looking at more options to help British Columbians get around.”

Tutt says she was able to advance to her management role through the guidance and leadership shown by others, coupled with career training.

“BCAA offered courses and programs, and the ‘essentials of leadership’ course was really

useful. It got into the fundamental skills and real challenges managers face,” she says. “It was a great experience; I got to network and make some super working relationships.”

Career development is one major way BCAA invests in both new and existing employees, explains Hopkins.

“Our new recruits and team members want to be challenged and to grow. We’ve set up processes and programs designed to allow people to flourish,” Hopkins says. “What’s really impressed me

is the ability for people to grow in the directions that interest them the most.”

BCAA continued to promote career advancement throughout its 33 locations during the pandemic but the crisis did sharpen the focus on how the organization delivered its programs.

“The pandemic really allowed us to leverage technology to focus on learning and training better than we ever have before,” Hopkins says.

He explains, “We continue face-to-face learning and in-person

 BCAA offers insurance, mobility, IT and automotive careers across its 33 locations.

“We cherish and celebrate that our people can learn and grow, and that often pivots their careers in directions they never would have considered before.”

Hopkins President and CEO

coaching, but we use remote technology such as remote mentoring. This leverages the talent from all four corners of the province.”

Employees build their own careers naturally, following the courses and training opportunities. “BCAA is so diverse. We deliver insurance, new mobility,

traditional mobility, roadside assistance and innovation — all using cutting-edge technology serving our million members,” Hopkins says. “Once someone becomes part of the team, they’ve got great optionality as to what direction they want to go.

“We cherish and celebrate that

Shape a brighter future with us

bcaa.com/careers

our people can learn and grow, and that often pivots their careers in directions they never would have considered before.”

Hopkins adds that BCAA remains committed to community impact, noting that vehicles and equipment were supplied to both the province’s wildfire and flood

zones this past year.

Tutt, meanwhile, attributes part of her success to something else about the organization. “I’ve worked with some really great bosses along my way,” she says.

“The people here are amazing. That makes me want to come to work every day.”

 BCAA employees can build their careers with in-person learning and remote mentoring.

BCIT fosters a culture of encouragement and support

aimie Borisoff, now director of MAKE+, an applied research team at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), was involved with very long-term academic research at the beginning of his career. Then he started doing more practical work on the side.

“I designed a wheelchair that was commercialized,” says Borisoff. “I liked seeing tangible results sooner, and that naturally led me to community and industry focused applied research at BCIT.”

Since 1964, BCIT has offered practical, flexible applied education with instructors who have direct, hands-on experience in their field. Students gain the technical skills, real-world experience and problem-solving ability needed in a rapidly changing workforce. The institute collaborates closely with the industry.

Soon after Borisoff began work at BCIT, he was supported to apply for a Canada Research Chair for his work on technology that allows for inclusiveness and access for anyone with mobility impairments. He was awarded a Chair for his work in rehabilitation engineering design at BCIT. He and his team received funding annually for five years, and he received a second Chair for another five years after that.

After the second term, there was an opening for director of MAKE+, a group of multidisciplinary researchers focused on product and process development,

evaluation, applied research projects and education. People encouraged Borisoff to apply. He and his colleagues met about where they wanted to take the team and how a new director might facilitate getting there, and his dean had an open door during his considerations.

Borisoff also had the chance to take on a formal mentor at BCIT, and they continue to work together. He joined a leadership community of practice. Led by the Organizational Development Department, this diverse group of managers, directors and deans from all over the institute meet

with consultants and internal experts to gain information and advice, and they collaborate on practical exercises. There is another community of practice available on coaching.

“Coming from a technical background, it’s different than climbing the corporate ladder. It’s great to have support on the management side of work,” says Borisoff.

BCIT also provides professional development (PD) leave and funding where appropriate. There are tuition subsidies for BCIT courses, and others, where it will help an employee to advance. And a PD day offers employees

 The Nephrology Nursing Advanced Specialty program at BCIT teaches in hands-on virtual and simulation settings.

“One thing I heard so much about when talking with alumni, advisory committee members or employees of BCIT is how proud they are of being part of this community.”

— Ana Lopez Vice-President, Human Resources and People Development

an opportunity to showcase their work and network with others. Social events such as an ice cream social at the beginning of the school year, and a campuswide barbeque at the end, give BCIT employees a sense of team and community. And BCIT has done substantial work on diversity,

equity and inclusion with an Indigenous vision and anti-racism framework to guide all aspects of the institute.

“We’ve done a lot of listening to our employees and we’ve developed the BCIT People Vision to support growth, facilitate effectiveness and foster a collegial

environment,” says Ana Lopez, vice-president, human resources and people development. “One thing I heard so much about when talking with alumni, advisory committee members or employees of BCIT is how proud they are of being part of this community.”

“One third of the members of

our applied research team have been here over 25 years,” says Borisoff. “I hear from other places that they are having trouble recruiting, but we have great applicants. I think the word of mouth out there is that BCIT has a nice culture that’s good to be a part of.” 

— SHAPING THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW. EDUCATION FOR A COMPLEX WORLD. bcit.ca/careers

 BCIT instructor guides students in field work at an operating mining facility.

Employees enjoy BCI’s people-centric culture

When Leon He left the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), he immediately became homesick. He missed the camaraderie and friendly atmosphere in the company’s Victoria offices. So when he got a chance to return to the company in 2017, he leapt at the opportunity and was welcomed back with open arms.

“I dreamed of working at BCI again, which is such a great company. I’m thankful and I really enjoy my role,” says He, director of quantitative equity, public markets.

“When I rejoined the company, I knew this is the place to be. I missed the people I worked with as well as all the support I got from BCI. When I go into the office, everyone is really happy to see each other – it’s like meeting a bunch of old friends.”

Headquartered in Victoria, BCI is one of Canada’s largest asset managers, with over $211 billion in assets under management. It provides investment management

services for B.C.’s public sector. Operating globally, it has offices in Victoria, Vancouver and New York.

BCI invests heavily in its employees. Leon He has benefited from leadership programs and continuous learning that provide leadership skills and technical training, helping him keep on top of the ever-evolving financial sector and be an effective team leader. He also appreciates the generous extended health and dental benefits as well as a defined benefit pension.

The company takes a

comprehensive, holistic approach to supporting its employees. Benefits and work schedules are hybrid, allowing employees to have flexibility to balance professional and personal needs. Since the pandemic, special emphasis has been placed on improving mental health services.

“We have a keen awareness that life happens unexpectedly and we all have unique circumstances that impact us differently,” says Umar Malik, senior vice president, finance, and chief financial officer.

“We design our supports with that in mind. We think of our

people as individuals, not just employees, so they can bring their whole selves to work.”

BCI’s corporate culture is grounded in its values and fosters equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) to create a welcoming, safe workplace. He is part of the company’s EDI council, which is comprised of employees from across the corporation and is supported by executive sponsors.

“It’s great to be in a place where everybody really cares about the work they’re doing and wants to deliver value to our clients,” says He.

 Umar Malik, senior vice president, finance, and chief financial officer, at BCI

“At BCI you get the

opportunity to do challenging and rewarding work for our clients with incredibly smart people.”

— Umar Malik Senior Vice President, Finance, and Chief Financial Officer

“At the same time, everybody shows a lot of appreciation for each other. It’s a very collaborative environment and we have a lot of autonomy to carry out our work.”

BCI employees are also empowered to make a difference in the communities where they work and live. Over the years, they’ve raised

over $1 million for the United Way. The company’s partnership with Junior Achievement British Columbia has seen over 100 financial literacy programs delivered that have reached more than 2,600 students across the province.

Another source of pride is the company’s co-op and internship

program. BCI works with universities across Canada to place upwards of 130 students per year in entry-level positions where they gain valuable work experience. The program also creates a pool of potential future employees for the company.

“This is a friendly, collegial place

where you’re going to feel valued as an employee,” says Malik.

“Our people are our single biggest asset. At BCI you get the opportunity to do challenging and rewarding work for our clients with incredibly smart people. That’s what drew me to the company and what keeps me here.”

 Leon He, director of quantitative equity, public markets records an episode of BCI’s TECHtonics podcast.

BCMEA creates impact by investing in its people

Goods that Canadians rely on every day –groceries, grain, medical supplies, construction equipment – are transported by B.C.’s maritime employers, says Heather Wright, vice-president of people and technology at Vancouver-based British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA). The association represents 49 private sector companies who directly employ more than 9,400 workers at B.C.’s ports.

BCMEA’s workforce operations

dispatches as many as 1,500 waterfront workers each day to fill highly skilled jobs for its members, which include container, bulk, break-bulk, cruise terminal operators, ship owners and agents, and stevedores. Responsible for safely handling over $500 million worth of cargo daily and 16 per cent of Canada’s traded goods annually, BCMEA’s maritime employers are a critical link in the supply chain.

“We help optimize our members’ operations by providing shared services in safety, training and recruitment, workforce operations, labour relations and collective bargaining, data analytics, public

affairs and human resources,” Wright says.

The ability of the industry to meet the demands of the supply chain relies on the network of support that exists between the BCMEA and its members, says Wright, and fostering high employee engagement levels at the BCMEA was a logical step toward building on that success.

Saeed Ahmed, manager of workforce operations, is proud of the way the board of directors has empowered the BCMEA to provide support systems for its employees.

“Our executive team provided us with all the tools we needed to

address challenges such as natural disasters or epidemics,” he says. “There was always organized communication to let us know about the policies and procedures put into place to ensure we stayed safe, and that they were here for us.”

Ahmed also values the many opportunities for coaching and training. “There’s significant support for personal growth,” he says. “People feel comfortable connecting with their managers, carving out a development plan and taking courses that support their career paths. I know someone who’s completing their MBA while working full-time,

and part of their tuition is being covered to alleviate the financial burden.”

There’s also a willingness to promote from within, says Ahmed, who started as a dispatcher six years ago and worked his way up to his current role. “It goes back to the culture of putting people first,” he says. “We invest in people, and everyone has the opportunity to grow, thrive, learn and be the best they can be.”

Wright agrees. “We’re really growing people’s careers here,” she says. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all philosophy – we need to understand what’s important for each person and align that with

 British Columbia Maritime Employers Association prioritizes health and safety in all aspects of their work.

“We invest in people, and everyone has the opportunity to grow, thrive, learn and be the best they can be.”

— Saeed Ahmed Manager of Workforce Operations

the opportunities. That’s what makes us successful and why we have long-tenured employees. People know they’ll get a tailored approach to their development.”

Those efforts are reflected in the results from the organization’s annual employee survey, which has seen a significant year-to-year rise

in employee engagement, despite the decline of global averages since 2020.

The company also switched benefits providers to enhance its existing offerings and promote health and wellness, resulting in an increase in benefits usage by employees.

“We stayed connected to our people, we heard what their needs were, and this paid off when we achieved record engagement levels,” Wright says. “Aside from total rewards and benefits, people want to do work that matters, and that’s one of the things our organization can provide.”

“It’s such an impactful industry that we work in,” she adds. “We have the opportunity to solve really interesting problems, and there’s nothing more satisfying than nurturing high-performing teams to tackle them. Every individual contribution makes a tremendous impact.”

Serving our members with enhanced safety, expertise in labour relations, advanced data analytics and leading-edge training.

Our strength is our people

 British Columbia Maritime Employers Association provides a wide range of training opportunities for the waterfront workforce.

BCUC recruits for fit and trains to retain

Damon Boyle left a legal career in the United Kingdom when he immigrated to Canada and settled in the Vancouver area. However, he quickly landed a job as a regulatory analyst with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) and found an unexpected yet rewarding career path.

“In my first interview, I was very honest,” says Boyle, who is currently the BCUC’s legal counsel. “I grew up in a small place in Northern Ireland where we burn peat and coal to heat our homes. I didn’t have extensive knowledge at that point about utility regulation in Canada.”

It may appear to be an unusual hire, but that’s not so, says Viki Vourlis Fisher, executive director, corporate services. “We employ individuals from various backgrounds with transferable skill sets,” she says. “It’s a steep learning curve no matter what industry you come from. That’s why when we find candidates like Damon who have great work ethic, experience and are an ideal fit for our organization, we invest in coaching and

training to develop them to their full potential.”

BCUC is an independent agency of the provincial government and has a broad mandate. It regulates energy utilities, intra-provincial pipelines, the reliability of the electrical transmission grid, and the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia’s basic insurance rates.

The BCUC also adjudicates customer complaints and administers B.C.’s Fuel Price Transparency Act. The organization employs a diverse group of professionals

including accountants, administrators, engineers, economists, and those with a public policy background. Given the complexity of the work, BCUC generally recruits senior-level people who have several years of professional experience in other fields. “We’ve been very creative in developing opportunities for individuals,” says chief operating officer Yolanda Domingo. “We’re always thinking about each individual, their goals, and what we can do to help them grow.”

Boyle can attest to that. To qualify to practise law in B.C., he had to have a principal – a senior lawyer to sponsor and tutor him. However, the BCUC did not have any in-house counsel at the time.

“The BCUC supported me through the process of finding a legal sponsor and obtaining my credentials to practice law in B.C.,” Boyle says. “I went to a law firm and completed the required year of training for my articles, returning to the BCUC in April 2022. The support I received in my initial

 Members of the BCUC team at a summer recognition event.

“I came back to the BCUC for the people, for the meaningful work and for the rewarding career I could see ahead of me.”

— Damon Boyle Legal Counsel

role, then to leave, finish my legal training and come back in a newly established role, was phenomenal.”

Domingo adds that the BCUC has supported employees who were looking to pursue continuing education related to their roles, such as obtaining degrees or certifications, in addition to providing

curated in-house learning and development opportunities.

BCUC also encourages employees to take external industry-specific courses and to participate in events organized by other regulatory agencies or associations. “I was here only a few short months before I went to

rates school to learn more about utility rate regulation,” says Boyle. “There’s a real opportunity to learn and broaden your knowledge to help you succeed in your role.”

Domingo says the diversity of the work and the challenging nature of it keeps employees engaged and contributes

to retention.

Boyle agrees that working for an outside law firm might have been a tempting option. “I came back to the BCUC for the people, for the meaningful work and for the rewarding career I could see ahead of me,” he says. “It really is a great place to be.”

 BCUC encourages employees to explore learning and development opportunities supported by the company.

CPABC counts on a diverse mix of people for the future

Earl Moya is glad to be back in the office. A quality assurance specialist in the IT department at the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC), he describes his workplace as “a very social company.

“Halloween is a big thing for us, where the entire company dresses up and each department is decorated in their own personal way. Christmas and the holidays are really big – it becomes a winter wonderland at work.”

Lori

It’s been over a year now since employees have returned to the CPABC office on a hybrid model. Moya is back two to three days a week, though he says that for the organization, “flexibility is the key.” He says it’s easier now to manage remote work with time in the office, and that the organization has become very focused on “mental and personal health and the work-life balance.”

President and CEO Lori Mathison says the association’s ‘Future of Work’ program has given it a clear way forward. Launched in April 2022 after

collecting feedback from employee focus groups, the program tailors everyone’s schedule to their roles as well as their needs.

“They’re in the office because it makes sense to be there,” Mathison says.

It’s the kind of employee-focused program that Moya says he’s seen since he began working at CPABC as a co-op student. “We have a program called IDP – individual

development plan. They took a leap of faith on me knowing I had very limited exposure to the IT world.”

A combination of mentoring and weekly one-on-one sessions, along with courses paid for by the organization – online, in-house and at Simon Fraser University – as well as invitations to conferences gave him a road map for his professional development.

His IDP set out clear goals at every step, he says.

“Here’s something you can look forward to. Here’s how we can achieve it.”

With up to 100 per cent tuition subsidies to a maximum of $5,000 a year, CPABC makes it easy for employees at any level to acquire new skills and credentials since, as Mathison says, it has a lot of different roles to fill. There’s an

 Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia supports professional development with mentoring initiatives, paid courses and conferences (photo credit: Bobo Zhao Photography).

“We want our employees to give back. We want the organization to give back.”

—

Mathison President and CEO

internal job board for positions, and monthly emails summarizing new opportunities.

“We try to figure out as an organization how we can support our employees,” Mathison says.

“We need a mix of people.”

With programs like the ‘Future of Work,’ she says, CPABC has

evolved the work culture that has made it successful. It’s holding regular town halls – remote and in-person – and monthly lunch and learn sessions on issues like Indigenous history, LGBTQ+ and ergonomic work, and continuing to emphasize a culture of volunteerism at the organization.

Employees are offered three flex days a year, which can be used for individual volunteer work at a charity or cause of their choice. This is in addition to an annual company “day of giving,” where they donate time to everything from Covenant House, the Salvation Army and the Union

Gospel Mission to the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup and the Vancouver Pride Society. Last year they raised over $20,000 for the United Way.

“We want our employees to give back,” Mathison says. “We want the organization to give back.” 

We put our people first — and deliver results in the service of the public, and our members & students.

 Earl Moya, quality assurance specialist in the IT department, is celebrating his 7th year with Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (photo credit: Bobo Zhao Photography).

Community Living BC ensures staff have strong support

When Brenda Pielle started her job as a facilitator with Community Living British Columbia (CLBC) 18 months ago, she was impressed not just by the extent of the training provided by the provincial Crown agency –which helps the province’s 27,000 adults with developmental disabilities connect with the supports and services they need –but also the support system that accompanied it.

“I appreciate that, especially as a new person trying to learn things, there’s truly a culture of support and encouragement in the agency,” says Pielle, who worked in the disability field for more than 17 years before joining CLBC.

In addition to completing the required training, there are further, timely online courses available to employees, “so there’s a lot of encouragement and support to keep growing and developing your skills and knowledge,” she says.

Pielle is one of two staff working in CLBC’s office in Powell River, which is only accessible by ferry, and they look after the needs of 200 individuals. They still feel connected to the rest of the organization, though, as they meet online every two weeks with staff from the regional office to discuss any difficulties or concerns they have with their caseloads.

And the support extends beyond the office doors, Pielle says, because there are times when those who care for others need care themselves.

“After coming out of the pandemic, there’s a recognition

that it’s been a difficult time for our staff and a very difficult time for the individuals and families we serve,” Pielle says. “CLBC started something called a ‘wellness series.’ Once a month, we have an option to join a webinar about stress management or managing distractions, helping your productivity or positive psychology, topics that are all about self-care.”

CLBC offers other wellness programs as well, ones that not only encourage staff to take care of themselves but also to stay connected with other employees across the province. There’s a “Good Life” program, for which

employees earn points, and prizes, for things like recycling, volunteering, going for a walk or getting a flu shot. The “Get Moving” challenge, meanwhile, sees teams earn points for physical activity. “We have a friendly competition with other teams,” Pielle says, “and it’s fun.”

Pielle also enjoys receiving the employee e-newsletter, which strengthens her connections with other CLBC staff. “They put photos in so that we’re always seeing what other people are up to. The e-newsletter and the photos build that good team feeling, like we’re all in this together.”

 Jenny Chang is a receptionist at the head office of Community Living BC.

“I think we’ve learned through the pandemic that the wellness of our employees – physical wellness and emotional wellness – is essential to our success.”

— Ross Chilton CEO

For CEO Ross Chilton, it’s about taking the best of what CLBC did during the pandemic – such as regular online meetings with employees and the hybrid work model – and incorporating them into the post-pandemic workplace.

“I think we’ve learned through the pandemic that the wellness of

our employees – physical wellness and emotional wellness – is essential to our success,” Chilton says.

“So we have continued to have online learning opportunities for people to learn everything from self-care, to conflict resolution, to even how to conduct effective

meetings using Microsoft Teams. It’s such an efficient way to engage such a large number of our employees.”

The articulation of a new vision and clarity of values has helped shape CLBC in recent years, Chilton believes.

“We want to be an organization

that’s culturally safe, helpful, accountable, respectful and kind,” he says. “We wanted to make sure that, as an organization, these values are present every day in our work, in how we are with each other, or with the people that we support, and in how we are when things are hard.” 

The work of Community Living BC staff across the province helps adults with developmental disabilities build lives with connection in communities of belonging.

Apply to join our team:

CommunityLivingBC.ca/Careers

 Community Living BC encourages staff to connect with other employees through wellness programs.

Concert Properties puts people and community first

After two decades in human resources, Aran Clarke wanted her next role to be with a company that aligned with her personal values. When the opportunity to join the Vancouver-headquartered Concert Properties arose, she knew it was the right move.

“I was attracted to Concert Properties’ values of quality, integrity and service excellence –as well as the fact that we are so involved in the community,” says Clarke, senior vice president, people experience. “And these values extend inward. We spend a lot of time and energy building a healthy internal culture.”

Concert Properties was founded in 1989 with the mandate to create assured rental housing.

Today it has grown and diversified, becoming a real estate corporation wholly owned by 19 union and management pension plans that represent over 200,000 Canadians. But while its portfolio has expanded greatly over the last 30-plus years to include condominiums, seniors’ active aging

communities, industrial and commercial properties, and public infrastructure projects across Canada, the company has the same feel it did in its early days: its people are the priority.

For Adam Fletcher, director of IT, infrastructure and operations, who joined in 2019, this was one of the many things that were appealing.

“I was looking for that feel of a smaller, intimate company,” says Fletcher. “Building community within and outside of the organization is part of the fabric of this company. We’re about doing the right thing for our people and community.”

As an organization with many different areas, the culture nurtures

the growth of existing employees.

“We’re a diverse organization and, partly due to that, I’ve never been prescriptive about educational background or experience,” says Clarke. “We focus on finding the right people. Our development managers and directors are senior and versatile, and often look for co-ordinators to join the team –which is a neat, entry-level job to get in the door of the development world.”

Focusing on people is also foundational to onboarding. As part of the buddy program, new hires are paired with a colleague from a different part of the organization.

“They get to know another aspect of the business, which helps with cross-collaboration,”

says Clarke.

Fletcher has served as a buddy three times and found the program to be beneficial to both parties.

“It promotes camaraderie and connection across the company from day one,” he says. “Our people are immersed in their work. Being a buddy is a good opportunity to step outside your usual role, and chat with people about their work and aspirations.”

The company also supports employee development through internal programs and tuition reimbursement.

“I’ve taken general management courses through the Sauder School of Business at UBC,” says Fletcher. “And I recently began taking IT service management and strategy

 Concert Properties employees posing in the photo booth at the Summer BBQ.

“I was attracted to Concert Properties’ values of quality, integrity and service excellence – as well as the fact that we are so involved in the community.”

— Aran Clarke Senior Vice President, People Experience

full-time staff in Canada of employees are women of managers are women annual spend on training per fulltime employee

courses online. The company has been generous in funding my growth.”

Fletcher adds that Concert Properties supports employee health and wellness through generous benefits packages, including fully covered, employer paid-health and dental benefits,

and extended coverage on services offered by registered massage therapists and registered naturopathic doctors.

In addition to an in-building gym with showers, Concert Properties reimburses employees’ fitness expenses, including gym or studio memberships and home

fitness equipment. Post-pandemic, the company offers a flexible hybrid working model. It’s just as important that the in-office work experience is positive and many programs, like allowing dogs, have been introduced. There are also fun team-building events like

streaming last fall’s World Cup and ordering pizzas so staff could cheer on Team Canada.

It’s all part of building a healthy company culture and much of it is employee-driven.

“We listen to what they want and need, and we deliver,” says Clarke. 

 Concert Properties employees wearing orange shirts for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

At Coquitlam’s core are its core principles

Manisha Dutta started her career at the City of Coquitlam in the clerk’s office, wondering what doors her initial role might open. Now she’s the City’s manager of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and thrilled to have been able to achieve a leadership role in the community she loves.

“I have felt extremely supported throughout my career and it doesn’t stop after you reach a certain level – the growth is ongoing,” says Dutta.

“The City does a good job of fostering development and tapping into the leadership potential of our employees. We recruit talented people who can build their careers right here.”

The City of Coquitlam is one of the fastest-growing communities in the Greater Vancouver area. It’s B.C.’s seventh-largest city and its 955 full-time staff delivers services to residents that range from designing innovative park spaces and supporting programs that foster environmental

sustainability to developing accessible recreation programs.

With a diversity of jobs and work sites, Coquitlam has built its corporate culture on core principles like EDI to ensure all employees are on the same page and feel supported. These values reflect the dynamic, diverse city the employees serve.

“People want more than just a job – they want to be part of something that helps them live their values. That’s what we do in Coquitlam,” says Renzo Del Negro, director of human resources.

“People take pride in the fact they’re part of this community and working to make it a better place.”

Coquitlam looks at all operations through an EDI lens, from the way it delivers services to supporting its employees. There are no onesize-fits-all policies – everything from health and wellness benefits to working arrangements take into consideration the needs of both the individual and the role.

A new hybrid work policy allows many employees to balance between working remotely and in the office, and there’s an increased emphasis on mental wellness. The recently launched ‘Mental Health Champions’ program trains team leaders and employees to recognize distress signs and offer help to their peers.

Coquitlam also looks for its leadership from within the existing pool of employees and managers. The city’s award-winning leadership career development program gives successful candidates 18 months of training. Other programs allow employees to upskill so they can apply for different positions or perform better in their current job.

While they focus on delivering better services to residents, employees are also encouraged to have fun while doing good.

Halloween is a major event where Coquitlam partners with the United Way to hold events like chili cook-offs and costume

 Manisha Dutta, manager of equity, diversity and inclusion, at the City of Coquitlam.

“People want more than just a job – they want to be part of something that helps them live their values. That’s what we do in Coquitlam.”

— Renzo Del Negro Director, Human Resources

competitions. They also take part in community outreach initiatives like the Cultural Summit, which brings together city residents, employees, keynote speakers and others in a showcase of EDI values.

An open and relaxed workplace culture helps employees and

managers compare notes and find ways to advance a culture of continuous improvement. Leaders like Dutta are approachable.

“I’ve had a lot of really touching conversations on how impactful our approach is,” she says. “I’m honoured to do this job on a daily basis.”

The commitment to providing a safe and respectful work environment for employees comes from the top at the city council level and is supported by managers and employees. It’s a holistic approach that Del Negro says helps the City attract top talent and retain it.

“If you come to Coquitlam,

regardless of what position you start in, you have the opportunity to continue to advance your career. Employees are encouraged to continuously grow their skills and knowledge which in turn will set them up to pursue promotional opportunities in different roles here at the City,” he says. 

 The City of Coquitlam looks at all operations through an EDI lens, from the way it delivers services to supporting its employees.

How purpose-driven Dexcom fosters employee trust

Almost everyone at six-year-old Dexcom Canada, Co., which distributes its real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rtCGM) systems for people living with diabetes, is a relative newcomer to the company. But some are newer than others, including human resources business partner Iris Nikolic, who joined in February 2022.

She came into a workplace culture already marked by passionate employee engagement. “I had not seen this level of commitment in other organizations I’d been a part of, and it was really the reason I came on board at Dexcom,” says Nikolic. “Many Dexcom employees are impacted in some way by diabetes, whether personally or someone close to them, which has led to a great sense of pride and purpose in the company mission.”

Sandy Struss, senior marketing manager, consumer channel, who

became involved with Burnabybased Dexcom Canada even before its official 2017 launch – and lives with type 1 diabetes herself – feels the same way. “I used to work before in the insulin pump business and I was at a conference in the U.S. where I heard Kevin Sayer, CEO of Dexcom, Inc. speak,” Struss recalls. “The way he spoke so passionately about what Dexcom did and why they do it made me decide right then that I would do anything to work for this company.”

CGMs measure changes in glucose concentration underneath the skin, which enables people with diabetes to see not just current glucose levels but where

they are heading, says Struss. “That has been absolutely life-changing for me, just the idea of being warned before my glucose level drops low and I start exhibiting symptoms – that one thing alone felt like a miracle.”

The emotional response of Struss and other employees does provide Dexcom with a built-in employee engagement factor. But the company strives to match its employees’ commitment by delivering on many other fronts, says Nikolic.

“Building connection within an organization starts from the onboarding process, during which employees become better able to understand how their

roles contribute to the company mission, but also how passionate we are about promoting career development and other opportunities for employee growth,” she says.

“We do this through regular one-on-one meetings with managers, our mentorship opportunities, the RRSP support we offer, and the access we provide to a wide range of LinkedIn Learning sessions. Dexcom offers a little over $5,000 a year, 100 per cent employer-covered, for employee tuition and reimbursement.”

From the start of the pandemic, Dexcom began investing heavily in a variety of mental health and well-being programs, again

 Dexcom Canada employees posing in front of the company’s mission statement.

“Many Dexcom employees are impacted in some way by diabetes, whether personally or someone close to them, which has led to a great sense of pride and purpose in the company mission.”

— Iris Nikolic Human Resources Business Partner

completely employer-paid, for employees and their families. “The employee assistance program is a great tool,” Nikolic says, “because it helps employees with whatever challenges they may be facing, whether in their personal or professional lives, and it’s completely confidential. In addition, we have

 Dexcom Canada employee providing support and guidance to customers.

great reward and recognition programs in place. All these things help build mutual trust and commitment.”

Then there are the charities. “We back programs that holistically help those living with diabetes with more than simply managing their glucose levels. I’m so proud

we partner with I Challenge Diabetes on their Diabuddies program,” says Struss. “It’s a nonprofit that goes into schools and educates the classmates of a child with type 1 about how it’s not contagious, and how you can be a good friend to somebody living with diabetes.”

The company supports peer mentorship programs, scholarship programs, and more – seven charities in all last year. “And the great thing about Dexcom is that I’m allowed to back things like this because it matters to the community we serve,” Struss says. “Dexcom genuinely cares.” 

Well-being engages employees at First Credit Union

Caitlin Bryant recently had a tragic family loss and her vicepresident’s comments from First Credit Union spoke volumes regarding how seriously the co-operative takes employee well-being.

“She gently came up to me and said, ‘Take good care of your heart today,’” Bryant says quietly.

To Bryant, social impact manager in the Powell River headquarters, that moment demonstrates First Credit Union’s focus on employees’ all-around health.

“It means my VP and my direct supervisor actually care about me as a person,” Bryant says. “All the money in the world wouldn’t keep me here if I didn’t feel my co-workers and my direct supervisor didn’t care about me as a person.”

First Credit Union has eight branches serving mostly rural or remote communities along the eastern shore of Vancouver Island and nearby islands, along with Powell River. Each year the member-owned credit union invests 10 per cent of its profits

back into those areas. Directing these funds is a big part of Bryant’s role.

“Those funds include donations or sponsorships to either member non-profits, or events, community groups and even scholarships to our members,” Bryant says.

First Credit Union also offers more than a comprehensive medical plan. It offers a seat at the table.

“When we talk about well-being people often think just health and wellness benefit plans. But

for me well-being of employees is more than those things,” says Linda Bowyer, president and CEO. “Well-being is about an employee feeling engaged in their workplace and feeling supported.

“They want to feel they have a purpose and that they matter and you get that through giving them the opportunity to participate in decisions. They represent member needs to the organization,” she adds.

First Credit Union recognized the hard work of employees this

year with an additional day off. The organization also added $1,000 for mental health wellness separate from the benefit plan.

“We’re always looking at the market in terms of benefits and making sure we’re ahead of the market,” Bowyer says. “These are examples of what we definitely wanted to do for our employees.”

Bowyer explains: “We’re trying to lead in terms of how best to support our employees. It’s been particularly important in postpandemic time because it’s just so

 Linda Bowyer, president and CEO, at First Credit Union in Powell River, B.C.

“All the money in the world wouldn’t keep me here if I didn’t feel my co-workers and my direct supervisor didn’t care about me as a person.”

— Caitlin Bryant Social Impact Manager

different. The work environment blurred lines between work and home.”

First Credit Union offers remote work, the hybrid option of working part-time at home and in the office, or full-time in the office.

“So we try to tailor and customize the situation. We want

to ensure people own what works for them in order to thrive,” Bowyer explains. “It’s not a kind of one-size-fits-all approach.”

Bryant is grateful for a hybrid work schedule with specific days off for family commitments.

“I’m really lucky to have a condensed work week. So I have

flex days every other week,” she says.

First Credit Union also provides two family days a year that can be used at an employee’s discretion, and wellness leave that can be used for a variety of health care and well-being needs. Each employee also receives $250 a year to use as

they wish, for anything related to their wellness whether it be yoga pants, groceries or membership at a gym.

“Managers can acknowledge exemplary work by a team member by adding an extra $50 or $100 to that fund,” Bryant adds.

“It’s just amazing.” 

 First Credit Union focuses on employees’ health by providing time off and additional wellness benefits.

Fraser Health redefines the employee experience

Cameron Brine, vice president, employee experience, for Fraser Health believes that no other workplace has been affected by the pandemic the way health care has.

“The past few years have really taken a toll on our people,” says Brine. “Helping our staff address and mitigate fatigue and burnout is a top priority. In addition to putting well-being resources in place to support our teams, we’re addressing core issues contributing to burnout, such as workload, staffing levels, and safety concerns. We’re making changes to shift our workplace culture – to fix the root causes.”

When the pandemic hit, Fraser Health had to quickly change the way they delivered care.

“In our critical care units, it was a matter of how quickly we were able to ramp up, bring in people who’ve never worked there before,

and increase their skills almost immediately when it normally takes years,” Brine says.

“We created new career laddering and bridging programs for our clinical care staff, which provided a lot more opportunities for people to get into different types of work within Fraser Health,” says Brine. “We’re really trying to focus on creating a more multidisciplinary team-based care environment where staff can work together to create the best patient experience possible – where teams not only support one another –but also learn, grow and have the opportunity to explore different career paths.”

Fraser Health’s leadership has always been innovative and supportive, according to Jamie Roots, a health informatics lead.

“I have been a nurse since 2004 and came to Fraser Health four years later. There have always been lots of opportunities, particularly in nursing,” Roots says.

“I was able to take a funded perinatal course and train in a maternity unit. I worked as a maternity nurse, while doing tons of teaching with clients and patients, which is my passion.”

Roots shares that while bringing in new nurses and new grads is a priority, Fraser Health always looks for ways to provide career

opportunities for existing staff who show initiative in building their careers.

Working in health informatics since 2016, Roots was on the spot in 2020, when her team’s work in electronically managed health care went from a far-off aim to an immediate must-have.

“We had to learn, right then, how to provide virtual-care services and products,” says Roots, “and set up infrastructure that let nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, and allied health care providers, continue to care for their clients and patients.”

Both the informatics teams and Fraser Health leadership rose to

 Dr. Melanie Madill and team in the maternity unit at Chilliwack General Hospital, part of Fraser Health.

“Health care is, and always will be, about taking care of people. To provide the best patient experience, we need to also provide the best employee experience. As the saying goes, ‘caredfor people, care for people.’”

— Cameron Brine Vice President, Employee Experience

the occasion, Roots says.

“The leadership was excellent in helping us feel supported. While the hours were tough and the work heavy, we knew we were doing something good for our community, and we felt cared for too,” says Roots.

“They always strongly

encouraged staff to make sure that – even though it could seem impossible – we take our vacations, because we needed that time off to be productive and positive. And there was a lot of recognition, official and unofficial,” she adds.

“I remember the manager who created personalized holiday

ornaments for our whole team after we finished setting up the COVID-19 test sites,” Roots says. “It was the kind of support that made me feel like I could get up and do this again tomorrow morning.”

According to Brine, making sure employees have both the

environment and resources they need to thrive is crucial.

“Health care is and always will be about taking care of people. To provide the best patient experience, we need to also provide the best employee experience. As the saying goes, ‘cared-for people, care for people.’”

 Dr. WIlliam Siu and team at Royal Columbian Hospital, part of Fraser Health.

GeoComply employees know they’re making a difference

Part of Robin Alexander’s job involves working with law enforcement and civil society groups to use technology from her employer, GeoComply, to fight child exploitation online. It’s difficult work – but Alexander says she’s motivated by the impact she’s having.

“I’m seeing first-hand that we’re in a position where we can actually help and make a difference,” says Alexander, impact manager at GeoComply, a Vancouver-headquartered company specializing in geolocation, security and fraud detection. “It helps when you know you can fight such a heinous crime in a productive way, and that reverberates throughout the organization.”

She points out that GeoComply’s impact work is a direct result of the engineers on its product and tech teams who develop the company’s solutions. “For them to see it’s being applied in this way and helping a very important

social cause close to our hearts is very motivating and makes them feel quite satisfied.”

GeoComply, which has clients in sectors including financial services and cryptocurrency, media and entertainment, gaming, and more, created a specific ‘IMPACT’ division – and Alexander’s role –to consolidate its efforts to fight child exploitation online, promote responsible gaming, engage with communities in the locations where its offices are based, and reduce its environmental impact.

“Any area that we’re touching, we want to make sure we’re

making a positive difference and leveraging our technology and resources to make a positive change,” says Alexander.

The company has been a mission-driven business since its early days fighting money laundering and stolen identities, says Anna Sainsbury, its co-founder and CEO. Employees have continually emphasized that they value the opportunity to “build something that means something.”

She says the company’s focus on impact has turned inward, with a commitment to improving its diversity across all levels of the

organization and in its offices across the globe. The strategy has focused on scholarships and sponsorships for young women and hiring for potential, further developing key skills.

GeoComply has already started seeing results, says Sainsbury. More than 40 per cent of the organization’s senior leadership is women, and “our teams with real diversity, we’re starting to see them be more successful, more healthy and making better decisions than when they were less diverse.”

GeoComply’s focus on learning

 Robin Alexander, impact manager, at GeoComply.

“Any area that we’re touching we want to make sure we’re making a positive difference and leveraging our technology and resources to make a positive change.”

— Robin Alexander Impact Manager

and development, which includes an annual professional development allowance of up to $10,000 and time during the workday for learning, has helped it with its diversity goals, she says.

It also grants employees the opportunity to pursue their curiosity within the organization

and take useful skills from their previous work to new teams.

“GeoComply used to be a small company but now there are hundreds of jobs in different areas that you can grow into, and we want to support that,” Sainsbury says.

Alexander, who’s used her annual allowances for courses on

diversity, equity, and inclusion and an online summit on Indigenizing workspaces, says her career trajectory within GeoComply has been a result of the company recognizing her passions.

While working in government relations, Alexander worked closely with Sainsbury on the company’s

social responsibility initiatives. Her passion for those projects shone through, and the company offered her the impact manager role.

“I can say I truly found something I want to progress my career in as a result of GeoComply recognizing that passion,” she says.

 Anna Sainsbury, co-founder and CEO, at GeoComply.

Neighbourhoods of care connect Island Health

Eric Head-Chen moved to Vancouver Island to experience the natural beauty and climate. But, when he chanced upon the ‘CARE’ values of Island Health, he first found a fit as a registered nurse at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

— Kathy MacNeil President and CEO

“The part of the values that say to have Courage, to Aspire, to Respect and to have Empathy is what I actually believe in and that attracted me the most,” Head-Chen says.

When his husband’s job required a move from Nanaimo to the northeast end of the island, Head-Chen became the clinical co-ordinator for the Port Hardy and Port McNeill Hospitals. Both are small, 12-bed facilities but fully equipped to handle emergencies and immediate acute care.

“So I bounce between hospitals that are only 30 minutes apart. I coordinate the daily tasks for the units and provide the resources whether it’s through nurses or doctors, for example. I love the challenges and critical thinking involved in rural care,” he explains.

Head-Chen says staffing and lack of large hospital resources in rural communities make the challenges that much bigger.

“I really have to look at the larger picture to make sure I’m connecting one service to others that the client might need. I have to find a way to make it happen,” he says.

Island Health serves more than 860,000 people on Vancouver Island, the islands in the Salish Sea and the Johnstone Strait along with mainland communities north of Powell River. It is the largest

employer on the island, tallying almost 30,000 with full-time and part-time employees, physicians, students and volunteer staff.

“We’re like a city and we have what I call ‘neighbourhoods.’

Island Health has multiple kinds of identities depending on where you work geographically or what program you’re in,” says Kathy MacNeil, president and CEO.

“What I love about us, as an employer, is we’re so big you can navigate your whole career and do different things like Eric has done,” she adds.

Head-Chen, originally from Ottawa, has had three careers – first in the military, then as a teacher and now in nursing.

“The beauty I took away from the military and education was mentoring, training and teamwork. What so attracts me to our northeast region is the teamwork and also the leadership,” Head-Chen says. “They’re always creative and help out the staff when we’re in crisis.”

The pandemic was indeed such a crisis.

“It’s a challenging place and time

 Within Island Health, care professionals provide specialized services and journey with their patients at every stage of life.

“We are leveraging technology to improve our reach to various people. It’s a pretty exciting place to come to work.”

in health care, because the system that we had before the pandemic is not likely to bounce back to where it was,” MacNeil says. “We’re in the process of having to change rapidly to meet the needs of our population.”

Island Health has an innovation lab dedicated to making new ideas

work in how and where to deliver patient care.

“We are leveraging technology to improve our reach to various people. It’s a pretty exciting place to come to work,” MacNeil adds.

As well, Island Health offers various online career development courses.

“We’re also very committed to cultural safety and humility, and educating our people about the experiences of Indigenous peoples within the health-care system,” MacNeil says.

That Indigenous culture, the choices of city, rural or island living, and the famous natural

beauty of the islands draws people there, but what keeps employees at Island Health is more, MacNeil says.

“What draws them and keeps them is that the work they do matters greatly to the people, to humanity. It’s a noble purpose, it’s a cause.” 

islandhealth.ca/careers

A career on Vancouver Island is a lifestyle.

 An Island Health employee working at a medical laboratory at Victoria General Hospital.

Employees thrive on breaking new ground at LandSure

Some people might get a worried look when told, the job you’re about to take is crucial to the British Columbia economy and millions of citizens and businesses are counting on you to provide them with service solutions – no pressure. But the thought put a smile on Sonia Hobbs’ face when she first started working at LandSure Systems Limited, and it still does.

“When I got a chance to work at LandSure, I realized the work they do is like an engine of the economy and just so foundational to where we live and play,” says Hobbs, director of business solutions.

“I looked at the magnitude of what I can personally do to contribute to that and got very excited and happy. I feel really lucky to be part of it.”

LandSure is headquartered in Vancouver and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Land Title and Survey Authority of B.C. It builds technological systems and solutions to provide certainty around property business and ownership in the province. Its cutting-edge technologies ensure fast, secure land transactions for businesses and the public.

The company has a small but

diverse team of employees which is growing in large part because LandSure offered an island of stability in the sea of uncertainty during the pandemic. Despite the struggles faced by other tech firms, LandSure was able to keep expanding and improving its supports to employees.

Coming out of the pandemic, employees continued receiving the resources they needed to work at home regularly and the company

increased mental health awareness to ensure a smooth transition back into office. Training and socializing switched to a hybrid format. All the while, LandSure employees kept on developing new technologies to transform the way land title services are delivered.

Moving into a post-pandemic landscape, LandSure continues to refine and enhance the employee experience with a continued focus on training and development.

“The employee experience is important to us,” says Samantha Mitchell, vice president human resources.

“We encourage our people to pursue development opportunities and take time off to allow them to re-energize and do other things in their life.”

Employees like Hobbs also enjoy an innovative, collaborative, respectful and entrepreneurial workplace where the exchange

 Sonia Hobbs, director of business solutions (right) and Janice Fraser, acting director, communications, at LandSure Systems.

“Not everybody knows about Landsure but I think it’s a secret gem of an organization.”

— Samantha Mitchell Vice President Human Resources

of ideas is encouraged and executives at the highest level are approachable. It creates an atmosphere where they can build first-of-its-kind land systems like a proposed First Nations National Land Registry.

“We get to do some really cool, important things that are having

an impact,” says Hobbs.

“It’s not often you get to be part of a culture where you’re learning and you’re having fun, but you’re also doing stuff in the public good with an organization that cares about your growth and invests in its people.”

As it expands, LandSure offers

employees increasing career growth opportunities. Its co-op program gives students valuable job experience and often opens the door to a career at the company. And while LandSure people take their critical role seriously, they don’t let it go to their collective head.

“We’re a very humble, respectful, collaborative and driven group of individuals who feel they’re quietly doing unique work while supporting the B.C. economy,” says Mitchell.

“Not everybody knows about LandSure but I think it’s a secret gem of an organization.” 

 LandSure Systems supports career growth and development with its co-op program.

A sense of shared mission motivates LTSA employees

When he was first hired by the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (LTSA), Reuben Danakody was handed the task of taking a piece of new legislation and transforming the words on the paper into a cutting-edge registry to track indirect ownership of property in the province. Faced with a daunting task and a tight deadline, Danakody and his team rolled up their sleeves and delivered the Land Owner Transparency Registry in just 18 months.

“We were able to do that because our leaders gave me and my team complete trust,” says Danakody, director and administrator, land owner transparency registry services.

“Often in other organizations there’s not enough autonomy and empowerment for employees to innovate. But at LSTA, we were able to make quick decisions and take an agile approach to build a first of its kind software system. It was amazing.”

Headquartered in Victoria, LTSA is responsible for maintaining and operating B.C.’s land title and survey systems. Its 100-plus employees track and record over

five million private and public land and property ownership transactions in the province annually.

Danakody and his fellow employees also develop additional new systems to expand LTSA’s services. That can mean long hours for small teams, but the authority ensures its employees stay energized with generous vacation benefits, a health spending account and a comprehensive approach to wellness.

“We have a holistic approach to taking care of our employees,” says Gregory Steves, vice president, policy and legal services.

“As a relatively new employee myself, I’ve found LTSA to be absolutely top-notch in supporting individuals to pursue their careers and professional development while keeping a healthy work-life balance.”

LTSA’s mandate requires it to pay attention to the smallest details and that carries over to how the authority cares for its employees. Danakody appreciates little things like the Starbucks coffee machine in every LTSA office and the regular employee achievement events where successes and milestones are celebrated.

To keep atop the wave of tech change, LTSA provides employees with training opportunities and educational support. A culture of openness and respect encourages a free flow of ideas where employees also learn from each other.

While they’re a diverse group working in offices in Victoria, New Westminster and Kamloops, LTSA’s employees and managers are united in their mission to deliver solutions in the public interest. Steves says everyone at the authority sees their work as foundational to the economic health of the province.

“It’s an unwavering belief and

 Gregory Steves, vice president, policy and legal services, at LTSA.

“It’s an unwavering belief and confidence in what we’re doing that defines us.”

— Gregory Steves Vice President, Policy and Legal Services

confidence in what we’re doing that defines us,” he says.

“We’re entrenched in the ideas of the public interest and social responsibility. That and knowing that we’re delivering innovative and reliable solutions inspires our employees to do meaningful work.”

For both Steves and Danakody,

new initiatives like the proposed First Nations National Land Registry provide challenges, but also give them a sense of pride in demonstrating LTSA’s commitment to values like Indigenous reconciliation. Diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as environmental, social and governance practices,

Making a Difference

are key priorities.

Danakody says LTSA’s open, entrepreneurial, collaborative culture encourages everyone from top to bottom to step up and speak out.

“We get leadership from all levels – not just executive leadership, but from every team

here. From the supervisory level to management to senior management and executive, they’re all genuinely intent on helping the organization achieve its goals,” he says.

“Everybody is trying their best to support the organization and the skills to do it are there.”

 LTSA employees celebrating at their annual employee achievement awards ceremony.

Think globally, practise locally at Lawson Lundell

The advantage of being local is big. As the largest regional firm in Vancouver, Lawson Lundell LLP has made a concerted effort to better define the practical differences of what it means to work and grow at a regional firm versus a national or international one.

Accordingly, Allie Jackson, director of legal talent, says students coming into recruitment are increasingly aware of the opportunities and benefits the firm can offer and that’s been reflected in the quality of students it has been able to hire.

“Decision-making is focused on the people who are here or in our offices in Calgary and Yellowknife,” says Jackson. “That was highlighted during COVID when a lot of decision-making for other law firms came out of Toronto, which was suffering from COVID much more than British Columbia, so their summer programs were entirely remote.

“Because we operate locally and make decisions based on what’s going on here, we could invite students safely into the workplace over the past couple of summers.

That was a big distinguishing feature that resonated with students.”

Lawson also recently increased the ratio of mentors to students and formalized the structure to better emphasize mentorship as well as general integration and connectivity within the firm. Additionally, the firm emphasizes its culture and collaborative working environment.

“We have a strong focus on building an effective and collaborative team of lawyers starting at the student level,” says Jackson. “We’re intentional about fostering a work environment where students see

one another as colleagues and not competition. We really focus on that messaging in recruitment.”

Articling students move through four rotations at Lawson so they can understand the breadth of its business and work with a variety of lawyers, all with different styles, to get a real sense of what the profession entails. Summer students don’t rotate but have a self-directed experience exploring the firm.

“So much of being a lawyer isn’t learned in law school,” says Jackson. “The articling year helps students develop practicemanagement skills and sharpen

interpersonal skills that they haven’t had the chance to implement in law school. A lot of what goes into a successful legal practice can’t be tested until you have the opportunity.”

Raj Sidhu, human resources director, says continuing training and professional development is the top priority for all staff members at Lawson, not just students and lawyers. How depends on their career stage.

“We’re a people-first firm so we try to customize the process,” says Sidhu.

“At each stage, individuals have different requirements and needs

 Lawyers and staff attend the ‘Pride Celebration BBQ’ with speaker Cliff Proudfoot, KC, managing partner, at Lawson Lundell.

“We’re intentional about fostering a work environment where students see one another as colleagues and not competition.”

— Allie Jackson Director of Legal Talent

so we focus our opportunities based on those criteria. We also encourage promoting internally because we want to keep our best people and encourage their growth.”

That includes having a great education reimbursement policy, providing refresher courses on

various technologies, having mentors, and buddies help newcomers. In a recent survey, the firm asked what all the folks at different levels on the support side wanted most. It then responded by developing a multitude of programs that directly addressed their needs. The entire

staff signed up.

“We decided to do something different and roll out this training initiative from our Yellowknife office,” says Sidhu. “So we flew our training team there for the entire week so they could have in-person training for a change, while everyone else logged in virtually. The

Yellowknife people were over the moon happy and the engagement was just phenomenal.

“I think this really exemplifies our culture and how we embrace training.

“We received great feedback and absolutely will do it again to stay on top of these training needs.”

 Lawson Lundell provides training and professional development opportunities for employees to have the opportunity to be involved in work that interests them.

Mosaic Forest Management thrives on sustainability

Dana Collins had been involved in the Canadian forestry sector for 15 years, and had been the first woman and youngest person to lead a top-level industry group, when she noticed an opening at Mosaic Forest Management Corp. in Nanaimo.

“I had a strong interest in increasing the representation of women and Indigenous cultures in the forestry sector,” she says. “I was often the only woman at the table, so I recognized the challenges facing minorities.”

With this in mind, Collins was a natural fit for her role at Mosaic. As manager of partnerships, she’s deeply involved in the organization’s culture of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). On behalf of the company, she actively seeks out Indigenous partners to collaborate with the company in managing sustainable timberlands.

As Canada’s largest privatelyowned timberlands producer, Mosaic is a Canadian leader in sustainable timberlands management, administering the forest planning, operations and product sales within its private forest lands and Crown tenure areas.

“I knew that Mosaic was progressive,” says Collins, “but I was surprised when I joined to see just how deep its commitment is to DEI. Mosaic stands apart in the forestry sector.

“Diversity, equity and inclusion live and breathe in the behaviour of everyone here. They’re woven into the fabric of our identity.”

Mosaic’s culture didn’t happen by accident, says Rob Gough, president and CEO.

“The people of Mosaic are the heart of our success, with sustainability and safety at the

core of everything we do,” he says. “They chart new ways of delivering value from the land base.”

That value comes in innovative ways. Mosaic was the first forestry company in the world, for example, to include the supply chain in its carbon accounting. It was recently certified by the Carbon Trust for its carbon accounting across the company’s entire supply chain. Its innovative carbon-management strategy marries Indigenous knowledge with scientific research, says Collins.

Mosaic was also the first forestry company in B.C. to achieve Progressive Aboriginal Relations bronze certification and then silver level certification. The designations are administered by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Businesses and represent the only corporate social responsibility program with an emphasis on Indigenous relations.

Under another innovative strategy called the Big Coast Forest Climate Initiative, Mosaic has deferred harvest on 40,000 hectares of old forests.

 Mosaic Forest Management is committed to sustainable science-based environmental management.

“Diversity, equity and inclusion live and breathe in the behaviour of everyone here. They’re woven into the fabric of our identity.”

— Dana Collins Manager, Partnerships

“The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions will be packaged into high-quality nature-based carbon credits,” says Gough. “A portion of the proceeds go to the Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas Innovation program and the Pacific Salmon Foundation to help with scientific

and First Nations cultural research on and around the project lands.”

On a day-to-day basis, Collins adds, “we prioritize recognizing and respecting the rights of Indigenous peoples. I can see our commitment spread across the company, through operations, log purchasing and real estate. We

demonstrate our commitment by identifying trees for carving and working with Indigenous contractors and suppliers. We even procure our coffee from Indigenous sources.”

In Gough’s view, diversity and sustainability are not obligations. They’re a source of prosperity.

“In a workplace where everyone feels they belong, employees can contribute their whole, authentic self to helping us achieve our strategic goals,” he says. “My vision is for forestry to be an industry that Canada’s youth views in a positive light with meaningful, long-term career prospects.”

 Professional foresters, biologists and engineers at Mosaic Forest Management provide sustainable forest stewardship and environmental services.

Connection is key at the District of North Vancouver

It was Halloween when Jennifer Janetka realized the Corporation of the District of North Vancouver was different than other places she had worked in.

“As soon as I started, I saw that culture of connection was strong and there was a focus on making connections with your co-workers. But Halloween was when I really knew,” says Janetka, film and events coordinator.

The District of North Vancouver celebrates Halloween with skits, a costume parade and office decorating. “It really brings people together and it made me realize this was an amazing place to work. Everyone gets involved and is encouraged by our leaders to have fun.”

A social squad plans other events throughout the year, such as golf tournaments, family picnics and even a hotdog eating contest.

Chief administrative officer David Stuart is proud of the collaborative culture of the District of North Vancouver and says

that it includes having employees from across departments and those in the office and out in the field meeting each other and interacting.

“I am most proud that we really worked hard to maintain that teamwork and collaboration during COVID-19,” he says.

With the return to the workplace, the District of North Vancouver encouraged each

staff member to decide with their supervisor the amount they would work in the office or remotely. Recognizing the importance of flexibility for retention, the District ensured staff were equipped with the proper equipment for working from home and holds regular ‘Workplace of the Future meetings,’ where staff can discuss the changing nature of work. At District Hall, certain

open areas were converted into contemporary collaboration spaces for small group meetings and temporary workstations.

“COVID-19 has changed the workplace but there is an innate sense that your work is an important part of your life. To have people stay with you, you have to be a place where people look forward to coming into work,” Stuart says.

 District of North Vancouver converted open areas into collaboration spaces for small group meetings.

“I think providing flexibility while recognizing the importance of connection has improved us as an employer and as a place to work.”

— David Stuart Chief Administrative Officer

“We have the flexibility of hybrid work but many are choosing to come into the office because they miss that connection. So I think providing flexibility while recognizing the importance of connection has improved us as an employer and as a place to work.”

Janetka says the organization

also ensures collaboration and connection even when working remotely. For example, the intranet is a place where people post items and play games, including a daily online bingo session to raise money for a local charity.

“There are ways to bring in that connection, even if you are

working from home. Doing these events and embracing fun gives us a sense of belonging,” Janetka says. “Even though we work in different departments, we are all working for our residents and we're working for the public. To be able to do fun things together, it brings us closer.

“You get to know people you wouldn't necessarily interact with during your regular workday. I think it gives you a better understanding of how the organization works and makes you more empathetic to other people's positions in the organization and just brings us together as a team.”

 District of North Vancouver employees can participate in a daily online bingo session to raise money for a local charity.

Employees enjoy a sunny future at the PRPA

For Heidi Richardson, working for the Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) has all the advantages of smalltown living with big-time career growth opportunities and a sense of national mission.

“Prince Rupert’s a small, tightknit community where we’re just one degree away from anyone else,” says Richardson, environmental coordinator.

“At the same time, the port is an economic engine for Canadian trade. That’s a source of pride across the entire organization. Everyone here knows what we do is important to both the port authority and the community we live and work in.”

The PRPA oversees the operations in Canada’s third-largest port by value of trade. Over $60 billion worth of goods go through it annually, supporting nearly 2,000 jobs in the local economy and an estimated 3,800 in the region.

With a diverse workforce performing a wide variety of jobs in the fast-evolving transportation sector, the PRPA places a premium on in-person and online training and educational programming to support its employees. Richardson enjoys courses that keep her current on aspects of her job like invasive species.

The PRPA promotes further career advancement through its Leadership Accelerator program, which trains employees to become leaders within the organization.

“We have a strong commitment to professional development and we invest in our people to support their growth,” says Shaun Stevenson, president and CEO. “As a result, we’ve been very successful in both recruitment and retention.”

The PRPA’s comprehensive approach to employee well-being is anchored in work-life balance. A wellness allowance encourages employees to buy gym equipment

or bicycles and participate in team sports and other pursuits. A unique benefit in a community where it can rain 240 days of the year is ‘Sunshine Days.’ If there’s a sunny forecast, employees can take one day a year off to take advantage of those rare, golden rays.

Integrity, a commitment to sustainability and inclusion have helped the PRPA create an open and accessible corporate culture where employees and managers exchange ideas freely. Multiple communications channels like town halls, internal online

platforms and an empowered employee council ensure a constant flow of information, keeping everyone on the same page.

That sense of togetherness is reinforced by an active social recreational committee that organizes events across the calendar, rain or shine. Kayaking and paddle boarding excursions, barbeques and golf tournaments are set against Prince Rupert’s rugged natural backdrop. Employees also give back to the community via volunteering and participating in outreach programs. The PRPA dedicates a percentage of its gross

 An employee at Prince Rupert Port Authority volunteering at a community reading program.

“Every day I’m very grateful that I get to do what I love in a place that I love.”

— Heidi Richardson Environmental Coordinator

annual income towards community projects.

Stevenson says working at the PRPA offers employees the chance to work on complex, strategic files while enjoying a quality of life not found in larger urban areas. His commute to work, for instance, takes five minutes. When

his children were growing up, he could have lunch with them every day. It’s a vibe that’s reflected in how the PRPA treats its employees.

“We operate as a family within our small town,” says Stevenson.

“Working for a purpose driven, values-grounded organization, our employees see not only the

economic impacts of a growing and expanding port, but how we work together to improve community livability. That’s what sets us apart.”

It’s a powerful combination that every once in a while strikes Richardson when she’s out on a boat collecting data with her team

OUR PEOPLE PROPEL US

or training new employees and summer students. The thought puts a smile on her face.

“Every day I’m very grateful that I get to do what I love in a place that I love,” she says.

“It’s great working with a company with values that align with my own.” 

 Shaun Stevenson (left), CEO at Prince Rupert Port Authority, opens the company’s new Connector Corridor, innovative infrastructure that helps the Port enable trade.

Save-On-Foods’ success is rooted in building community

Paul Cope started as a clerk with Save-OnFoods in 1986. Now senior vice-president of operations, Cope says connecting with team members and customers is why he maintains his love for the company.

“For me, it is all about the people,” Cope says. “Although we work in the grocery industry, I truly believe that we are in the people business. It is our shared experiences and the ability to connect that makes me love working here.”

The Langley-based supermarket chain, which has locations across Western Canada, places an emphasis on fostering employee connections. This includes monthly ‘Open Door’ meetings with the executive team. During these virtual meetings, which began in 2019, team members can connect with the company’s senior leaders to ask questions on any topic.

For more than 40 years, SaveOn-Foods has been holding annual service award banquets, which celebrate those who have achieved milestone years of service with the company. It is also finalizing a new communication tool that will help the company’s dispersed workforce

access information and company updates and provide a two-way channel, where they can ask questions, share photos and share ideas with their peers, as well as connect with their store teams.

“Ensuring our team feels connected to each other and can communicate and collaborate is vital in driving employee engagement and strengthening our brand,” Cope says. “As we continue to grow, that feeling of connecting

to each other is part of what keeps our culture unique. Fostering meaningful connections between our team members is critical in promoting a sense of belonging.”

Save-On-Foods also focuses on building connections with its store communities, donating more than $40 million to community causes over the past 30 years. Each month, store teams discuss upcoming company and store fundraising initiatives, sharing ideas and

successes in order to find new ways to support important causes.

Matt Hexter, store manager at Save-On-Foods Parksville, says supporting local organizations is a favourite part of his job. Throughout September, for example, his store collects donations from shoppers to support Forward House, which helps adults living with mental health or addiction recovery challenges, raising $8,000 in two years. Last

 Together with their customers, Save-On-Foods donated more than $40 million to community causes over the past 30 years.

“Fostering meaningful connections between our team members is critical in promoting a sense of belonging.”

— Paul Cope Senior Vice-President, Operations

Remembrance Day, the store served lunch to more than 300 veterans and community members at the local Royal Canadian Legion.

Each Save-On-Foods store is customized to suit the needs of its neighbourhood and the chain carries more than 2,500

locally-made products from more than 2,000 local growers and producers.

During wildfire season, SaveOn-Foods acts as the primary food and distribution partner for disaster relief efforts in British Columbia and in other provinces when needed, providing immediate

triage support, food and supplies to first responders, as well as to displaced residents. And every June, during its Share it Forward event, Save-On-Foods donates 50 per cent of net proceeds from all Western Family products sold to local food banks.

“Events like Share it Forward

bring our team together, which elevates the initiative, bringing the community on board as well,” Hexter says. “Focusing on local causes, such as supporting our food banks, fosters a sense of community and belonging. Caring for our communities is a big part of why I love Save-On-Foods.”

 A pharmacy assistant at Save-On-Foods.

Values build culture for employees at SilverChef

As the Canadian arm of a business based in Australia, SilverChef Canada has found its Vancouver head office is the best place to communicate across an ocean’s worth of time zones. But for Blake Harte, an operations team lead at the company, there’s no better place to work.

“It’s just great to work in downtown Vancouver,” he says. “It’s beautiful. As a team and as a business in Canada, we are very active; everybody on the team is very outdoorsy and takes advantage of the beauties of B.C.”

SilverChef rents and leases equipment to the restaurant and hospitality trades, a very specialized business that Sandra Zalunardo, the company’s vice president of people and culture, says requires very specific skill sets.

A background in hospitality, whether it’s in a kitchen or waiting or bartending in college, helps, but Zalunardo says that “hospitality is great, but it’s a combination of hospitality and finance – we really want someone to understand the financial aspects more strongly than the hospitality.”

Harte adds that people skills are

also very important. “I brought customer-facing experience to my role. I would say that you have to be really good with people, and the other skills can be taught. But you can’t teach how to be compassionate or understanding of people’s emotions.”

Team-building has always been a priority for the company, with 16 paid volunteer hours for each employee and a list of charities the company supports. Harte says he spent a lot of his hours at

the food bank, which SilverChef supports along with charities like Plenty of Plates, a provider of meals for residents of the city’s disadvantaged Downtown Eastside neighbourhood.

“There’s so many charities out there that sometimes it’s hard to focus in on which ones we want to support,” Zalunardo says, “so we find it helpful to have a guideline around lifting people out of poverty, but it’s not exclusive to that. This is very much aligned to

the corporate charity we support, Opportunity International, who provides micro-loans to people in third world countries to start their own business.”

Zalunardo says that SilverChef puts a lot of emphasis on core values in its workplace culture.

“The core values of an organization are key to understanding what its culture is all about,” she says.

“At SilverChef it’s about inclusivity, it’s about authenticity. It’s about being courageous, integrity,

 SilverChef team members enjoying time at a Canadians game.

“The core values of an organization are key to understanding what its culture is all about.”

— Sandra Zalunardo Vice-President, People and Culture

teamwork, being respectful of different staff members. Once you have that, you have a road map to how we’re going to interact with each other.”

Promotion of those values is part of a program of rewards for employees across the company who exceed specific goals. There

are five annual awards where employees can be nominated by leaders or other employees, including the Core Values Champion award, with a cash prize of $1,000. Zalunardo proudly points out that many employees are put forward, as there are so many examples of people living their core values.

We are proud to be one of BC’s Top Employers for 2023

And then there’s the SilverChef Champion, an employee of the year award with a prize of $5,000 that Harte won – the first Canadian to receive it.

“I was kind of shocked to get it, honestly,” he says. Beyond hitting sales targets by over 200 per cent, he’s sure that volunteer work

as well as serving on company committees like its LGBTQ+ committee helped him get noticed. It was all about “pushing for what’s right” and “just having social responsibility,” he says.

“I feel like I won because I was just being myself and being a positive influence.” 

 SilverChef employees having a team meeting.

Every employee is top of class at St. George’s W

hen Jan Chavarie worked in the private sector as an IT expert, she would spend days quietly writing code in her cubicle to the sound of the steady click on the keyboards around her. Now as applications manager at St. George’s School, she traverses hallways that echo to the sounds of boisterous, excited students in an energetic atmosphere that’s a far cry from her previous corporate culture. And she loves it.

“School is a different environment – you walk down a corridor full of kids all talking at once and you pass a teacher and exchange smiles,” says Chavarie.

“It’s quite different from the corporate world because you’re dealing with kids and families. It’s a really great environment to be in.”

An independent day and boarding school for boys, St. George’s is located in Vancouver on the traditional territory of the Musqueam First Nation. It offers academic, arts and athletic programming as well as a wide variety of co-curricular activities.

Founded in 1930, it has 280 employees.

Faculty, staff, and school leadership work together to give each of the students an individual, comprehensive educational experience in keeping with the school’s mission of “building fine young men, one boy at a time.”

A school where every student is known by name and cared for, St. George’s takes the same approach to its employees. It’s created a caring, compassionate community that treats staff and faculty as unique individuals with differing strengths, challenges, and goals. Flexibility and constant improvement are fundamental

to the school’s human resources approach.

“It’s based on lots of feedback from employees – listening to their ideas so we can create space and opportunity for them to be engaged whether it’s through professional development, wellness, or connection with community,” says David Young, head of school.

“We build employee engagement one person at a time so every employee is known and loved and cared for.”

St. George’s invests in its employees by providing strong benefit and pension plans, leave of absence and return to work programs, and training and education

opportunities that can take them all over North America. Wellness and life-balance are encouraged through activities like yoga, fitness, on-site massage and physiotherapy, art retreats, and community social gatherings.

The school is also connected to the community at large. For the holiday season hamper drive, staff and students put together over 250 hampers containing food, household goods and grocery gift cards to support the wider Vancouver community and its charitable partners. St. George’s also works with several elementary schools on Vancouver’s east side and has a strong, growing

 Wellness is encouraged through activities like art retreats and community social gatherings at St. George's School.

“We build employee engagement one person at a time so every employee is

known and cared

for.”

— Karen Potter Director of Human Resources

relationship with the Musqueam First Nation.

St. George’s inclusive and caring approach has created a work culture where everyone’s contributions towards the community are appreciated and recognized, including employees like Chavarie who work quietly in

the background.

“In systems, you work behind the scenes a lot and when something goes wrong and you can very quickly resolve it for someone, it’s very satisfying,” she says.

“They sometimes look at you like you’re a miracle worker when you’re just doing your job, but it’s

nice to know you’re appreciated.”

Young says working at the school can be demanding, but also rewarding. Employees have the opportunity to help students find their unique individual path to the future while growing their own careers in a respectful workplace.

“This is the place to be if you

want to work in an environment that will care for you, regardless of what your individual life journey is,” says Young.

“If you want to be involved in something deeply engaging that has the potential for societal impact, then we have a job for you.”

 St. George’s School fosters a caring and compassionate environment for staff and students.

At Teck, there’s a career’s worth of opportunities

acqueline Pye’s first experience with Vancouver-based Teck Resources Limited was as a university student in the company’s co-op program. Since then, she has worked her way up to senior engineering supervisor, processing, obtained her professional engineering designation, been posted at three of the company’s operations and is on the way to earning a graduate diploma in business administration.

“One reason Teck keeps me passionate is the numerous opportunities for growth in one company,” says Pye, currently at the company’s Fording River Operations in Elkford, B.C. “There’s a genuine commitment to making both professional and personal development a priority.” The word opportunity is repeated often by Teck employees. “There is a great deal of opportunity for career growth, for people to develop their capabilities, even right in the early part of their careers,” says Carley Hughes, senior lead recruitment in human resources. “There’s a lot of openness and conversations. Employees can have shorter-term

and long-term aspirations, and people are there to support them.”

Employees are given a great deal of autonomy and responsibility –another big draw, Hughes adds.

“Teck encourages us to really own the outcomes of the work we do,” says Pye. “We’re really given the freedom to approach challenges and come up with unique solutions.”

Khushaal Popli was in Alberta working on a PhD in process

control and data science when he got the opportunity to work on a project to develop artificial intelligence for mining operations. “The data science was new, AI was new and AI in mining was definitely new,” says Popli, domain lead, data science for RACE, Teck’s digital transformation program.

Popli was fortunate to be introduced to Teck, as part of his research was funded by the company. “Not many people

coming from a PhD background feel comfortable working in industry – we’re so used to working in labs,” he says. “I was really fortunate to get mentorship and support from my supervisors to help me bridge that gap really quickly.”

Since then, Popli has benefited from opportunities for new jobs within the company, and always with the back-up support of courses and coaching. Now, he

 A Teck employee at the company’s Trail Operations, one of the world’s largest fully integrated zinc and lead smelting and refining complexes, located in southern British Columbia.

“We’re really given the freedom to approach challenges and come up with unique solutions.”

— Jacqueline Pye Senior Engineering Supervisor, Processing

manages 20 data scientists who are working across different operations. “It was a sudden jump in my responsibility,” he says, “and Teck has been helping me to make sure I can do it successfully.”

There is also the not-so-small fact that many of Teck’s operations are located in places like

Kamloops, Fernie and Trail –towns where other people go to vacation, ski and mountain bike. Attractive work schedules help employees take advantage of living and working in desirable locations, which not only promotes a good work-life balance but also deepens the connection to the area. “We

are really passionate about making sure that we take care of the communities and environment that we live in,” says Hughes. While the geography may draw people like Pye to Teck, it’s the other things – the development opportunities, the responsibilities – that keep them there. “The sky’s

the limit,” says Pye. “It’s the amount of effort that you put in and it’s the support of your colleagues and supervisors.”

Pye started at Teck in its co-op program over 10 years ago. “And, you know, I could retire with this company based on the number of opportunities that are available.” 

 A Teck employee working at the company's steelmaking coal operations in Sparwood, B.C.

Social purpose drives people and business at TELUS

One of the many things Alessia Yaworsky does at TELUS Communications

Inc. is run a little newsroom on Habitat, the company’s corporate intranet. Along with her editorial team, she looks closely at everything that goes out to team members, mindful of the Vancouver-based company’s commitment to work for good.

“Throughout the news and stories we post, we always try to infuse the ‘why’ behind the work we do,” says Yaworsky, manager, communications. “A big one is our social purpose, as well as the passion of our people who run the business. It’s something I think about day in and day out at TELUS.”

Supporting meaningful change for people and communities in need is a mantra at TELUS, where giving is hardwired into its DNA and constantly expanding. Since joining as a new grad 11 years ago, Yaworsky has watched the annual charity event, TELUS Days of Giving, evolve from a single day into an entire month because there

are now so many activities and non-profit partnerships.

Everyone is encouraged to take part, says Yaworsky, whose recent volunteering was personally memorable because it brought the corporate citizenship and communications team together in person for the first time since the pandemic struck.

“We went to the UBC Indigenous Garden where employees and volunteers welcomed us with an Indigenous ceremony, which was an amazing experience,” says Yaworsky. “It was great to just be outdoors weeding and

replanting, which also provided an opportunity to bond with the team again.”

Other initiatives that have really grown in scope, size and impact over the past few years include the Connecting for Good portfolio of programs, which gives individuals in need in Canada access to its technology. For example, TELUS recently launched a program to provide free smartphones and wireless services to Indigenous women at risk of, or surviving, violence.

“I think those programs demonstrate what TELUS does

best,” says Yaworsky. “It’s about giving back to the communities where we operate and using our world-leading technology to make a meaningful impact for good.”

Patrick Barron, vice president, corporate citizenship & community investment, says giving back is now the north star of a robust business strategy at TELUS as well as its social purpose.

“Doing good is good for business, no question,” says Barron.

“You can see it in our quarterly profit. It leads to great global engagement and profitable growth, so there’s really no downside to

 TELUS team members participate in a local shoreline cleanup volunteer event.

“It’s about giving back to the communities where we operate and using our world-leading technology to make a meaningful impact for good.”

— Alessia Yaworsky Manager, Communications

being driven by social purpose.”

Last year, TELUS gave back $90 million to local communities in Canada – representing five per cent of its pre-tax profits – and volunteered over 1.4 million hours. The company also rewards employees with $1 for every hour they volunteer; at the end

 Since 2000, TELUS team members and retirees have volunteered 7 million hours in support of B.C. charities and community organizations.

of the year, they can donate those accumulated dollars to a charity of their choice.

“Giving back is our reason for being,” Barron continues. “It’s why we attract and retain amazing talent. It also speaks to our high engagement rates, which is one of the highest engagement rates of

any company with our size and composition in the world. Giving back has really galvanized all of our team members in Canada and around the world.

“Plus, it’s so much fun when everyone rallies together in May to do good on TELUS Days of Giving,” says Barron. “Seeing the

impact we have is so special and hard to replicate from a culture perspective. The teams feel so bonded after sharing a moving experience or hearing from those less fortunate that you’ve helped. Imagine how touching it is to hear that you’ve lifted someone up even a little bit in their day.”

The City of Vancouver is full of passionate professionals

Karen Lai has worked for non-profit organizations for more than 20 years. But one of the highlights of her career was through her current job at the City of Vancouver, where she developed an accessibility strategy and presented it to city council. “It was a great opportunity to show my life’s work to the decisionmakers of the city,” says Lai, an accessibility planner. “And it was unanimously passed.”

— Karen

Deputy City Manager

For Lai, who was born and raised in Vancouver, working for the City was a no-brainer. “I’m privileged and blessed to live in this beautiful neck of the woods, and I just love the city,” she says. “It’s a big company and has security, and if you want to make change, this is the place to do it. You’re in the big leagues here.”

In the 32 years since Karen Levitt started working at the City, much has changed. “What keeps me here is the really amazing broad range of interesting work,” says the deputy city manager. “It’s what the younger people would call meaningful work; you’re making the city a better place to live.”

When she started, the staff was composed of more “classic civil servants,” Levitt says, but in the years since, the City has built and attracted a group of passionate, community-minded, “fantastically skilled” people. “It’s a very big place, and there are lots of varying cultures and subcultures,” she adds.

“It’s a place where people make a lot of friends, work and feel a sense of belonging and teamwork.”

Part of what has kept Levitt at the City of Vancouver for so long are the opportunities for new jobs and new challenges, all backed by sophisticated training and development as well as formal and

informal mentoring and coaching. One program enables employees to work with a coach and manager towards specific goals. “It’s a very supportive environment,” Levitt says. “If you have a diverse skill set, it’s easy to move around,” adds Lai.

Levitt confesses that when she

 Employees at the City of Vancouver are passionate about their career and their expertise.

“There’s a nice balance of innovation and creativity and stability and getting

things

done.”

Levitt

started working at the City in 1990, she didn’t necessarily do so out of a sense of purpose. It was a different time. But that, too, has changed in the years since. “I think it’s a very big part of why a lot of people work here,” she says. “They’re passionate about their profession and their expertise. And

they’re passionate about making Vancouver a better place and helping people.”

Other things have changed as well, including the addition of a chief equity officer and the breaking down of silos. “We’ve created really high-performing teams across departments and special

interest groups,” Levitt explains. “When I got here it was more bureaucratic – you know, keep the roads rolling kind of place – and that was appropriate for 1990,” she adds. Since then, there has been more emphasis on innovation, and now things are settling into more of a middle ground.

“There’s a nice balance of innovation and creativity and stability and getting things done,” Levitt says. “Our employees have a lot of opportunities to exercise their own creativity, to really bring themselves and their passions to the job – probably more than a lot of other government jobs.”

 Animal services employees at the City of Vancouver.

full-time staff in Canada

Purpose and passion inspire Vancity employees

Employees like Jade Diamond Doolan know exactly where Vancouver City Savings Credit Union (Vancity) stands on issues. That includes how finance can be used to address big problems that people in B.C. care about, such as affordable housing, climate change, reconciliation and anti-racism. He shares those values and they motivate him to help make the world a better place while putting a smile on the credit union members’ faces.

“Vancity doesn’t just talk the talk, it walks the walk when it comes to core values like reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples,” says Doolan, a financial services representative from the South Burnaby community branch.

“That’s why I became a member of Vancity and that’s why I love working here.”

Headquartered in Vancouver with $33 billion in assets under administration, Vancity provides daily banking, financial advice, mortgages and investments to over 560,000 members in 54 branches across British Columbia. Its vision is of a transformed economy that protects the earth and guarantees equity for all.

The credit union was founded over 75 years ago to serve residents living on the east side of Vancouver who faced barriers to traditional financial services. That mission to meet the needs of its communities remains deeply woven into the fabric of Vancity’s culture and informs how it treats employees today.

“We see our employees as our members – not just as people who deliver services to those in our communities, but who are also

part of those communities,” says Jonathan Fowlie, chief external relations officer who oversees Vancity’s impact and climate areas.

“We place a high value on the employee experience. We attract people who are purpose-driven and want to spend their working hours helping to create a better world.”

For employees like Doolan, the credit union’s values are more than words hanging on a wall. He experiences them in action

every day.

“I’m an Indigenous person from the LGBTQAI2S+ community and I have always felt supported at work,” he says. “My ideas and perspectives as a person with lived experience are valued at Vancity.”

Doolan and Fowlie were both part of a recent ceremony to honour Vancity’s Indigenous employees at the Chief Joe Mathias Centre in North Vancouver. The gathering brought Indigenous employees from across Vancity

 A ceremony to honour Vancity’s Indigenous employees at the Chief Joe Mathias Centre.

“We attract people who are purpose-driven and want to spend their working hours helping to create a better world.”

— Jonathan Fowlie Chief External Relations Officer

together to celebrate, connect and acknowledge their continuing contributions to the credit union. For Doolan, the experience of watching the Squamish longhouse traditions and being part of the blanketing ceremony, which brought together Indigenous Peoples within Vancity to create

bonds, was especially moving. Fowlie says it was a powerful example of how Vancity creates a culture that works for societal change while supporting its diverse employees.

“We have clearly defined core values and ethical principles that guide every aspect of our

organization, including how we value our employees, support their health and work to create a fair and inclusive environment where they can grow and thrive,” says Fowlie.

Beyond its clear vision and progressive actions, Vancity provides its employees with

career growth pathways, as well as comprehensive health benefits and a defined benefit pension plan. Its values and its innovative approach to values-based banking have enabled it to attract and retain top talent who want to make a difference in the world in their everyday work.

 Vancity’s Pigeon Park Savings remained open to the Downtown Eastside community throughout the pandemic.

Vast Vancouver Coastal Health cares for its people

After nearly a decade working as a healthcare professional, Mylene Dualan felt she needed a change. She found a cure for her restlessness and a prescription for career success at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and has never looked back.

“I wanted to challenge myself and further my horizons,” says Dualan, a registered nurse, clinical nurse educator and patient care coordinator in Vancouver General Hospital’s hemodialysis unit.

“I’m happy to be working here –I’m very dedicated to my unit. This is where my heart is.”

VCH has more than 29,000 employees delivering health care to 1.2 million people in a region that stretches from Richmond to Bella Coola. It provides specialized care to patients throughout the province and is a hub for healthcare research, academic expertise and clinical excellence.

As a patient care coordinator, Dualan is responsible for ensuring a smooth flow of care in the hemodialysis unit, which treats people with kidney disorders. The intense yet communal work

environment has forged strong bonds. Dualan considers the patients, doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals she works with a second family.

The challenges posed by the pandemic further strengthened those connections, but they also placed front-line workers like Dualan under tremendous stress. VCH responded by expanding physical and mental health benefits and services. Employee and family assistance programs were also enhanced to support medical and non-medical staff.

“We’re a team, and we support and challenge one another,” says Vivian Eliopoulos, president and CEO. “This support is based on VCH’s values and pillars, which

are essential to care for a large and diverse team. Our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, Indigenous cultural safety and planetary health is the beacon of our work, helping us build safer workplaces.”

“We also have the courage to innovate, the agility to act and adjust, the unwavering commitment to respond and the compassion to do so with care and perseverance to support all of our staff and medical staff.”

That support extends to continuous learning and training, essential in the fast-changing health-care sector. Dualan has benefited from programming that trained her for her current position as a team leader. VCH also offers subsidies

for tuition and for professional accreditation. Employee development is further supported by paid internships and apprenticeships.

VCH has a large, diverse workforce serving a complex region. To keep the work culture and health-care delivery consistent over such a vast geographical area, it relies on its foundational pillars. Its commitment to values like diversity, equity and inclusion, anti-racism and Indigenous cultural safety helps to build safe workplaces.

“VCH is a values-based organization dedicated to providing exceptional care, learning and innovation as well as striving for better results in all that we do,” says Eliopoulos.

 A long-term care employee with a resident at Vancouver Coastal Health.

“I’ve worked at Vancouver Coastal Health since 1998 and I will never work anywhere else because I’m very happy here.”

— Mylene Dualan Registered Nurse, Hemodialysis Unit, Vancouver General Hospital

“We’re continuing to build on these values, which are guiding our progress towards promoting an inclusive workplace at VCH where everyone feels like they belong.”

VCH employees give their all in the hospitals, clinics and other health-care facilities as well as in-home care. And they keep

giving to the communities they work in, supporting local charities and in-house initiatives like the Saa ust Fund for Indigenous patients and their families. VCH contributes more than $4 million annually in grants to more than 100 community partners, supporting health promotion programs

and projects that meet the diverse needs of communities.

That comprehensive approach to employee wellness, patient care and community involvement has Dualan more than satisfied with her career.

“I would say to anyone considering a career at VCH that

BE A FORCE FOR GOOD

if you want to be happy with your job, work with friendly staff with good benefits and be supported by your employer, this is the place,” she says.

“I’ve worked at Vancouver Coastal Health since 1998 and I will never work anywhere else because I’m very happy here.”

 Vancouver Coastal Health employees at a long-term care home.

VCC employees share a sense of purpose

Karen-Jane Hills, instructor and department head of the College and Career Access Department, has worked with Vancouver Community College (VCC) for 33 years and she still loves to come to work every day.

“No matter where you work here, whether as faculty, program assistants, in food services or as president of the college, we all work together to help students reach their education, career and personal goals,” says Hills. “I started as a tutor in The Learning Centre and the college doesn’t feel top down, no matter who you are.”

VCC offers academic, cultural, and social environments that inspire relevant real-world training.

The college’s connections to industry ensure that students have direct access to employers,

while the model of access and partnerships across the postsecondary sector helps students reach their goals at any stage of their educational journey.

“VCC’s Strategic Innovation Plan is inclusive to all and provides a shared sense of purpose,” says David Wells, vice-president, academic and applied research. “We have a vision of what we want our organization to be and are using it intentionally to get us there.”

The plan includes work to empower people, create an inclusive culture, engage communities and more. Hills says that people at VCC are open and willing to listen. Coming back from the

pandemic, she has the flexibility to make decisions that are best for her department.

“In order to change how they do things, department heads must show how they can fulfill VCC’s obligation to students in a different way,” says Wells.

Leaders are open to alternative action when it can be shown to benefit students, employees or the college overall. As pandemic restrictions began to be lifted, instead of mandating a return to full in-person schedules, an operational review was conducted to develop a hybrid work environment. In addition, Wells worked with faculty to understand which

courses were best delivered online or blended, in order to enhance the student experience.

And people are open to exploring ideas, says Hills, who is part of a wellness team. They began with a wellness idea for September, called “Step-tember,” to have employees trace their steps and see how far they make it across Canada. December was “Destressember,” and the team advertised events to promote mental and physical health through a digital newsletter.

As an educational institution, VCC supports opportunities for development. Hills was able to get some funding and time off to

 Vancouver Community College’s Asian Culinary Arts program provides professional training in Asian cuisine.

“No matter where you work here, whether as faculty, program assistants, in food services or as president of the college, we all work together to help students reach their education, career and personal goals.”

— Karen-Jane Hills Instructor and Department Head, College and Career Access Department

do a master’s degree and is now working on her PhD. The college provides support for conferences, professional development and graduate degrees, as well as innovation funds for faculty to take on work to improve their program in areas such as digital delivery or equity, diversity and inclusion.

There is also a strong culture of providing internal opportunities such as interim assignments, special project work, professional currency leaves, and the mentor/ mentee program available to employees across the college.

VCC offers a different model than most post-secondary

institutions, with a diversity of programs including upgrading, diplomas and internationally recognized degrees – and a more diverse student population. Many of the students are adults returning to finish high school or upgrade their marks so they can enter a particular program. VCC also has

the highest number of students who identify as Indigenous among colleges in the Lower Mainland.

“We have taken on aspects of post-secondary education that some others have vacated,” says Wells. “The community aspect, whether online or in-person, is important to us.”

 Students at Vancouver Community College learn the skills and techniques needed to provide health care support.

Vancouver Foundation people love to give money away

Kevin McCort, the president and CEO of Vancouver Foundation, says he can’t imagine a better place to work than his organization, which connects donors with a range of charities that support communities in British Columbia.

— Kevin McCort President and CEO

“We’re very generously funded, so we have a lot of resources to give away,” McCort says. “We are probably going to grant close to $75 million this year to charities across the province. How incredible is that?”

McCort notes, however, that giving money away is not as easy as people think. “It’s actually quite challenging, but it’s a great challenge to have,” he says. “And we get to work in a community where people are open, creative, encouraging and generous.”

Vancouver Foundation prides itself on being equally encouraging and generous with its employees, who are offered extensive training and coaching opportunities to advance their careers. They are sometimes even helped to seek

positions elsewhere – that’s what happens when senior staff are too happy in their role to move on.

“We’re a small organization, and there’s not always opportunity for people to advance here,” McCort explains. “If their manager is not going anywhere, they can hit a ceiling. We want our staff to have opportunities for career advancement, which is why we have an education program where they can learn things related to their

current role as well as their next role – even if it’s somewhere else.

“I want my staff to have a career, not just a job,” he adds, “and the way I’ll help them is to think beyond our organization to the charitable sector, which is huge.”

McCort points out that the policy benefits Vancouver Foundation as well. “Most of them will go and work for another charity, and since we fund charities, it’s in our interest to

have great people working in them.”

Kerri Kirincic has taken advantage of several training opportunities in her career path from associate to coordinator to manager of donor services.

“There’s a big professional development budget for staff,” says Kirincic, who recently submitted a request to participate in a leadership program for women.

“We’re doing inclusion and

 Vancouver Foundation’s executive team gathering in-person at an organization-wide retreat in Agassiz, B.C.

“I want my

staff

to

have a career, not just a job, and the way I’ll help them is to think beyond our organization to the charitable sector, which is huge.”

equity training, and there’s career coaching and other leadership programs.”

Kirincic also appreciates the foundation’s benefits offerings.

“They’re the best, and they keep getting better,” she says. “They are constantly trying to evaluate where we’re at and what they can

add, like a pension plan that you can keep contributing to even after you leave, and the best maternity leave coverage I’ve ever seen – 95 per cent of our salary.”

Most of all, Kirincic values the job she feels fortunate to do every day. “We work with some of the biggest charities in the province

as well as tiny volunteer-run organizations,” she says. “The community’s needs are always changing, so the initiatives we offer are always changing. No day is the same.

“This organization is full of so many smart, interesting people with all these different

backgrounds and areas of expertise, and everybody is so passionate about what they do. They’re excited to do the work because it’s meaningful for them, which says a lot about the people, and also about the organization and the impact we have on the community.”

 Vancouver Foundation encourages cross-department collaboration among employees across the company.