Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2022)

L.ALVAREZ/MANULIFE

2022

This year, Toronto-based

Manulife provided a special paid day off for all employees to thank them for their extra efforts over the past year.

ct100.ca/gta

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Working differently than in the past

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LIST OF WINNERS:

Greater Toronto’s Top Employers (2022)

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METHODOLOGY:

How the winners were selected

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DURHAM COLLEGE

( 2022 )

2022

GREATER TORONTO’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022 Magazine Anthony Meehan, PUBLISHER

Editorial Team:

Richard Yerema, MANAGING EDITOR

Kristina Leung, SENIOR EDITOR

Stephanie Leung, ASSISTANT EDITOR

Juliane Fung,

ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR

Chantel Watkins, JUNIOR EDITOR

Jing Wang,

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Advertising Team:

Kristen Chow,

MANAGING DIRECTOR, PUBLISHING

Ye Jin Suhe,

CLIENT EXPERIENCE LEAD

Vishnusha Kirupananthan, JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Sponsored Profile Writers:

Berton Woodward, SENIOR EDITOR

Brian Bergman Abigail Cukier Mary Dickie Jane Doucet Steve Frank Don Hauka Patricia Hluchy D’Arcy Jenish Bruce McDougall Nora Underwood Barbara Wickens

© 2021 Mediacorp Canada Inc. and The Globe and Mail.

All rights reserved. GREATER TORONTO’S TOP EMPLOYERS is a trade mark of Mediacorp Canada Inc. Editorial inquiries: ct100@mediacorp.ca

 A culinary skills instructor with his student at Durham College, one of this year’s Greater Toronto’s Top Employers.

INTRODUCTION

T

he pandemic may have changed how we work over the past 18 months – hello Zoom – but it’s also given employers a new opportunity to build stronger, better organizations.

Judged as the most progressive companies in their industry when it comes to human resources policies, Greater Toronto Area’s Top Employers 2022, selected by Mediacorp Canada Inc., are ready to remake the workplace.

These organizations have shown resiliency and adaptability in challenging times. While there is still uncertainty about what work will look like in the near future, the best are listening to what their people want and having conversations about working differently than in the past.

For example, after Panasonic Canada quickly moved employees to work from home at the beginning of the pandemic, it followed up with a company-wide survey to capture feedback on remote work, productivity and future work options. In response, the company introduced new flexible work policies, office supply discounts and support for at-home fitness.

Across the organization, staff at Ornge settled on a

mix of working arrangements that are dependent on position and preferences, with employees working from home or onsite and nearly half of employees working a hybrid model. TMX Group Inc. is already ahead, having established an employee committee back in 2020 to begin imagining and discussing the future work environment post pandemic.

The stress of the pandemic has also brought wellness to the forefront, with a new focus on mental health. That’s become a top priority for Greater Toronto Area’s Top Employers 2022, with most significantly increasing funding for mental health benefits as well as resources ranging from mindfulness sessions to healthy cooking class.

Another trend is that many employers have formalized their renewed commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, incorporating accountability at every level of their organizations. Given the GTA’s rich and multi-cultural talent pool (Toronto is reported to be one of the most diverse cities in the world, according to Statistics Canada), that’s just smart business.

– Diane Jermyn

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L.HIPEL/HIROC

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2022  During the pandemic, Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada / HIROC organized a series of online social events for staff working from home to recreate its in-office culture. These included a tea tasting social, with home deliveries of tea and biscuits, as well as a chocolate social, with boxes of chocolates delivered.

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CCENTURE INC., Toronto.

Professional services; 5,471 employees. Offers a variety of opportunities for professional development, including e-learning initiatives, mobile learning, video mini-series and broadcast learning and extensive leadership development programs.

ADP CANADA CO., Toronto. Payroll services; 2,325 employees. Launched the #It’sOK campaign to encourage and support employees in maintaining a

healthy work-life balance.

AIG INSURANCE COMPANY OF CANADA, Toronto. Insurance; 416 employees. Helped sustain employee engagement over the pandemic through a variety of initiatives, including a sushi making course, town halls and virtual volunteering.

ALECTRA INC., Mississauga. Electric power distribution; 1,538 employees. Helps students and new grads gain valuable work experience through co-op

opportunities and in-house apprenticeships for various roles.

such as caregiving while working from home and ergonomic training.

AMD / ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC., Markham. Computer technology manufacturing; 2,514 employees. Supported employee efforts to keep fit over the past year, pivoting its physical fitness centre to virtual programming.

ARUP CANADA INC., Toronto. Engineering consulting; 419 employees. Provides paid time off to volunteer, enabling employees to offer their expertise and skills through pro bono work with charitable partners.

AMEX BANK OF CANADA, Toronto.

Credit card issuing; 1,648 employees.

Supported employee health and wellness by offering resources on a variety of topics

ASTRAZENECA CANADA INC., Mississauga. Pharmaceutical manufacturing; 1,006 employees. Invests in ongoing employee development, offering subsidies

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for job-related courses to $6,000 as well as for professional accreditation.

AVIVA CANADA INC., Markham.

Insurance; 4,238 employees. Offers over $2,600 of flexible benefit credits per year as part of its health benefits plan, allowing employees to customize coverage.

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ASF CANADA INC., Mississauga.

Chemical manufacturing; 1,109 employees. Launched an Employee Assistance Fund to help employees in need of financial support due to the pandemic.

BDO CANADA LLP, Toronto. Accounting; 4,663 employees. Manages a unique paid time off program, providing 25 days for new employees to take time off flexibly, for vacation, illness or personal matters.

BLAKE, CASSELS & GRAYDON LLP, Toronto. Law firm; 1,333 employees. Offered an extra day off as well as a mid-year bonus in 2021 to acknowledge the extra efforts of employees over the pandemic.

BORDEN LADNER GERVAIS LLP, Toronto. Law firm; 1,444 employees.

Prioritized communication and social connectivity over the past year, organizing quarterly town halls, virtual health and wellness events and virtual social events.

BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP CANADA ULC, Toronto. Management consulting; 425 employees. Makes mental health support more accessible through generous coverage up to $10,000 per year as well as appointments with an in-house registered psychologist.

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AA CLUB GROUP, Thornhill.

Travel insurance and auto services; 1,683 employees. Offers retirement planning assistance, a defined contribution pension plan and health benefits that extend to retirees with no age limit.

CAAT PENSION PLAN, Toronto. Pension plan; 247 employees. Helps employees balance their lives with flexible work hours, six paid personal days per year and up to six paid sick days annually.

CAMPBELL CO. OF CANADA, Mississauga. Food preparation and packaging; 160 employees. Helped sustain social connection over the past year with virtual events, including cookie demos hosted by in-house Campbell chefs, and virtual children’s story time.

CANADIAN ROOTS EXCHANGE, Toronto. Social advocacy; 20 employees.

Opted to forgo annual performance reviews in 2020 in recognition of the challenges of the past year.

CANADIAN STANDARDS ASSOCIATION / CSA, Toronto. Testing, certification and related services; 697 employees. Enhanced its stress and mental health support programs over the past year and significantly increased its annual coverage for paramedical services.

CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION LTD., Toronto. Retail; 31,191 employees.

Employed its first vice-president of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) and established a dedicated DIB team, responsible for developing and implementing the company’s five-year strategy.

CITI CANADA, Mississauga. Banking; 1,745 employees. Organized a wellness survey to gauge employee sentiment and shape future actions and also distributes a weekly Wellness Wednesday newsletter.

COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS OF ONTARIO, THE, Toronto. Professional organizations; 389 employees. Provides exceptional family-friendly benefits, recently increasing its top-up policy for new parents to 90 per cent of salary for up to 36 weeks.

CORUS ENTERTAINMENT INC., Toronto. Media production and broadcasting; 2,852 employees. Supports volunteer efforts across the company through its Corus Boost! donation program, encouraging offices to submit an application on behalf of a local charity they support.

COX AUTOMOTIVE CANADA, Mississauga. Automobile auctions; 755 employees.

Maintains a charitable focus on initiatives related to inclusion, diversity, and equity, health and well-being, and the environment.

ADP

2022 WINNERS

CAPITAL ONE CANADA, Toronto. Credit card issuing; 1,225 employees. Manages the “1 in 5 Committee”, which spearheads various events including mental health training for managers, weekly check-ins and virtual mindfulness sessions.

CENTENNIAL COLLEGE, Scarborough.

Colleges; 1,249 employees. Offers a virtual Fitness on Demand program to help employees stay physically active including classes in cardio, core, cycling and strength.

CERIDIAN HCM INC., North York.

Human resources software and services; 2,103 employees. Maintains an in-house Live Well, Work Well program to support employees’ career, emotional, financial, physical, and social well-being.

CGI INC., Toronto. Information technology; 9,074 employees. Cultivates an ownership culture through a share purchase plan, available to all employees.

CHILDREN’S AID SOCIETY OF TORONTO, Toronto. Child and youth services; 707 employees. Provides exceptional family-friendly benefits, offering maternity and parental leave top-up for new mothers and fathers, including adoptive parents.

CIBC, Toronto. Banking; 36,744 employees.

Encourages employees to put their health first with a flexible paid sick day policy and introduced up to 10 additional paid personal days for unexpected issues.

CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA CO., Toronto.

Computer and equipment manufacturing; 2,107 employees. Offers unlimited coverage for mental health benefits and organizes dedicated initiatives to raise internal awareness of available mental heath support services.

 Jeff Livingston, manager of external brand and communications at ADP Canada, hosts a regular podcast for HR experts, called insights@work.

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T.MCMULLEN/AVIVA

CREDIT VALLEY CONSERVATION AUTHORITY / CVC, Mississauga.

Environment, conservation and wildlife organizations; 219 employees. Offers development opportunities at various career stages, from paid internships and co-op placements to mentoring and subsidies for tuition and professional accreditation.

CRH CANADA GROUP INC., Concord.

Concrete manufacturing; 2,679 employees. Offers financial perks and benefits, including year-end bonuses, referral bonuses, discounted home and auto insurance, discounted auto lease rates and subsidized home internet.

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IAMOND SCHMITT ARCHITECTS INC., Toronto.

Architecture; 283 employees.

Offers compassionate leave top-up for those called upon to care for a loved one, to 80 per cent of salary for up to 17 weeks.

DISTRIBUTEL COMMUNICATIONS LTD., Toronto. Telecommunications; 512 employees. Helped employees stayed connected while apart through monthly virtual town halls with the CEO, a Break Time channel, talent showcases, and bi-weekly parenting calls.

 Employees at the Markham, Ont., head office of Aviva Canada, where the health benefits plan includes over $2,600 in flexible coverage per year, allowing employees to tailor coverage to their individual needs.

DURHAM COLLEGE OF APPLIED ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY, Oshawa.

Colleges; 791 employees. Maintains exceptional maternity and parental leave top-up policies, offering paid leave for a full year for mothers and 35 weeks for fathers and adoptive parents.

DYSON CANADA LTD., Toronto.

Appliance manufacturing; 155 employees.

Encourages employees to put their health first, adding 10 days to its paid sick day policy for a total of 17 days per year.

CAPITAL ONE

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CCLESIASTICAL INSURANCE OFFICE PLC, Toronto. Insurance; 77 employees. Doubled its charitable giving, donating $500,000 to charities across Canada in 2020, including $250,000 to high-priority organizations during the pandemic.

IDELITY CANADA, Toronto.

Portfolio management; 1,200 employees. Is a certified Imagine Canada Caring Company contributing a minimum of one per cent of its pre-tax profits to communities where employees live and work.

FIRST CAPITAL REIT, Toronto. Real estate development and management; 340 employees. Supports parents-to-be with a

 Toronto-based Capital One Canada recently increased coverage for staff mental health services to $3,000 per year and

manages the “1 in 5 Committee,” which organizes events such as therapy dog visits, weekly check-ins and mental health training for managers.

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subsidy for IVF, up to $15,000, as well as maternity and parental leave top-up payments.

FLEET COMPLETE, Toronto. Fleet and mobile resource tracking; 267 employees.

Offers a variety of financial perks and incentives, including signing bonuses for some, year-end bonuses for all and referral bonuses up to $3,500.

FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD., Oakville. Automobile manufacturing; 6,851 employees. Offers compassionate leave top-up for those called upon to care for a loved one, to 65 per cent of salary for up to 26 weeks.

FRESHBOOKS, Toronto. Software publishers; 404 employees. Introduced a $50 monthly home office subsidy as well as a headphone and earphone reimbursement up to $175.

FUNDSERV INC., Toronto. Financial transaction processing; 100 employees.

Encourages employees to put their health first with no annual limit on paid sick days and two paid days off for mental health in the past year.

HARPERCOLLINS CANADA LTD. AND HARLEQUIN ENTERPRISES ULC, Toronto. Book publishers; 312 employees.

Prioritized ongoing communications to ensure employees stayed connected such as the Work From Home Water Cooler Group for informal chatter.

HENKEL CANADA CORP., Mississauga.

Adhesive manufacturing; 478 employees.

Celebrates exceptional performance through global awards in customer service, operations, and innovation, and manages Excellence Awards based on the company’s vision and values.

HATCH LTD., Mississauga. Engineering; 3,534 employees. Recognizes employee dedication and accomplishments through an annual global awards program with a variety of categories including diversity and inclusion.

HERSHEY CANADA INC., Mississauga.

Food manufacturing; 864 employees.

Invests in current and future generations with tuition subsidies for job-related courses and academic scholarships for children of employees.

HEALTHCARE INSURANCE RECIPROCAL OF CANADA / HIROC, Toronto. Insurance; 115 employees. Strove to recreate its office culture with virtual food-related events, including The Recipe Channel on its intranet, enabling employees to share what they were cooking at home.

HOLLAND BLOORVIEW KIDS REHABILITATION HOSPITAL, Toronto.

Hospitals; 514 employees. Encourages lifelong learning with paid professional development days as well as tuition assistance of up to $3,000 per year.

HEALTHCARE OF ONTARIO PENSION PLAN / HOOPP, Toronto. Pension plan; 777 employees. Provided office equipment to help employees set up their home office at the start of the pandemic and offered reimbursements for additional expenses.

HOME DEPOT CANADA, Toronto.

Retail; 14,485 employees. Established an Emergency Relief Fund in response to the pandemic, supporting Canadian registered charities that offer services to youth within local communities, and additionally Food Banks Canada.

HOSPITAL FOR SICK CHILDREN, THE, Toronto. Hospitals; 5,955 employees.

Appointed an inaugural position of Executive Lead and Strategic Advisor, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion to help champion equity, diversity and inclusion internally as well as develop a hospital-wide strategy.

HP CANADA CO., Mississauga. Computer technology and services; 488 employees.

Offers incentives for health behaviour through a global wellness challenge to encourage physical activity.

HYUNDAI CAPITAL CANADA, INC., Toronto. Financial services; 144 employees.

Offers a range of financial incentives including signing bonuses for some, year-end bonuses for all, and referral bonuses of up to $2,000.

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NDEPENDENT ELECTRICITY SYSTEM OPERATOR / IESO, Toronto. Electric power distribution; 874 employees. Conducted several surveys and focus groups to help ensure the organization’s response met the needs of employees over the course of the pandemic.

DISTRIBUTEL

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ENERAL MILLS CANADA CORP., Mississauga. Food manufacturing; 680 employees.

Adapted its Cheerios campaign to Cheer the Frontlines last year, donating $500,000 to Food Banks of Canada along with $600,000 of company products.

GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE, Toronto.

College; 1,419 employees. Launched an anti-racism strategy with an aim of increasing Black, Indigenous and racialized student and employee representation and engagement.

GSK / GLAXOSMITHKLINE INC., Mississauga. Pharmaceutical manufacturing; 2,659 employees. Maintains a formal online health and well-being hub, with information on preventative measures such as exams and health screenings for cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure.

GRIFFITH FOODS LTD., Toronto. Spice and extract manufacturing; 381 employees.

Offered a $200 gift card to thank employees for their contributions over the past year, in lieu of in-person events.

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ALTON, REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF, Oakville.

Municipal government; 2,139 employees. Launched the Stronger Together campaign to recognize frontline staff who delivered essential programs and services.

 Elie Pierre-Louis, an account executive at Distributel Communications, meets with colleagues virtually.

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HALTON REGION

INTERAC CORP., Toronto. Financial services; 437 employees. Helps employees balance work and personal commitments with flexible work hours, a 35-hour work week option with full pay, and reduced summer hours.

INTUIT CANADA ULC, Mississauga.

Software publishers; 537 employees.

Strives to make mental health services more accessible, offering up to $4,000 per year for paramedical services and 10 free employee assistance program (EAP) visits.

INVESTMENT PLANNING COUNSEL INC., Mississauga. Financial services; 399 employees. Supports numerous charitable organizations throughout the year and encourages employees to get involved with two paid days off to volunteer.

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ELLOGG CANADA INC., Mississauga. Breakfast cereal manufacturing; 334 employees.

Helps employees save for the longer term through matching RSP and defined contribution pension plans.

KINROSS GOLD CORP., Toronto. Gold mining; 236 employees. Conducted pulse surveys to help ensure the organization’s response met the needs of employees over the course of the pandemic.

KLICK HEALTH, Toronto. Digital marketing; 890 employees. Offers a separate benefit for mental health practitioners, along with providing access to Resili, a virtual counselling app.

KPMG LLP, Toronto. Accounting; 8,467 employees. Introduced a new more broadly defined unpaid leave policy to provide employees with the opportunity to take extended time away from work.

KRUGER PRODUCTS L.P., Mississauga.

Paper products; 2,308 employees.

Supports employee efforts to prioritize health and wellness through a Wellness Wednesday initiative, with programming on physical and mental health.

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ABATT BREWING COMPANY LTD., Toronto. Breweries; 3,595 employees. Became a founder of “The Restaurant and Bar Support Fund” to provide financial support to as many Ontario establishments as possible.

LIFELABS LP, Toronto. Medical laboratories; 3,317 employees. Launched a Healthcare Heroes campaign to formally recognize employee efforts with personal messages of gratitude and appreciation.

LIQUOR CONTROL BOARD OF ONTARIO / LCBO, Toronto. Liquor distri-

 The Regional Municipality of Halton was recently recognized by the American Water Works Association for the quality of its drinking water, the first municipality in Canada to receive the award.

bution; 4,009 employees. Raised $3.3-million for its COVID-19 Food Relief Fund and donated $30,000 to the Bartenders Benevolent Fund’s COVID-19 Support Fund.

LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD., Brampton.

Supermarkets and grocery stores; 28,962 employees. Encourages ongoing employee development through the online Loblaw Virtual Learning Centre and tuition subsidies for courses related and not directly related to their current position.

LOOPIO INC., Toronto. Software developer; 150 employees. Prioritize employees’ mental health with an annual allotment for mental health practitioners and access to Inkblot Therapy, an online video counselling platform.

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ACKENZIE INVESTMENTS, Toronto. Financial services; 1,220 employees. Maintains an employee-led charitable foundation which provides grants to grassroots charities that support underprivileged women, youth and children.

MANULIFE, Toronto. Insurance; 12,404 employees. Offered a dedicated day off for all employees to thank them for all their extra efforts over the past year.

MARS INC., Bolton. Food manufacturing; 1,516 employees. Offers a unique “Pet-ernity” leave program allowing employees to take up to eight hours off for a new cat or dog.

MATTAMY HOMES LTD., Toronto. Real estate development; 1,384 employees.

Supports new mothers and fathers, including adoptive parents, with maternity and parental leave top-up payments and lets employees extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence.

MAZDA CANADA INC., Richmond Hill.

Auto wholesale; 171 employees. Implemented a four-day work week for 10 weeks along with additional scheduling flexibility during the pandemic.

MCCARTHY TÉTRAULT LLP, Toronto.

Law firm; 1,510 employees. Starts the majority of its new employees with three weeks of paid vacation with management and legal personnel starting with four weeks.

MEDTRONIC OF CANADA ULC, Brampton. Electromedical apparatus manufacturing; 688 employees. Introduced an emergency leave policy that includes 30 days of pay to utilize if needed because of the pandemic.

MERCER CANADA, Toronto. Human resources consulting; 969 employees.

Starts new employees with 3.4 weeks of paid vacation with vacation moving to over 4 weeks after 6 years on the job.

METROLINX, Toronto. Public transit; 4,374 employees. Extended sick days to part-time, contract and newly hired employees and added 10 additional days for employees to utilize for personal care.

MICHAEL GARRON HOSPITAL | TORONTO EAST HOSPITAL NETWORK, Toronto. Hospitals; 1,418 employees. Encourages curious minds and lifelong learning with in-house training on a variety of topics including financial wellness, inclusivity, emotional intelligence and leadership.

MONDELĒZ INTERNATIONAL, Toronto.

Food manufacturing; 2,686 employees.

Helps employees plan for the longer term with retirement planning assistance services along with a defined contribution pension plan.

MUNICIPAL PROPERTY ASSESSMENT CORP., Pickering. Real estate appraisal; 1,769 employees. Allows employees to apply for an unpaid or self-funded (deferred salary) leave of absence for up to one year in duration.

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EIGHBOURHOOD GROUP COMMUNITY SERVICES, Toronto. Social support services; 402 employees. Reached out to its tenants and clients through social events such as balcony bingo, balcony dancing, a volunteer appreciation night and holiday celebrations.

NELSON EDUCATION LTD., Toronto.

Publishers; 195 employees. Made its numerous online educational resources available at no cost to its employees faced with the added challenge of home-schooling children during the pandemic.

NOVO NORDISK CANADA INC., Mississauga. Pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing; 336 employees. Provided virtual access to an online personal trainer and increased its fitness allowance by 50 per cent for any exercise or self-care regime.

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LYMPUS CANADA INC., Richmond Hill. Medical, industrial and imaging equipment; 266 employees.

Updated its flexible work from home policy to ensure that employees can work from home for up to three days each week.

OMERS, Toronto. Pension funds; 1,167 employees. Helps employees prepare for the future with retirement planning assistance services, contributions to a defined benefit pension plan and phased-in retirement work options.

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ONTARIO DENTAL ASSOCIATION, THE, Toronto. Professional organizations; 54 employees. Created a dedicated “Working From Home” working group to explore what working at the ODA might look like in the future.

ONTARIO MEDICAL ASSOCIATION / OMA, Toronto. Professional organizations; 294 employees. Offers tuition subsidies for courses taken at outside institutions, career planning services and a variety of in-house and online training options.

ONTARIO SHORES CENTRE FOR MENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES, Whitby.

Hospitals; 893 employees. Introduced “The Innovation Fund” to inspire employees to create and implement innovative ideas in response to the pandemic, such as the construction of an outdoor skating rink.

ORACLE CANADA ULC, Mississauga.

Computer and information management systems; 2,258 employees. Encourages employees to adopt an ownership mentality through a share purchase plan, available to all employees.

ORNGE, Mississauga. Air ambulance services; 627 employees. Offers maternity leave top-up payments for employees who are new mothers, to 93 per cent of salary for up to 30 weeks, and parental top-up for new fathers and adoptive parents, to 93 per cent of salary for up to 15 weeks.

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ANASONIC CANADA INC., Mississauga. Consumer electronics; 375 employees. Created a company-wide survey to capture feedback on remote work, productivity and future work options and responded with new flexible work policies.

Supported employees throughout the pandemic from repurposing its $300 green commuter benefit for their home office expenses to numerous virtual social hours.

PRINCESS MARGARET CANCER FOUNDATION, The, Toronto. Charitable foundations; 120 employees. Refined its flexible work policies to allow employees to flex their workday start and finish times and offered additional paid time off.

PROCTER & GAMBLE INC., Toronto.

Consumer product manufacturing; 1,434 employees. Enhanced its vacation policy, moving employees from three weeks to four weeks of paid vacation after five years of employment.

schedule for the first five weeks while receiving 100 per cent salary.

ROTHMANS, BENSON & HEDGES, INC., Toronto. Tobacco and cigarette manufacturing; 811 employees. Offered increased pay rates for employees working onsite during the pandemic along with enhanced safety and mitigation protocols.

ROYAL BANK OF CANADA, Toronto.

Banking; 59,098 employees. Increased its maternity leave top-up payments for new mothers as well as parental leave top-ups for adoptive parents and new fathers.

RSM CANADA LLP, Toronto. Accounting; 697 employees. Encourages employees to be active in their local communities, providing paid time off to volunteer along with generous matching employer donations.

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ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS INC., Toronto. Telecommunications, cable, publishing and subscription programming; 21.066 employees. Introduced a phased return-to-work program for new parents, allowing them to work a modified

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CANADA INC., Mississauga. Communications equipment manufacturing; 593 employees.

Allows new parents to apply to extend their maternity or parental leave into an unpaid leave of absence.

UESTRADE INC., Toronto. Financial services; 835 employees.

Partnered with a virtual care service to provide employees with immediate online health consultations along with access to an online wellness platform.

IOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST, Toronto. Real estate investments; 584 employees. Dedicated three paid days off if employees needed to isolate as well as adding two extra personal days off for eligible employees.

R.V. ANDERSON ASSOCIATES LTD., Toronto. Engineering; 347 employees. Lets everyone share in the fruits of their labour with profit-sharing and year-end bonuses.

ALESFORCE, Toronto. Customer relationship management; 1,700 employees. Encourages employees to become recruiters for the company with new employee referral bonuses, ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 depending on the position.

SANOFI CANADA, Toronto. Pharmaceutical manufacturing; 1,947 employees.

Provided work from home ergonomic guidance and followed-up with a one-time allowance to purchase needed items for their home offices.

SCARBOROUGH HEALTH NETWORK ONTARIO, Toronto. Hospitals; 3,103 employees. Adapted its employee lounge and dining facilities to accommodate physical distance and other safety mitigation protocols.

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC CANADA INC., Mississauga. Industrial automation and controls; 1,830 employees. Introduced a furniture program that made 800 deliveries to employees working from home, shipping out sit-stand desks, ergonomic chairs and computer monitor arms.

SCOTIABANK, Toronto. Banking; 33,397 employees. Increased communications from senior leadership as well as introducing employee surveys to capture employee feedback during the pandemic.

SENECA COLLEGE, Toronto. College; 1,509 employees. Offers retirement planning assistance and employer contributions to a defined benefit pension plan to help employees save for the future.

SIEMENS CANADA LTD., Oakville. Engineering; 2,252 employees. Considers previous work experience when setting vacation entitlement for more experienced candidates.

SINAI HEALTH, Toronto. Hospitals; 3,846 employees. Introduced resiliency coaches

PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE CANADA LTD., Toronto. Book publishers; 251 employees. Expanded its wellness benefit to cover the purchase of desks, office equipment and even heaters and air conditioners to build comfortable home offices.

MANNING AVE./KELLOGG

PEPSICO CANADA, Mississauga. Soft drink and food manufacturing; 9,922 employees. Increased its mental health and wellness supports offering over 2,260 hours of instructor-led mental health training along with dedicated programs.

PHILIPS CANADA, Mississauga. Healthcare, lighting and consumer products; 568 employees. Offers a flexible health benefits plan with an annual allotment of flex dollars that can be used in different ways.

POINTS, Toronto. Customer loyalty program software; 241 employees.

 Cold opening: Tony Petitti, vice-president of sales at Kellogg Canada, and the “Kellogg characters band” kicking off a virtual edition of the company’s national sales meeting in the style of Saturday Night Live.

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to support employees through a range of activities, from strategies for lowering anxiety to practicing breathing exercises to helping arrange transportation after a long shift.

SLALOM ULC, Toronto. Consulting; 533 employees. Adapted its workday flex policies to help parents with young children adapt to the changing school policies.

SPIN MASTER LTD., Toronto. Children’s toys and entertainment; 702 employees.

Invests in ongoing employee development with tuition subsidies for courses related and not directly related to their current position.

STANLEY BLACK AND DECKER CANADA CORP., Mississauga. Tool and hardware manufacturing; 1,369 employees.

Encourages employees to volunteer and support local initiatives through paid volunteer time and a generous matching donations program.

SUEZ WATER TECHNOLOGIES & SOLUTIONS, Oakville. Waste and wastewater services; 895 employees.

Hosted numerous virtual social events to help keep employees connected, including a virtual baking event, trivia nights and a Women’s Network event.

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D BANK GROUP, Toronto.

Banking; 55,292 employees.

Continues to work with employee groups across the bank in designing future workplace models as the pandemic situation evolves.

TECHTRONIC INDUSTRIES CANADA INC., Markham. Power equipment manufacturing; 494 employees. Endeavoured to keep employees connected through numerous virtual social events, including a virtual marathon run and event and a TikTok dancing video challenge.

TERANET INC., Toronto. Land registration and information systems; 904 employees. Offers tuition subsidies for courses at outside institutions as well as in-house and online training programs.

THALES CANADA INC., Toronto.

Aerospace systems; 2,240 employees.

Supports individuals who are early in their careers through numerous initiatives, including a buddy program, mentoring and paid internships.

THOMSON REUTERS CANADA LTD., Toronto. Publishers; 1,118 employees.

Offers several mental health resources including first aid training, dedicated management training and a formal Take a Break program.

TMX GROUP LTD., Toronto. Stock exchange; 1,142 employees. Established an employee committee back in 2020 to begin imagining and discussing the future work environment post pandemic.

TORONTO COMMUNITY HOUSING CORP., Toronto. Housing programs; 2,348 employees. Provides exceptional maternity and parental leave top-up payments for employees who are new mothers, as well as generous parental top-up for fathers and adoptive parents.

TORONTO TRANSIT COMMISSION / TTC, Toronto. Public transit; 14,830 employees. Reaches out to the next generation of talent with paid internships, co-op placements and summer employment in a variety of fields.

TORONTO ZOO, Toronto. Zoos and botanical gardens; 273 employees.

Extended its Employee Assistance Program to all non-permanent employees to provide additional support and increased online communications.

TUCOWS.COM CO., Toronto. Internet domain name registrar; 534 employees.

Helps employees keep a balanced perspective with mindfulness workshops, in-house massages, and resources on nutrition, mental health and financial health.

TURNER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, LTD., Toronto. Construction; 117 employees. Manages a reduced summer hours program that includes a company paid early shutdown every Friday afternoon, from end of May to end of August.

TVO, Toronto. Public television; 378 employees. Allows employees nearing retirement to step away slowly with phased-in retirement work options.

employees to apply for unpaid and self-funded/deferred salary leaves of absence up to one year or for educational leaves of absence.

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, Toronto.

University; 10,429 employees. Offers multiple childcare options on campus plus all three campuses offer family-friendly spaces, including designated areas for breastfeeding and pumping, and baby change stations.

V

AUGHAN, THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF, Maple. Municipal government; 1,322 employees.

Has updated its alternative work arrangement policy along with supportive training and guidelines for managers.

VENA SOLUTIONS INC., Toronto.

Software development; 413 employees. Has conducted employee surveys about the next steps and is developing a new permanent hybrid workplace model to support employees wanting to work from 0 to 5 days in-office.

VISA CANADA CORP., Toronto. Payments technology; 142 employees. Has focused on the longer term through a $200 million program to support the recovery and re-building of small businesses.

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ALMART CANADA CORP., Mississauga. Retail; 41,853 employees. Introduced special store hours and online delivery pick-up times for eligible seniors, people with disabilities or vulnerable health conditions, and front-line first responders.

U

WOMEN’S COLLEGE HOSPITAL, Toronto. Hospitals; 722 employees. Supports an occupational health, safety and wellness team that organizes and supports numerous health and wellness initiatives.

UNICEF CANADA, Toronto. Charitable organizations; 70 employees. Has hosted several employee surveys to gauge their views on the return to work.

Y

KEN INC., Toronto. Game developer; 97 employees.

Encourages employees to keep their skills up to date through in-house training programs as well as tuition subsidies for courses at outside institutions.

UNITED WAY GREATER TORONTO, Toronto. Charitable organizations; 192 employees. Starts its new employees with four weeks of paid vacation along with five paid personal days to help employees balance their work and personal lives.

UNITY HEALTH TORONTO, Toronto.

Hospitals; 5,864 employees. Allows

WORLD VISION CANADA, Mississauga.

Charitable organizations; 376 employees.

Manages the unique Orange Days program offering all full-time employees an additional six paid days off scheduled on holiday long weekends throughout summer.

MCA OF GREATER TORONTO, Toronto. Individual and family services; 2,884 employees. Transformed eight of its centres into pop-up food banks and collected hundreds of pounds of non-perishables through food drives.

YORK REGIONAL POLICE, Aurora.

Police service; 2,377 employees. Established a dedicated pandemic information page on the corporate intranet as well as a

hotline and support email to respond to employee questions.

YWCA TORONTO, Toronto. Individual and family services; 254 employees.

Created a dedicated committee to support the health and wellbeing of employees during the pandemic and increased counselling services through its extended health benefits program.

Z

URICH CANADA, Toronto.

Insurance; 444 employees. Hosted virtual fundraising initiatives to raise funds to support community organizations assisting people adversely impacted by the pandemic.

–Diane Jermyn

METHODOLOGY Any employer with its head office or principal place of business in the Greater Toronto Area may apply for Mediacorp’s Greater Toronto Area’s Top Employers contest. Competition is tough as the region is home to over 40 per cent of Canada’s business headquarters, with many exceptional workplaces. Here’s how the winners are decided.

The editors of Mediacorp’s GTA Top Employers evaluate each employer’s operations and human resources practices using the same eight criteria as the national competition of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. Those criteria are physical workplace; work atmosphere and social; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement. The criteria have remained the same since the competition’s inception.

All applicants must pay a fee to enter.

The Globe and Mail is not involved in the judging process.

Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which ones offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.

More detailed reasons for selection, explaining why each of the winners was chosen, are published on the competition’s website, www.canadastop100.com/ toronto.

–Diane Jermyn

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T.MADKAIKER/INTERAC

( 2022 )

 During the pandemic, Toronto-based Interac Corp. conducted a complete market review of salaries, improving staff compensation ranges to remain competitive.

A Hot Contest Gets Hotter

I

Pandemic or not, the fundamentals of the competition for talent continue to transform Greater Toronto’s Top Employers f you need any proof of how intense the race for talent is in Canada’s biggest urban centre, just talk to Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung.

They oversee a demanding process: selecting which organizations will make the editorial grade for the annual Greater Toronto’s Top Employers competition. \r This year the task was harder than ever. Even with the pandemic, the editorial team received a record number of submissions from the GTA – the most in the competition’s 16-year history.

“This is a very unique region in all of Canada, with such a diversity of employers and industries,” says Yerema, managing

editor for Mediacorp Canada, which runs the competition. “It’s a massive, dynamic employment marketplace, and these employers are all competing for talent.

They have to be at the top of their game.

As they improve their workplaces, they are looking around and realizing they have an important story to tell prospective recruits.

It’s a very robust environment.”

“That’s true even in the age of COVID-19,” adds Leung, senior editor at Mediacorp Canada. “We’ve always made the point that the GTA applicant pool is the most competitive in the country. And that’s still very much the case. Over the past two years of lockdowns and working

from home, GTA employers have had to really take stock of their benefits, especially in health and wellness, and improve their offerings. The outcome is that our entire GTA applicant pool has become much stronger.”

With continuing pressure to do more for employees than other GTA rivals – and be recognized for it – the quality of applicants from the region has continued to rise.

“Many organizations are now going above and beyond our benchmarks, pushing the conversation to the next level,” says Yerema. “We’re seeing new benchmarks being set for many benefits.”

Helen Ashton, vice-president, human

resources, for Campbell’s Company of Canada, which is on the list, offers a breakdown of what’s going on. “It’s a very competitive market,” she says. “With so many head offices based in Toronto, our candidate pool has a lot of options in terms of where they can work. That’s number one.

“I also think that COVID-19 taught us a lot of things, including the fact that we don’t always have to hire in the GTA for a job in the GTA – people can work virtually.

So your talent pool is expanding, but the same thing goes for the candidates – they say, I live in GTA but I don’t have to work for a company in GTA. I can work for a

12

company anywhere in the world.

“And then the third piece for me is the skill set. There are certain jobs that require such unique skill sets that we as a society just don’t have enough people with them, because it’s evolving really quickly.”

Beyond the intensifying shortage of tech skills, she points to data analytics and artificial intelligence expertise.

“There is a war for talent in the GTA and I think it is going to continue getting more and more competitive,” says Ashton.

Certainly the demand for software engineers, developers and other IT professionals is off the charts, as Caroline Stephens, chief human resources officer for Interac Corp., can tell you.

Around May 2021, she says, “we kind of had a perfect storm, when all of a sudden the demand for technology resources for various projects went through the roof and the supply was low. Our folks in technology were being headhunted to the tune of $30,000 or $40,000 more a year for developers. We did a full market review and as a result, we amended our salary ranges to ensure that we were remaining competitive.”

But as a model Top Employer, Interac also paid close attention to what employees were saying – and took steps to ensure that workloads were reasonable and the company’s “human-centric” culture was intact. “This is why we have a relatively low attrition rate,” says Stephens.

Yet while so many of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers are household names, the list also includes organizations as small as Canadian Roots Exchange, a social advocacy organization for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth that has only 20 employees. Along with offering a wellness spending account and other measures, in 2020 it deliberately skipped the annual performance review, notes Leung. “It may be a smaller organization, but it’s very enlightened in recognizing that everyone could use a little compassion given the past year.”

To Yerema, the pandemic has brought home to C-suite leaders the importance of the benefits that they may sometimes have reluctantly authorized. “They’re not arguing back anymore,” he says. “It’s more like, oh, we have this mental health benefit – that’s great. And what about these flexible policies – are they enough?

There’s a new understanding. Now it isn’t just a perk we can give you – this is something essential for running a successful business.”

– Berton Woodward

CAMPBELL

Continued

 A history of achievement on the wall of milestones at the head office of Campbell Company of Canada in Mississauga.

MATTAMY

GETTING HOTTER

( 2022 )

 Employee of Toronto-based Mattamy Homes outside his own new home, made possible through the company’s employee home ownership program.

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( 2022 )

Coaching builds skills and confidence at ADP Canada

E

arly in her career at ADP Canada, Michelle Pop approached her manager for advice on how to move up in the company. The advice she received stuck with her.

“My manager said, ‘Technical knowledge can be taught, but attitude and perseverance can’t and that’s what we look for in people,’” recalls Pop, now a senior client experience advisor.

“I’ve seen that ring true during my time at ADP. We look for people with great attitudes.”

“It’s exciting to play a small part in an associate’s success and watch their career and skills grow over time.”

— Holger Kormann President

ADP can put attitude first and technical knowledge second due to the strength of its innovative onboarding and training programs. “It’s exciting to play a small part in an associate’s success and watch their career and skills grow over time,” says ADP Canada president Holger Kormann.

ADP continues to grow in the Canadian market, hiring over 500 associates within the last 18 months. And in standard ADP fashion, each associate is welcomed with a robust onboarding plan including virtual New Associate Networking and Onboarding (NANO).

Over the course of three days,

 ADP Canada actively encourages employees to pursue professional accreditations, including payroll certifications

new hires meet the executive team, department leaders and colleagues from different parts of the business. They are also provided with an overview of the corporate culture, values, business resource groups and ADP’s diversity and inclusion framework.

“NANO gives associates a view beyond the scope of their core responsibilities and creates an open door to our leadership team by meeting them first-hand,” says Kormann. “It’s very important to make people feel welcomed and empower them.”

The latter – empowerment – comes through training, which takes anywhere from two weeks to six months,

depending on the role. “We want our associates to be as confident as possible,” says Kormann.

Apart from internal training, ADP provides tuition subsidies to employees working on professional certifications.

Pop adds that the company not only supports, but actively encourages employees to pursue accreditations. She has completed two programs offered through the Canadian Payroll Association and recently finished the course work to be certified as a project management professional.

“Whether I’m acting in the role of ADP associate, payroll professional, student or anything in between, ADP

has always been very flexible,“ she says.

“You can alter your schedule if you need to take an exam or when there’s a project due.”

Pre-pandemic, ADP was an office-based organization, says Karmann.

Nevertheless, the company was well prepared to transition to working remotely. And ADP is equally well positioned for a post-pandemic future.

“We were ahead of the curve,” says Kormann. “Having a culture that embraces technology and collaboration, with a flexible workplace already in place, has allowed our leaders to focus on ensuring our associates feel engaged, challenged and supported to succeed in whatever comes next.”

Pop says working from home was trying at first. “I’m a face-to-face person,” she says. “I like to be around people, but I have so many video chats with team members. We have a huge online knowledge centre – kind of like a Google for ADP – that makes it incredibly easy to find the person or information you need.

It’s been shockingly seamless to work remotely.” 

2,353

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

50

YEARS, LONGESTSERVING EMPLOYEE

58%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

100%

JOB-RELATED TUITION SUBSIDIES

Ready to make your mark?

We welcome big-thinking people. People who can amplify wisdom, accelerate progress and embrace change. We believe in who you are, what you know and where you hope to go with your career. Why not join us? #ReimagineWork with ADP. ADP Careers

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( 2022 )

AIG Canada invests in employee wellness oe Rocha likes to say he’s grown up at AIG Insurance Company of Canada. He started working in the mailroom at age 20. Thirty-seven years later, Rocha is head of business services, Canada, US West/Midwest.

“When I started, I just wanted to get a job in an office environment,” Rocha says. “Then I moved to IT. I installed the first computer at AIG Canada. I have had many experiences throughout the company. Now, I have a team of direct reports and every day is a little bit different. Every day is a challenge. That keeps me excited and allows me to grow and keep learning.”

“If you invest time in AIG, they will invest in you.”

— Joe Rocha Head of Business Services, Canada, US West/Midwest

In addition to the learning that comes as part of his role, Rocha says AIG Canada provides numerous opportunities for development, including in-house training, online training, leadership training and mentoring. The company also has a generous annual tuition reimbursement plan for job-related courses. The Global Mobility Program allows staff members to apply internally for open positions anywhere in the world where AIG has offices.

The company also supports employees who are doing the opposite — working from home. Since the pandemic began, employees can take an online ergonomic assessment and AIG Canada provides them with essential equipment for working in a home office. “COVID-19 has

 An employee from AIG Canada volunteering during the pandemic with a local Junior Achievement chapter

made us re-evaluate how we do things,” says Rocha. “We have spent a lot of time making sure that we can take care of employees and ensure they’re happy and safe, physically and mentally.”

Lynn Oldfield, president and CEO of AIG Canada, says the company has expanded its focus on health and wellness. ”We have amended and upgraded our benefits,” she says. “We took every action we could to give our employees permission to avoid some of the pitfalls of the virtual work-from-home environment, like the work day overlapping in one’s personal life.”

This includes initiatives like No Video

Fridays, when employees turn off their cameras for video meetings. On World Mental Health Day, AIG closed its offices and encouraged employees to pursue their health and wellness interests.

When the pandemic began, managers started contacting team members individually each week, just to see how they were doing. Oldfield says the company learned a lot from these calls. “People were dealing with so much in the early days. There were elderly parents, children schooling at home and health vulnerabilities. It allowed the team to provide our employees accommodation in a thousand different ways,” she says.

For example, one employee with a toddler had a husband working an early morning shift. They would switch childcare duties after lunch. “We shifted our interaction with her to the afternoon,” says Oldfield. “She openly communicated with our business partners, brokers and our clients that that was the plan. She remains a valued contributor on this team.”

These flexible working arrangements are not new to AIG Canada. Oldfield piloted its first one more than 20 years ago, when a young employee moved a few hours away from the office. She is still a valued member of the team.

AIG Canada also has a flexible paid time off policy — employees start with 26 annual paid days off, which they can use for vacation, illness or personal matters.

In 2018, the company started its Dress for Your Day Initiative. While employees must dress professionally for outside meetings, they can keep it casual when spending the day at their desk.

“If you invest time in AIG, they will invest in you, whether it is learning opportunities or wellness programs,” says Rocha. “The company has invested in me and it’s been such a wonderful experience.” 

416

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

58%

OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

226 100%

STAFF VOLUNTEER HOURS LAST YEAR JOB-RELATED TUITION SUBSIDIES

Top talent is what takes us higher.

Learn more at AIG.ca AIG Insurance Company of Canada is the licensed underwriter of AIG property casualty insurance products in Canada. Coverage may not be available in all provinces and territories and is subject to actual policy language. Non-insurance products and services may be provided by independent third parties. © American International Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

15

( 2022 )

Alectra’s ‘heart and soul’ is a supportive culture

I

n August, ardent cyclist Cory Holmes, a health and safety specialist for Mississauga-based Alectra Inc., took part in the annual Ride to Conquer Cancer, as he had been doing for a few years. He raised $14,337 to support cancer research at Toronto’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. But this time was different: shortly before the ride, Holmes himself had been diagnosed with cancer.

About 100 people, many of them Alectra co-workers and teammates, showed up to support him. And that, says CEO Brian Bentz, reflects two key traits of the company: a supportive culture and a focus on community engagement. “It just goes to show the heart and soul of Alectra.”

“If we really look after our employees when they need our support, they’ll be in a better position to help our customers get through a very difficult time.”

— Brian Bentz President and CEO

Alectra Inc., through its subsidiary Alectra Utilities Corporation, serves approximately one million homes and businesses across the Golden Horseshoe region. Bentz describes Alectra as a “people-first” culture vis-a-vis the 17 communities it serves and its own employees.

“Especially through the pandemic, our philosophy has been, if we really look after our employees when they need our support, they’ll be in a better position to

 Cory Holmes, a health and safety specialist at Alectra, catches a glimpse of supportive colleagues while raising funds for cancer research help our customers get through a very difficult time,” he says.

Since the onset of COVID-19, Bentz notes, he has made bi-weekly videos to keep in touch with staff. “I felt it was very important to have that virtual communication with them and really talk about some of the stories of how people are coping, and how our employees are demonstrating exceptional customer service. And about some of the volunteerism that was taking place in connection with food banks and other services.”

Bentz points out that among other philanthropic endeavours during the pandemic, Alectra donated 16,800 N-95 masks from its inventory to Hamilton

Health Sciences and Mississauga’s Trillium Health Partners when they were sorely needed by health-care workers. As well, in 2020 the company contributed $85,000 toward a made-in-Ontario N-95 mask cleaner for Niagara Health. “That allowed front-line health-care professionals to use disinfected masks when there was a shortage.”

The safety and well-being of its staff are critical to Alectra, says Bentz. In 2020, partly in response to COVID-19, it introduced a $400 annual healthy living reimbursement plan that employees could use for fitness, exercise machines and other wellness supports.

But the company’s commitment to

Discover the possibilities.

employee health predates the pandemic.

An example: two-and-a-half years ago, it appointed human resources employee Olivia Mariani to the new position of health and wellness advisor. Her role is to come up with training opportunities, fitness challenges and measures to promote employee mental health. “This focus on employee well-being is embedded in Alectra culture,” she says, “and shows that we really do care.”

In June, she notes, the company held a virtual wellness week. “We had really great speakers who talked about mindfulness meditation and mental health. A chef also made a presentation, and we heard all kinds of inspiring stories. There were exercise classes, and someone took us through moves to improve our posture. It was really fun and engaging, and an opportunity to learn new things.”

Mariani is appreciative of other Alectra benefits, including the three weeks of vacation for new hires, which increases to four weeks after six years. Employees also get an extra two floater days every year.

“Honestly, when I tell my sisters and my fiancé about the things Alectra does for staff, they're like, ‘That’s amazing – I wish my company did something like that.’

That’s when I know I’m really lucky.” 

1,538

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

37

YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF ALL EMPLOYEES

42%

OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

65

CHARITIES HELPED LAST YEAR

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( 2022 )

At AMD Canada, camaraderie and careers grow

D

riving on Highway 407 on her daily two-hour work commute, Bonnie Lane-Heer would regularly pass the Markhambased Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) campus and see its logo. It was 2007, she had three-year-old twins and a five-yearold, and she was tired of the long drive.

She wanted a new work opportunity and a better work-life balance – and she found it at AMD. Founded in 1969 as a Silicon Valley start-up, AMD makes the world’s most powerful processors and power devices, from supercomputers to game consoles.

“AMD was high tech, it was growing and the stock was doing well, and I was looking to get out of a long commute,” says Lane-Heer. Hired as manager of employee relations for Canada, she brought a wealth of knowledge and skills from her previous role as a director at a multinational telecommunications company.

“Everyone at AMD is so collegial and willing to help each other.”

— Kevin O’Neil Vice President, Intellectual Property and Licensing

While Lane-Heer did cut her commute time in half, moving to AMD meant taking a couple of steps back in level and salary. “I thought, this is what I need right now, which is more balance in my life,” she says. “I’ve never had to chase after career development, and I was confident that it would naturally present itself in time at AMD – and it did.”

 AMD Canada employees attend a town hall with CEO Lisa Su, before the pandemic

Several career advancements led to her current role as senior manager, human resources business partner, for the Radeon Technologies Group. “I’m extremely loyal and hardworking, and I’ve had leaders who recognized that I was committed and capable,” she says. “There has never been a shortage of opportunities or interesting work at AMD!” Although AMD had always offered a flexible work environment, Lane-Heer was grateful to be working remotely full-time during the pandemic. “We’re taking a very pragmatic and somewhat conservative approach when planning for returning to the office at our Markham

campus,” she says. “There are 2,700 employees there, and when we’re all in the building, it’s impossible to physically distance everyone.”

Lane-Heer and her team have been encouraging senior leaders to be creative in how they engage with their teams virtually, from games nights and happy hours to cooking classes. Kevin O’Neil, vice president of intellectual property and licensing, has held regular virtual lunch breaks as a substitute for office lunchroom chats. When it was safe to do so and the weather complied, his team met for physically distanced lunches in a park.

“The fabric of my small team is

pretty strong,” says O’Neil, a lawyer and engineer who joined the company in 2006 as senior counsel, patents. “Everyone at AMD is so collegial and willing to help each other. I can’t count the number of times I’ve cold-called someone and asked if they could walk me through a process – not once has anyone said no.”

For O’Neil, a point of pride during the pandemic was how AMD people stepped up to help their internal and broader communities. When there was a shortage of personal protective equipment in Ontario, AMD’s logistics team secured PPE from overseas, giving it to employees and donating it to hospitals and the Red Cross.

“It was quite something to be able to call a hospital and say, ‘We have N95 masks, do you need them?’ And the answer was always yes,” he says.

While Lane-Heer and O’Neil miss seeing their colleagues in person, they’re content to wait for a hybrid work model to be rolled out when it’s safe to do so.

In the meantime, they continue to derive satisfaction from their workdays. “Every day that I feel I’ve done a service to my teams, pushed a project a bit further and contributed to the company is a great day,” says O’Neil. 

2,514 900

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES IN CANADA JOBS AVAILABLE LAST YEAR

15

CHARITIES HELPED LAST YEAR

100%

HEALTH PLAN PREMIUM AND FAMILY COVERAGE

INCLUSION INSPIRES INGENUITY

AMD.com

17

( 2022 )

BASF Canada builds sustainability from the ground up

W

hen Ravi Chauhan joined BASF Canada in 2019, he brought an outlook on grassroots sustainability that corresponded closely to the company’s community-level objectives.

He was also familiar with the local community around the company’s head office in Mississauga, Ont. Not only had Chauhan studied at the University of Waterloo for a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, environment and business, but he’d grown up in Brampton, only a few kilometres away.

“Sustainability is not just about tackling climate change. It’s taking a holistic view of our impact on the environment, the economy and society.”

— Ravi Chauhan Sustainability and Government Relations Specialist “I’d studied the way companies balance sustainability while growing their business,” says Chauhan, a sustainability and government relations specialist at BASF, “and I knew there had been a strategic shift in the way companies approach sustainability.”

A subsidiary of BASF SE, a global chemical company, BASF Canada employs more than 1,100 people at production facilities and offices across Canada. At its head office, employees administer corporate functions such as communications, sustainability, health and safety and human resources.

The world needs solutions.

We need you.

 BASF Canada employees come together to raise more than $28,000 for breast cancer research In the Mississauga community, the company drives outreach initiatives focused on three key pillars: science, technology, engineering and math; sustainability and diversity; and equity and inclusion through monetary donations, partnerships and employee volunteer efforts.

Most recently, BASF launched a virtual food drive, where all donations went directly to local communities across the country, matched dollar for dollar. Since 2016 BASF has supported Indigenous Canadian students, through a partnership with Indspire, to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees. With BASF’s sponsorship, more than 20 Indigenous students have received financial support for their post-secondary education.

“I’m particularly proud of our team for continuing to give back to the community and finding ways to make an impactful difference, even during the uncertainty due

to the pandemic,” says BASF Canada’s president, Apala Mukherjee.

In 2021, the company began an awards program to recognize customers who demonstrate leadership in building a sustainable future. The program pays particular attention to customers who find innovative ways to integrate sustainability goals into their business strategy.

“Sustainability is not just about tackling climate change,” says Chauhan. “It’s taking a holistic view of our impact on the environment, the economy and society.

“In fact,” he adds, “sustainability has been a core part of BASF’s strategy for years. This is what excited me about BASF right from the beginning.”

Chauhan’s work at the company extends beyond his immediate community to other parts of Canada as well, and to all facets of the company’s operations.

“Our corporate sustainability team

collaborates with different business units,” he says, “from agriculture and automotive to personal care and construction. It’s critical to connect and understand the challenges facing the customers of these different industries.”

While purchasing renewable energy for its sites, BASF Canada partnered with Bullfrog Power to support a new solar installation for Hiawatha First Nation’s community general store. With the arrival of COVID-19, one of the company’s sites began producing hand sanitizer, which it donated along with personal protective equipment to local Indigenous communities.

“It’s a way for us play our part as good corporate citizens,” says Chauhan, who has worked from home during the pandemic since March 2020, two months after he assumed his current role at the company.

For Mukherjee, sustainability is a key driver of the global organization’s strategy, involving more than 117,000 employees in almost every country in the world.

“In order to truly live by our commitment of ‘we create chemistry for a sustainable future’,” she says, “it’s vital that we contribute to the communities where we work and live. The past year has highlighted its importance.” 

1,109

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

50%

OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS ARE WOMEN

17

WEEKS, MATERNITY LEAVE TOP-UP PAY

6

WEEKS, MAXIMUM VACATION ALLOWANCE

18

( 2022 )

BDO Canada employees find a place in the sun

B

raham Moondi is grateful that even in the darkest days of the pandemic, the leaders at BDO Canada had her walking on sunshine. Now she and her fellow employees are on a pathway to the new normal accompanied by the music of bird song – literally.

“There was a lot of encouragement from upper management for us to enjoy daylight hours, especially in the summer, to take some time off during the day, leave your computer and go for a walk or do something that takes you outside,” says Moondi, senior manager, assurance and accounting.

“When people feel like they’re cared for, being nurtured and encouraged, they bring their best game forward.”

 BDO Canada employees enjoy bright, open workspaces that let staff work collaboratively

— Braham Moondi Senior Manager, Assurance and Accounting

“We started setting up listening calls where you don’t take notes and don’t have to be at your computer – you can go for a walk and listen and sometimes you hear birds chirping in the background. It’s part of a hybrid approach that’s taking us to the new normal.”

Headquartered in Toronto, BDO Canada has over 125 locations across Canada. Celebrating its 100th anniversary, it’s one of the country’s largest professional services firms, providing assurance and accounting, tax and advisory services.

The firm culture is itself sunny, where

employees feel comfortable engaging with senior people and managers aren’t shy about shining a spotlight on employees to celebrate their successes. Managers like Moondi nominate employees for prizes through the firm’s rewards program.

Employees can choose gifts large and small from an online marketplace.

“When people feel like they’re cared for, being nurtured and encouraged, they bring their best game forward, because everyone wants to do a good job and get rewarded for that,” says Moondi.

BDO Canada works hard to ensure all its workplaces are open, welcoming and collaborative. Employees are encouraged to bring their ideas forward, as collaboration is a core value.

“We’ve always been a firm that prides itself on our culture, which is based on our values of inclusion and diversity,” says Kerri Plexman, GTA office managing partner.

“We really encourage those values and provide open, safe places for people to share their thoughts and ideas.”

To ensure that, BDO Canada takes a holistic, flexible approach to wellness and other benefits. Flexible work schedules, time off and a culture of life-long learning are designed to fit the individual employee. Special emphasis has been placed on mental wellness since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Programs have been enhanced as the firm takes a proactive approach to the mental wellness

This year, we celebrate 100 years of excellence.

Be part of our future.

Discover the possibilities on bdo.ca/careers

of its employees.

Similarly, BDO Canada didn’t let the pandemic stop it from continuing to connect with the communities it serves and to support national and local charities.

When COVID-19 put a cramp on the annual partnership with Farm Credit Canada’s Drive Away Hunger campaign, Moondi found a hybrid solution. Senior managers volunteered to be videoed as they participated in a virtual version of the traditional large-scale, in-person event.

Flexibility has been the key value that has helped BDO Canada navigate the pandemic so far and, in some ways, the COVID-19 crisis has opened the firm’s eyes to just how important it is.

“Flexibility is something that we’ve had in place for some time, but with the pandemic, its value has been heightened,” says Alicia DeFreitas, chief human resources officer.

“We recognized that life wasn’t what it once was – people were plunged into a completely different world. We needed to have a flexible work environment because everyone has different circumstances and different scenarios and for us to be successful, we needed to create tailored results for our employees and we’ve been able to do that.” 

4,092 48 7 61%

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES

YEARS, LONGEST-SERVING EMPLOYEE WEEKS, MAXIMUM PERSONAL TIME OFF OF TOTAL EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

19

( 2022 )

BLG leaps into the future of the digital office

A

few years before COVID-19 sent employers everywhere scrambling to work remotely, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) had begun replacing desktop computers with laptops, issuing iPads and otherwise equipping employees to work seamlessly from the office, the home or anywhere else.

The goal, now achieved, was to go entirely paperless while also reconfiguring corporate real estate in ways that give BLG’s lawyers and support staff maximum flexibility in how, and where, they work.

“We want our clients to see us as the most technically astute law firm in Canada and one that can really deliver our services in a digital way,” says Rob Morris, BLG’s chief operating officer. “We want to be at the cutting edge in terms of investing in both technology and people.”

“We want our clients to see us as the most technically astute law firm in Canada and one that can really deliver our services in a digital way.”

— Rob Morris Chief Operating Officer

What BLG calls its Digital Office project is currently being piloted in Toronto, before being rolled out to the firm’s offices from Vancouver to Montréal.

BLG has given up an entire floor at the Bay Adelaide Centre and reconfigured the remaining office space to allow for the free and efficient flow of employees who will work, on average, three days a week

 Teambuilding, mobility and connection are essential elements of BLG’s Digital Transformation remotely and the other two on-site.

Creating a more flexible work environment is where the aspiration starts, not ends. BLG is focused on maximizing the potential for collaboration and innovation, whether the work is being done in-person or remotely.

For example, when employees do come into the office, they will be able to take advantage of a sophisticated digital booking system which will assign office spaces and meeting rooms to meet their needs. The same system will intelligently alert colleagues and team members of their presence in the office, signalling opportunities to come in and collaborate.

The technology will also help coordinate other activities, such as training sessions, mentoring opportunities and

social events, to make sure employees are making the best possible use of their time on-site.

“BLG has always had a very vibrant, people-oriented workplace culture,” says Morris. “We want to maintain that culture while also responding to our employees’ desire for greater flexibility in the workplace.”

Offices will all be the same size and assigned on a non-hierarchical basis. New technologies will help personalize the temporary spaces by recognizing the individual identities of employees and allowing them to display family photographs, favourite artwork or other content on nearby digital screens. Those same screens can be used for sharing work content and doing on-the-spot brainstorming.

The savings realized from reducing the overall office space will be reinvested into creating more collaborative work spaces and supporting employee programs and experiences that help support a strong workplace culture.

“Yet another advantage of going paperless and reducing our overall real estate commitments is that we’ll have a lower carbon and environmental footprint,” says Morris.

As BLG’s change management lead, Allegra MacDonald has been intimately involved in developing the Digital Office concept.

“What we’re doing here is taking BLG to where the global industry expects all of us to be 10 years from now,” says MacDonald. “I believe we’re future-proofing our people by giving them the core ability to work digitally and to handle change in a whole new way.”

MacDonald adds that the Digital Office will help employees define their own roles and how they can best serve the law firm’s clients going forward.

“It empowers us to evolve and not be stuck with old legacy ways of working,” she says. “I don’t feel digital is something that’s happening to us; it’s happening with us.” 

1,444

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

75.5%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

67%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

800+

CHARITIES HELPED LAST YEAR

Right from the start, you’re a step ahead.

20

( 2022 )

Keeping people safe drives CAA Club Group

W

hen COVID-19 hit the country like a sledgehammer in the spring of 2020, Julie Holmes saw her livelihood suddenly collapse. Holmes, a single mother with two boys and a mortgage to pay, was a travel agent with Thornhill-based CAA Club Group and, virtually overnight, Canadians stopped travelling.

“We’re focused on keeping our associates and members safe through our roadside assistance, travel planning, insurance products and advocacy.”

— Tony Tsai Vice-President, Communications and Services

Fortunately for Holmes and her fellow travel agents, CAA Club Group offered to train them to become agents licensed to sell the organization’s home and auto insurance policies. “I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunities afforded to us during the pandemic,” says Holmes.

“It was a big investment to train us all, pay for our exams and give us positions.”

Plus, she loves her new job. “You think insurance and you think, boring,” says Holmes. “But it’s really interesting.

Everybody needs insurance and everybody’s needs are different. I’ve turned into an insurance nerd.”

CAA is a care-driven organization, says Tony Tsai, vice-president communications and services. “We’re focused

 When the pandemic hit, CAA Club Group pivoted quickly and retrained its travel agents to work in its home and auto insurance business

on keeping our associates and members safe through our roadside assistance, travel planning, insurance products and advocacy,” says Tsai.

When the pandemic arrived, the organization took care to a whole new level.

“Our CEO promised from the beginning that there would be no layoffs,” says Mara Notarfonzo, vice-president total reward.

CAA Club Group was well equipped to retrain a whole cohort of retail associates.

The organization’s human resources department has a sophisticated suite of learning and development programs, all developed in-house rather than purchased from outside suppliers.

Each new hire takes a foundations

course that provides an overview of CAA’s various businesses, the career opportunities and the organization’s values.

The business skills curriculum, which is updated on a regular basis, teaches such things as conflict resolution, project management and customer service. All leaders are required to take a workplace mental health certificate program offered through Queen’s University.

“We want all our associates to be experts,” says Notarfonzo. “We want them to develop to the best of their abilities so they’re highly marketable but choose to stay.”

The organization’s health and wellness programs are aimed at attracting and

CAA Club Group is proud to be one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for the 13 th year in a row.

retaining talent. “We’ve been quick and proactive at developing leading-edge approaches,” adds Notarfonzo.

Associates have been able to consult healthcare professionals through a telemedicine program that was in place well before the pandemic hit. Those who work in retail outlets and at home throughout south-central Ontario have been able to download a wellness app that allows them to participate in programs offered through the corporate office.

The app became especially valuable with everyone working remotely due to COVID-19. “It became our way of making our days a little brighter by encouraging each other to get out and do some walking, create some challenges, get a little competition going,” says Notarfonzo.

CAA has long been committed to diversity and inclusion, but the organization is always looking to do more, says Tsai.

“We pride ourselves at having a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve,” he adds. “We have a diverse leadership team, not only people of colour, but women at every level. We are on a journey to explore what more we can do.” 

2,270

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

55%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

60%

OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

6

WEEKS, MAXIMUM VACATION ALLOWANCE

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21

( 2022 )

CAAT Pension Plan spotlights inclusion and diversity

K

yle Nimmrichter’s first day at CAAT Pension Plan in Toronto was a groundbreaker.

He attended a team meeting where one of the members went out of his way to explicitly state that CAAT is a place where everybody should feel welcome and included, and the kind of a place that genuinely celebrates diversity.

“By saying that, he gave me the opportunity to come out to my team on my very first day, whereas previously it’s taken many, many months before I could feel comfortable sharing that with my teammates,” says Nimmrichter, a pension policy analyst. “That was heartwarming for me and really demonstrated that CAAT takes diversity and inclusion seriously.”

“Raising awareness is the only way we’re going to change the world for the better – and we can start right here at CAAT.” — Julie Giraldi Chief Human Resources Officer

Now on the organization’s inclusion and diversity committee, Nimmrichter is involved in fostering its objectives at CAAT, one of Canada’s leading providers of sustainable defined-benefit pensions.

The committee balances fun, socially engaging sessions – think online Musical Bingo during Pride Week celebrating the LGBTQ+ community – with more serious educational events sparking discussion

 The employee engagement committee at CAAT helps come up with action plans and guides decisions in the organization about inclusion and diversity in Canada and all over the world.

“In response to the revelation of mass graves at Indigenous residential schools in Canada, we hosted an education session in late September, where we invited the Woodland Cultural Centre to give a virtual presentation on the history of residential schools in Canada,” says Nimmrichter. “It was a very powerful presentation.”

The heart-wrenching stories left Julie Giraldi in tears.

“The first step is in educating people, because until you listen to those stories and have those conversations you really don’t understand,” says Giraldi, chief human resources officer. “We need people to look at things from different perspectives.

LEADING

THE WAY IN BENEFIT SECURITY

Raising awareness is the only way we’re going to change the world for the better – and we can start right here at CAAT.” When Giraldi joined CAAT three years ago, she established an Employee Engagement Committee and an Inclusion and Diversity Committee. Both play a vital role in creating an environment that allows employees to bring their whole authentic selves to work and nurtures a culture that is open, transparent, supportive and living the company’s values. The committees are made up of a cross-functional group of employees who volunteer for the role.

The Employee Engagement Committee helps in guiding decisions in the organization, such as for rewards and recognition programs, or looking at employee

engagement results and helping come up with action plans to make the organization better.

The Inclusion and Diversity Committee’s mandate is to foster safety, education, awareness and belonging at CAAT as well as providing a platform for staff to champion diversity in the workplace.

Some of the most powerful events have included virtual lean-in circles, open to everyone at CAAT. People share their struggles and experiences in a safe forum as a way for others to gain insights and understanding. One that was held to support Black colleagues was particularly moving.

“It was really an exercise of listening – helping each other understand what it means to walk in someone else’s shoes,” says Giraldi. “When it’s your colleague talking to you, it really clarifies your thinking. It’s someone you know at the office, someone you have a personal connection to, so it raises a different level of awareness.

“The entire senior executive team participated, not to share but to listen.

Diversity and inclusion are something we need to continue to build on – and not just because of a certain situation. It needs to be part of our journey moving forward.” 

263

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

59%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

100% 18

HEALTH PLAN PREMIUM AND FAMILY COVERAGE WEEKS, MATERNITY LEAVE TOP-UP PAY

22

( 2022 )

Campbell serves souped-up care and collaboration

F

or most people, Campbell Company of Canada means soup. But another product in the portfolio might also be attractive to Canadian job applicants: Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers.

The company’s popular fish-shaped crackers come in many flavours, from cheddar to ranch – and in Canada, one more. “Nowhere else in the world, I think, would anybody put ketchup in crackers, but we did!” says Helen Ashton, vice president, human resources. And there’s a reason that they could.

“One of the things I love about working here is it has this familial entrepreneurial spirit.”

— Lily Marando Business Development Manager  Campbell employees volunteering at a local food bank before the pandemic “What is really cool about Campbell compared to some other consumer packaged goods companies is that we’re part of an international company, but we have kept our marketing and research & development departments local,” she adds.

“That means we can do true innovation in our marketing in Canada versus adopting what’s been done in other markets.”

All of which means that along with ketchup-flavoured Goldfish crackers, there’s an innovative energy at Mississauga-based Campbell, which includes marketing, sales, R&D corporate, and even a few chefs who take part in tasting and testing.

“One of the things I love about working

here is it has this familial entrepreneurial spirit,” says Lily Marando, a business development manager on the Walmart account. “Everyone is so committed to the same objectives.”

And Marando, who handles snack foods including Goldfish crackers, is also a symbol of Campbell’s flexibility and openness. Four years ago, she started off in marketing, but after a year and a half or so, she decided she’d like to move over to sales.

“Traditionally, that’s not an easy transition, moving from marketing to sales or sales to marketing,” she says. “One is behind-the-scenes, often analytical or creative, and the other is customer-facing.

But Campbell looks not just at your upward career momentum, but also what you would like to learn, and how we can build the repertoire of experience so that you understand the business more holistically.”

Working with colleagues in other departments, such as marketing, finance, or commercialization, is seamless. “We work really closely together to drive success,” Marando says.

Ashton agrees: “If I had to take two words to describe Campbell’s culture, they would be ‘care’ and ‘collaboration’.”

On the care side, she feels the company went further than most to make people feel supported during the pandemic, including

direct conversations among employees and top executives. “I think what sets us apart from all the companies I’ve worked for in the last 20 years is how accessible and approachable our senior leadership team is,” says Ashton, who joined the company in 2020.

Campbell also focused on its team’s overall well-being, offering online fitness classes, organizing coffee chats, and creating peer support groups where people could talk about everything from parenting to gardening, often with expert facilitators.

The pandemic, Ashton adds, provided an opportunity to talk about inclusion and diversity, “not just about gender or race, but also working style – the introvert and the extrovert, for instance. Do you need to get a pre-read three days before the meeting because you want to internalize the information and participate better?”

To support work-life balance, Campbell has adopted a set of “meeting effectiveness principles.” These cover how -and whenmeetings are conducted. “No meetings start before 9:30 a.m., and no meetings end after 4:30,” says Ashton. “There are no meetings on lunch, and no meetings on Friday afternoons.” Although there might be an exception to taste the latest Goldfish cracker varieties. 

160

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

58%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

50%

OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

100%

HEALTH PLAN PREMIUM AND RETIREE HEALTH PREMIUM

23

( 2022 )

Safety is a priority for everyone at CSA Group

I

n 2000, when Manisha Mistry was a summer student at CSA Group, she was tasked with conducting ergonomic assessments in employees’ offices. The applied science student was specializing in occupational health and safety, so the role was a perfect fit – and the springboard to a fulfilling career with the organization.

Headquartered in Rexdale, Ont., CSA Group is a global organization dedicated to safety, social good and sustainability. It is a leader in standards development and in testing, inspection and certification. In fact, CSA certification marks appear on more than a billion products worldwide, helping provide increased assurance of quality and safety.

“Safety and sustainability remain at the core of everything we do.”

— Manisha Mistry Senior Director, Health, Safety, Security and Environment and Change Management

“Safety and sustainability remain at the core of everything we do,” says Mistry, who was appointed senior director of health, safety, security and environment and change management in 2019. “This includes a priority focus on providing our employees with a safe, supportive and accessible workplace.”

After graduating in 2001, Mistry was hired at CSA Group’s head office in the newly created position of occupational health and safety co-ordinator. Over the past two decades, she has been so dedicated to ensuring employee safety that she was named to the Canadian Occupational

 CSA Group's safety certification marks appear on more than a billion products worldwide Safety 'Top Women in Safety' list last year.

While Mistry is proud of this achievement, she insists she hasn’t gotten there alone.

“You’re only as good as your team, and I call mine the dream team,” says Mistry, who manages a team of five experienced health and safety experts. “There’s a synergy that you can’t buy among this group. We support each other and work collaboratively.”

Collaborative work became more important than ever as the pandemic arrived in March 2020. “We’ve been treating COVID-19 in our organization like any other hazard,” says Mistry. “We have a

very safety-focused leadership team, and every decision has been around the safety of our people.”

Those decisions included sending nonlab employees home to work remotely, providing masks and hand sanitizer to on-site workers, increasing the cleaning of high-touch areas and keeping employees separated via dedicated work zones.

Lab technician Andrew Baker appreciated those safety protocols as he continues to drive the 45 minutes from his home in Ajax to test products in the lab. “I felt very safe – at ease, as a matter of fact – because I know our executive leadership team is

looking out for our best interests,” he says.

CSA Group looks out for its people in other ways, too. For Baker, who joined the organization in 2016, one important offering is flexible hours. A morning person, he starts working at 6 a.m. at the lab and leaves mid-afternoon in time to pick up his son from school, missing rush-hour traffic in both directions.

Another benefit is an annual fitness subsidy to encourage employees to participate in physical activities and programs that promote healthy lifestyle choices. It is designed to subsidize the cost of expenses like gym memberships or fitness equipment. This year, Baker used his to buy a fitness tracker, which he takes on weekend walks with his son in a park near their home.

Growing up, Baker, a certified electronics technologist, liked to take things apart and put them back together for fun. He gets the same enjoyment at CSA Group from testing products like power drills and sewing machines.

“Our testing is thorough,” says Baker.

“It’s satisfying knowing I’m helping ensure that products are safe for the people who use them – and I’m always aware that person could be me, my family or my friends.” 

711

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

44

YEARS, LONGESTSERVING EMPLOYEE

50% 16

OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS ARE WOMEN WEEKS, MATERNITY LEAVE TOP-UP PAY

24

( 2022 )

Opportunities for growth abound at Capital One

I

t was an advertising campaign – a creative one, as it happened – encouraging new graduates to apply to Capital One Canada and it caught the attention of Patrick Ens, then fresh out of Queen’s University with a bachelor of commerce degree.

Ens did apply and it was the start of a journey that has taken him from new hire to president of the financial services company and credit card issuer in the space of 15 years. “I didn’t expect to be here that long,” says Ens. “But once I got going, I felt like I’ve always been stretching, doing something new, exciting and challenging, and making an impact.”

“Every time I feel like I’m reaching a peak of my learning I’m able to explore a new opportunity.”

— Tassie Milne Director of Payment Strategy and Operations  Lynne Oddie, product director at Capital One Canada

Tassie Milne has been with Capital One nearly as long – 13 years to be precise – and she’s stayed for much the same reason. “Every time I feel like I’m reaching a peak of my learning I’m able to explore a new opportunity,” says Milne, who is director of payment strategy and operations, a role that has her managing a team building new and innovative payment experiences for Capital One customers.

When Ens joined the company, he was paired up with a mentor to help him make the adjustment from an academic environment to a professional workplace.

These days, new hires benefit from structured and robust development programs across a number of job families.

“You join as a cohort of your peers in the program which can last up to two years,” says Ens. “You learn and grow together. There’s structured training, networking and you’re hearing from senior executives. It gets you up to speed as fast as possible so you can have an impact as fast as possible.”

Capital One recruits for entry-level positions largely from universities and colleges. The company hires from a

range of disciplines, including commerce, engineering, mathematics and general arts. “We find talented people from a wide array of educational backgrounds,” says Ens. Apart from entry-level training, the company places a heavy emphasis on professional development, mentoring, leadership training and career planning.

“We have really robust, internal training programs, depending on what you want to do,” says Milne. “Having all this at your fingertips has really helped me build the skills I needed to continue to grow.”

Employees can acquire expertise on credit, marketing, people leadership and product development, among other things, through courses taught in-house by senior leaders with the requisite experience and external training agencies.

In addition, the company offers tuition subsidies and has sponsored associates taking leadership training at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

Since the start of the pandemic, everything from recruiting to onboarding to doing the work of the day has been done virtually. “Our programs have been tested through the virtual environment and they’ve held up well,” says Ens, adding: “Virtual work is going to be part of our lives. It’s going to look a lot different than before the pandemic.”

The company plans to bring associates back to the office in 2022, adopting a hybrid workplace model. Ens says that a significant majority of associates will spend some of their time working in the office and some of their time working virtually, affording Capital One associates and leaders the ability to better balance in-person collaboration and team needs with individual choice and flexibility. 

1,225

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

49%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

46%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

38

CHARITIES HELPED LAST YEAR

25

( 2022 )

CAS of Toronto provides a pandemic-era connection

W

orking for an agency like the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (CAS of Toronto) is rewarding, but it can be challenging at the best of times. And a once-in-a-century pandemic is far from the best of times.

The same holds true for the families served by CAS of Toronto, particularly those from racialized or marginalized communities. Under normal circumstances, these families often face a wide range of financial, mental health and equity challenges. In a pandemic, all of those challenges and stressors are magnified.

“This is difficult work because it’s dealing with people’s lives.”

— Nancy Ansong-Danquah Service Director

“We’ve always known that many of our families face a lot of obstacles,” says Nancy Ansong-Danquah, director of service. “If, for example, someone had an unstable housing situation, the pandemic probably made that worse. Or if someone was experiencing domestic violence in the home, the pandemic introduced added stressors that likely put that person more at risk.”

Another reality: as much as CAS of Toronto pivoted to working remotely whenever possible, there are aspects of child welfare work that simply must be done in-person.

“We were an essential service during the pandemic and, in many cases, our workers became the last line of defence for families,” says CEO Paul Rosebush. “Our

 Employees across Children's Aid Society of Toronto wore orange in honour of Orange Shirt Day and Canada's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation front-line people were managing a whole set of new needs, including increased demand for counselling and housing resources. We became a real connector for families to a variety of services and supports.”

Sometimes, it was even more stark than that.

“At a time when drop-in centres and many other services were closed, our workers might be the only people some families saw,” says Ansong-Danquah. “We had parents tell us they appreciated that bit of human contact.”

Through it all, CAS of Toronto continued to place a clear focus on early intervention and prevention rather than the more reactive stance of protection, for which the child welfare sector has been known.

“We recognize that families have been disadvantaged by the singular focus on protection,” says Rosebush. “We know we have inadvertently contributed to trauma, particularly for racialized and marginalized families.”

Ansong-Danquah, a 19-year veteran of CAS of Toronto, puts the current mission this way: “Everything we do is connected to the goal of keeping children in their own homes. And if they do need to be placed in care, our goal is to re-unite families as soon as possible.”

To that end, CAS of Toronto continues to pursue new programs and partnerships to address disparities and promote inclusion.

One recent project is working with a group of Black fathers in the agency’s client base to talk about their experiences

and interactions with the child welfare system.

Another is working with a group of racialized therapists who are helping provide families with greater access to free counselling.

And yet another is a new Indigenous and Racialized Mentorship Program aimed at increasing the diversity of CAS of Toronto supervisors and managers.

The pandemic also inspired the agency to significantly expand its level of internal communication through virtual forums on resiliency and a “Say Thanks” platform where staff members can share appreciation and recognize colleagues who have achieved their service milestones.

Another initiative, CAST Connects, provided bi-weekly virtual updates for all staff members on how the agency was responding to the pandemic.

What didn’t change is the individual commitment that drives CAS of Toronto employees at all levels.

“This is difficult work because it’s dealing with people’s lives,” says AnsongDanquah. “You have to continually ask yourself: is this the best we can do? If it isn’t, then you need to figure out a better way to do it.” 

707 42 73% 4

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA YEARS, LONGEST-SERVING EMPLOYEE OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN WEEKS, STARTING VACATION ALLOWANCE

26

( 2022 )

Citi Canada fosters a climate of growth and diversity

W

hen Toral Bhavsar was just four months into her job at Citi Canada, she was assigned to a big project. “I was really worried about the fact that I’d been there a short time, and what if I failed to deliver?” recalls the Java developer. In the end, the project was a success. Not only that, but the company celebrated her achievement.

“I didn’t expect anything, but my managers and my site lead sent an email to everyone, including senior management, congratulating me, and I was given an award. Suddenly, in the midst of the pandemic and people working remotely, everyone in the company knew who I was. Citi really shows its appreciation.”

“Citi Canada is always encouraging, motivating and rewarding you if you make an effort.”

— Toral Bhavsar Java Developer

In her 18 months with the company, says Bhavsar, she has been amazed by the commitment to employee growth at Toronto-based Citi Canada, a subsidiary of the financial-services multinational Citi. The Canadian entity hosts a large technology-development group, while the front office focuses on safeguarding assets, lending money, making payments and accessing capital markets on behalf of its clients.

Bhavsar has been able to take advantage of a multitude of training opportunities

PROGRESS STARTS HERE

 Toronto colleagues enjoy a wealth of site amenities and employee programs at Citi Canada

which have helped her advance from junior to senior Java developer. “When I started,” she says, “I assumed it would take me two or three years to get to move up, but I was promoted within my first year. Citi is always encouraging, motivating and rewarding you if you make an effort.”

“We take our talent very seriously,” says Ian Ng, operations and technology lead and Toronto site president. “Every year, the site’s leadership looks for employees who need extra support, development and mentorship, and we provide all those things to help them get to the

next level. And we have talent development programs for people who aspire to be leaders. A big part of our growth has been to promote from within and progress the people who join us into more senior roles by giving them opportunities.”

Because Citi has been investing a lot in its Canadian franchise, observes Ng, opportunities keep growing. “When I joined Citi Canada, within the technology space, we were probably somewhere between 200 and 400 people. Now we have more than 1,500 technologists in Canada while the total staff in this country has grown to well over 2,000 people.”

Ng, who‘s been with Citi Canada almost 10 years, has himself been a beneficiary of that culture, which also includes a focus on cutting-edge technology such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. “I started as a junior technologist,” he says. “And since then, I’ve been provided with training and opportunities across the bank that have allowed me to grow my career within the firm. I attended leadership programs and travelled quite a bit to places like New York and London to get exposure to the global business.”

Citi Canada also places great emphasis on diversity, notes Ng, and is very committed to gender equity. “We were among the first to publish the salary differences between our male and female genders. And we ensure that when we hire a new group of graduates, we have at least a 50/50 gender split.”

Citi has numerous programs to foster female employees. And for Bhavsar, that has been a real boon. “Among other things, there are women-empowerment events like town halls for females, and you can participate in hackathons for women.

These things boost our confidence and motivate us to think outside the box and present our ideas to senior management.”

1,745

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

59%

OF MANAGERS ARE VISIBLE MINORITIES

51%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

100%

This is the place for your next great opportunity.

Jobs.Citi.com/Canada

HEALTH PLAN PREMIUM AND FAMILY COVERAGE

27

( 2022 )

At Cox Automotive Canada, balance and innovation rule

Y

ou might say that the pandemic has had a double silver lining for Krishna Juluri, Agile coach at Cox Automotive Canada.

His fraternal twin daughters, Keerthi and Sruthi, were born on Aug. 29, 2019, so the bulk of their lives so far has coincided with COVID-19 and with dad working at home.

As a result, he was there to witness their developmental milestones, including learning to crawl and walk. Cox Automotive, he says, made it easier for him to focus on his baby girls because the company zeroed in on employees’ work-life balance as they worked remotely.

“Cox Automotive is like an extended family. We are extremely flexible and fully, fully supportive if someone’s got family issues or other things they have to deal with.”

— Christine Wood Senior Director, Product Engineering

“It recognized that there wasn't a clear sense of when the workday ends and when the personal day begins,” says Juluri.

“So, it declared that there would be no meetings before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m., or during lunch.”

He also notes that in the past two summers, employees could choose to work an extra hour the first four days of the week and take Friday afternoons off. Cox Automotive also gave its staff the Friday off before the Canada Day long weekend.

 Cox Automotive Canada team members taking part in the 'Women With Drive' social Overall, says Juluri, the company really accommodated him as a parent of twins.

“I got excellent support from my team and leader if, for example, we had pediatric appointments or anything else came up.”

For Christine Wood, senior director, product engineering, “Cox Automotive is like an extended family. We are extremely flexible and fully, fully supportive if someone's got family issues or other things they have to deal with.”

Mississauga-based Cox Automotive Canada, a subsidiary of global Cox Enterprises Inc., is a technology company that helps the auto industry, including manufacturers and dealers, modernize through digital transformation. And innovation – including the implementation

of Agile methodology, in which Juluri is a certified trainer – is central to its ethos, says Wood.

“We really welcome new ideas. We've got an online ideas page because, with the pandemic, we can't get together or collaborate or whiteboard anymore. Anybody can submit ideas, and we review them monthly. And some of them get into our product launches, which is really exciting to see,” she says.

“If you have ways of improving or you want to bring in new technology, everyone’s all for it.”

Cox Automotive is continually adding new products and services, she notes. A recent development: it has partnered with Kijiji on a digital car-shopping platform

We’re one of the world’s leading providers of high-tech automotive solutions and are proud to have been recognized as a GTA Top Employer for three consecutive years.

where customers can get a vehicle and the financing for it.

The company is also very femalefriendly, adds Wood, who worked in telecommunications before joining the firm three-and-a-half years ago. “For me, it has always been hard to break through the glass ceiling. But at Cox Automotive it doesn’t exist. We have a Women With Drive group to celebrate females’ achievements in the automotive industry. Prior to the pandemic, we had speakers come in to talk about their experiences, and it was amazing to see so many men, as well as women, attend.”

Community involvement is also integral to Cox Automotive culture. Among other recent philanthropic activities, in July team members participated in the Climb Every Mountain campaign of Make-A-Wish Canada, which grants wishes to critically ill children, walking a total of more than two million “steps” and raising $12,000.

Juluri took part by riding 25 km on his bike. “For me, that sort of thing stirs up more enthusiasm for what I do at work,” he says. “First of all, it’s a team-building experience with colleagues. But also, I’m not just clocking in and clocking out in my job; there’s that sense of giving back and representing your company.” 

839 32

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF ALL EMPLOYEES

60%+

OF TEAM MEMBERS WORK REMOTELY

100%

OF TUITION REIMBURSED TO $5,250 ANNUALLY

28

( 2022 )

At CRH Canada, ‘SEE STOP DO’ means safety first

R

obert Bourbeau began working for the construction and building materials company CRH Canada 22 years ago, as a project engineer. Since then, he’s had several roles with increasing responsibility, achieving his current position as president of construction and materials last January.

“And I’m still having fun!” he says.

Bourbeau’s experience says a lot about CRH Canada’s ability to nurture its employees’ talents and keep them happy.

“We share a set of core values across all the business units, everywhere we operate,” he says. “Safety first, creating value, leading with integrity, acting as one company and building enduring relationships. Folks relate to these values, and know they make for a good working environment.”

“CRH has sound corporate values that people stand behind, great opportunities and strong leadership.”

— Lindsay Lootsma Prime Contract Director, Dufferin Construction Company

Safety has always been a top priority at CRH, but in the past year it has introduced additional measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Every month we have a ‘SEE STOP DO’ day when no one is allowed to book a meeting,” says Bourbeau. “That day is dedicated to going to see what’s happening on our sites, challenging the methodology of something in the field, and discussing its safety.”

The company also provided a telemedicine service to give employees access to

 Across North America, CRH holds a monthly ‘SEE STOP DO’ day to focus on its commitment to put safety first doctors virtually and added two nurses to its staff. “The nurses help employees who might have had a work-related injury and need support,” Bourbeau says.

“Sometimes it’s just minor back pain, but they ensure access to doctors and physiotherapists. They also do prevention – they go through our operation, observe things we might not notice, like the way we shovel, and suggest a better way.”

Employee development is another priority, from student placement programs like Engineer in Training, where many of CRH Canada’s managers started, to training, mentorship and leadership programs.

“All our employees go through IDP,

Our company values are at the heart of everything we do

or individual development planning,” Bourbeau says. “We make sure they experience areas like special projects, acquisitions and large investments, so they have exposure to everything we do.”

Lindsay Lootsma, a prime contract director at CRH’s Dufferin Construction division, started as a co-op student 19 years ago and participated in a management development program where she gained experience in other business units.

“That was a unique opportunity,” she says. “I also received full support to do my MBA, which was amazing. CRH has sound corporate values that people stand behind, great opportunities and strong

leadership.”

Bourbeau is proud of CRH’s efforts to make its workforce more inclusive.

This year it started an initiative called Women in Science to help develop the next generation of women in the industry.

“We’re sponsoring camps where our female engineers explain the construction industry and provide mentoring to girls who foresee a career in science,” he says.

“All they need are opportunities.”

“You don’t see a lot of heavy construction operations enabling women to climb to senior levels,” says Lootsma. “But I’ve been supported since the day I started.

Now I have four female construction coordinators and two female co-op students on my team, and one of my managers is a female engineer.”

CRH Canada also partnered with Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and York University to establish the Way Forward program, in which post-graduate students from other countries can get job experience in Canada in the finance field. “We talk a lot about inclusion and diversity, but this program made it very meaningful,” says Bourbeau.

“We were able to bring in people from different backgrounds, and it’s been a tremendous experience for all of us.” 

2,679 64,670 56 42%

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES IN CANADA JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR YEARS, LONGEST-SERVING EMPLOYEE OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

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( 2022 )

Collaboration is embedded in Distributel’s DNA

W

hen it seemed just too much for Alexis Sels, her Distributel Communications Limited colleagues stepped up to help her through the perils of the pandemic, dealing with a new job and striking a healthy work-life balance.

“There have been times during the pandemic when I felt overwhelmed.

Between working from home and taking care of my children it could be very difficult,” says Sels, a product manager.

“I was very stressed trying to figure out how I was going to balance working and supporting my family.

“We foster a culture of transparency. We want to hear from our employees – bring it on!”

— Isabelle Leger Director, People and Culture

“My Distributel team stepped in and helped take things off my plate, helped prioritize my workload and really provided support and let me know I wasn’t alone.”

With headquarters in Toronto, Distributel is a national communications provider offering a wide range of consumer, business and wholesale communications services. The company offers high speed internet, TV and mobile and home phone products.

Distributel recently acquired Primus Communications, the company that

 Isabelle Leger takes a proactive role in onboarding new employees at Distributel Communications

Sels worked for. She found Distributel went the extra mile to make her feel at home, whether it was adjusting to new responsibilities or connecting her with her fellow employees in innovative ways.

From the fun activities on the break time channel on Microsoft Teams, to reminders to take time-outs throughout the day, the company’s people and culture group helps remind employees like Sels to recharge their mental batteries.

“We provide opportunities for people to socialize despite the fact that we’re largely working from home, and we encourage employees to take regular breaks because we really care about one another,” says Isabelle Leger, director,

people and culture.

“Work-life balance is really something we believe in. Teamwork and collaboration are deeply embedded in our corporate DNA.” Open, honest communications are key to creating a culture where employees not only feel heard but celebrated. A highlight of every virtual town hall meeting is the employee recognition spotlight, which acknowledges an employee’s achievements and also gives others a sense of the different roles they play in a diverse company that employs technicians, salespeople, customer support and others.

Despite the challenges posed by

the COVID-19 pandemic, Distributel continues to engage with the communities it operates in and to get involved in charitable works. The holiday toy drive is a highlight for Sels.

“It’s kind of like playing Santa, which is nice. It’s so great to be able to give back to the community,” Sels says.

Distributel is also powered by the flow of communications between employees and management. Staff are encouraged to contribute their ideas and challenge the status quo. A spirit of openness and collaboration defines the company’s collegial, cooperative corporate culture.

There are biweekly managers meetings, monthly corporate and divisional virtual town halls, and small-team and full-company interactive channels in Teams – all encourage two-way dialogue and open communication, allowing team members to feel heard and supported every day.

“We foster a culture of transparency.

We want to hear from our employees – bring it on!” says Leger. “Ours is a culture of trust where we give employees a voice knowing that they’re being heard.” 

500+

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES IN CANADA

9,710

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

24

WEEKS, MATERNITY LEAVE TOP-UP PAY

50%

EMPLOYER-PAID MATCHING RRSP CONTRIBUTIONS

Powered by its employees, Distributel connects you to the people, passions and priorities that matter.

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( 2022 )

Durham College’s impact extends beyond its walls

A

t the end of 2019, the General Motors facility in Oshawa closed after 100 years, displacing almost 3,000 workers – many of whom hadn’t had to look for work for a long time. Durham College, another long-time part of the community, was there to help.

Working with GM, its union and community service providers, Durham College opened up its job portal, called Hired, to affected employees. For a year, GM staff could access all the portal’s training and resources. “We found job opportunities with employers who were seeking seasoned employees for their organizations,” says Tara Koski, dean of students. “It was really a good community effort to ensure those employees felt supported through that transition.”

“We’re all working toward that common goal, which makes it great to work together.”

— Tara Koski Dean of Students

Durham College’s place in and impact on the community is one of the big draws for employees there. “There’s a lot of pride for the people who work here as the college is such a big pillar in our community,” says Jennifer Powell, career development outreach co-ordinator. “I’ve been a resident of Durham Region for most of my life and I’ve seen the college grow. I know the reputation it has in the community as an amazing institution.”

Koski has worked at Durham College

 Durham College president, Don Lovisa, congratulates grads during a drive-through convocation event last year for 28 years, starting as a contract worker, but has had the opportunity to take on a variety of roles since then, including working as director of both Student Life and Career Development. During her time, she has overseen, among other areas, the First Peoples Indigenous Centre and Diversity, and had a leadership role in developing the launch of the college’s co-op program.

Part of what has kept her there so long is the feeling of connection and purpose.

“I feel like my voice is heard,” says Koski.

“I can build new things, do new things, effect change, be connected with my colleagues. We’re all focused on student success. We’re all working toward that

common goal, which makes it great to work together.”

Koski’s experience is an example of what Powell appreciates about working at Durham College. “With the size of the college, there is the opportunity to try out so many different areas and find your place within the school,” she says. “It’s almost like working for different organizations without going anywhere.”

Opportunities for personal and professional development are another benefit.

Over the years, Koski has taken advantage of the college’s tuition assistance program to earn two additional degrees – a bachelor of education and a master of arts

TOGETHER, WE’RE LEADING THE WAY

in education. “Through part-time studies, I was in school every other weekend for almost four years,” she says.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Durham College launched an employee development portal, which focuses on training, from webinars and discussion boards to live sessions, quizzes and surveys, done in house or elsewhere. Learning groups are specifically targeted to either faculty, administration or support staff.

Topics range from painting and parenting to sexual violence education and stress management, as well as a training series for employees who are considering a move into management.

There is a gym on campus as well as fitness classes, and a Toastmasters group (Powell is the group’s vice-president of public relations) that holds meetings every two weeks, paid for by the college. “It has people from all different areas, so we can work on our public speaking skills and get more comfortable in front of groups,” Powell explains.

“Durham College is an excellent place to work,” she adds. “The camaraderie is great, the pride is great, and I think everyone is just really appreciative to have an employer that has their employees’ best interests at heart.” 

791

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

65%

OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

17

WEEKS MATERNITY LEAVE TOP-UP PAY

100

CHARITIES HELPED LAST YEAR

“I’ve always experienced a great work-life balance at Durham College and am incredibly grateful for the support, flexibility and resources that are available to me and my family.”

JENNIFER POWELL CAREER DEVELOPMENT OUTREACH CO-ORDINATOR

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( 2022 )

Ecclesiastical seeks to inspire young talent

M

ichelle Ferreira loves working at Ecclesiastical Insurance Office plc so much that she couldn’t stop talking about it.

“I actually recruited one of our other new business associates. I told her repeatedly how much I enjoy working here,” says Ferreira, who joined Ecclesiastical Insurance’s Business Associate Program in May 2021.

Ferreira says she appreciates the specialty insurance company’s internal “trilateral” partnership approach between the claims, underwriting and risk departments. “It says this on the company website and they actually walk the walk. I feel it in the team dynamics,” Ferreira says.

“Another department will get involved in renewing a program – for example, risk management will examine our risk. So I have seen the trilateral approach daily and how it makes the process easier.”

“The purpose of Ecclesiastical is to generate profits to give to good causes, supporting those in need, and to me, that is a rather compelling purpose.”

— Dave Smiley Chief Operating Officer

The Business Associate Program is designed for recent university or college graduates who want to build a career in commercial specialty insurance or for young people in the workforce looking for a new career path. The three-year program provides an accelerated learning

 At Ecclesiastical Insurance, there's a strong correlation between leadership and social responsibility, like the charity fundraising hike shown here opportunity that focuses on leadership development and includes mentoring by senior management, with a hands-on approach to learning.

This approach is supplemented by full company sponsorship for associates to obtain their professional insurance designations. Because the company believes there’s a strong correlation between leadership and social responsibility, associates are assigned to a charity or non-profit for two months, to assist with a specific program or initiative. Business associates also work with brokers and customers while participating in key business projects.

Dave Smiley, chief operating officer, who started at Ecclesiastical in July, says one of the reasons he was attracted to the company was its investment in its people.

“The insurance industry struggles with attracting seasoned talent,” Smiley says. “I think most insurers are trying to find employees with lots of experience or a high level of expertise. As a smaller specialty insurer, we recognize the need to build and develop our own talent. We look to hire out of university or college and bring people into the Business Associate Program.”

Participants spend about six months working with different teams in each functional area. “This allows them to see which area they gravitate towards,” Smiley says. “When you are right out of university, it is difficult to understand what your career will look like. Providing exposure helps them gain knowledge and see what their career path could look like in our organization.”

Smiley believes the program benefits seasoned staff too. “I think a lot of people are motivated by coaching and mentoring.” he says. “When you’ve got these young individuals who just love to soak up knowledge and who value expertise and mentorship, I think it’s a feather in the cap for those seasoned staff as well.”

Another aspect that drew both Smiley and Ferreira to Ecclesiastical was its commitment to giving back. The company is part of the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group, owned by Allchurches Trust Ltd., and ranked the fourth largest corporate giver in the U.K., where excess profits are distributed to charitable initiatives.

“The purpose of Ecclesiastical is to generate profits to give to good causes, supporting those in need, and to me, that is a rather compelling purpose,” Smiley says.

“I felt motivated to come on board and be a part of that.”

David Huebel, president, says he is proud of how his team works together to help customers and their communities.

“We believe we have a responsibility to give back to our communities,” says Huebel. “We hope to attract and foster young talent to build on delivering this goal.” 

77 53% 100% $597,000

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES IN CANADA OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN HEALTH PLAN COVERAGE PLUS TRANSPORTATION SUBSIDY DONATIONS MADE TO CHARITIES IN 2020

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( 2022 )

At Fidelity, adaptability keeps people motivated

A

fter completing her bachelor’s degree, Chantal Hatton joined Fidelity Canada in 2018 as a customer service representative. Ten months later, she answered an internal job posting to become an administrative assistant in the company’s client services division.

In the new role, she supported her division and its senior executives, coordinating catering, booking travel arrangements, “doing different things all the time,” she says. She also started contributing to Fidelity’s employee resource groups (ERGs), assuming the role of co-chair of the Pride ERG. And then COVID-19 came along.

“We’ve always been dedicated to employee development, but now we’ve found new ways of doing it.”

— Diana Godfrey Senior Vice President, Human Resources

With headquarters in Toronto and offices in Montréal, Calgary and Vancouver, Fidelity Canada competes in a continually changing investment environment. As a leading provider of financial services, the company thrives on the adaptability of employees like Hatton to remain at the forefront of its industry.

“When I left to work from home in March,” says Diana Godfrey, senior vice president, human resources, “I said, ‘See you in a couple of weeks.’ Almost two years later, we’re still away.”

The company had contingency plans in place, but no one really anticipated putting

 Employees at Fidelity Canada enjoying the company of their colleagues at an event held prior to the pandemic them into action. Adaptability was key, says Godfrey.

“Our first priority was making sure that our employees were safe, and our clients’ money was protected,” she says.

Fidelity assisted employees working remotely, although Hatton had already taken advantage of the company’s remote working program.

As the pandemic continued, the company helped employees to adjust more permanently to their new work environments, reimbursing them for the cost of equipping their home offices. It also shipped state-of-the-art hardware to employees who needed to conduct daily meetings with their teams and make client webcasts from home.

The company has also sponsored online sessions on physical and mental health, ensuring that any fears related to the pandemic are addressed.

“We’ve always been dedicated to employee development, but now we’ve found new ways of doing it.”

Even in pre-pandemic times, adaptability helped the company to remain “at the front of investor minds,” says Godfrey. It also helps keep employees motivated. “If we’re not adaptable, employees won’t stick around,” she says.

Since the pandemic began, the company has hired hundreds of new employees.

Like Hatton, these employees have been supported as they adjust and advance through the company, even as they work off-site.

“We also held weekly huddles with management,” says Hatton, “and more ad-hoc meetings that gave us a chance to say hi to each other”.

In her role with the Pride ERG, Hatton has helped to conduct several online awareness sessions about the usage of

pronouns, why they’re important and how to use them, attracting hundreds of attendees.

“One person joined because a member of her family uses they/them, and she wanted to be a better ally,” says Hatton.

“We reassure people that the Pride ERG is a brave space,” she continues, “and we invite people to come forward with questions. As long as you’re there with an open heart and an open mind, then there are no wrong questions.”

Meanwhile, Fidelity finds occasions to bring employees together in other ways, just as it did before the pandemic.

“As a company, we celebrate everything,” says Godfrey. “But now, we do it virtually.”

At an end-of-year holiday party, Fidelity sent all employees food delivery vouchers to order meals for themselves and their loved ones. It held draws, handed out prizes and made live music available on request. “The feedback was unbelievable,” Godfrey says. “People were up dancing.”

As for Hatton, she has adjusted to the realities of COVID-19.

“I’ve had amazing support,” she says, “and I’ve enjoyed every new direction my role has taken me during these tumultuous times.” 

1,300 39

YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF ALL EMPLOYEES

100%

HEALTH PLAN PREMIUM AND FAMILY COVERAGE

3

WEEKS, STARTING VACATION ALLOWANCE

Thanks to our people, we’ve turned unprecedented into unbelievable. careers.fidelity.ca

S TAY A HE AD

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

33

( 2022 )

A thriving workforce is First Capital’s top asset

I

van Ha can provide a list of specific things he likes about his company, First Capital REIT, including its incentive plan and flexible-work policy.

But he is more impressed by a broader attitude that permeates all aspects of work life at the Toronto-based real estate company: the openness of managers to listen to workers’ ideas and needs.

“It’s the way they continually ask for feedback and continually engage,” says Ha, a manager on the investments team.

“And they are flexible and actually make adjustments.”

That attitude extends right to the top, says Ha, who joined the company in 2015.

“The entire executive team is more than happy to sit down with any member of our company to chat and answer questions and provide insights.”

“We know that if we can create an environment that generates respect and engagement, we’re going to be able to find and retain the top talent.”

— Jordan Robins Chief Operating Officer

Ha says that openness was a huge asset when the pandemic hit. The company vastly increased video conferencing, and managers encouraged all employees to check in with each other “just to see how everyone was doing,” he says.

In response to the needs of employees forced to spend much more time at

 'Everyone is Welcome' was a campaign launched by First Capital to celebrate diversity and belonging at the company’s properties across Canada home, the company also started online yoga, Pilates and meditation classes, and arranged to have guest speakers talk about financial and mental-health issues.

The classes were a great success and participation was “shockingly high,” says Jordan Robins, executive vice president and chief operating officer.

“We recognized during COVID in particular, people have to be able to focus on things other than work if they’re going to be successful,” Robins says. “The traction that we got was really impressive, and ensured that people had a means of dealing with the stress, whether it was mental, physical or financial.”

First Capital is a leading owner,

operator, and developer of grocery-anchored and mixed-use properties in Canada’s largest cities. The company’s focus is on creating thriving urban neighbourhoods.

“We really encourage our employees to understand our business and what we’re trying to do and have them participate in the goals for the company,” Robins says.

“And our goal really is to create thriving neighbourhoods.”

That’s manifested through the FCR Thriving Neighbourhoods Foundation, which supports charitable initiatives that aid the communities where First Capital operates. The foundation is led by employees and guides the company in

deciding which local charities it will work with and support.

The company’s equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) initiatives also gained traction during the pandemic, Ha says.

The group charged with advancing ED&I policies organized a series of interviews with employees to talk about their culture or background. Those events really resonated with Ha, who took a lead role in two of the sessions. They also gave him a greater appreciation of the people at First Capital.

“You can set up nice incentives and benefits packages and do all the things that help with employee engagement,” says Ha. “But what actually makes the work or the environment enjoyable usually boils down to the people you’re working with.”

Robins says First Capital has a straightforward strategy to attract and keep the best people.

“We know that if we can create an environment that generates respect and engagement, we’re going to be able to find and retain the top talent,” Robins say.

“Assets are paramount for a real estate company. But our employees are as, if not more, important going forward because it’s really our employees that are differentiators.” 

355

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

56%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

$2,000

ANNUAL MENTAL HEALTH BENEFIT

100%

EMPLOYER-PAID BENEFITS

We Build Careers

TORONTO | MONTRÉAL | EDMONTON | CALGARY | VANCOUVER

TSX: FCR.UN

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( 2022 )

George Brown College ‘lifts up’ its faculty and staff

C

hef David Wolfman is an internationally recognized expert in Indigenous cuisine, a highly sought-after restaurant and menu consultant and host of a longrunning TV show (“Cooking with the Wolfman”). But his favourite role of all, for the past 27 years, is being a culinary arts professor at Toronto’s George Brown College.

“I have the best job in the world,” says Wolfman. “Every day, I get to share knowledge and change people’s lives.”

A member of the Xaxli’p First Nation in British Columbia, Wolfman first acquired his passion for cooking in his mother’s kitchen.

“Every day, I get to share knowledge and change people’s lives.”

— David Wolfman Culinary Arts Professor

“She was always lifting me up towards success, which is what I try to do for our students,” he says. “The one thing the elders, especially my mom, taught me is that the information we have is not like a secret recipe; it’s something we need to keep sharing. So what I do here matches my culture and personality beautifully.”

A proud graduate of George Brown in the early 1980s, Wolfman returned to the college in 1994 as an instructor. He teaches a wide range of courses, including food theory, leadership, entrepreneurship and cost control. Many of his students have gone on to own or work in restaurants around the world; others have become

 George Brown College is organized around four core 'LEAD' values: learners-first, excellence, accountability and diversity teachers in their own right.

Wolfman has always been impressed by the way George Brown lives up to its so-called LEAD values (learners-first, excellence, accountability, diversity).

“It’s much like the restaurant industry, where we say the customer is always right,” he observes. “Here the students are our customers and we always put them first.”

Wolfman is grateful for all the resources the college provides instructors, including technical support during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many of the cooking classes were live-streamed, with chefs working from the campus kitchen and students preparing food in their home kitchens.

TURN LEARNING INTO OPPORTUNITY georgebrown.ca/employment

Because much of the George Brown curriculum depends on hands-on learning – including the training of nurses and other health-care workers in high demand during the pandemic – a limited number of faculty and students have been allowed on campus over most of the last 18 months.

But their activities, and environment, were carefully monitored and controlled.

Support staff were redeployed as “wellness ambassadors” who walked the campus halls to ensure that all the necessary health and safety protocols were being followed.

“Through this whole pandemic, we’ve only had one transmission of COVID19 on campus,” says Leslie Quinlan, vice-president of human resources, public safety and security. “That’s a testament to

the protocols we put in place and the way we’ve supported students and employees.”

The college also responded with a wide range of tools and resources to support employee wellness, mental health and resilience. Among them was “meetings-free Fridays,” to give employees a day to regroup and get caught up on their work.

“Many of these initiatives will continue post-pandemic,” says Quinlan. “Wellness and mental health are growing concerns for employers everywhere.”

At the same time, George Brown has continued to advance several equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. This includes launching an anti-racism strategy and recently hiring a director of anti-racism as well as a new director of Indigenous initiatives.

One of the most encouraging signs that George Brown is on the right track is a campus-wide survey launched at the height of the pandemic that showed employee engagement was actually on the rise.

Quinlan attributes that to a workplace culture even a deadly virus cannot defeat.

“Our employees remain singularly focused on the success of our students,” she says. “That hasn’t changed and it never will.” 

1,429

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES

85%

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT SCORE

64%

OF BOARD OF GOVERNORS ARE WOMEN

3,184

COURSES SHIFTED TO ONLINE OR HYBRID DELIVERY DURING PANDEMIC

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( 2022 )

GSK is committed to employee development – and health

E

milie Colton knew that she wanted to combine science with business when she joined GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in Mississauga, Ont. At GSK, she says, “I saw how I could mix my love of science and business while doing something for the community.”

A science-led global healthcare company, GSK employs more than 2,600 people at divisional headquarters in Mississauga and Laval, Que., and two manufacturing facilities in Québec that research, develop and manufacture innovative pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines and consumer healthcare products.

“It’s critical that we hire the best talent who want to work within our culture to do their best for patients and the community.”

— Nicole Stuart Human Resources Country Head

“It’s critical that we hire the best talent who want to work within our culture to do their best for patients and the community,” says Nicole Stuart, human resources country head.

Colton joined GSK for a co-op term in 2015 as she completed her two-year master’s program in biotechnology at the University of Toronto.

“GSK is a strong partner in the program,” says Colton, now a product manager - specialty care, at the company.

“Once I joined the company, I never left.”

Even as a co-op student, Colton says, she was impressed by the commitment

 Employee resources groups at GSK champion and drive inclusion across their business of her managers, mentors and sponsors to growing and developing individuals’ careers. “That’s one of the things that attracted me to GSK,” she says.

To support and encourage employees in their development, GSK provides extensive training to its managers. “We try to ensure that our approach addresses individual ambitions,” says Stuart, “whether they want to specialize or move into other areas of the business. But each employee owns their development.

“If you want to be a specialist, for example, you can focus. If you want to do other things, you can take steps to get there.”

GSK responded quickly when COVID19 descended on the world in early 2020.

As essential operations, its two manufacturing sites continued to produce medicines, vaccines and everyday healthcare products. Another 1,500 employees started to work from home, supported by GSK’s technology team with enhanced collaboration platforms including Microsoft Teams and Vevox.

GSK also provided a $500 non-taxable reimbursement as part of its Performance with Choice program to ensure that employees were properly equipped with monitors, chairs, desks and other office necessities. The company created the program, recognizing the benefits of flexibility and increased productivity that employees have experienced in working

from home. It enables employees to balance the flexibility and convenience of working from home with the power of face-to-face collaboration.

In terms of business continuity, says Stuart, “GSK pivoted quickly. We didn’t miss a beat.”

Now in the second year of the pandemic, GSK has adjusted to the health and safety requirements while continuing to focus on its priorities. “Everything we used to do still needs to be done,” says Stuart, “and that includes talent planning and career development.”

Some of those adjustments will have a more permanent influence on the way employees work at GSK in the future.

“A flexible environment helps you to perform at your best,” says Colton. “It requires a strong relationship with your manager. You have to feel comfortable reaching out using Teams instead of walking down the hall for a chat. At GSK this conversation is encouraged between you and your manager so that you can perform at your best and support your personal wellbeing.

“Ultimately, GSK wants people to be thriving and happy. When people are thriving and happy, they do their best work.” 

2,659

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

53.5%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

60% 100%

OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS ARE WOMEN RETIREE HEALTH PREMIUM

A healthcare company with a special purpose Today millions of people have no access to basic healthcare, millions more suffer from everyday ailments and there are thousands of diseases without adequate treatments. So we’re working to develop tomorrow’s treatments and to find new ways to get today’s treatments to those who need them.

ca.gsk.com

36

( 2022 )

At HIROC, everyone thrives by sharing knowledge

W

hen its insurer withdrew coverage after COVID19 struck in 2020, a community health organization contacted Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada (HIROC) in need of urgent help.

Because of the pandemic, the organization’s services were in greater demand than ever, but without insurance coverage, it could no longer deliver them to the community.

Ordinarily, an insurer might take days or weeks to process an application for coverage, but HIROC did it within two days.

“If you’re close enough to health care, you understand the system and where the risk lies,” says CEO Catherine Gaulton.

“Instead of asking 80 questions, we can cut to what’s important and ask 18.”

“If you’re close enough to health care, you understand the system and where the risk lies.”

— Catherine Gaulton CEO

HIROC not only focuses exclusively on the health-care sector, it’s also controlled by its subscribers, who are represented on its board. As a national non-profit, dedicated to helping them reduce and prevent losses, HIROC pays no commissions or income tax, reducing costs for its subscribers. It was formed in 1987 after conventional insurance companies either withdrew liability coverage or raised their rates excessively for hospitals in Ontario.

 Marc Aiello, communications and marketing coordinator at HIROC, is optimistic about the future of insurance, safety and collaboration in healthcare “Our health-care culture gives us a competitive advantage,” says Philip De Souza, HIROC’s communications & marketing leader, “and ensures that there’s safety across the board. Our vision resonates with subscribers. It’s all about partnering to create the safest health-care system.”

Starting with 53 health-care organizations, HIROC has expanded over 35 years to serve 700 organizations in Canada, from hospitals to community health operations, and has returned more than $200 million to the health-care system.

“When I started, we had 60 employees,” says De Souza, who joined HIROC in 2009 as a communications assistant and now oversees a staff of four. “We have subscribers who started with us 35 years ago, when HIROC began. That’s unheard of.”

HIROC encourages employees like De Souza to advance through learning. In his years with the organization, De Souza has completed formal programs in marketing and leadership.

Through less formal channels like HIROC’s monthly educational sessions, dubbed HIROC U, he has expanded his knowledge and skills in insurance concepts, leadership and communications and has delivered sessions himself to HIROC employees. “We’re a learning organization,” he says.

Through cyber or COVID-19 bulletins and other communications tools, as well as an annual conference, HIROC shares knowledge with subscribers too, says De Souza. “They’re part owners, after all. We all learn from each other.”

The sharing of information became

critical during the pandemic, when subscribers needed answers quickly to questions about everything from safety measures to coverage of emergency tents and other COVID-19-related issues.

“We began working from home on March 16, 2020,” says Gaulton, a lawyer and retired registered nurse who held senior positions in health care and insurance before she joined HIROC in 2017, “and we issued our first COVID-19 bulletin the next day about important things to know regarding insurance during the pandemic.”

Under Gaulton’s leadership, HIROC employees have weathered the pandemic as a closely knit group. In addition to meeting them individually in their birthday month to discuss their work, ambitions and concerns, Gaulton makes more personal gestures, even knitting caps for staff members’ new babies.

Knowing that some employees had lost family members to COVID-19 but were unable to gather in person, Gaulton arranged for a virtual memorial service at which individuals could exchange stories about their loss.

“After the event,” says De Souza, “two people who had just been hired each sent a message to say how touched they were by the way HIROC cares for its employees.”

115

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

3,599

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

50%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

57%

OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

Our HIROC family is proud to be named one of Greater Toronto’s Top 2022 Employers!

HIROC.com Find out more at HIROC.com

37

( 2022 )

HOOPP focuses on maximizing employee well-being

D

uring the pandemic, virtual wellness programs provided by the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) really gave project manager Irina Minski an opportunity to “refresh and recharge,” she says. Minski continued to do yoga, fitness and meditation classes as she had done at the Toronto office before COVID-19. “That really helped me focus on my work.”

“HOOPP is as successful as it is because of our employees. If we don’t have healthy employees, then we won’t have continued success.”

— Elena Palumbo-Sergnese Senior Vice-President, Human Resources

It is critically important to HOOPP that its employees thrive, both physically and mentally. The company has many measures to foster their well-being, which was highlighted in its new strategic plan introduced in September.

“HOOPP is as successful as it is because of our employees,” says Elena Palumbo-Sergnese, senior vice-president, human resources. “If we don’t have healthy employees, then we won’t have continued success.”

Founded over 60 years ago, Toronto-based HOOPP is a multiemployer, defined-benefit pension plan for the province’s hospital and

 HOOPP employees participating in a fitness class, offered on-site and now online

community-based health-care sector. It serves more than 400,000 members, the majority of them nurses, at more than 610 employers across the province.

Its commitment to the health of its staff has led to a number of improved benefits in recent years. On the mental health side, it has introduced training to help managers recognize when an employee might be having a mental health challenge. In 2018, it increased its benefit for psychological treatment from $1,000 to $2,500 annually.

During the pandemic, HOOPP has also partnered with the online counselling service Inkblot Therapy, which offers a reduced rate for therapy so that

staff can stretch the psychology benefit further. “The firm has also brought in expert speakers on mental health,” says Palumbo-Sergnese, “and that’s really about normalizing the conversation and removing the stigma.”

COVID-19 also prompted the company to provide paid sick days to temporary staff. “We didn’t want any employee, if they became sick, to feel they had to return to work before they were fully recovered,” notes Palumbo-Sergnese.

For parental leaves, HOOPP has implemented a “buddy system” so employees can stay connected to work if they wish to. This can help make the

transition back easier and less stressful. The level of communication during the leave is entirely up to the employee.

Also, at the end of 2020, HOOPP provided all employees with paid time off between Christmas and New Year’s, as well as two additional days off this past summer to extend long weekends.

For Minski, HOOPP's physical and mental wellness support “became even more vivid after the pandemic kicked in. I was impressed by how quickly HOOPP adapted to remote work and how quickly seminars were offered on how to deal with the new reality, how not to feel isolated and how to overcome stress.”

Overall, says Palumbo-Sergnese, HOOPP employees are galvanized by the firm’s pension promise. “Whether you are an investment management employee, a plan operations employee or in finance, it doesn’t matter – everyone knows exactly why we’re here,” she says. “You can feel it and it’s really special. Especially now, 20 months into the pandemic, being able to support health-care workers who have worked so tirelessly is really gratifying.” 

783

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

31,792

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

100%

COVERAGE OF HEALTH AND DENTAL BENEFITS, INCLUDING FAMILIES

100%

JOB-RELATED TUITION SUBSIDIES

WORKING TOGETHER TO DELIVER ON OUR PENSION PROMISE HOOPP.COM/CAREERS

38

( 2022 )

Henkel Canada thinks globally and supports locally

W

orking for a Canadian subsidiary that is part of the North American arm of a German-based global brand feels like the best of both worlds to Sarah Woods. “On the one hand, we’re a small nimble team at Henkel Canada Corporation and that’s really cool because we’re super tight,” she says.

“On the other hand, we benefit from the corporate structure, standards and scale, but I still have the freedom to make decisions and impact results on my own.”

“Through everything we do, how we make people feel is always top of mind for me.”

— Sarah Woods General Manager, Laundry & Home Care

Woods is general manager of the Canadian Laundry & Home Care unit within Henkel, which operates globally with a portfolio of well-known consumer and industrial brands, and her previous experience at other major companies has given her a perspective on how Henkel Canada stacks up. Her verdict: the culture can’t be beat.

“Through everything we do, how we make people feel is always top of mind for me,” says Woods. “It’s a choice to come to work, so how do we win together, have fun together, how do we support each other? Others might talk about this, but we’re actually living it.”

Henkel Canada president Rob Bertok has been with the company for 33 years,

 A technician at Henkel Canada working in the company's Adhesive Analytical Services laboratory at its Mississauga head office

working in a variety of roles. What he was looking for in a company in his early career – and what has kept him at Henkel all these years – was a long history of financial stability and opportunity to grow and develop.

“Also a company that had a good track record, ethical behaviour, impact on the communities it served,” he says. “I’m still of the old school that you put in blood, sweat and tears and the company will reciprocate, rewarding and recognizing your contribution.”

Times have changed, as Bertok readily recognizes, and younger employees

have additional criteria for and needs from their employers. “It’s all on the foundation of, you empower people, you build in a culture of recognizing people for their efforts, with a strong emphasis on talent development and performance feedback,” he says.

One thing Henkel Canada is able to do because of its smaller size is to enable employees to move from one of the company’s business units to another when there are career development opportunities. “You could be in marketing to industrial customers, but that skill set is transferrable to the consumer business,

where you’re dealing with one of the major food chains and retailers,” says Bertok.

And because it’s a global company, as Woods notes, “there are also many opportunities to move between countries.

With employees from 125 nations and locations around the world, Henkel has a strong presence in mature and emerging markets.” And there’s a lot of sharing between divisions and countries in terms of ideas and initiatives, she adds. “There’s an expectation and commitment to collaboration and working together.”

Sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion, and giving back to the community are at the core of the company’s mission statement – “Pioneers at heart for the good of generations” – reflecting the spirit and nature of the company’s culture alongside its innovative approach. “We do everything possible to empower our people, give them more responsibility and take the decision-making down to lower levels so we can make quicker, better decisions,” Bertok explains.

“What I want my legacy with this company to be is to leave it better than how I found it,” he adds. “It’s a cliché, but that’s my personal mission now.” 

478

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

45%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

36%

OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

80

CHARITIES HELPED LAST YEAR

39

( 2022 )

At Hershey, a focus on employee needs is baked in

F

or a textbook example of how to keep employees loyal and engaged, consider Kristy McRae’s trajectory at Hershey Canada Inc. McRae has been offered myriad opportunities to try different roles and develop her talents at the global confectionary giant for some 21 years – or longer, depending on your perspective.

“I like to tell people I started as a Halloween taste tester when I was 10,” she says with a smile. After starting more officially as a Hershey field sales rep in Manitoba, McRae served in more than a baker’s dozen of roles, particularly in sales and marketing, at the Canadian unit of the Pennsylvania-based company.

“Hershey has an incredible dedication to career development.”

— Kristy McRae Senior Manager, Sales Strategy

“Hershey has an incredible dedication to career development,” says McRae, who is now senior manager of sales strategy and reports into the Canadian head office in Mississauga. “That’s definitely something that Hershey takes pride in and is in my opinion extremely positive.”

McRae’s recent roles have required her to work with various teams at Hershey.

That means that to solve business challenges she has to “get the right people around the table,” she says. “It’s all about collaboration.”

Those challenges reached a new level of complexity when the pandemic hit. Luckily, Hershey already had

 Hershey employees enjoying a break at their office in Mississauga technology in place that allowed for virtual communication, as well as a flexible work environment.

But sales reps still had to go into stores to meet customers, and others had to adjust to working remotely without the support of the office environment.

In response, Hershey has increased communications to be able to listen to workers’ needs. It’s also ramped up online meetings, including company-wide town halls, increased safety protocols for retail sales reps, and put an even greater focus on mental health, says Houssam “Sam” Chehabeddine, Hershey Canada’s overall general manager.

“We’re very conscious that working from home can impact your work-life

balance,” says Chehabeddine, who normally works out of the Mississauga office.

“And that’s why we’ve been very vocal about mental health and about providing courses, external speakers and webinars that really support the team in navigating through this difficult period.”

Among other initiatives, Hershey hired a corporate wellness coach, Selin Bilgin, to provide webinars for employees. Some national sales meetings started with a meditation exercise led by Bilgin. “That’s totally new,” Chehabeddine says.

Aside from the meditation sessions, the company helped staff through the pandemic with programs like the “At Your Desk Fitness Challenge,” which encouraged people to take screen breaks

and “make sure that you take time for yourself,” McRae says.

Another initiative encourages employees not to schedule meetings on Friday afternoons or Monday mornings. The company also gave the whole field sales team an extra week off in “recognition that the last year had been very, very stressful on them in particular,” McRae says.

She also appreciates that Hershey found ways to continue to give back to society, a company core value. Recent initiatives involved raising money for BGC Canada (formerly Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada) as well as product donation for front-line workers.

Pandemic or not, McRae says it feels good to work at a company with a product that consumers will always want. “People always have a spare dollar or two in their pocket for something that’s going to make them feel good, that’s going to lift their spirits.”

But for McRae, the best thing about working for Hershey is the chance to work with “like-minded individuals who want to give back to the community.”

“It's really the passion and the fun that comes from working for a candy company with such incredible people,” McRae says. 

864 43

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA YEARS, LONGEST-SERVING EMPLOYEE

53%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

92%

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT SCORE

The last 125 years have been filled with moments of goodness experienced by consumers all over the world…

Our remarkable employees make it all possible.

There’s more to be made.

40

( 2022 )

The Home Depot Canada believes in building from within

W

hen Vinod Nalajala moved to Canada from the United States 20 years ago, he was having a hard time finding work. One day, he walked into a Home Depot Canada store and asked for a job. He was hired, as a sales associate in the lumber department. He continued taking on added responsibilities, becoming a department supervisor and eventually district manager. He then joined the operations team at the company’s head office, known as the store support centre.

Nalajala is now vice-president, human resources and communications.

“Home Depot offers immense growth opportunities for people who are committed to the company.”

— Vinod Nalajala Vice-President, Human Resources and Communications

“Home Depot offers immense growth opportunities for people who are committed to the company,” Nalajala says. “We are dedicated to investing in everyone’s success.”

As part of this commitment, the company offers training opportunities including in-house and virtual training in areas such as customer service and product knowledge, and leadership programs that include class training and job shadowing for those aspiring to move into management.

 Employees at The Home Depot Canada volunteered more than 60,000 hours last year to help charitable groups across Canada

“We have everyone from students who want the flexibility of working here and learning life skills to master plumbers and certified electricians who are retired and want to join us,” Nalajala says. “We have the full spectrum of training opportunities to support all of our associates.”

The Toronto-based Canadian division of The Home Depot always puts associate development at the forefront, says Rafiah Qazi, human resources business partner, technology and finance, and she should know.

While attending university, Qazi worked as a Home Depot store associate, taking advantage of the company’s generous tuition reimbursement program.

After graduating and working elsewhere,

she returned to The Home Depot Canada in 2014 to work in human resources. She is especially excited about the company’s Orange Academy, launching in January 2022, which will train front-line associates for a career in software development.

Employees in the program will participate in 34 weeks of classroom instruction and on-the-job training.

Qazi says many people are surprised by the breadth of technology job opportunities available at The Home Depot Canada, including back-end and front-end systems and desktop IT support, as well as the company’s in-house infrastructure for cloud-based applications that support a seamless customer experience. Human resources teams visit

stores to let associates know about these opportunities.

“We get tapped on the shoulder all the time by associates interested in these positions,” Qazi says. “We have people in stores across the country who have the potential to have a career in software development. We’re so excited to provide that platform for associates.” After software development, Qazi says the company plans to add analytics, ecommerce and finance to Orange Academy offerings.

In the past year, The Home Depot Canada has placed store associates into more than 20 specialized tech roles, such as data engineer, data scientist and pricing analyst. “It makes me extremely excited because that was without a formal program like Orange Academy,” says Qazi. “I can’t wait to take it to the next level.

“We’re very focused on internal promotion,” she adds. “When associates come and are part of creating our technology solutions, we are getting complete solutions because they are based on their experience in the store. I am really proud of our investment in our front-line, hourly employees and how much talent we have in our store associates.” 

14,485

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

14,357

JOBS AVAILABLE LAST YEAR

42%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

320

CHARITIES HELPED LAST YEAR

41

( 2022 )

Learning extends across all levels at the IESO

L

uis Orozco knew nothing about Ontario’s power grid when he landed a co-op placement at the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO). In fact, by his own admission, he’d never even paid a utility bill.

But he liked what he saw – especially the commitment to learning and development – and was determined to start his career with the organization that, quite literally, keeps the province’s lights on.

He was hired into a full-time position in 2008, shortly after completing a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, and has never looked back. “My first supervisor sat me down and asked me where I wanted to be,” says Orozco, who is a supervisor of quality assurance and manages a team of 19. “They trained me for what I was doing and encouraged me to look beyond that to my next role.”

“Our employees are proud to work here. As an organization that promotes teamwork and collaboration, we value open discussion of different views.”

— Lesley Gallinger President and CEO

Learning and development are important parts of the employee experience at the IESO, says president and CEO Lesley Gallinger. She navigated her own learning curve, after joining the organization in May 2021, when some 90 per cent of employees were working remotely.

 IESO control-room employees coordinate and direct the flow of electricity 24/7 Her onboarding involved detailed briefings by subject matter experts and members of the executive team even before her official start date. From there, she had virtual “coffee chats” with groups of employees at every level across the organization.

What she discovered told her a lot about working at the IESO. “Our employees are proud to work here,” says Gallinger. “As an organization that promotes teamwork and collaboration, we value open discussion of different views.”

As part of its mandate to ensure Ontarians have access to reliable and affordable electricity when and where they need it, the IESO manages the grid, governs the electricity market, and plans for Ontario’s future energy needs.

The IESO employs a wide range of professionals, including engineers, market development advisors, planners and information security analysts, as well as legal, financial and stakeholder relations experts.

“We have a comprehensive learning curriculum that focuses on leadership and that aligns to our competencies and core values,” says Gallinger.

Beyond the learning curriculum, webinars are available for self-learning on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from equity, diversity and inclusion, to electricity sector trends. The organization is also experimenting with different types of learning initiatives and approaches – dedicated learning weeks, and having director-level employees work with external

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experts to facilitate leadership cafes based on the Harvard ManageMentor program.

Apart from these initiatives, employees are encouraged to draft their own development plans. “I’ve had one since Day 1,” says Orozco. “It’s a good vehicle for discussions with your managers.”

He has also had mentors and encourages members of his team to adopt a mentor as well. “They can help you apply for jobs, teach you how to navigate the hallway and challenge yourself and your thinking,” he says.

Working remotely has proved effective for many employees and may lead to permanent change, says Gallinger. “We’ve all learned how to use the tools, like Microsoft Teams, and how to get good value out of them,” she says, pointing to the organization’s investment in resources and communication that contributed to high engagement scores during the pandemic.

That said, the IESO is focused on a post-pandemic future that will see employees in the office based on a hybrid work model. “We will pilot that for six months,” says Gallinger. “and use feedback on the experience to develop a sustainable model that will work for the IESO and our people over the long term.” 

874

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

5,585

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

55%

OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

6

WEEKS, MAXIMUM VACATION ALLOWANCE

42

( 2022 )

Innovative Interac pays it forward for employees

I

t was the appreciation that mattered to Pooja Rakyar when she saw the gifts and thoughtful gestures from her employer. Every few weeks during the work-from-home summer of 2021, something from Interac Corp. would appear on her doorstep or in her inbox, a clear part of its ongoing efforts to engage and support employees and their communities. “There was a cooler mug, there were drive-in movie tickets, there was an additional three days off for extra-long summer weekends, there were additional benefits for mental health support,” she says. “And on September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, there was an orange T-shirt for us to wear to show our support for the Indigenous community.”

“The technology is dynamic.

As we continue our evolution, people are super excited about the future of Interac.”

— Caroline Stephens Chief Human Resources Officer

Raykar, a senior technical certification specialist at Toronto-based Interac, has become used to such gestures. “Interac is always giving,” she says. “We are given awards and incentives in so many forms.

Its focus is on its employees, because it knows we as employees are working towards the same goals Interac wants to achieve.”

Raykar is part of the 45 per cent or so of Interac employees who work in technology, a highly valued group in Greater Toronto’s continuing war for

 Interac Corp. partnered with Metro Grocery in summer 2021 to bring more than 20 communities together through Metro Retro, a free drive-in movie series that supported local small businesses talent. A bachelor of engineering graduate in electronics and communications from Bangalore, India, who came to Canada in 2011, she finds Interac and its electronic payments systems an ideal place for digital experts.

“In my job, we test everything, from mobile and in-app payments to Interac e-transfer transactions for business customers,” she says. “As a tester, your job satisfaction comes when you try to break the product and it doesn’t break!

“At Interac, we are working towards more innovative solutions – more intelligent and more safe.”

Caroline Stephens, chief human resources officer, says the company offers very special opportunities for tech experts and product and innovation professionals, as well as corporate support functions.

Work where you can push the boundaries of FinTech.

“The technology is dynamic,” she says.

“As we continue our evolution, people are super excited about the future of Interac and the role that it will continue to play more broadly in the Canadian marketplace.”

A major focus at the moment is development and launch of digital ID solutions in Canada, which will enable Canadians to quickly and securely verify their identity while making transactions online or accessing services such as government benefits, health care and air travel. Interac acquired 2Keys Corporation in 2019 and recently gained rights to SecureKey Technologies Inc.’s digital identity services in Canada, which will greatly advance the process.

“The fact that we’ve secured the knowledge and capability to advance payments

through digital ID authentication is going to catapult us as a leading player in Canada for Canadians,” says Stephens.

Amid the company’s transition to a corporation from an association in recent years, she adds, the organization has become much less hierarchical, and employees are organized into cross-functional teams. “Everyone is responsible for the common outcome,” she says. “It is a completely different way of working.

It requires far more intensive teamwork, collaboration, transparency, thought leadership and critical thinking.”

Interac has also put strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion, she says, including signing the BlackNorth Initiative Pledge to address anti-Black racism and help build a framework to drive positive change. “We also received the Diversio Certification earlier this year in recognition of the strides we’ve made and goals we’ve set to advance diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Raykar says she has recommended about 15 candidates for positions at the company. “I’ve been here for five years and it feels like I just joined a month back, because there is not a dull moment at Interac,” she says. “It's very dynamic, it's very diverse, we’re always celebrating and holding events – it's full of life.” 

445

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

37

YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF ALL EMPLOYEES

57%

OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

100%

HEALTH AND DENTAL PLAN PREMIUM & FAMILY COVERAGE

43

( 2022 )

Core values have good karma at Intuit Canada

W

hen the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Intuit Canada’s Mississauga office reacted quickly – so quickly, in fact, that nearly 95 per cent of its employees were working from home within 72 hours.

“When you have an innovative company with cutting-edge systems and a culture that’s agile and flexible, you’re able to make transitions seamlessly,” says David Marquis, country manager of Intuit Canada. “Things move fast in the software technology space, and we’re used to adjusting.”

Culture is paramount at Intuit, a global technology platform known for products like TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, Mint and Mailchimp that help consumers and small businesses do their taxes, accounting and marketing and overcome their financial challenges.

“We put a lot of emphasis on hiring top talent, but also on building their capabilities and their careers.”

— Reiss Simmons Talent Acquisition Manager, Canada, Brazil and Mexico

It’s employee-focused, says Marquis, and based on five key values: Integrity Without Compromise, Courage, Customer Obsession, We Care and Give Back, and Stronger Together. And it permeates everything the company does.

“The culture is the reason I joined,” says

 Intuit Canada makes advances in tech that gives everyone the opportunity to prosper

Marquis. “And it’s not just words on a wall. People talk about the values and bring them up in meetings.”

Reiss Simmons, talent acquisition manager for Canada, Brazil and Mexico, agrees. “The values really resonate with me. Intuit has the things you’d expect from a tech company: it’s forward thinking, with an innovative environment and a modern approach. It’s the culture that makes it unlike others.

“There’s a strong focus on supporting employees, and you really feel like it’s a priority,” says Simmons. “We put a lot of emphasis on hiring top talent, but also on building their capabilities and their careers.”

Intuit provides new employees with a buddy, as well as targeted training and monthly conversations with their managers to discuss their progress, plus yearly reviews.

“If you want to move to a different team, that’s a big step when you look at it over a year,” Simmons says. “Breaking it down makes it more digestible. You can establish priorities and milestones each month, and it helps you grow into that different role.”

To support its We Care and Give Back value, Intuit offers employees 40 hours every year to spend volunteering for various groups, including community programs for disadvantaged youth and

Join our mission to power prosperity around the world

National Girls Learning Code Week. It also matches their charitable donations up to $6,250 per year.

“Giving back is a core value, so it’s not just a once-a-year thing,” says Simmons.

“It’s been challenging during the pandemic, but there’s a lot of energy around these programs.”

Building diversity in the tech world is another priority. Intuit has several internal programs, including Tech Women at Intuit, which helps women engineers, product managers and designers advance in male-dominated fields. This year, the company expanded the number of universities it drew co-op students from, resulting in a 50-50 male-female split, compared to 75-25 in the past. It also sponsors events like Grace Hopper, an annual conference that highlights the contributions of women in the tech industry.

“There’s a lot more to do, but we’re committed to making progress,” says Marquis. “We’re hoping to pull in a lot of new talent by moving our office to downtown Toronto in summer 2022, and the focus on women in tech is going to be a huge part of it. It’s a key focus for us.” 

636

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

87%

OFFER ACCEPTANCE RATE FOR INTERNS/ CO-OP STUDENTS

28,411 38,000

STAFF VOLUNTEER HOURS LAST YEAR, GLOBALLY JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

44

( 2022 )

At IPC, employees can count on their work family

M

uch has changed in the 20 years since Rahim Dhalla started at Investment Planning Counsel (IPC).

When the recent university graduate launched his career with the wealth management company, it had fewer than 50 employees and about $3 billion in assets under administration.

A very different picture emerges when Dhalla, now director of portfolio management, cites some 2021 numbers: IPC has 400-plus employees and over $30 billion in assets under administration.

“Although we’re in an industry that’s driven by numbers, we’re a people business.”

— Blaine Shewchuk President & CEO

Despite that growth, one important thing hasn’t changed, Dhalla says, and that’s IPC’s culture. It’s still a close-knit organization where everyone works together to help one another succeed.

Dhalla recalls that when he travelled for business before the pandemic, his son, then a pre-schooler, would always ask where he was going. “I’d reply, ‘Daddy is going away with his work family.’”

According to president and CEO Blaine Shewchuk, that family mindset is no accident. “A culture isn’t something that just happens,” he says. “It’s an accumulation of all the big and small things that you do on purpose.”

Supporting others is a fundamental aspect of IPC, Shewchuk says. “Although

 In the past two decades, Investment Planning Counsel has grown tenfold in assets under management we’re in an industry that’s driven by numbers, we’re a people business,” he says. “The people who thrive in our environment are those who enjoy interacting and collaborating with their teammates and clients.”

IPC’s clients include entrepreneurial independent advisors throughout Canada who are focused on providing financial solutions. The advisors are considered an extension of the team and IPC helps them build a better business by supporting them on portfolio management, technology, marketing and access to subject matter experts.

The company supports employee

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development through opportunities such as webinars, one-on-one mentoring, job shadowing and paid support for external professional development. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, IPC augmented its online offerings, says Georgina Whitehead, head of culture & talent.

More difficult to replicate in the digital realm are the unplanned interactions that can spark spontaneous idea sharing and help colleagues feel connected.

Even so, employee surveys show lots of positive feedback for the virtual socials, coffee chats and other internal channels for informal interactions, Whitehead says. “As well, more than 75 per cent of employees

Growth Empowerment Achievement

log in to the virtual town halls held every other Friday.”

Now, after a long period of adjusting to changing pandemic conditions, the big question for businesses like IPC is what comes next.

Dhalla, for one, says the pandemic accelerated trends. For instance, IPC expedited delivery of a new digital space for supporting its clients. “We demonstrated we could be productive and satisfy the needs of our clients in an evolving industry,” he says.

Pulse checks indicate employees are increasingly comfortable working from home and enjoying work-life balance.

In other words, it’s time for open dialogue, Shewchuk says. “Some people can’t wait to go back to the office, others never want to go back,” he adds.

Although plans haven’t been finalized, Shewchuk says he expects IPC will adopt a hybrid model in which people divide their time between working from home and being on site for in-person collaboration.

For Dhalla, right now that still means online calls over business trips, where his son now observes that instead of travelling to his work family, “Daddy’s talking to his work family.” 

417 60%

FULL-TIME TEAM MEMBERS IN CANADA OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

3

WEEKS, STARTING VACATION ALLOWANCE

0

WAITING PERIOD FOR COMPANY-PAID BENEFITS

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( 2022 )

Kellogg Canada builds a culture based on trust

I

t can be a juggle for Chrissie Say, a working mom with two children learning online through a school based in the Philippines. The school day begins after dinner and continues past midnight. But thanks to the flexible work environment at Kellogg Canada, Say can handle the challenge.

Because her team’s busiest time is usually later in the day, Say can adjust her schedule around these hours if she needs some time in the morning for personal matters.

“I really appreciate this flexibility, especially during these challenging times.”

— Chrissie Say Category Finance Director

“The company builds itself on trust and a performance-based culture and is empathetic to the individual needs of its employees,” says Say, category finance director. “This arrangement allows me to concentrate and focus on my work in the daytime and dedicate myself to helping my children in the evening. I really appreciate this flexibility, especially during these challenging times.”

This flexibility is part of Kellogg Canada’s commitment to employee wellness, says Mona Shah, chief legal and human resources officer.

“We invest significant resources in understanding what our team members value and evolving our programs to deliver against their needs,” she says.

 Chrissie Say, category finance director at Kellogg Canada

“When our team members feel supported, included and healthy, they can bring their whole selves to work. There is no doubt that our wellness programs help drive our amazing culture.”

Before COVID-19, Kellogg Canada offered hybrid work options, allowing employees to work remotely up to two days a week, as well as flexible start and end times around core hours. “Right now, a limited number of team members access the office on a completely voluntary basis, giving them the choice to work in the way that best suits their

level of comfort and their personal situation,” says Shah.

During the pandemic, the company has also developed several programs to support employee mental health, including virtual mindfulness sessions, an employee resource group for parents, additional financial and emotional health webinars and virtual fitness classes.

Shah says the company regularly seeks feedback through employee surveys to ensure its programs are meeting their needs.

“Emotional health will continue to be

a priority for the organization to ensure our team members are getting the support they need to be well,” Shah says.

Kellogg Canada also places a priority on helping its employees with their financial goals. This year, the company created a new employee stock purchase plan, which allows employees to contribute a percentage of their base pay to buy stock in Kellogg Canada at a significant discount. The company’s new annual scholarship program for employees’ children provides $2,500 to six recipients who have demonstrated a commitment to their academics and to giving back to their communities.

“We are proud to recognize the incredible accomplishments of our team members’ children and to help financially support their educational pursuits through this new scholarship program,” says Shah. “The stock purchase plan gives team members more opportunity to invest and grow their financial assets and to share in the success of the company. In this time of uncertainty, Kellogg Canada was thrilled to offer team members several new programs to help strengthen financial health.” 

334

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

15,233

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

54% 1,200

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN STAFF VOLUNTEER HOURS TO DATE

46

( 2022 )

Kinross Gold makes mining more inclusive

S

ura Alshear completed a bachelor of science degree in computer engineering at the University of Technology in Baghdad shortly before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq upended her life. She spent four precarious years in exile in Jordan, came to Canada as a refugee in 2008 and, three years later, landed a job at Toronto-based Kinross Gold Corp. where she enjoys a flourishing career.

Alshear started as an IT network engineer on a one-year contract. She has since risen to become director of IT security and leads a team responsible for protecting the global mining company from cyber-attacks.

“This is a social place.

It’s collegial and collaborative. We host lots of events to support employees personally and professionally.”

— Kathleen Grandy Vice-President Global Human Resources

“Kinross recognized my potential early on and provided me with lots of opportunities,” says Alshear. “I’ve found many avenues to apply my skills and challenge myself to grow professionally and personally.”

The company offers employees a rich suite of learning materials and programs, says Kathleen Grandy, vice-president global human resources. Several hundred online modules are available for employees

 Government relations team members practice physical distancing while meeting in a boardroom at Kinross Gold who want to learn at their own pace.

Kinross also has a Generation Gold program for high potential, junior-level individuals, as well as an executive development program with an emphasis on leadership skills.

“The focus is on team building and management,” says Grandy. “People can have challenges when they’re not ready to run a team and our executive development program prepares them for that.”

The company also offers career development support through mentorship, and a tuition reimbursement program, which Alshear utilized when completing her executive MBA from the Ivey Business School in 2021.

Mining has traditionally been a male-dominated industry, but more and more women are entering the industry at various levels. Kinross supports gender diversity in several ways, including through

Kinross Gold is proud to be one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers

an internal women’s peer networking program launched in 2020. Each iteration runs for six months and women are paired with a female colleague in a different location for three months. Each participant is matched with a second partner for another three months to share their experiences as women in mining.

“It was very successful,” says Grandy.

“We got good feedback from participants about how nice it was to learn from someone else and to be a mentor.”

In addition, Kinross’s CEO is a member of the 30% Club, which aims for at least 30 per cent representation of women on all boards and C-suites globally. Presently, 33 per cent of the company’s board is comprised of women, with the percentage of women on its workforce increasing globally.

As part of its commitment to diversity and inclusion, the company has launched a

number of initiatives, including a program called Connecting Across Differences.

Guest speakers made global presentations virtually during the pandemic on subjects including Black History Month, International Women’s Day, LGBTQ+ awareness, religious diversity and cultural diversity.

“We also do training sessions with groups in the corporate office as well as groups in the operations to try to get more open discussions around diversity and inclusion issues,” says Grandy.

Kinross began bringing employees back to the office for three days a week in mid-October after some 18 months of working from home due to COVID-19.

Working remotely was effective, but put a big dent in the Kinross culture. “This is a social place,” says Grandy. “It’s collegial and collaborative. We host lots of events to support employees personally and professionally.”

All those events happened virtually during the pandemic and there were a number of them – 232 between March 2020 and this past March. They included fitness classes, yoga sessions, mental health webinars, baking classes and game nights.

“There’s a positive energy here,” says Grandy. 

236

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

37

CHARITIES SUPPORTED IN 2020

100%

HEALTH PLAN PREMIUM AND FAMILY COVERAGE

27

WEEKS, MATERNITY LEAVE TOP-UP PAY

OUR PEOPLE. OUR CULTURE. OUR KINROSS.

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( 2022 )

Klick Health embraces kindness and diversity among 'Klicksters'

T

he motto for Klick Health is “There’s something different here.” It’s displayed on the award-winning Toronto health marketing agency’s website, and embedded in its mission to find fresh approaches to developing and supporting life sciences brands – and draw on the creativity and entrepreneurialism of its employees, who call themselves Klicksters.

The storied Klick culture is based on putting people first, embracing diversity and being open to new ideas, explains Glenn Zujew, Klick Health’s chief people officer.

“We’re constantly learning and evolving,” he says. “We used to look for people to fit into our culture. But we’ve learned to look for people to add something new. And that repositioning has changed the way we attract people to our organization.”

“People feel deeply seen and validated, and that’s not something that always happens.”

— Luke Lopez Accessibility and Inclusivity Design Lead

Klick works with biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, providing services including medical communications, brand strategies and creative campaigns.

The company is known for its peoplefirst culture and welcomes diversity, with teams that regularly review its hiring policies and conduct training programs for managers. “We post our diversity goals on

 Klick Health’s annual flu shot clinic went mobile during the pandemic

the website – we’re fully committed to it,” Zujew says.

Klicksters are also supported by employee resource groups (ERGs) for women, people of colour, mental health, parents and LGBTQ+ staff members. The ERGs connect monthly, and host events and speakers such as bestselling author Ijeoma Oluo.

“They’re an incredible way for people to help influence the organization,” explains Zujew. “It’s also been an education for the rest of us, as they tell us what’s important to them.”

As accessibility and inclusivity design lead, Luke Lopez works on branding

across Klick’s internal programs, including onboarding, training and corporate social responsibility. He is a member of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Guidance Council and until recently led its Queer ERG. “It’s been amazing to focus on helping equity-seeking groups connect, heal and support each other, both inside and outside the workplace,” he says. “And that’s led to being able to influence company processes and benefits, like expanding the mental health services available to Klicksters.”

When COVID-19 hit, Klick quickly adapted to a work-from-home model to

Healthy careers feel meaningful.

At Klick, we collaborate with the healthcare industry at every intersection with the aim of fundamentally improving the human condition.

Heal Work.

careers.klick.com

keep Klicksters safe. Last fall it even hired nurses, drivers, and concierges to deliver flu shots to them in customized vans. “We were living in unvaccinated times, and it was scary,” says Lopez, who designed the branding for the mobile clinics. “It was a great way for people to get their flu shot and stay safe, and I felt so supported as a Klickster.”

Klick’s charitable initiatives include being title sponsor for The Shoebox Project for Women, which provides necessities for women living in shelters, and creating the Klick it Forward program, which gives Klicksters funds to donate to charities – in September it was focused on Indigenous groups.

“We undertake these initiatives because we’ve heard over and over how important they are to our people,” says Zujew. “We do our best to attract incredible talent, and we look for attributes like kindness, because it matters. It takes a special kind of person to be a Klickster.”

Lopez agrees. “Not only are people here talented at what they do, but they really care about each other,” he says. “People feel deeply seen and validated, and that’s not something that always happens. Klick walks the walk, and doesn’t just talk the talk.” 

890

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

59.8%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE VISIBLE MINORITIES

50.1%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

100%

HEALTH PLAN PREMIUM AND FAMILY COVERAGE

48

( 2022 )

At KPMG, inclusive culture is in their DNA

A

s a “woman of colour, proud Muslim and mother to a seven-year-old daughter with autism,” Asma Hasan overcame many systemic barriers to become a tax partner within KPMG’s Toronto offices.

“I had the support of some amazing partners in the GTA, particularly my mentor who helped me believe in myself – that no matter what the obstacles and challenges, I should aspire to be a partner and that’s exactly what I did,” says Hasan, now a newly promoted partner in the GTA Tax practice at the professional services firm.

“We’re better together, stronger together and more creative as a diverse firm.”

— Sebastian Distefano Regional Managing Partner, GTA

“While I’m proud of my accomplishments, I am passionate and committed in wanting to reach out to other individuals like myself, help them break down barriers, and remind them to always believe in themselves to reach their full potential.”

Hasan already does exactly that through her volunteer work as co-chair of the Salam Network, a national group that connects the Muslim community internally within KPMG as well as externally with clients and the community. Besides raising awareness of the Muslim faith and working with charitable organizations, the network provides education, support and mentoring to its 250 members.

 Asma Hasan, tax partner at KPMG, overcame the challenges she faced on her journey to partnership, with support from her mentor and leaders within the GTA

For example, last June, when the Muslim community was in shock after the tragic attack on a Canadian Muslim family in London, Ont., the Salam Network held a session condemning Islamophobia, racism and discrimination in all forms as well as providing a safe space for an open forum discussion. A further session focused on mental health, providing members with tools and strategies to cope with the impact. Another key event this past year showcased Muslim women in leadership roles at KPMG and beyond.

Additionally, Hasan is co-chair of the Special Family & Friends Network, a group she co-founded in 2019 with a

colleague who is also the parent of a child with autism.

“The aim is to create a supportive work environment for parents, family members and allies of children with exceptionalities to share personal experiences and resources and to raise awareness within the firm,” says Hasan. “It’s important that people know they’re not alone, that others can help provide a sense of belonging.”

Last April, the network held a firm-wide educational event in recognition of Autism Awareness Month.

It’s easy to turn great ideas into action when you’ve got people like Asma Hasan driving it, says Sebastian Distefano,

Bringing together diverse perspectives that make a difference.

Discover a career at home.kpmg/ca

regional managing partner, GTA. “We’re better together, stronger together and more creative as a diverse firm,” he says. “My role is really to help promote that culture. There’s so much energy and momentum behind what we’re trying to do at KPMG. For us, in Toronto and nationally, inclusion, diversity and equity really matter.”

Distefano also sees another part of his role as calling people out who aren’t living up to that standard.

“Sometimes we’re not courageous enough to call biases out or challenge certain statements that may be made in meetings,” he says. “Whether it’s inside the room or outside the room, you really need to pull somebody aside and call out the issue. If there is a bias, or a tone that doesn’t align with our values at the firm, it’s my role along with everyone else to challenge that and lead by example.”

“We’ve got work to do and we’re on that journey. I’m proud of the progress KPMG has made regarding diversity, equity and inclusion,” says Distefano. “I work at a firm that allows me to be who I am. We’re all unique and that’s what makes us great. We’re proud of being different and coming together, for better.” 

8,467

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

450

JOBS AVAILABLE IN THE GTA IN 2021

31

PEOPLE NETWORKS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

9,471

GTA COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER HOURS LAST YEAR

49

( 2022 )

At Labatt, you can learn about the joy of beer

W

hen you work for Labatt Brewing Company Limited, you learn important things. Such as: drinking beer directly from a can or bottle may be convenient, but it’s a flavour faux pas.

“When you’re tasting, you always pour your beer into a glass,” explains Michelle Tham, head of education for Labatt. “When you drink straight out of a bottle, your nose is nowhere near that narrow opening, and you don’t fully experience the flavour the beer has to offer.

“The majority of your perception of flavour comes from your ability to smell it. And in order to do that, you pour it in the glass and create the head. That head is what I like to call the aroma delivery device.”

“I had a passion and expertise, so I found a home that allowed me to turn that into a job.”

— Michelle Tham Head of Education

And Tham should know. Back in 2014, when she had just become one of Canada’s first female Certified Cicerones, she joined Labatt as its first-ever cicerone. Here’s another thing you learn at Labatt, usually from Tham: a cicerone is the beer-knowledge equivalent of a wine sommelier, with a certification developed only in 2007.

 A certified beer expert ('cicerone') at Labatt Brewing Co., Michelle Tham shares her expertise with colleagues and consumers across Canada

It’s usually pronounced sisser-own, and has its linguistic roots in the Roman statesman Cicero, who was a great guide and mentor.

As is Tham. Her job is to work with everyone who works with beer – restaurant staff, bartenders, retailers and regular quaffers – and educate them on the finer points, such as how to pair various foods with different beers and in general how to improve the experience.

Given that Labatt maintains a wide array of brands in Canada, from Labatt Blue and Budweiser to Corona and

Stella Artois, there’s a lot to talk about.

“It’s a mission of mine to help consumers truly appreciate what makes beer really special,” Tham says. “My role is not just to elevate our brands but to elevate the entire beer category.”

She readily agrees she has one of the world’s great jobs. But one of the things she’s most proud of is that she was able to develop the role herself, with Labatt’s full support. “This is a role that didn’t exist 10 years ago,” she says.

“I had a passion and an expertise, so I found a home that allowed me to turn

that into a job and foster what we’ve created today.” That includes some 15 staff cicerones that Labatt helped get certified.

Labatt, Tham notes, is all about “allowing people to grow at the pace of their talent and their creative goals.” In her case, the company “saw the chance to take my ambition and my accreditation and turn it into a full-time role that I’ve very happily been doing for the last several years. It’s a rare opportunity.”

Providing those opportunities is a big part of what Labatt does, according to Beatriz Grubesic, vice-president, people.

“Our culture is our biggest strength.”

In the Toronto area, Labatt maintains its head office in Queen’s Quay, and has more opportunities at its Mill Street Brewery, home to organic beers, in North York, and at its distribution facility in Mississauga.

The company is hiring in a wide range of occupations, says Grubesic. “We are in growth mode.” That includes tech specialists, she notes. “Although we’re not a technology company, we do see technology as a key enabler.” Just like its cicerones. 

3,595

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

54,786

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

39

YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF ALL EMPLOYEES

52

YEARS, LONGEST-SERVING EMPLOYEE

50

( 2022 )

LifeLabs’ people and customers are top priority

A

fter Mary Scarola graduated from high school, she got a job as an administrator at an imaging clinic. That role led to a passion for working in health care and a 20-year career at Toronto-based LifeLabs.

“What we do at LifeLabs impacts every single person who comes through our doors,” she says.

LifeLabs is a medical services provider for over 20 million Canadians and healthcare professionals, with 6,700 employees nationally. As a client service manager, Scarola oversees 25 patient service centres (PSCs) in the Greater Toronto Area – where blood work and many other vital medical tests are conducted – as well as five PSC supervisors.

“You never know what kind of team you have until there’s a crisis, and we’ve got a great team.”

— Charles Brown Chief Executive Officer

When Scarola first joined LifeLabs, she had a managerial background but not the education piece she felt she needed to fully perform her role. In 2018, she wrapped up a 10-credit leadership-development course at Humber College. It was intense – fourhour evening classes and eight hours on Saturdays, on top of her full-time job – and it took a decade to complete it.

“LifeLabs paid for the course because they knew it would benefit me,” says Scarola. “There were classes in communications, ethics, team building and

 LifeLabs is a medical services provider for over 20 million Canadians and health-care professionals performance and change management. I took one course a year, then implemented that learning into my daily roles.”

Over the years, Scarola has had solid working relationships with the senior leaders who have mentored her – including Shelly Andrews, director of client services.

“Shelly is an expert in her field, and I admire and respect her,” she says. “She supports me personally and professionally, and that’s how I try to treat the people who report to me.”

As mom to a four-year-old son, Scarola appreciated her company’s support when she was sent home to Kleinburg to work remotely in March of 2020, where she remains. “Managing the work-life balance was tough in the beginning,” she says.

“But we’ve received so much support, and while we miss seeing each other face-toface, we also know it’s uncomfortable to sit in day-long meetings in masks.”

From the outset of the pandemic, president and CEO Charles Brown has been leading that support and keeping employees informed. His twice-monthly Catching Up with Charles video updates, where an employee interviews him on a topic of interest, have been popular. “You can’t over-communicate in a crisis,” he says simply.

Brown joined LifeLabs in his current role in 2018, following senior leadership roles in other sectors. “I look for opportunities that excite me, and LifeLabs plays a huge role in our customers’ health

Empowering a healthier you To learn more, visit www.Lifelabs.com

journeys, which is exciting,” he says.

“Every day I learn something new – about myself, the people I work with or the business.”

The pandemic completely upended LifeLabs’ business model, meaning senior leaders had to pivot overnight from traditional practices and policies. That included investing in technology and ergonomic equipment for remote work, upgrading network security and ensuring lab workers had proper personal protective equipment and that customers coming through the doors could be physically distanced.

With office workers continuing to work remotely until a “distributed workforce model” is rolled out when it’s safe to do so, Brown is encouraging employees to pick up the phone to call co-workers to ask how they’re doing, something he does twice a week. “We’re all Zoomed out,” he says.

“The phone calls are good for people, and for me, too.”

LifeLabs’ people have more than risen to the pandemic’s challenges. “You never know what kind of team you have until there’s a crisis, and we’ve got a great team,” says Brown. “When I took this role, I didn’t know the culture or the people, and I’ve been so impressed by their quality and resilience.” 

3,470

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES IN CANADA

60%

OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

57

CHARITIES HELPED LAST YEAR

99.4 M

LAB TESTS PERFORMED IN 2020

51

( 2022 )

LCBO supports employees every step of the way

K

endra Greenwood couldn’t have imagined how much taking a job at her local Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) was going to change her life. She was 19 years old and studying business and computer science at university, so working nights and weekends at the local LCBO seemed the perfect fit.

That was 21 years ago. Since then, Greenwood has taken advantage of every opportunity offered to her by managers at LCBO – and there have been many – who saw her potential and encouraged her to keep moving forward. Now, after having worn many hats at LCBO over the years, Greenwood is a regional director, and grateful for the help and support she’s had along the way.

“If you really want to grow with the company, they’re willing to help you.”

— Kendra Greenwood Regional Director

“If you really want to grow with the company, they’re willing to help you,” says Greenwood. “I had a ton of great mentors through every step of it. LCBO leadership consistently supports and appreciates a job well done.”

To facilitate an employee’s development and movement through the company, LCBO has a series of programs, available to everyone from front-line workers to directors. “We’re very much focused on employee engagement in the whole life cycle,” explains Siobhan

 Siobhan Calderbank, senior director, talent management, and Kendra Greenwood, regional director, at LCBO

Calderbank, senior director of talent management.

The program Is Management for Me? helps employees understand what’s involved in moving up in the company.

Next, the LEAP program provides the fundamentals of management; Lead Up gives managers tools to hone their skills; and Catalyst gives managers access to sessions that are focused on mentoring and leadership coaching connected to LCBO values and competencies.

“It’s like a real cultural accelerant because you’re exposed to different individuals with different perspectives and

There is a world of opportunities at the

you’ve really expanded your network,” says Calderbank. “And the more you have friends in the network, the more you are engaged and the more you are likely to stay as a result.”

The opportunity to learn is available to everyone, from those on the front lines of service to senior leaders, via Workday Learning, which has thousands of programs that employees can delve into at their leisure.

“There is a huge focus here on employee engagement, and making sure people get what they need and that they are engaged throughout the

whole process,” Calderbank adds. “And I fundamentally believe that everybody should have an opportunity to learn and develop and grow.”

More than 700 employees have been identified as Good Culture Ambassadors, representing all of LCBO’s storefronts and regions. A recent initiative, the ambassadors serve as champions of diversity, inclusion, belonging and equity (DIBE), as well as change, mental health and the spirit of sustainability, and help drive engagement. “They are there to provide support,” says Calderbank.

“They’re the voice of the employee to find out how programs are resonating and how we can make things better.”

As a result of her experiences with the company, Greenwood is in the position now to pay it forward by supporting her own people in their development. “I feel like I want to give back because people gave to me – they believed in me,” she says. “So, focusing on people and their strengths is what I think of as my legacy.

If you focus on your people, if you focus on your customers, things are going to happen and you’re going to be able to move those mountains.” 

4,009

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES IN CANADA

977

JOBS AVAILABLE LAST YEAR

51%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

6

WEEKS, MAXIMUM VACATION ALLOWANCE

52

( 2022 )

Staying connected is a key asset for Mackenzie

W

hen Megan Cobb wanted to take her career to the next level, she set her sights on Mackenzie Investments. She’d become familiar with the Toronto-based global asset management company while working for a financial services research and consulting firm and Mackenzie’s track record, stability and scale made a strong impression.

“I really wanted to get an insider’s perspective and help drive Mackenzie’s strategy,” Cobb says.

“I believe it’s critical to stay connected and communicate often. Every employee needs to feel their job is important and contributes to our success.”

— Barry McInerney President & CEO

Founded in 1967, Mackenzie offers retail and institutional investors a wide range of investment products and related services. It also partners with wholesalers and advisors throughout Canada to help their clients become more knowledgeable investors.

Cobb got her wish in January 2020, when she was hired as a manager, product strategy. She has since been promoted and is now a senior manager, product development. Her previous exposure to the organization contributed to a smooth onboarding experience, she says, adding

 Employees at Mackenzie Investments volunteering their time for the company’s annual ‘Mackenzie Caring Campaign’, raising funds for causes they are passionate about that she also already knew some of her new teammates who helped her settle in.

Three months later, everything changed. “On a Friday, we were asked to take our laptops home for the weekend,” says Cobb. “At the time, nobody really knew much about COVID-19 and we all thought we’d be back in the office in two weeks.”

By the time the enormity of the pandemic was apparent, Mackenzie had mobilized to ensure its employees had the technology, connectivity and other resources they needed to work safely and productively from home.

In Cobb’s case that included sending her a new, more tech-laden laptop.

Her responsibilities include analyzing enormous data sets for key industry trends and competitive insights, she explains,

and the first machine simply didn’t have enough computing power.

Cobb and her team, in fact, delivered on a significant project that was underway even before the pandemic. The result: an automated data feed that delivers timely and targeted analysis to key stakeholders.

It’s just one example of how Mackenzie has sustained its core business throughout the pandemic. As someone with his pulse on the Canadian marketplace, president and CEO Barry McInerney knows not all industries have fared so well. “We have the luxury of being able to execute our strategy virtually,” he says.

That’s meant McInerney and the leadership team have been able to press ahead with key initiatives and to focus on maintaining Mackenzie’s supportive workplace culture in the online environment.

Advancing diversity, equity and inclusion is a strategic priority and to that end Mackenzie hired a new head of DE&I in April 2021 with a dotted-line reporting relationship straight to the top.

A key goal is advancing gender equality – and that’s not only because Mackenzie is a signatory to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles aiming to increase the number of women in senior leadership positions.

“Gender diversity has traditionally been a challenge within the asset management industry,” says McInerney. “Our vision is to be a leading contemporary organization that’s inclusive and engaging for everyone.”

Mackenzie has used technology to stay informed about employees’ wants and needs and to respond to them. In addition to frequent company-wide surveys, McInerney regularly addresses a variety of topics via virtual town halls and video updates. He’s let them know, for instance, that Mackenzie is in no rush to get people back to the office, a decision based in part on employee feedback.

“I believe it’s critical to stay connected and communicate often. Every employee needs to feel their job is important and contributes to our success.” 

1,444

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

100%

PAID PREMIUMS FOR FAMILY HEALTH AND DENTAL

3

WEEKS, STARTING VACATION ALLOWANCE

2

PAID VOLUNTEER DAYS EACH YEAR

53

( 2022 )

Manulife targets healthy living with unique programs

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s a “lights, camera, action” funloving kind of guy, Anthony Richards is the perfect match for Elevate, a Manulife initiative that launched this spring, focused on health and wellness. Elevate consists of four themed celebrations around healthy living: healthy activities, mindfulness, eating well and gratitude.

Hosted by Richards, each theme includes a 30-minute virtual global celebration, featuring a celebrity guest who shares their expertise and introduces staff to different ways of improving their well-being. The first virtual celebration launched in May 2021 with Harley Pasternak, a celebrity trainer and nutritionist and Manulife’s global team was invited to join him in a workout.

“There’s something very special when an entire organization comes together to try something new.”

— Kathryn Kitchen Head of Human Resources

“Our colleagues around the world can watch from home by just clicking a link,” says Richards, a new-business case manager at the insurance and financial services firm. “We typically do it around lunchtime so people can participate together, either on their TV or computer. The response to Elevate has been very enthusiastic overall, with our survey results reflecting positive feedback.”

Besides interviewing the guest celebrities using live questions submitted by employees, Richards asks viewers to create

 Manulife's team is made up of passionate, curious and supportive people who are not afraid to challenge the status quo a photo or description of what they’re doing to stay active related to the theme, or simply how they’re elevating their well-being, and then post it to Yammer, Manulife’s internal social media page for a chance to win a prize such as a Peloton, wellness retreat and more.

On a personal level, Richards felt particularly inspired by Eve Lewis, director of meditation at Headspace Inc. in Santa Monica, Calif., who led a meditation session to celebrate the second Elevate theme.

“Going through the meditation with Eve changed my life,” says Richards. “I’ve

Make your impact.

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built meditation into my everyday routine now and it really has helped me handle stress a lot better. It’s taught me to breathe, slow down and think more clearly when making a specific decision. It’s simply taking a moment of time for yourself and just breathing.”

Kathryn Kitchen, head of human resources has also been learning to meditate. What she loved was that so many colleagues joined in and were participating at the same time.

“There’s something very special when an entire organization comes together to try something new,” says Kitchen. “It was

a lovely community-building moment and a very engaging experience for our colleagues.”

Kitchen says that the physical, mental and financial well-being of staff has always been a top priority for Manulife.

“We’ve always believed that we need to be healthy and well to be able to deliver incredible service to our clients, customers and members,” says Kitchen. “This year in particular, we’ve focused on making sure our teams stay connected to each other, that everybody feels appreciated and seen, and that our virtual work environment is as healthy as we can make it.”

Elevate is just one of several programs that launched for 2021. In May, the firm also celebrated Mental Health Awareness Month, and Manulife hosts an ongoing guest speaker series, including one directed at leaders, featuring Arianna Huffington.

Kitchen felt that the virtual nature of these events proved to be an advantage rather than a challenge.

“Being virtual has increased accessibility of these global events for our 37,000 colleagues across the globe,” says Kitchen.

“So, I think it’s actually more engaging with more people participating. There’s a whole lot of power in community.” 

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Building a close-knit culture of innovators at Mattamy

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adine Di Nardo was a land development co-op student at Mattamy Homes Limited while pursuing her undergraduate degree in civil engineering.

She loved it so much that she returned to work at the company a few years after graduation.

“I did work at a few other places and I found there is no other culture that I’ve experienced that’s quite like it,” says Di Nardo, land development manager with Mattamy’s new GTA Urban division.

“It’s been really fulfilling for me. There is always something new to learn or investigate.”

— Nadine Di Nardo Land Development Manager, GTA Urban

“It’s a lot of small experiences that add up to making it a great place, but I think the common denominator is the people.

When you show up for work, you feel like you're coming to work with your friends or family. We look forward to being together and collaborating. Everyone wants to see each other succeed.”

One of the ways this comes through is in programs like #GOSPONSORHER. A component of Mattamy’s gender diversity initiative, #GOSPONSORHER matches women in the intermediate level of their career with a senior leader for a year-long, one-on-one mentorship relationship.

Di Nardo was matched with Collin Campbell, president of the homebuilder’s

 Nadine Di Nardo, land development manager, and Brad Carr, CEO of Mattamy Homes, at their Toronto office

Alberta division.

“It was an amazing opportunity to learn about his journey, to get advice and to talk through situations where I was struggling,” Di Nardo says.

She also appreciates how Mattamy is continuously reimagining how it can improve on everything from internal processes to its products. “We never want to get too complacent and I think this mentality leaves a lot of room for creativity and continuous learning in the workplace,” she says. “So it’s been really fulfilling for me. There is always something new to learn or investigate.”

The COVID-19 pandemic presented many opportunities for learning and innovating, says Brad Carr, CEO of Mattamy Homes Canada.

“You want to be careful about pulling positives from something that has been so challenging for society and for individuals, but a crisis can be a great opportunity to innovate,” Carr says. The pandemic created a catalyst for change, he explains, and upped the urgency for new ideas the company had been contemplating but had not yet acted on.

This was felt most acutely in the sales function. Gone were the weekend-long

events with packed model homes and lineups snaking outside of sales centres.

“Prior to the pandemic, we would have never felt it was possible to sell homes 100 per cent virtually, meeting people over Zoom and having them make their selections without ever coming into a sales centre,” says Carr. ”We needed to figure out how to create that same energy online and find technology solutions that allowed people to register and sequence themselves to have the opportunity to buy, like a virtual lineup. That was all new for us. But it worked out quite well and I am proud of the fact that we adapted and continued to sell at the same pace, even though we were selling very differently.”

Carr says the pandemic also prompted people to find a deepened meaning in their homes after spending so much time inside. “The team at Mattamy looks at what we do as being incredibly important,” he says. “For most people, a home is the biggest investment they'll ever make and where they will build their memories.

I think the pandemic highlighted that and reminded our team how important their job is and how meaningful building homes is to society.” 

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Serious fun drives Mazda Canada employee success

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or Chuck Reimer, the best thing about working for Mazda Canada Inc. isn’t the great deal he gets on a hot company car or even the industry-leading benefits and compensation package. It’s knowing that his voice is valued and if he has something he needs to say, he can head into his boss’s office and say it – and be heard.

“There’s such a sense of community and the workplace is so relaxed that you can walk into the president’s office and tell him something or just chat,” says Reimer, manager of product communications.

“I think our secret is a work culture that consistently challenges itself at leadership and employee levels to support each other.”

— David Klan President and CEO

“In other places, that might be intimidating but here, everybody knows everybody else and supports each other.

It’s very family-oriented.”

Headquartered in Richmond Hill, Mazda Canada has regional offices in Montréal and Vancouver, employing 165 Canadians. The company has 163 dealerships across the country and is responsible for the sales, marketing, customer service and parts support of Mazda vehicles in Canada.

Reimer loves everything about his job, which is working with journalists as Mazda launches new vehicle lines and promoting company products. In his 10 years with the company, he’s been

 Chuck Reimer, manager, product communications at Mazda Canada, at the 2021 AJAC Canadian Car of the Year Awards behind the wheel of almost every car Mazda’s manufactured and takes part in the generous company-assigned vehicle program. But it’s the people and culture that keep him driven to succeed.

“I’m a car guy, so working for a car company is a perk on its own, but the great thing about working at Mazda Canada is that our people have fun,” he says.

“It may be a big company, but we have small-company feel and I consider myself very fortunate to work here.”

The company culture is consistent across the country because employees worked with management to develop a roadmap of values that have collaboration, respect and diversity as major signposts.

The Made in Canada Mission Statement sets a high bar but employees consistently clear it.

“We developed our values together as a team, including our dealer partners, and we live them every day,” says president and CEO David Klan.

“It creates a culture that is all about helping unleash their potential and helping all of our employees become the best version of themselves.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has put the brakes on most of the in-person social and charitable events that helped Mazda Canada reinforce that sense of common mission and camaraderie. But by shifting to online formats, employees have come

up with creative ways to keep connected, like Friday afternoon virtual trivia and the master chef cooking series.

But some events are more serious, like the paper crane folding campaign honouring Sadako Asaki, a young girl who died of radiation poisoning after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.

With the parent company Mazda Motor Corporation’s headquarters in Hiroshima, the annual event is of special significance to employees. This year, trivia Friday took a back seat to an online demonstration of how to fold origami cranes, performed by the children of one of Mazda Canada’s directors.

It’s that mix of doing serious business while still enjoying their work that has Mazda Canada driving down the corporate culture highway at top speed.

“I think our secret is a work culture that consistently challenges itself at leadership and employee levels to support each other,” says Klan.

“I’m about to celebrate 30 years with this fun company. I’ve worked for Mazda in three countries around the world and without question our Mazda Canada team today is the best team of professionals I have ever had the privilege to work with.” 

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Medtronic offers an inspirational sense of purpose

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s Daniel Giacinti sees it, Medtronic Canada ULC makes it easy to be proud of the work he does. The company’s mission to “alleviate pain, restore health and extend life” is both inspirational and a call to practical action, he says.

“Knowing my work has a positive impact on Canadians’ health and well-being has always given me a sense of purpose,” says Giacinti. “It’s a very good reason to get up every day!”

“Technology is going to help a lot of people and it’s a privilege to be able to contribute to that.”

— Daniel Giacinti Senior Marketing Manager

Since he joined the Brampton-based medical technology company in 2010, Giacinti has risen through the ranks in the cranial and spinal technologies division. As senior marketing manager his responsibilities have included heading a project he describes as a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”

In October 2021, Medtronic launched Mazor™ in Canada, a significant advance in minimally invasive, robot-assisted lumbar and thoracic spinal surgery and the first of its kind in Canada. It integrates 3D and other technologies for comprehensive pre-operative planning, robotic guidance and surgical navigation.

Using Mazor™, spinal specialists like orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons can perform operations with greater predictability, precision and accuracy than previously possible, Giacinti says. He adds

 Daniel Giacinti, senior marketing manager, and Melicent Lavers-Sailly, director of strategy, at Medtronic Canada that studies show that the resulting smaller incisions and shorter hospital stays lead to better patient outcomes.

“This technology is going to help a lot of people and it’s a privilege to be able to contribute to that,” says Giacinti. “It’s a professional gift.”

Melicent Lavers-Sailly, director of strategy and stakeholder engagement, says Mazor™ is emblematic of what’s so special about working at Medtronic. “We’re often the first with new and impactful innovations,” she says. “It’s a huge source of pride to be able to treat patients or help them manage chronic conditions when nothing previously existed for them.”

Medtronic is the largest medical-device employer in Canada. Many employees worked at the Brampton headquarters in sales, marketing and administrative functions before the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, however, over 90 per cent of the staff began working from home.

Lavers-Sailly says the company makes extensive use of internal communications to ensure everyone sees how they’re making a meaningful difference in people’s lives. For instance, the company invites patients to tell their stories as part of the annual holiday program.

In one particularly compelling narrative, she says, a little girl had had a medical

device implanted. Tracing its serial number revealed her mother had made that very device. “There were a lot of tears,” Lavers-Sailly recalls.

Communications have become even more important during the pandemic.

Medtronic Canada president Neil Fraser regularly hosts all-employee virtual phone calls where people can ask questions and hear about the evolving plans for returning to the office.

Giacinti says he appreciates how Medtronic has focused on employee well-being throughout the pandemic.

“Many of us felt a lot of uncertainty, but the leadership let us know our jobs were safe,” he adds. “They treat us with so much dignity.”

Then again, he’s come to expect nothing less. Giacinti was born in Spain and raised in Mexico where he first worked for Medtronic. He immigrated to Canada to further his education and fell in love with Canadian social values of diversity, equity and inclusion.

He’s glad, he says, that he subsequently “found his way back” to Medtronic, where those same values are exemplified. “Every day, I feel that I’m in the right place, in the right country and with the right company.” 

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Mercer works to make people feel they belong

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or Mercer Canada, it’s a point of pride to practice what it preaches.

The consulting firm works with employers to help them create an environment where employees feel they belong, are treated as whole people and are fully engaged.

Mercer has the same objectives and implements the same advice it offers clients on a wide variety of its own human resources and workplace undertakings, such as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and benefit and wellness programs.

“At the heart of our strategy has been the desire to overcommunicate. It creates clarity and has been essential to help make sure employees are getting the support they need.”

— Angelita Graham Partner & Office Leader, Toronto So what happens when something like the pandemic fundamentally changes the workplace landscape?

“Like our clients, we have faced unprecedented challenges,” says Angelita Graham, partner and office leader in Toronto. “Nearly every one of our employees has been working from home.”

Mercer Canada has offices in 11 Canadian cities, including in the Toronto area where about 425 employees are based. Mercer says it believes in building brighter futures by redefining the world of work, reshaping retirement and investment

 Mercer Canada employees volunteering at a local food bank, prior to the pandemic outcomes, and unlocking real health and well-being.

That experience enabled Graham and other Mercer Canada leaders to move quickly and help colleagues and clients adjust to the new normal of working remotely. As the pandemic evolved, the focus has shifted to planning a safe and healthy return to the office.

Employee well-being has been a priority since the start of the pandemic. Mercer Canada launched nine new benefit offerings, from virtual wellness classes to telemedicine access, to keep pace with evolving needs. It also allowed employees to take equipment from the office .

“At the heart of our strategy has been the desire to over-communicate,” Graham adds. “It creates clarity and has been essential to help make sure employees are getting the support they need and continue to feel connected to the firm and

welcome

their colleagues.”

For Harrison Pope, that’s never been a problem. Even before he joined the firm in 2018, he felt he was a good fit with the firm’s inclusive culture. “I came out in my job interview,” he says. “It just felt right.”

Now senior associate, client manager and commercial strategist, Pope worked his way up through the marketing department. He has also volunteered since he started with Pride@Mercer and in 2020 became its U.S. & Canada region co-chair.

Pope says the leadership supports his volunteer activities and makes sure he has time in his schedule to pursue them. DEI is a strategic initiative and Mercer Canada has its own Diversity and Inclusion Charter for holding itself accountable in measurable ways, such as the leadership’s progress toward increasing representation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People

to brighter A business of Marsh McLennan

of Colour) colleagues in the workforce and dedication to engaging, retaining and developing employees.

Another way in which Pope feels valued is Mercer’s approach to the wider community beyond its doors. Looking to be a good corporate citizen, it encourages and supports volunteerism and charitable donations.

Since 2016, Mercer has held ‘Good Day’, a Canada-wide day of volunteering.

In 2020, it was converted to ‘Good Week’ to accommodate different virtual volunteering activities during the pandemic.

The firm also matches employee donations, dollar for dollar, up to US$1,000 and provides US$200 when an individual has volunteered 20 hours or more. Pope points out that the choice of charity is personal, not corporate.

“This is a really powerful tool and makes a big difference to smaller charities,” he says. “It makes me feel heard every time I donate.”

Graham, too, enjoys taking part in volunteering with the United Way, “We are part of the community and we believe in giving back,” she says. “At the end of the day, Mercer is a people business and supporting communities is an important Mercer commitment.” 

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Mondelēz Canada has a deep commitment to inclusivity

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rag queens do not typically show up for events at corporate headquarters. But for the past few years, the Rainbow Council at snack company Mondelēz Canada has brought in a top Toronto drag performer to help recognize and celebrate Pride Month in June.

Because of the pandemic, in 2021 Mondelēz hosted a video celebration and discussion with the drag artist followed by a virtual dance party. And, says Stacey Biggar, everyday chocolate lead on the company’s marketing team, “she taught us a little bit about drag culture in Toronto.

“What Mondelēz does for Pride is not just ‘rainbow washing,’“ continues Biggar, who helped plan the firm’s 2021 Pride activities. “Our workshops lead to quality conversations.”

“I can sincerely bring my whole self to work every day.

And as an organization, we're working for that to be true for everyone.”

— Stacey Biggar Everyday Chocolate Lead, Marketing

The firm’s commitment to supporting LGBTQ+ people isn’t limited to Pride Month, says Biggar, who describes herself as a passionate, lifelong ally of the community – in part because many of her best friends are part of it.

“Just last week we held workshops around Coming Out Day, giving some

 Mondelēz Canada prioritizes keeping its employees and consumers safe in its manufacturing plants

employees the opportunity to tell their stories, but also to equip others with tools so that they can support people in being comfortable to come out,” she says.

“Since I started at Mondelēz, there has been a lot of support from the leadership for these types of activities.”

Mondelēz’s commitment to inclusivity is among the main reasons Biggar loves working for the firm. “I can sincerely bring my whole self to work every day.

And as an organization, we're working for that to be true for everyone.”

Based in Toronto – the vast majority of employees are located in the Greater Toronto Area or nearby – Mondelēz is

Canada’s second-largest snack company.

It offers a wide range of global brands, including Cadbury, Oreo, Ritz, Toblerone, Dentyne, Triscuit, Halls and Christie, among many others (the firm’s name is meant to suggest a world of treats). It is part of Mondelēz International, based in Chicago.

It’s a values-driven organization, says Julie Sirois, vice-president of sales. One manifestation of that, she adds, is that every year, it holds a Culture Day in which everyone across the business takes a break from their job to talk about the environment they are committed to.

“The theme of that,” she says, “is

creating diverse, inclusive and connected communities.” Sirois notes that in addition to the Rainbow Council, Mondelēz has other employee inclusion groups focused on educating staff about, and celebrating, employees who are Black, Indigenous or part of ethnic minorities.

Mondelēz is also devoted to supporting women, families and work-life balance.

“One of the things I’m most proud of,” Sirois says, “is creating something we call Simply Work, which we launched during the pandemic. We said there would be no meetings before 8.30 a.m. and none after 5 p.m., as well as no meetings on Friday afternoons. Because we know it’s easy to move into a mode of more meetings and taking for granted the fact that people are more accessible because they don’t have to commute.”

For Biggar, whose children are three and five, that has been a major boon. “It was a way to say, ‘Hey, here's how we're going to support you to be your best. ‘ It has meant that I can pick the kids up early or, while the kids were at home, spend more time with them and move my work around in a way that fit my life.

The expectation is only that the work be completed and excellent.” 

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( 2022 )

Communication is an important property at MPAC

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ith a background in urban planning and a BA from Western University, Isabel Lee joined the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) in July 2020, more than four months into the pandemic.

“Everything was online by that point,” says Lee, “but MPAC did a great job in bringing me up to speed and making me feel connected.”

It helped that MPAC had the processes and technology in place to adapt to COVID-19 without disrupting its operations.

“MPAC did a great job in bringing me up to speed and making me feel connected.”

— Isabel Lee Toronto Property Inspector

“We moved to the cloud seven years before the pandemic,” says Nicole McNeill, president and CEO since 2018, “and we already had a hybrid work policy in place, so our whole organization transitioned to remote work very quickly.”

As a Toronto property inspector, Lee contributes to MPAC’s comprehensive database of information for each of the more than five million properties in Ontario, the largest and most complex assessment jurisdiction in North America and second largest in the world.

Under normal circumstances, Lee and her fellow inspectors conduct on-site inspections to establish a current value

 MPAC maintains an inventory of all properties in Ontario and accounts for changes that happen annually in every property sector across the province assessment for properties ranging from residential dwellings to gravel pits.

“During the pandemic, we’ve had to adapt and find new ways of gathering property information to keep our data up-to-date,” she says. “But these new processes will improve how we work together with homeowners and municipalities from now on.”

MPAC employees had the tools they needed to do their jobs effectively, but the organization also put measures in place to support their physical and mental well-being.

“Everyone is open and collaborative,” says Lee, “and all levels of management emphasize work-life balance and the importance of mental health.

“There’s also a strong emphasis on caring for ourselves and our colleagues,”

she adds. “From the very start we’ve been reminded to be patient and understanding with ourselves and one another.”

That emphasis on caring for each other becomes evident in MPAC’s weekly leadership chats, says McNeill, which attract a majority of the organization’s 1,700 employees.

“It’s a really effective way for us to share information and support a positive, healthy workplace,” she says.

For Lee, the virtual chats have introduced her to MPAC's leaders as they provide regular updates and publicly address any questions or concerns.

“They don't act like they have all the answers, and they’re willing and able to pivot in response to our feedback and changes in the pandemic,” Lee says. “I can also see how they interact with one

AT MPAC, WE SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY. The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) has an unparalleled view of Ontario’s property landscape, enabling us to provide impartial assessments while analyzing and identifying property trends across the province.

We adapt to change by finding new ways to work, supporting each other, and putting people first in everything we do.

another, an opportunity I wouldn't have gotten pre-pandemic.”

At the same time, the weekly sessions give MPAC’s leaders an opportunity to hear directly from employees about issues that affect their work.

“The sessions have become a two-way communication pipeline,” says McNeill, who assumed her current role at MPAC after seven years as its CFO and vice president of corporate and information services.

“We get direct feedback about what our people are worried about, what they need to understand better, and what they’re looking for from us as their leaders.”

And while leaders haven’t always had answers as times have changed, McNeill notes, “we’ve grounded ourselves with three guiding principles that have helped us be nimble as we make tough decisions: the health and safety of our employees is our top priority, we have to keep our business running, and we need to do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19.”

While the pandemic has raised challenges, “there have also been silver linings,” McNeill says. “We’ve had to innovate and make positive changes, but ultimately these will lead us out of this pandemic with an even stronger sense of the kind of culture we want to have.” 

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We are honoured to be named one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers.

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The Neighbourhood Group brings together many talents

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f anyone wants proof that there’s strength in numbers, they need look no further than The Neighbourhood Group (TNG), a fusion of three community organizations that offers services for infants, youth, seniors, new Canadians, homeless, unemployed or underemployed people and everyone in between.

“We have tons of different experience,” says Lidia Monaco, vice-president of strategic initiatives and innovation. “One of the reasons we merged is we had complementary types of programming and services, so our reach went further.”

“It’s the kind of place where the more you’re involved, the more you want to get involved.”

— Amanda Bland Executive Assistant

In April 2020, St. Stephen’s Community House was the latest to join Central Neighbourhood House and Neighbourhood Link Support Services in TNG. With her came St. Stephen’s trustee hub, which supports grassroots, unincorporated groups with access to funding, fundraising, report writing, communications, coaching and mentoring. “There’s lots of energetic enthusiasm,” says Monaco. “They are community leaders who are not part of any organization, they don’t have a board of directors or infrastructure, but they do have great ideas and great connections.”

 The Neighbourhood Group / TNG helps grassroots community services groups across Metro Toronto access funding and provide more cost-effective programming to their own clients Among those helped are Black Women in Motion, Black Farmers Collective and Butterfly, a support group for sex workers.

“Some go on to become their own agencies or become part of us,” she says. “And we keep a pulse on what’s going on in the community through those projects.”

Currently, TNG is helping 43 different groups. “We’ve got quite a reputation,” Monaco says. “There are not many organizations that do that.”

Pride in all TNG does keeps enthusiasm running high among staff. For executive assistant Amanda Bland, who also started at St. Stephen’s, the organization’s advocacy work is particularly gratifying. A committee made up of board, community and staff members picks one project

every two years – currently the focus is on rethinking policing by investigating potential community solutions around crisis intervention.

Other work has included ensuring a livable wage – which TNG is committed to for its own employees – and affordable child care. “It’s the kind of place where the more you’re involved, the more you want to get involved,” says Bland. With dozens of programs, she adds, “there’s no shortage of places to go or opportunities for promotion or lateral moves.”

Bearing witness to the impact of the services is hugely satisfying, she says. As part of TNG’s peer programming program, Bland had the opportunity to work with a youth with mental health and learning

disability issues who was given the opportunity to get work experience as a mail courier. “He really did blossom under the program,” she says.

The jobs give people in the program – most of whom have barriers to employment, including conflicts with the law, mental health issues or lack of housing – the opportunity to build a resume and get a step closer to being able to support themselves. “They get a paycheque and they feel productive,” says Monaco.

TNG’s care for the world at large is mirrored within its walls. “Your voice seems to actually matter,” says Bland. “If something is causing a concern among staff, management takes the time to listen to what people have to say. They go out of their way to accommodate employees as much as they can.”

TNG’s commitment to being an excellent employer is written into a charter.

“We try to be flexible,” says Monaco. “We work with the union as a partner. We try to resolve issues together.”

TNG hired equity consultants to go through its policies and practices. Now the organization is implementing the recommendations. “We’re willing to put our money where our mouth is,” Monaco adds. “We walk the talk.” 

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Novo Nordisk cares for its people – everywhere

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n 2015, Mohammad Omar AL Shweiky was working as a pharmaceutical sales representative for Novo Nordisk in Syria when he decided to apply to immigrate to Canada with his wife and daughter. Before the process was complete, Mississauga-based Novo Nordisk Canada had offered him a new role – as a clinical development, medical and regulatory affairs effectiveness specialist.

“I feel valued and supported at Novo Nordisk. It’s something that’s in the culture of the company.”

— Mohammad Omar AL Shweiky Medical Information Specialist

The global company headquartered in Copenhagen develops treatments that benefit people living with diabetes, obesity and rare blood and endocrine diseases. In 2011, Shweiky had joined the office in Syria to work on a three-month project surveying pharmacists to discover what they knew about two of Novo Nordisk’s products. When the project was done, he was offered a permanent position as a pharmaceutical sales rep.

“Right away, I felt comfortable with the people and the company’s values,” says Shweiky, who was promoted to medical information specialist in 2019. “Before I moved to Canada, I had a paid PhD offer waiting for me in Germany, but I turned it down and decided to build a career here. I had a vision that this company was worth the risk, and I was right.”

When the young family arrived in Toronto in 2018, Novo Nordisk employees

 In 2021, Novo Nordisk established a diversity and inclusion team to make its Canadian workforce more representative helped them get settled. For the first three months, they were provided with a furnished apartment near the office and a car. Shweiky also did cultural training, and an employee helped him open a bank account.

The human resources departments in Syria and Canada helped make Shweiky’s transition as smooth as possible. “I feel valued and supported at Novo Nordisk,” he says. “It’s something that’s in the culture of the company.”

Novo Nordisk Canada president Béatrice Clerc has also felt supported by her colleagues. Hired in 2008 as diabetes marketing director in the Paris office, by

2013 she had been promoted to corporate vice president for France, Belgium and Luxembourg. In the summer of 2019, an opportunity arose to move from France to become president of the Canadian headquarters.

“At that point in my career, I knew I’d have to leave the country for a new opportunity,” says Clerc. “I was 53, my parents were doing well, and I thought Canada was far but not too far. I also speak French, which I knew would benefit the organization in Canada.”

However, soon after relocating in the fall of 2019, Clerc’s father became ill, and she returned to France for extended

stays before he died in February of 2020.

“Everyone was so understanding,” she says of that difficult time. “I was told to take the time I needed and not worry about my job – that kind of caring is a shining example of living our values.”

Clerc returned from France on March 12, 2020; five days later, Novo Nordisk Canada sent its office employees home.

“We’re an in-person company, in that our culture is based on face-to-face interactions, but we’ve learned that we can be productive virtually,” she says. “It’s definitely easier to be together, and we’re working toward a safe return to the office with a hybrid workplace model.”

The pandemic hasn’t paused important new initiatives. In early 2021, senior leaders established a diversity and inclusion team to develop a strategy to make the workforce even more representative of all Canadians. “I hadn’t been trained for this in France, and when I arrived in Canada, I realized how diverse this country is,” says Clerc.

Partnering with the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, the team is already hard at work. “Our culture and success come from hiring the right people,” says Clerc. “Doing so will secure the future of our company.” 

345

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

63%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

21

WEEKS, MATERNITY/ PARENTAL LEAVE TOP-UP PAY

100%

HEALTH PLAN PREMIUM AND FAMILY COVERAGE

62

( 2022 )

For Olympus Canada, core values are more than words

S

ince the COVID-19 pandemic began, the leadership and employees of Olympus Canada Inc. have “really lived the company’s core values,” says Russell Blackburn, a process engineering manager at the company.

“One that really stood out was unity — that we are strongest when we work together as a team,” says Blackburn.

“That has really echoed throughout the pandemic. The company has also leaned on its other core values of agility, empathy, long-term view and integrity, he notes.

“It is reassuring to know our safety and our families’ safety are being prioritized.”

— Shadi Sceviour Executive Administrative Assistant

Richmond Hill-based Olympus Canada specializes in medical technologies, providing minimally invasive therapeutic tools and diagnostic equipment. Since service is critical for its surgical and medical applications, approximately 80 of its employees are considered essential workers who have continued going into work to repair and service equipment.

“The company acted quickly to create strict safety policies to protect essential workers and their families,” Blackburn says. “Imagine the effort and sacrifices they’ve made during the pandemic, with the risk of being exposed to COVID-19 for them and their families. We have tried to mitigate that risk as much as possible and empower them to do their jobs.”

 During the pandemic, approximately 80 employees at Olympus Canada were considered essential workers, including this staff member repairing an endoscope

To keep everyone informed, the company began holding regular virtual town halls and smaller team huddles. It split the building into two areas, with non-essential workers having restricted access to the essential workers’ area. Essential workers rotated shifts to limit contact while still meeting customer needs. Once the company introduced added safety measures, employees went back to standard shifts to help improve their work-life balance.

Other measures aimed at improving work-life balance included two paid days off in the spring for essential workers in

lieu of summer hours. Their colleagues working from home could sign off two hours early every other Friday during the summer. Remote workers also received a $150 equipment allowance.

A company-wide policy encouraged no emails on the weekend and no Friday afternoon meetings. Olympus Canada also introduced a hybrid work policy, which will allow eligible employees to work remotely up to three days a week.

Shadi Sceviour, executive administrative assistant, appreciates these initiatives.

“They have helped create a balanced

atmosphere in my work and personal life,” she says. “It is reassuring to know our safety and our families’ safety are being prioritized.”

Olympus Canada has also stepped up its employee engagement and recognition programs, with virtual team-building events and recognition in the quarterly newsletter for a job well done.

A new corporate awards program was also launched to recognize employees across multiple functions. There are nine awards: Team of the Year, Edge of Perfection, Rookie of the Year, Outstanding Leadership and one for each of the core values. Employees nominate their colleagues online and the executive committee chooses the winners. The company received 260 nominations from 130 employees.

Sceviour was thrilled to win the unity award. “It meant a lot to receive that award, especially during the pandemic, because I worked with so many different teams across the organization,” she says.

“It’s very nice to be recognized for the collaboration. I'm grateful to work in a company that prioritizes core values. It’s not just about getting the job done. I truly love that about this company.” 

272

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

100%

HEALTH PLAN PREMIUM AND FAMILY COVERAGE

6

WEEKS, MAXIMUM VACATION ALLOWANCE

37

YEARS, LONGEST-SERVING EMPLOYEE

DEDICATED TO MAKING PEOPLE’S LIVES HEALTHIER, SAFER, AND MORE FULFILLING

63

( 2022 )

Leading with purpose aligns employees at OMERS

V

anessa Naughton’s connection to OMERS (Ontario Municipal Employees’ Retirement System) began with her grandmother, Peggy, and her grandfather, a Toronto police officer for over 30 years. When he passed away, her “nana” received his defined benefit pension, ensuring her lifelong financial security.

Seeing the impact it had on her grandmother inspired Naughton to investigate the pension industry as a career – “not a choice you might necessarily think of for somebody just out of school.” Currently a senior specialist in investment communications, she’s been with OMERS for nearly six years.

“I’m 100 per cent invested in the work we do every day, because I see how it benefits my immediate community,” says Naughton. “I think that’s what makes OMERS unique. People care about what they’re doing here because they’re aware of that greater purpose. It’s a great feeling.”

“I'm 100 per cent invested in the work we do every day, because I see how it benefits my immediate community.”

— Vanessa Naughton Senior Specialist, Investment Communications

OMERS is the steward and guardian of the retirement income of more than half a million active, deferred and retired municipal employees across Ontario.

While OMERS is very clear on its purpose

 OMERS manages the retirement savings of over 500,000 active and retired municipal employees across Ontario to provide secure and sustainable pensions for members, Naughton points out other areas of the business where the company’s sense of purpose shines through.

“We’re leaders when it comes to inclusion and diversity, employee wellness and employee growth and development as well,” says Naughton. “We’re also leading on environmental issues, helping to reduce our impact on the earth whether through the businesses we invest in or the places where we live and work.”

Nancy Nazer, chief human resources officer, says that sense of purpose is what drives the employee experience from “before hire to retire.” She joined the organization during the pandemic so had to onboard virtually. Yet, she identified so much with the company’s culture, it felt like coming home.

“We have this wonderful purpose that is so meaningful,” says Nazer. “All of the various initiatives we do are tied to our purpose at work. It’s embedded in our values, but values can’t just be a statement and purpose needs to be lived.”

OMERS People Strategy, launched in 2020, focuses on three key areas: inclusion and diversity, wellness, and growth and development. A year later, OMERS launched an employee survey to best understand the progress and what really matters to people about the employee experience.

To that end, a committee called “Purpose @ Work” was created at OMERS, bringing a cross-section of leaders and innovators from all different areas of the business and global locations together regularly. The committee ensures

that those areas, as well as environmental sustainability, plan advocacy and involvement in broader global initiatives, are discussed and embedded in all aspects of the enterprise.

“We know that when our people are at their best, we will be at our best,” says Nazer. “We’re not only measuring our performance, but how we achieve that performance. That means having a focus on impact and implementing better metrics and scorecards so leaders can measure their success in important areas such as inclusivity or fostering a sense of team.

“These are things that we measure formally through our employee experience survey, which gives us better insights as we measure our own improvement year over year and helps us to understand ourselves in comparison to other industries and bestin-class benchmarks.”

Over the past year, emotional well-being has also been top of mind for the organization, with a growing set of information and support programs available to all employees.

“People are needing to have more connection,” says Nazer. “That sense of, I’m doing a job, I’m giving back, I have purpose, is more important than ever before.” 

1,167

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

100%

HEALTH PLAN PREMIUM AND FAMILY COVERAGE

48% 134

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

STUDENTS HIRED IN 2021

64

( 2022 )

Improving Ontario health care inspires OMA staff

T

hroughout a career spanning three decades, Ros Whitby has worked for large and small organizations in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. So she knew what she was looking for when she landed a position with the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) in early 2021.

“I’m at a point in my life where a positive culture is a big thing,” says Whitby, the executive assistant with the OMA’s member relations, advocacy and communications team. “They always say there’s truth in rumours. I was told that the culture at OMA is one of the organization’s best features and I’ve seen it first-hand. We have a very strong and positive culture.”

“Our employees take an awful lot of pride in serving and supporting the doctors of Ontario so they can take care of our families, our friends and our neighbours.”

 Ontario Medical Association executive assistant Ros Whitby connects to the organization from her home office

— Allan O’Dette CEO

The OMA supports, advocates and negotiates for Ontario’s 40,000 doctors.

It manages relationships with various stakeholders, including the provincial government, and advances solutions for improving health care for Ontarians.

“Our employees take an awful lot of pride in serving and supporting the doctors of Ontario so they can take care of our

families, our friends and our neighbours,” says CEO Allan O’Dette.

That is a big motivator for Whitby, who has witnessed the treatment of close family members coping with serious illnesses.

“I’ve seen doctors on a daily basis and that’s given me a lot of confidence in our health-care professionals,” she says. “I feel proud to support a team that advocates for our physicians and helps build a better health-care system.”

The OMA recruits employees to fill a typical range of corporate functions, including finance and accounting, communications and human resources, but given its advocacy role the organization’s staff

also includes economists, public policy experts, doctors and PhDs in several disciplines.

“We are heavily focused and invested in attracting, developing and retaining key talent,” says O’Dette. “We have a specific fund we use for growth, development and training for every employee in the organization.”

Over the past two years, the OMA has relied on secondments to provide opportunities for growth and development, but also to spur innovative thinking.

“We’ve taken an integrated approach, with cross-functional teams made up of men and women from various departments,”

says O’Dette. “We have focused on integrative thinking and integrative collaboration to solve problems and develop thoughtful public policy.”

With almost everyone working from home for close to two years due to COVID-19, collaboration and integration have had to occur remotely. “We have had daily meetings of virtually every department and discipline in the organization that worked cross-functionally,” O’Dette says. “That level of integration provides opportunities for everyone to participate and everyone to contribute.”

As for the prospects of a post-pandemic future, O’Dette says the OMA will strike a balance, taking account of the needs of the organization while respecting the wishes of employees who want a flexible work environment. That means that working remotely will continue part of the time, but employees will have to be in the office for staff meetings, collaboration and the lateral thinking that leads to creative problem-solving.

“We recognize that employees desire flexibility in a modern workplace,” says O’Dette. “We also need to find space to get people together socially and collegially for their own well-being and culture of the organization.” 

300

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

70%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

61%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

42

YEARS, LONGEST-SERVING EMPLOYEE

The OMA is proud to be one of

Doctors. We lead you to better health.

65

( 2022 )

Ontario Shores leads the way on mental health delivery

K

arim Mamdani has worked for some of the largest health-care organizations in Ontario. But nothing quite compares to the 15 years he’s spent with Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, a smaller facility on Lake Ontario’s shoreline in Whitby that has been helping people with complex mental illnesses for more than a century.

“Our staff have a legendary reputation for caring,” says Mamdani, Ontario Shore’s president and chief executive officer. “We’ve also worked hard in recent years to be at the forefront of innovation and operational excellence and to be clear leaders in mental health care delivery.”

“Our staff have a legendary reputation for caring.”

— Karim Mamdani President and CEO

Mamdani says Ontario Shores operates on a core set of values that include Excellence, Innovation, Safety, Respect and Community.

“The way we reach out to our community is an example of living those values,” he adds.

A case in point: during the pandemic, all of the residents at a nearby long-term care home tested positive for COVID-19.

Some of those residents were sent to Ontario Shores, which set up a separate unit and protocols to keep its residents and employees safe. Ontario Shores staffers then helped to thoroughly clean out the long-term care facility and put in place processes that allowed the residents to safely return home.

 Erica, an accreditation champion, preparing for a site survey at Ontario Shores

Ontario Shores also encourages and helps fund on-the-ground innovations proposed by staff members. One such initiative was an on-site outdoor ice rink built during the pandemic that both patients and staff could use at a time when patients were largely confined to the hospital.

The organization looks for that sense of commitment when considering potential employees.

“We are a highly specialized organization and one that requires people of deep expertise in specific fields,” says

Mamdani. “But if you have people of identical qualifications, what distinguishes one from the other is the attitude they bring. We look for people who have a sense of calling and are willing and able to work as part of a team to really make a difference in the way mental health is delivered.”

One such employee is Erica Francis, who has been with Ontario Shores for nine years and is currently the student affairs coordinator in the organization’s Research and Academics department.

Francis oversees the temporary

ontarioshores.ca

placement of, among others, nursing, social work and occupational health students.

“We onboard the students and do exit interviews with them at the end of their placements,” says Francis. “I work closely with them and get to know them quite well. There have been instances where students have been very nervous about doing a placement in a mental health facility. But by the end, they are passionate about the kind of work we do. I love being part of that.”

Francis is impressed by the collaborative workplace culture at Ontario Shores and the way leaders and managers welcome the input and initiative of team members.

“They realize those who work directly with our patients and stakeholders have valuable insights into how we can continually improve,” she says.

But above all, adds Francis, “what I really like about Ontario Shores is the sense of community and passion for mental health. I’m just really happy to be able to play whatever role I can in reducing the stigma around mental illness and helping the patients we serve as well as their caregivers.” 

893

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

10,330

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

50% 7

OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS ARE WOMEN WEEKS, MAXIMUM VACATION ALLOWANCE

66

( 2022 )

Oracle keeps the future at the forefront

W

hen Sheryl Helsdon-Baker joined Oracle Canada ULC in 1995, the internet was on the verge of revolutionizing the way that people, businesses and entire societies operate.

“It was touching everything we did,” she says. “I was interested, and I wanted to join a company in the technology field.”

Helsdon-Baker, now human resources senior director, felt confident about the company’s future, in Canada and throughout the world. “Oracle is led by visionaries,” she says, “and an experienced leadership team.”

“I like to be learning something new, and my manager gives me the opportunity to do it.”

— Sahil Bhayana Project Manager, Customer Success With over four decades of industry expertise, Oracle is one of the largest software companies in the world, employing 132,000 people worldwide. It is a global provider of enterprise cloud computing and offers a complete suite of integrated cloud applications for sales, service, marketing, human resources, finance and supply chain, plus highly automated, next-generation cloud infrastructure like the Oracle Autonomous Database.

As Helsdon-Baker says, “The focus is always on innovation.”

“The emphasis is on where do we go?

How do we make it more efficient?” says Sahil Bhayana, project manager, customer success, who joined Oracle Canada five years ago with a bachelor of commerce

 Oracle Canada employees having fun in the media lounge before the pandemic degree in business technology management from Ryerson University.

Oracle relies for its continuing growth and leadership on employees like Bhayana, not only for their technology skills, which are always evolving, but also for “their constant curiosity, continuous learning mindset, resiliency and desire to be at the forefront of innovation,” says Helsdon-Baker.

Those qualities have led Bhayana through three different roles at the company since he joined in 2016. “I like to be learning something new,” he says, “and my manager gives me the opportunity to do it.”

Encouraged by his managers and supported by Oracle’s training programs,

Bhayana initially completed the company’s three-month customer success associate development program, progressing rapidly into more senior consulting roles.

With more training, he moved after two years into project management. Now he has his sights set on a role that combines consulting and project management.

While developing their skills, employees are encouraged to plan their next career move, says Helsdon-Baker. “Oracle is a big company. You don’t have to leave to do something different.

“We have a huge global team at Oracle that focuses on learning needs,” she continues, “and they ensure employees have access to a massive amount of online learning opportunities involving technical

skills as well as skills like leadership, resiliency and adaptability.”

As the world slowly emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, Bhayana looks forward to making contact again in person with his fellow employees and with the customers who rely on his team for their products and services.

Before COVID-19, Bhayana travelled to meet with customers in Montréal, Washington. Chicago and New York.

“In-person visits help to understand the business better,” he says. “We still do Zoom calls, but they’re not the same.”

Helsdon-Baker remembers the days when even a Zoom call would not have been possible. If the pandemic had hit when she first joined Oracle in 1995, the challenge of keeping employees working together from remote locations would have been far greater.

“The world is constantly changing around us at a faster and faster pace, and our industry is at the centre of it,” she says.

“Sometimes I talk to my kids and ask them to imagine a time when we didn’t have high-speed internet and all the technology that has come since. It’s exciting to be part of Oracle, where the work we do is shaping the future and impacting the world in a profoundly positive way.” 

2,395

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

26,500

JOB APPLICATIONS LAST YEAR IN CANADA

100%

HEALTH PLAN PREMIUM AND FAMILY COVERAGE

3

WEEKS, STARTING VACATION ALLOWANCE

67

( 2022 )

A culture of diversity helps Ornge employees soar

A

fter he finishes checking his equipment and medical supplies before the start of his shift, Howie Isaac makes his way to the hanger of the Ornge base in Moosonee, Ont., and has a quiet coffee with his work mates, chit-chatting about their last job, the state of their aircraft or maybe hockey. When an emergency call comes in, he goes to work calm and confident in the knowledge that his company will back him up when making a life-or-death decision.

“The company prepares you for any situation, even the worst-case scenario where you have to be able to operate without any immediate support,” says Isaac, a critical care paramedic.

“Ornge empowers their employees with the training and knowledge they need to be able to operate at a top level.”

— Howie Isaac Critical Care Paramedic

“Ornge empowers their employees with the training and knowledge they need to be able to operate at a top level where we can make decisions on our own if we have to, but we also have the support of our base hospital and its team.”

Headquartered in Mississauga, Ornge provides high-quality air ambulance services and medical transport to people who are critically ill or injured. Part of the Ontario health care system, the company services both the southern part of the

 An all female crew from Ornge celebrating 2021 International Women’s Day in Thunder Bay province and its most remote northern communities.

It’s tough, demanding work with employees often being on standby 24/7 to respond to emergencies in isolated locations.

Things have become even tougher during COVID-19. But a corporate culture that’s built on safety, professionalism, respect and diversity helps Ornge respond to both individual health care crises and the larger emergency posed by the pandemic.

“I can’t say enough about what our employees have accomplished in the last 18 months – it really speaks to their commitment,” says Chief Operating Officer & Deputy CEO Wade Durham.

“It comes back to our core values. We have an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Committee at Ornge promoting these values in the workplace. Our principles are extremely important to us.”

Valuing diversity is essential in a company that has such a diverse workforce.

In addition to paramedics like Isaac, Ornge employs pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, physicians, education specialists, dispatchers, administrative support personnel and others. Not only are their jobs diverse, so are the employees’ backgrounds.

“I’m Indigenous and I have several Indigenous friends as co-employees, so I like what I’m seeing in terms of equity and diversity within the workplace,” says Isaac, a member of the Moose Cree First Nation.

“Ornge promotes equity and diversity among all the various professions and it’s kind of neat to see them opening up minds.

They’re also working hard to appreciate and understand the culture of the diverse populations we serve.”

Covering such a vast geographical area, Ornge employees encounter a wide range of cultural and linguistic diversity. Most employees receive cultural sensitivity training to prepare them to work in Indigenous communities. Front-line employees are encouraged to act like guests in First Nations’ traditional territories.

That kind of training is just part of an overall package that gives employees the education, equipment and wellness support they need to perform a very hard job at a very high level of professionalism.

It’s the kind of company where people stay for their whole careers.

“Ornge is a very attractive place to work because if you’re a helicopter pilot, you’re flying state-of-the-art aircraft at the peak of your career, or if you’re a critical care paramedic, you’re considered to be the elite of the profession, so people see this as a career where they want to end up,” says Durham.

“A lot of people want to come here and when they do, they stick around.” 

627

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

6,513

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

40

YEARS, LONGEST-SERVING EMPLOYEE

100%

HEALTH PLAN PREMIUM & FAMILY COVERAGE

Take your career to new heights at Ornge!

PROUD TO BE ONE OF GREATER TORONTO’S TOP EMPLOYERS APPLY TODAY: ORNGE.CA/CAREERS

68

( 2022 )

Panasonic is dedicated to supporting women leaders

S

ana Raja realized she was pregnant soon after starting her job at Panasonic Canada Inc. She was excited to begin her journey as a first-time mom, and pleasantly surprised by the culture of support at Panasonic, which included a 17-week maternity leave top-up pay program.

“The top-up helped tremendously,” says Raja. “And when I came back to work, my manager offered me a new position as senior e-commerce specialist, which was a nice surprise. People talk about how hard it is to return after mat leave and pick up where you left off, so it makes me happy that my career goals are supported even though I was gone for a year.

“It’s a huge company, but the executives are so approachable. They listen to you; they reply to your emails and they take your ideas into consideration.”

— Sandra Purkovic Digital Designer

“They were so understanding and helpful as I dealt with coming back as a new mom,” she says. “There are a lot of parents on the team, and everyone provided advice and suggestions. It was a good transition.”

For her part, digital designer Sandra Purkovic is grateful for Panasonic’s flexible-hours policy, which helped her manage her child’s schooling during the

 Panasonic Canada employee donated handmade masks to the local community

COVID-19 pandemic. “I’m a single mom, and my daughter had difficulties with online school,” she says. “I really had to stick with her and monitor her work. So, I would do my own work in the evenings.

My boss was amazing – he allowed me to create my own schedule if I met the deadlines.

“It was tough, but everybody was so supportive. It’s like a big family.”

These policies, along with an innovative leadership development program, are part of the reason why more than 50 per cent of Panasonic Canada’s executive team are women, says Deborah Scott, vice-president of human resources and facilities.

“Women are essential to have on the leadership team, because we bring a

different voice, perspective and skills to the table – and that’s necessary for companies to excel,” she explains. “It’s about having an environment where women feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work. I’ve never been shy about the fact that I have a family, and I don’t want to have to park my life at the door. Having the employer realize that and make sure women feel supported is crucial.”

In addition, as VP of facilities, Scott has led initiatives to keep employees safe post-pandemic, including providing options to work at home or in a hybrid model when all the employees are welcomed back to the office environment.

“We also fitted the building with things we thought would make our employees

Panasonic Canada focuses on diversity in its support of Women in Leadership

feel comfortable,” she says. “We retrofitted our open workstations with Plexiglas over-panels, put directional arrows on the floors and provided masks and key fobs so they can press elevator buttons without using their fingers. We’re ready!”

Purkovic further appreciates the company’s support for employee participation in charitable events, and for her own efforts to engage her colleagues in creative projects like COVID journals and crochet groups and establish a quiet room for meditation in the office.

“It’s a huge company, but the executives are so approachable,” she says. “They listen to you; they reply to your emails and they take your ideas into consideration.”

Despite the business challenges presented by COVID-19, says Scott, the company has relied on its values to keep its workforce intact and thriving.

“Our founding values are still relevant,” she says. “Contribution to Society.

Adaptability. Courtesy and Humility.

Untiring Effort for Improvement.

Cooperation and Team Spirit. Fairness and Honesty. Gratitude. They’re not clichés, they’re lived every day on a global basis. And I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together.” 

375

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

57%

OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

3

WEEKS STARTING VACATION ALLOWANCE

100%

JOB-RELATED TUITION SUBSIDIES

69

( 2022 )

Philips works hard at diversity and inclusion

I

n 2009, when Marisa Tauro was three months into a year-long contract as a benefits administrator at Philips Canada, a Mississauga-based health technology company, she was surprised to be offered a permanent, full-time position.

“I wasn’t expecting the discussion of a full-time position to happen before the end of my contract,” she says. “Philips is big on seeing the value that people bring to their work and ensuring that talent is retained – they saw that potential in me.”

“I found myself very taken with Philips’ vision and mission because it incorporates wellness and sustainability – and while it affects people globally, it starts at home.”

— Britta Kroupa Vice President and Managing Director

That first year, Tauro didn’t have a career plan mapped out. “I started as a human resources generalist – working in rewards wasn’t in my wheelhouse,” she says. “What’s great about Philips is that you’re invited to work on projects that you’ve never had exposure to, which helps you see what else is out there.”

Over time, Tauro was given more responsibility and promotions, becoming the total rewards leader in 2019. In this role, she develops and implements the employee rewards program, which includes benefits, pension plans, health and wellness initiatives, sick leave and leave of absences.

 Philips Canada employees get active to help build a healthier Canada Some of the plans are flexible, offering options to employees.

Beyond her role, Tauro makes time to contribute to Philips’ health and well-being committee and is closely involved in the company’s inclusion and diversity initiatives. Tauro, who is Indian, appreciates the support Philips provides to women and visible minorities through their Women’s Leadership Group and Culture Committee. “We’ve been implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives for years because we want to create a work environment where everyone feels valued and respected,” she says.

Vice president and managing director Britta Kroupa applauds Philips’ commitment in this area. In 2020, the company instituted an Inclusion and Diversity Day – an additional day off work

that employees could take anytime, to recognize a religious holiday, celebrate a day of cultural significance, participate in a Pride event or learn about other cultures.

“I’m proud of our HR team members who worked really hard on bringing this to fruition,” she says.

An internal inclusion and diversity committee focuses on hiring diverse candidates – and then works hard to ensure their success. “Once we have these candidates on board, we check on how they’re progressing through the company,” says Kroupa. “We want to know, are they developing and being promoted?”

Kroupa, who joined the company in 2019, was impressed with its core values.

“I found myself very taken with Philips’ vision and mission because it incorporates wellness and sustainability – and while it

affects people globally, it starts at home,” she says. “We pride ourselves not only on our sustainability commitments in regard to the environment and circular economy, but also the sustainability of our people, their health and well-being.”

Both sustainability and the well-being of the Philips’ team was discussed when readying the new Philips Canada headquarters. Although employees are still working remotely, there are plans for a gradual return to the office in January 2022. The new open-concept space has plenty of light, a dedicated room for prayer or breastfeeding, a restaurant with healthy food and takeout options, an indoor fitness facility and outdoor fitness equipment.

Although Tauro plans to work partly at home in the new year, she’s looking forward to seeing the new office – and to greeting her colleagues in person again.

“The people I work with make for a great day,” she says. “They’re talented and smart, and there are incredible partnerships. You always feel heard and that you have a voice, no matter what level of the company you work in and the impacts go beyond our workplace. Individuals, their families and the wider community, they all benefit.” 

568

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

75%

OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS ARE WOMEN

17

WEEKS, MATERNITY LEAVE TOP-UP PAY

5

WEEKS, TOP-UP FOR PARENTAL & COMPASSIONATE CARE

70

( 2022 )

Questrade is all about growth and opportunities

F

or Aret Ozdemirci, manager of cloud infrastructure engineering at Questrade Inc., the company is “all about opportunities.” Since joining the Toronto-based firm, Canada’s fastest-growing and No. 1-rated online brokerage, he has advanced through various roles over six years and become an expert on cloud technology.

“The company has been investing more and more in digital transformation, and there are a lot of initiatives going on to improve scaling and to better serve our customers,” he says. “With that evolution, anyone at Questrade, regardless of their position, can say, ‘I’m up for the challenge’ – and I’m a good example of that.”

“Everyone who works at Questrade has the opportunity to be an entrepreneur, and that means the freedom to pursue solutions or find new ways of doing things.”

— Christine Day Chief Information Technology Officer

“With the cloud,” he continues, “I was in the right place at the right time. I built a scaffold for our cloud platform and created a team that enables our engineers to deliver new products to market with incredible speed.

“Everyone who works at Questrade has the opportunity to be an entrepreneur,” says Christine Day, chief information technology officer, “and that means the

 Questrade is hiring about 300 new technology-related positions in the upcoming year freedom to pursue solutions or find new ways of doing things, and that sense of ownership over initiatives and projects.

There are many opportunities to grow personally as well as professionally.”

Questrade has been in business for more than 20 years, with some $25 billion in assets under administration and more than 200,000 accounts opened every year.

The company continually adds new services for its clients. It recently launched QuestMobile, an app that allows new investors to research and trade stocks, among other activities, on their phones. Currently in the pipeline is a new mobile app for more experienced and active traders. And there is a lot more planned.

Day observes that the company is growing so quickly that it has hired close to 200 tech professionals in the past year

and has about 150 open tech positions.

“We’re about to add about 300 more positions.”

“Working at Questrade,” she adds, “is not just an opportunity to join a really innovative organization, but it’s the opportunity to learn, grow and make an impact. The career paths available in a hyper-growth firm are far beyond what you see in small or average-growth ones.”

Questrade competes against organizations many times its size, Day notes.

“That means there is a challenger spirit in the organization. So, we’re leveraging technology as a means of disruption, and of advocacy for Canadians and their financial needs.”

The firm’s culture is very important, she says. “That's why we continually ask our employees to provide feedback, completely

anonymously, on how they feel about the workplace. What has come through time and time again is that people value the ability to learn from peers across the company, and I do have to say we have an extremely high concentration of top talent to learn from.”

“Questrade gives everyone the opportunity to engage with and learn from one another, which is so much more powerful than what can be learned in any kind of formal training program.”

This “one team” culture is not only driven from the top down but also from employees upward. Employees wanted a way to give back to the community, so Questrade implemented a paid day to volunteer for a charity of their choice.

On top of that, Questrade works with Food Banks Canada and also Junior Achievement, helping teach schoolchildren the importance of financial literacy.

Collegiality among staff is a gratifying aspect of working for Questrade, says Ozdemirci. “We have a very respectful, supportive and, most important, an empowering culture. That starts with the leadership, which is always there to guide, support and celebrate success.” 

1,028

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES IN CANADA

32

YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF ALL EMPLOYEES

100%

EMPLOYER-PAID HEALTH PLAN, WITH FAMILY COVERAGE

100%

TUITION SUBSIDIES FOR JOB-RELATED COURSES

71

( 2022 )

RVA promotes growth and opportunity

O

ver the past five years, R.V. Anderson Associates Limited (RVA) has been on a significant growth curve, one that even a global pandemic has failed to dent. Full-time employment at the consulting engineering firm has doubled, providing team members with new opportunities – and even more reason to want to be there.

“One of the key reasons we wanted to grow was to be able to expand and allow people to progress,” says Tyler Lahti, manager of structures and tunnels. “We are growing not just for growth’s sake, but to create a healthier and more sustainable company and to keep people motivated and engaged.”

“If you are passionate about your work, you will do well here.”

— Kim Sayers Principal and Manager, Water Supply Group

Lahti himself is a good example of the company’s focus on retaining and rewarding talent. He started with RVA – which specializes in water, wastewater, transportation, municipal, building services and urban development – as a summer student in 2003.

Joining as an engineer-in-training in 2006, he progressed through a number of roles towards his current position. The company helped him along the way, exposing Lahti to different aspects of the business and giving him a clear understanding of the operations as a whole.

 The project-based engineering work at RVA means employees are always learning and developing new capabilities

“One of the things I’ve enjoyed most is the variety of the work,” says Lahti.

“In our group, we do everything from traditional building designs to unique underwater tunnel applications to work on rollercoasters and amusement parks.

No two days are the same. And with this latest round of growth, we are able to take on the next tier of projects. It makes things both challenging and exciting.”

The projects also include a strong emphasis on sustainability.

“A lot of our work is for municipalities, and reducing our carbon and environmental footprint is part of virtually every project,” says Lahti. “It’s just an inherent part of our business.”

Kim Sayers, principal and manager of RVA’s water supply group, echoes that sentiment.

“Municipalities have a vested interest in reducing operating costs and a key part of that is achieving greater energy efficiency,” says Sayers. “We use the latest technology to create infrastructure that is both energy efficient and robust over the long run.”

Sayers is another company veteran who has stayed with RVA longer than she’d expected because of the opportunities she’s been given and the calibre of her colleagues.

“When I first interviewed with the company 16 years ago, I was immediately

struck by the high level of integrity in everyone I met,” she says. “You could just tell these were honest, hard-working people who would always have your best interests in mind.”

Like Lahti, Sayers enjoys the dynamic nature of the work.

“It’s project-based and there’s a lot of learning and pushing yourself beyond your comfort level,” she says. “As engineers, we’re used to dealing with the technical side, but here you also get exposed to the softer skills of being a project manager and dealing directly with contractors and clients.”

While project deadlines can be demanding, Sayers says managers at RVA are very deliberate about spreading the workload judiciously and providing sufficient support to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

As for the types of characteristics RVA looks for in new hires, Sayers says being a “self-starter” certainly helps.

“We look for people who aren’t afraid to ask questions and who like to seize opportunities,” she adds. “It’s really a company of entrepreneurs. If you are passionate about your work, you will do well here.” 

394 100% 16 1,575

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA HEALTH PLAN PREMIUM AND FAMILY COVERAGE WEEKS, MATERNITY LEAVE TOP-UP PAY HOURS VOLUNTEERED TO CHARITY LAST YEAR

Join an engineering firm that is focused on your career growth.

Start your journey at rvanderson.com

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72

( 2022 )

Rogers commits to career growth for young leaders

N

ick Chin-A-Loy started with Rogers Communications Inc. as a sales rep at a retail store in the Toronto suburb of Whitby.

He was still a student, working toward a business degree, but he had his eye on a future with the company.

“I reached out to my manager and expressed an interest in growing my career in the company,” says Chin-a-Loy. “The response I got was positive and supportive so I worked on a development plan to prepare myself for my growth opportunity.”

“Rogers is helping students make the transition into the corporate world. It really shows their dedication to developing new talent and grooming future leaders of the company.”

— Nick Chin-A-Loy Technical Operations Analyst, Connected Home

In June 2021, after completing his degree, Chin-A-Loy won a coveted spot in the Rogers New Grad program and, along with it, a position as a technical operations analyst on the Connected Home team.

“It’s such a valuable program,” says Chin-A-Loy. “Rogers is helping students make the transition into the corporate world. It really shows their dedication to developing new talent and grooming future leaders of the company.”

Rogers hired 150 recent graduates this year for the program. Currently,

 A Rogers team member featured in the company’s ‘Make Your Possible’ campaign millennials and Gen Zs – people born after 1997 – make up some 57 per cent of the company’s workforce. Those two groups are projected to represent 75 per cent within three years, says Jim Reid, chief human resources officer.

The company is also committed to developing team members across the company. Reid notes that growth and development is the number one driver of engagement at Rogers, and there are endless opportunities.

In February and March each year, employees are encouraged to set goals and objectives for the year. They can take advantage of a whole suite of online seminars

to develop and enhance a variety of skills, and help carve a path for new career opportunities. As well, all employees can apply to be matched up with a mentor.

“Leadership development is a top priority,” says Reid. “Coaching is at the heart of it. It’s one of the things that threads through our career development programs.”

Career opportunities within Rogers have expanded greatly in the last five years.

“We really encourage promoting from within,” Reid says. “Almost 60 per cent of our roles today are filled internally. It’s a really important part of our culture.”

Throughout the pandemic, new hires

have been brought onboard virtually and have worked from home for the most part, and the company coached managers to ensure everyone was set up for success.

“We did a lot of short, intense sessions to help our leaders lead remotely,” says Reid.

“One of the key elements was about empathy and care, including the importance of starting meetings by checking in to see how people are doing, how their family is.”

For his part, Chin-A-Loy felt well supported from Day 1, although he hasn’t set foot in the office or met his colleagues face to face. “You feel trusted and supported right off the bat, even while working remotely,” he says. “The culture is really engaging and inclusive.”

Most Rogers employees will continue to work remotely part-time and be in the office for team meetings and collaborative work. Flexibility is key – a welcome innovation for many living in the Greater Toronto Area and dealing with sometimes long, trying commutes.

“Rogers corporate employees have started the shift to a hybrid way of working, where teams will come into the office to collaborate and make connections,” says Reid. “Employees are saying they’re not productive when they’re commuting, so flexibility will be key to our approach.” 

23,500

ACTIVE TEAM MEMBERS IN CANADA

87%

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

49

YEARS, LONGEST-SERVING EMPLOYEE

150

NEW GRADS HIRED IN 2021

73

( 2022 )

At RBC, mental well-being is everybody’s business

I

t’s not in any written job description at RBC, but for Erica Spear, banishing the elephant in the room is implicit in her role as senior manager, global wellness.

The elephant in question is the stigma associated with mental illness. While attitudes are changing, Spear says, fear of feeling stigmatized still prevents too many people from seeking the help they need.

RBC has always prioritized a healthy workplace, but recommitted to mental health with the launch of its blueprint for employee well-being in 2017. While this commitment explicitly included promoting mental as well as physical health, Spear says, RBC has stepped up its mental health programming even further since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The goal is to normalize the conversation. We are all perfectly human and people need to know it’s OK to not be OK.” — David Schwarz Senior Vice President, Compensation & Benefits

“It’s important that people who are stressed and anxious feel heard and supported with tools and resources that meet their needs,” Spear says. “We want to reaffirm the message that mental health is health.”

Mental health issues have been a personal passion since her university days, Spear says. Classmates who were struggling academically could get help, but there was nothing for those feeling

 RBC offers employees mental health and well-being webinars throughout the year

anxious, depressed or overwhelmed, and some ended up dropping out. Calling the discrepancy “incredible,” Spear started a peer-support program.

In her role, Spear works with more than 500 wellness champions around the world, including 230 in the Toronto area alone.

Their feedback, as well as pulse surveys and other initiatives, help identify employees’ concerns and expectations.

“We have excellent ears to the ground,” says Spear, who, while still tending to the well-being of others, is doing so on a vastly different scale.

RBC, one of Canada’s largest employers, also has operations in 28 other

countries globally. When it decides to take direct action toward positive change, it has a track record of devoting the resources needed to make an impact.

The measures RBC took to help employees cope with pandemic-related stressors are a case in point. The initiatives include increasing core psychology benefits to $5,000 from $3,000 per plan member and for each of their family members, offering webinars focused on mental health and well-being, providing one year access to the Headspace app and giving employees an extra day off in 2021.

RBC also ramped up mental health training for its leadership, particularly for

people managers who, as a group, have routine contact with nearly 80 per cent of employees. The managers were provided with resources to help talk openly about their own issues and concerns and speak empathetically with others, Spear says.

David Schwarz, senior vice president, compensation and benefits, says modelling those behaviors goes a long way in reducing stigma. “The goal is to normalize the conversation,” he says. “We are all perfectly human and people need to know it’s OK to not be OK.” “Today RBC takes a more proactive, holistic approach to physical and mental health, reinforcing the role leaders play across the organization in supporting wellness and resiliency,” Schwarz says.

“It’s essential that employee health and wellness be extended and integrated in our overall talent and culture strategies, and not solely viewed through a traditional benefits lens.”

“All of this comes back to RBC’s culture,” Schwarz says. “We believe that healthier employees tend to be more effective and purposeful in their workday, and the impacts go beyond our workplace.

Individuals, their families and the wider community, they all benefit.” 

59,098

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

57%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

63

YEARS, LONGESTSERVING EMPLOYEE

25,924

STAFF VOLUNTEER HOURS LAST YEAR

We’re proud to be one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers.

RBC is creating an environment where employees are enabled and empowered to be their best.

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74

( 2022 )

RSM Canada understands the power of being understood

R

honda Klosler was a first-year university co-op student in 1989 when she started at the accounting firm that was to become RSM Canada.

Through several iterations, the company’s focus has always been on middle-market clients and on cultivating a staff who wanted to work directly with business owners. By 2017, the Torontobased firm, with $50 million in revenue and 300 employees, was ready to go national. By joining with a global brand, RSM Canada was born.

“I want my legacy to be an organization where people really feel they can show us their best authentic selves.”

— Rhonda Klosler Chief Operating Officer  Employees from RSM Canada taking part in a fundraiser for cancer research

But the company didn’t really change.

“The reason I never left was because of the culture,” says Klosler, now chief operating officer of a company that is on the way to $135 million in revenue this year. “I’ve had the great fortune to have people who mentored me and influenced my career, so that’s my impetus.

“I want to continue that,” she adds.

“I want my legacy to be an organization where people really feel they can show us their best authentic selves.”

That aspect of the culture was what drew Daniel Booth to the company. He joined three years ago to build out the campus recruiting team. “I’m a single father of a three-year-old daughter, and

family and flexibility are very important to me,” says Booth, who leads the team.

“And as an out gay individual, I need to feel comfortable with who I am.”

For Booth, it’s a ripple effect – the culture at RSM Canada truly flows from the top down. Among other things, partners took a pay cut during the pandemic to help support staff. The company also provided counselling not only for employees but also for their family members and started a weekly series of tips and tools called Mental Health Minutes.

“People are all feeling stressed, including myself,” says Klosler. “And when a leader shares that, that creates a safe place

for people to talk about how they’re really feeling. It has a dramatic impact on our people and our culture.”

Driving the culture are the “Five C’s” – behaviours the company expects everyone to follow. “Be caring, be curious, be collaborative, be courageous and be critical thinkers,” Klosler says. “We feel if we as leaders and our people are demonstrating the five C’s, then we’re creating a culture that’s unique and special. And it’s not just how we interact with each other, it’s how we interact with our clients.”

At RSM Canada, 12 employee network groups give staff a space to be with others who share their interests or

their backgrounds. There are groups for Hispanic employees, for Asian, Black and LGBTQ2+ employees, for Women in Leadership, for celebrating diversity in religion and more. “You can either be part of the community or be an ally,” Booth explains.

While each group has its own fundraisers, community involvement at RSM Canada goes much further than just raising money. There are volunteer days, an action advisory team focused on building a diverse workforce, and work with Junior Achievement of Central Ontario, among other things.

“There’s never a shortage of ways to get involved at RSM,” Booth says “and never a shortage of ways to take on a leadership role, whether you’re a partner or an intern.

People are able to take on activities and develop their own identity and their own leadership style.”

All the big accounting firms provide tax and consulting services, Booth notes.

It’s culture that makes the difference.

“We have a slogan, ‘The Power of Being Understood,’” he says. “That’s not something that’s just slapped up on the wall. That’s something we actually live by.” 

697 36

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF EMPLOYEES

51%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

17

WEEKS, MATERNITY LEAVE TOP-UP PAY

75

( 2022 )

Sanofi Canada helps people live healthier lives

D

oug Daniell, interim head of public affairs at Sanofi Canada, has worked for the global biopharmaceutical manufacturer for 25 years, but feels more passionate than ever about his job.

Located at Sanofi Pasteur’s Connaught Campus in North Toronto and Sanofi Genzyme in Mississauga, the company does groundbreaking research & development in human health focused on two main areas: vaccine production and clinical studies across a wide range of therapeutic areas such as oncology, rare diseases or diabetes.

“Innovation is part of everything we do for people to live healthier lives,” says Daniell, whose interim role is leading government relations in Canada.

“Starting from our R&D portfolio, there’s no question that the pandemic has forced us to get ahead of the curve and innovate in that space. It’s incredibly exciting because I get to work at the cutting edge of the sector and am responsible for collaborating with our government stakeholders on different projects.”

“Innovation is part of everything we do for people to live healthier lives.”

— Doug Daniell Interim Head of Public Affairs, Sanofi Canada

In the life-science sector and biomanufacturing, things evolve extremely quickly.

“We’ve seen it with the mRNA vaccines being used now,” says Daniell.

“This is technology that didn’t have a

 Sanofi Canada holds a monthly innovation hub meeting where employees present innovative ideas and discuss how they can be implemented

proof of concept before the most recent pandemic. Because of the landscape that we play in as a company and the sector that we’re in, innovation must be part of everything we do.”

So how is innovation built into the everyday work culture? Communication is key, says Daniell.

Employees have a monthly innovation hub meeting where everyone comes together to present the most recent innovation ideas of that month and then build in action plans on how to implement it. There’s also an internal intranet

“buzz-feed” shared between all the different business units and staff.

“People look at that every day on their homepage to see what’s new, what’s happening and what ideas are out there for us to work on as a group,” says Daniell.

“There are lots of internal mechanisms around sharing new information and how we would act on it.”

Carrie McElroy, interim general manager Sanofi Genzyme and country lead, says that partnering with local universities and colleges for their co-op programs is another strong contributor to innovation.

“Students have the experience of what’s happening at the academic level, and we can apply that to our operations,” say McElroy. “It’s a great experience for them and we hired some after they finished their course or their schooling.

All these ways build in opportunities for innovation within the company.”

There are also multiple opportunities for any employee joining the organization to grow and develop.

“We invest in our people through development opportunities and mentoring,” says McElroy. “Change comes with opportunity and we really focus on replacing as many open positions as we can with internal employees.

“We also invest heavily in our succession planning through holding regular reviews with people leaders to showcase their successors and having a succession plan for each role while we align with our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy.

Employees can also seek to have a mentor to help guide their journey, including someone outside their business unit or even from outside the country, so you get more exposure in the organization.

There’s always a path to support our employees or employee’s development.” 

1,947

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

52%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

50%

OF CANADA COUNTRY COUNCIL TEAM & SANOFI EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

100+

COOP HIRED LAST YEAR

76

( 2022 )

The learning never stops at Seneca

W

hen Jason Cousins enrolled after high school in a computer engineering program at Seneca, he didn’t expect to be working there 25 years later.

But as he completed his program, he took a part-time job as a computer technician, helping students and faculty to keep their equipment running smoothly. “I loved it,” says Cousins.

Then, in his final year, he responded to a posting for a full-time technician and got the job. “I’ve been here ever since,” he says.

“When I think of Seneca, I think of growth opportunities.”

— Cindy Fong Registrar  Cindy Fong, registrar, and Jason Cousins, manager, technical support & IT, at Seneca Cousins might have worked at the same place over the years, but his role at the institution has changed more than a few times since he began as a computer support specialist. Now the manager of technical support and interactive technology, he leads a team of specialists who diagnose and repair faults, resolve network issues and install and configure hardware and software. He also teaches at Seneca’s School of Software Design & Data Science.

The students in Cousins’s classroom are among the 35,000 full-time and 60,000 part-time students enrolled in more than 200 degree, diploma, certificate and post-graduate programs at Seneca’s seven campus locations. But the institution’s emphasis on learning extends beyond its

students to more than 4,500 full- and parttime employees, including faculty, support staff and administrators, all of whom have an opportunity, like Cousins, to further their education and advance their careers.

“I know many colleagues who have moved from service to academic to administrative positions,” says Cindy Fong, Seneca’s registrar.

In addition to tuition assistance, Seneca’s professional development and leadership programs enable staff to further their skills in areas like management, technology and communications. They can also develop personal skills, from relationship-building to non-verbal communication.

Fong herself is currently studying for her

MBA, taking advantage of Seneca’s generous assistance program that reimburses 80 per cent of her tuition. “I’m not sure I would have been able to do it otherwise,” she says.

Cousins, too, has furthered his education since he joined Seneca, completing two bachelor’s degrees, in education and computer science. He’s now two courses away from obtaining his MSc. “I could have switched to a full-time faculty position,” he says, “but I’m still growing in my management role.”

Seneca encourages every employee to pursue a professional development plan, through formal training programs and career counselling with a supervisor.

“We get weekly reminders from our

Education makes all the difference.

professional development team about educational opportunities,” says Fong.

Employees are encouraged to take advantage of less formal opportunities, as well, by joining project teams, committees and professional development workshops.

“If I work on the service side,” says Fong, “I can join the academic council, for example, to understand more clearly the academic side of Seneca.”

Continuous learning benefits Seneca as much as the employees who take advantage of these opportunities, contributing to the institution’s culture of innovation and leadership. As Cousins points out, “When you go back to school to get more education, you bring back innovative ideas.”

In her 16 years at Seneca, Fong has participated in projects ranging from customer relationship management planning to website development to international initiatives. Before pursuing her MBA, she managed student recruitment and community outreach programs.

“When I think of Seneca, I think of growth opportunities,” she says. “When I started here, I said I’d stay for five years.

Since 2005, I’ve been able to pursue new opportunities without leaving, and I’ve never stopped learning.” 

1,509 62.5%

#SenecaProud

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( 2022 )

At Spin Master, going virtual can still be fun

W

hat’s it like joining a new company during a pandemic, when everyone’s at home? Ask Grazi Barbosa. You might think it could be a bit odd, but she did it at Spin Master, the global toy and entertainment company built around creating fun for children and families, and she’s delighted with the way it turned out.

“I was very impressed with the onboarding program they had in place,” says Barbosa. “It was very well structured and everything ran very smoothly over Zoom.”

“Our employment proposition – why would people want to work here?

– revolves around pushing boundaries, winning together, and making an impact.”

— Tara Deakin Chief People Officer

Barbosa, hired as manager of demand planning for Spin Master’s toy products, had just one in-person interview at the company’s Toronto-based global headquarters in March before she came onboard at home in April – virtually. She got very full briefings on the company and her job, she says. “In the first two or three days I already had my agenda packed with meetings. I don't think it would have been better if I was physically in the office. And I heard the same feedback from other new hires.”

“Meeting new people was a challenge initially,” she adds. “But as you start

 Spin Master employees taking a break in the toy library at the company's Toronto head office having your one-on-ones with people, you can show them your house, you get to see their houses and pets, and you start establishing connections.”

For Barbosa, establishing the connection with Spin Master was especially gratifying, as she was a new immigrant from Brazil.

She had done similar work in São Paulo, and had gained an extra diploma from Centennial College in Toronto, but she worried she would not be hired at the same level as in her home country.

“That was not the case,” she says. “I joined Spin Master in pretty much the same position as in Brazil. So I felt very fortunate.”

To Tara Deakin, chief people officer, attracting the best people from anywhere

in the world is critical, not least in the pandemic, when demand is often rising.

Spin Master has three divisions – toys like Air Hogs and Bakugan, entertainment including TV’s PAW Patrol, and children’s digital gaming such as Toca Boca and Sago Mini. “Our employment proposition – why would people want to work here?

– revolves around pushing boundaries, winning together, and making an impact,” she says.

Those all came together in the pandemic. As with the onboarding program, Spin Master found creative ways to keep its fun culture going online. “We used to do in-office bootcamps or in-office yoga on certain days in the week, so we moved them to be online classes,” says Deakin.

“And we did scene days, where we’d say, ‘everyone change their Zoom background’ – maybe to Star Wars. And because we have a lot of creative people, it was never just the background – some were in full costume.” The company also provided its people managers with tips for working remotely and engaging staff in a virtual environment.

As for making an impact, the best example may have come from a group of employees who, early in the pandemic, brainstormed a way to produce face shields using headbands from the company’s popular Hedbanz family board game at one of its facilities in Mexico. Approval was quick, says Deakin. More than 400,000 face shields were produced and shipped to frontline healthcare workers around the world, thanks to a cross-functional team of employees from engineering to communications to facilities management.

Spin Master also ramped up its charitable distribution of thousands of toys to children in need. “Games, puzzles, stuffed animals – anything to comfort kids through this period,” says Deakin. “You know, we say that a big part of what we do is put smiles on children’s faces and create great moments for families.” And for new hires. 

642

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( 2022 )

At TD, career mobility means new opportunities

W

hen Shibani Ahuja was considering leaving her job as an insurancecompany executive in the Philippines to return to Canada, TD Bank Group (TD) was her first choice. “I joined TD because of their dedication to diversity and inclusion,” she says. “I knew I could be my authentic self.”

As a member of the LGBTQ2+ community, TD’s progressive diversity and inclusion policies and practices appealed to Ahuja. In 2017, she was hired as an associate vice president of enterprise business solutions in human resources. The next year, she was promoted to vice president, enterprise solutions and enablement, before moving into a completely different area of the Bank.

“TD has a trifecta of caring – for our customers, colleagues and communities.”

— Shibani Ahuja Vice President, Executive Product Owner, Innovation, Technology and Shared Services

In November 2020, Ahuja became vice president, digital performance, Canadian personal banking. “I had been working at an insurance company in Asia, and TD brought me in and moved me around,” she says. “There’s no rigid career path for anyone here.”

Mentorship has been an important part of Ahuja’s journey – in particular, the Women in Leadership ‘Coffee Connections’ program through which she had a 30-minute phone call with an executive vice president. “When they asked,

 Shibani Ahuja, vice president, executive product owner, innovation, technology and shared services (left) and Aliona Arestova, senior IT manager (right), at TD Bank ‘What can I do for you and your career?’

I asked them to introduce me to someone else, to give me even more opportunities to grow my network,” says Ahuja.

Ahuja is a mentor herself, through her role as chair of the LGBTQ2+ women’s committee, which she established in 2019 to help ensure that TD is attracting, developing and promoting LGBTQ2+ women. She also mentors through TD’s Each One, Teach One initiative with Black community members, and several other enterprise programs.

Support was also on hand in July 2021, when Ahuja started maternity leave just two months after starting in an expanded

TD is proud to be one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers. jobs.td.com

role, with plans to return to work after three months and trade parental leave with her partner. “My leadership team was tremendously supportive of my unique needs given my early return to work and was willing to accommodate a flexible arrangement,” she says. “TD has a trifecta of caring – for our customers, colleagues and communities.”

Aliona Arestova is another employee who has felt supported since she was hired permanently in 2015 as a quality engineering manager, then promoted to senior IT manager a few years later. She learned about TD during a consulting role with the Bank in 2014, and her manager at that

time was expanding his team. “His vision for growth was so compelling, I wanted to be part of that,” she says.

Arestova values the informal mentoring she receives from colleagues. “If I need to bounce ideas off someone to highlight my blind spots and help brainstorm a solution to a problem, there are many people I can reach out to,” she says. “Collaboration is one of the key elements of our team – it takes a village to innovate and think about things differently.”

Arestova’s career decisions were driven by her desire to look at a different aspect of technology and continue to build her leadership skills. “I’ve never had anyone at TD say no to me – TD has paid for internal and external courses that have helped build my skills as a manager and leader.”

Although Ahuja and Arestova have missed working in person with their colleagues throughout the pandemic, they have maintained connections through virtual coffee chats and community events, as well as video calls with their teams.

“I’m getting messages from colleagues saying they miss me,” says Ahuja.

“There’s a genuine warmth and camaraderie when you work at TD – we’re like a family.” 

55,292

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

162,026

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

55.7%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

80,000

STAFF VOLUNTEER HOURS LAST YEAR

79

( 2022 )

Freedom empowers Techtronic Industries employees

Y

vonne Chan loves working at Techtronic Industries Canada (TTI) because it just keeps on giving her peak experiences – from virtually climbing the CN Tower to reaching the top of the company’s recognition program in its warmly supportive culture.

“This is like no other company I’ve ever worked for – they empower you to grow as a better employee and a stronger person,” says Chan, group brand manager.

“My team and fellow employees, they’re my family at work. We work hard as a team and it just becomes so easy to continue to push the envelope to be better because we’re all in this together.”

“If you show your people that you truly value them, respect them and appreciate them, what can come from that is absolutely extraordinary.”

— Craig Baxter President

Headquartered in Markham, TTI offers world-leading cordless power tools powered by lithium batteries. The company’s brands, including Milwaukee, Ryobi and Hoover, are recognized globally.

Techtronic Industries Canada is part of an international family of companies with over 48,000 employees.

Chan manages the branding and marketing for the company’s Milwaukee Tools line. She and her team are given all the education, wellness and health safety support they need to create unique

tticareers.ca

 Techtronic Industries Canada places a strong emphasis on employee recognition and ongoing career development for its employees and innovative campaigns to promote Milwaukee products.

Encouraged to be creative, Chan set her sights on winning the prestigious Home Depot Marketing Partner of the Year Award. Thousands of vendors compete annually and despite the odds, Chan and her team of eight won top honours in 2019.

Chan credits the company culture of innovation and empowerment for providing the support she and her team needed to reach a significant career milestone.

“TTI gives you autonomy and resources, encourages you to think outside the box and just run with your ideas because they trust our talent and our experience,”

says Chan.

“They understand we’re all trying to be better versions of ourselves. It’s in the culture that we all push each other to be better as an employee and that’s exciting for me because I love the challenge.”

The company’s comprehensive approach to employee support includes generous benefits and compensation, education allowances, health and wellness spending accounts and a strong emphasis on employee recognition. For TTI president Craig Baxter, it’s the overall package and approach that’s key, not just the individual programs.

“I believe culture trumps everything

– it’s the most important element for you to have if your people are going to deliver consistently amazing results,” says Baxter.

“I spend 98 per cent of my time focusing on building an environment where 600 intelligent, ambitious people can flourish and having them aligned and committed to a game plan that can make an enormous difference.”

TTI takes every opportunity to recognize employees’ value and contributions, from something as simple as internet allowances to the annual Employee of the Year Award, the biggest form of appreciation and one that Chan won in 2019.

TTI also goes the extra mile to give back to the community. When COVID-19 scuttled traditional fundraising activities like softball tournaments and team running events, Chan found herself leading a team on a virtual climb up the CN Tower to raise money for charity. The company also uses technology to keep employee social activities going with events like virtual painting classes to increase the feeling of connectedness.

“Our people come first and foremost,” says Baxter. “If you show your people that you truly value them, respect them and appreciate them, what can come from that is absolutely extraordinary.” 

494

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

35

YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF ALL EMPLOYEES

37

WEEKS, MATERNITY LEAVE TOP-UP PAY

16

CHARITIES HELPED LAST YEAR

Where Culture Meets Opportunity

80

( 2022 )

Thomson Reuters creates value by valuing employees

A

lot of things have gone right since Saurabh Koparkar began work at media and technology giant Thomson Reuters three years ago. But one moment stands out.

“It was really when I asked to be transferred to Canada,” says Koparkar, a user-experience lead in software product design. “The immediate answer that my manager gave was, yes.” There was no hemming and hawing. “It was more like, yeah, sure. When do you need this? For me personally, that was very positive.”

“At Thomson Reuters, we are passionate about growing our people.”

— Mary Alice Vuicic Chief People Officer

The experience, and the support he received to facilitate every aspect of his move from Ann Arbor, Mich., to Toronto crystallized in Koparkar’s mind the notion that Thomson Reuters highly values its employees and will do whatever is needed to help them succeed.

His managers, for instance, have given him ample opportunities to grow his career. India-born Koparkar began as a contractor, was hired full-time a year later, and was promoted a year after that to UX lead product design thanks, he says, to supportive leaders who are proactive in developing talent.

The specialist in tax and accounting software has also been impressed by the work-life balance he’s been able to maintain at Thomson Reuters, even as his career expanded. He has plenty of work to

 Thomson Reuters’ employees cleaning up Toronto’s Cherry Beach during a Global Day of Impact keep him busy, but is never pressured to start early or to be available typically after 5:30 p.m. He’s also been encouraged to try new things, and to grow his expertise in the areas he’s most interested in.

And he felt supported during COVID-19 because the company took care of many of the logistics of his move to Toronto, and even gave him extra vacation days.

He was also impressed with the way the company kept workers connected during the pandemic.

“One of the best things was that we were immediately given the software and tools needed to collaborate remotely,” Koparkar says. “There really are no

blackout zones in the communication, even though we are all remote.”

Toronto-based Thomson Reuters is one of the world’s largest providers of news and business information services, offering content-driven software and tools for legal, accounting and tax professionals. It has employees in over 70 countries, including over 1,100 in the Greater Toronto Area.

“We have people around the globe,” says Mary Alice Vuicic, chief people officer, “so it’s critical for us to maintain a high level of connectivity and communication.”

That’s been taken up a notch as COVID-19 forced most employees to work from home. Another aspect of the

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company’s pandemic response has been to place an even greater emphasis on mental health and wellness. For example, the company provides all employees with two mental health days off every year on top of a range of other supports.

Demand for “really talented people” is rising, says Vuicic, who is based in Toronto, so companies need to create environments to attract top talent – especially in the tech space.

“People want to continue to be able to build their skills and solve new sets of problems,” she says. “At Thomson Reuters, we are passionate about growing our people, and our people are highly valued.”

Koparkar says he has gotten lots of good feedback during discussions with managers – and their managers.

“The ‘distance to power’ ratio is small,” he says. “You don’t have to seek approvals through many levels to go higher up. I’ve had very frank and open conversations with my manager’s leadership.”

Product design is seen as having strategic importance to Thomson Reuters, an idea that is constantly reinforced by top executives.

“I do feel what I’m doing is valued,” Koparkar says. 

1,300

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

620

TORONTO EMPLOYEES WORK IN TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCT

169

CANADA EMPLOYEES HAVE 20+ YEARS TENURE

45%

OF EMPLOYEES IN CANADA ARE FEMALE

81

( 2022 )

Unity Health Toronto cares for those most in need

W

hen Michelle Williams graduated in 2000 as a registered nurse, she wanted to apply her skills to an urban, marginalized population.

That’s why she joined St. Michael’s Hospital, one of three Toronto facilities that make up Unity Health Toronto, one of the country’s largest Catholic healthcare networks.

“I was aware of the people they serve and the difficulties they face,” says Williams, clinical leader manager of the cardiovascular intensive care team at the hospital.

“We’re here for everybody, and especially for people who experience marginalization.”

— Dr. Tim Rutledge CEO & President

St. Michael’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Health Centre and Providence Healthcare all originated with the Sisters of St. Joseph in the 19th century to serve the sick, poor and vulnerable, a mission that continued after the three institutions amalgamated in 2017 to form Unity Health Toronto.

The network continues to be a leader in clinical care, including multiple sclerosis, trauma, brain and cardiac care, as well as a centre for research and innovation, and the core mission and values have remained the same.

“We’re here for everybody, and especially for people who experience marginalization,” says Dr. Tim Rutledge, CEO and president of Unity Health.

The pandemic brought into focus the stark inequities that exist in health

 Unity Health Toronto obstetric and gynecology surgeons in operating room care. For the network’s leadership, the pandemic also highlighted the importance of communication, says Rutledge, who had assumed his role at the organization only a year earlier.

“It’s important to keep everyone up to speed with what’s going on,” he says, “but it’s also important to listen to what the front-line people are saying, hear what they’re anxious about, address those anxieties, get the best ideas and go with them.”

Managing a team of about 100 nurses, medical assistants and other personnel in the cardiac and cardiovascular intensive care units, Williams plays a critical role in communicating with her team and with Unity Health’s leaders.

“We formed groups to make sure everyone knew in advance about changes

that were coming,” she says. “And we had a standing meeting with directors, where they could ask what we needed.”

Even a simple change in procedures, such as replacing disposable personal protective equipment with reusable PPE made a difference to Williams’ team. “The laundry is done regularly, so you know you won’t run out,” she says.

For Rutledge, leadership also involves continual learning, not just during the pandemic but at other times, as well. “One of the skills within learning is having the humility to challenge and evolve one’s thinking on important issues,” he says.

Learning was essential for Williams, too, in her role as a critical care nurse, participating with physicians, nurses, dietitians and other specialists to determine the best course of action for a patient.

“The team draws on academic and scholarly work to identify the most appropriate medical procedures to use when providing care to patients,” she says.

“We had a lot of incentive to go back to school.”

With the support of the hospital, Williams has returned to school continually, obtaining her critical care certification, for example, as well as her master’s degree in education and then becoming a critical care instructor.

She has also taken courses to develop softer skills such as resilience and people management. “Training helps with difficult conversations,” says Williams, who received an award for her sensitivity, kindness and compassion toward patients and their families, “although experience helps even more.”

In the 20 years since she joined St. Michael’s, the structure of the organization has changed, but the spirt and the values that first attracted her have remained consistent.

“People stay here because of the teams they work with,” she says. “They’re like a second family.

“Sometimes I have to remember this is work. It’s such an intimate job.” 

5,864

FULL-TIME STAFF

4,651

JOBS AVAILABLE LAST YEAR

50%

OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

72%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

82

( 2022 )

The City of Vaughan is business driven and people focused

A

major benefit of working for one of Canada’s fastestgrowing cities is there’s no shortage of initiatives to be involved with. “The municipality is dynamic and delivers service excellence through various lines of business,” says Christine Gianino, chief human resources officer for the City of Vaughan. “There’s a variety of opportunities and, from a public service perspective, the work is meaningful. You’re making a difference in the community.”

The tagline in Vaughan’s HR department is “Business Driven, People Focused,” and that permeates everything the City does. “The focus is on citizens first through service excellence and recognizing that it’s our staff who are key to achieving our strategic goals and vision for the organization,” Gianino says.

“At the end of the day, happy employees deliver good customer service.”

— Christine Gianino Chief Human Resources Officer

For such a large operation, the City’s culture is an open one, according to Wendy Law, deputy city manager of administrative services and City solicitor.

“We are empowered to come up with our own ideas about what we can do to make our lives better as employees,” she says. “And employee ideas are always encouraged.”

This year, for example, the chair of the City’s United Way Greater Toronto campaign had an idea for doing things

 An operator at the City of Vaughan inspects a water main for damage

differently. For the organization’s “Week of Caring,” every department was mobilized and delivered more than $10,000 in donations and in-kind goods to those in need. “We want to bring our staff to the place where they’re not just contributing in their work lives, but have that balance of contributing to the community,” says Law. “Those are the kind of initiatives we really encourage.”

Before she even started working for the City, Law was impressed with its opportunities for personal and professional development. “Vaughan has a huge employee curriculum that is very structured,” she says. Offerings run the gamut from an Excel improvement course to a master program in leadership. In

addition, the City has partnered with Western University to offer a program on public administration to staff.

Education takes many other forms as well. For the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the City’s diversity and inclusion officer, Zincia Francis, hosted a learning session. It included videos of residential school survivors and their families speaking about experiences, and the continued impact of residential schools on Indigenous children, families and communities.

“It was sobering,” says Gianino. “For many, listening to survivors was deeply emotional and impactful. I, like many others, was moved to reflect on my personal commitment to the Calls to

Action.”

Another recent initiative is the Emerging Leaders Succession Program for employees who are interested in leadership opportunities throughout the City. One stream is targeted to those who are interested in becoming supervisors or managers; the other is for aspiring senior leaders.

Each of the roughly 30 people chosen to participate will be given a customized development program consisting of classroom and online learning, as well as on-the-job stretch assignments.

Participants will also be provided with a mentor for the duration of the 18- to 24-month-long program.

The City used the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to do even more for staff, evident in a new wellness strategy focusing on an employee’s total health – mental, social, financial and physical.

In addition, the City is implementing more flexible work arrangements, with the potential for shifting work hours and remote work. “At the end of the day,” Gianino adds, “happy employees deliver good customer service.” 

1,322

FULL-TIME PERMANENT STAFF IN CANADA

9,125

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

40%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

100%

HEALTH PLAN PREMIUM AND FAMILY COVERAGE

83

( 2022 )

Fast-growing Vena speeds up employee advancement

T

he culture of Vena Solutions makes it easy for employees to tamp down imposter syndrome, that common scourge of, in particular, younger and female workers.

So says associate product manager Luana Faria-Fichelli of the Toronto-based finance tech company, whose Complete Planning cloud software serves finance teams, operations professionals and business leaders.

Since joining Vena in 2019, she has moved from consultant to senior consultant to her current role, and the company and its culture helped her to conquer selfdoubt along the way. “I’ve had really great managers who have coached me and given me lots of feedback, and that really helped me move up,” she says.

“Our level of scale and expansion presents all sorts of really interesting challenges and opportunities.”

— Hunter Madeley CEO

“I used to work at a company that was definitely more hierarchical and very traditional, and you could expect to work three to five years in a position before you got a promotion,” she continues. “At Vena, you don’t have to fight to move up.

They do a really good job of fostering you because they want to see you succeed, and they encourage you to take courses on the side and shadow other team members.”

CEO Hunter Madeley says all that

 In the next two years, Vena Solutions expects to double its workforce from the 500 staff it currently employs opportunity reflects Vena’s rapid growth.

“In the next two years, we expect to be moving from our current 500 or so employees to 1,000, and moving from about 1,000 customers to likely about 2,500. Our level of scale and expansion presents all sorts of really interesting challenges and opportunities.”

Madeley notes that there were over 160 promotions and new roles in the first eight months of the current fiscal year. “We do hire in external experience, which helps with diversity of thinking, but we have a real program of developing folks from within – with flexibility in technical or people-leader tracks.

“We also encourage cross-functional movement among our employees,” he

continues. “The messaging is, once you’ve mastered the role you’re in, you might want to explore working in another area.”

Another part of Vena’s ethos, observes Faria-Fichelli, is a real commitment to communication among staff. “Since the pandemic began, we’ve had weekly town halls where we have an ask-me-anything portion at the end. If asked, leadership addresses their questions the following week. But that’s not the only channel.

Everyone can always reach out to anyone from top to bottom, on either Slack, Zoom or email. People are very friendly and open to hearing what you have to say.”

One example of that since COVID-19 was employee feedback suggesting the company rebrand sick days as wellness

Come Grow With Us Vena Is Hiring! venasolutions.com/careers

days because, says Faria-Fichelli, “sick” doesn't fully encompass all the reasons somebody might need time off. “Maybe you’re having a poor mental health day.

And it’s so much less stigmatizing to say you need a wellness day.” Vena happily complied.

That focus on open communication at Vena extends to how the business operates, says Madeley. “We are very transparent and encouraging of discussion about even the biggest strategic initiatives we run. Our leadership team shares all the data about how the company is doing – the financials of, and reasons for, our strategic decisions.

And we allow folks to have conversations about whether they think we’re moving in the right direction. As a result, you get this really dynamic culture where ideas are being debated.”

Vena is also committed to community involvement. Employees get one paid day a year for volunteerism, but they can also use four personal days to engage in charitable activity. Plus, the company focuses on diversity and inclusion. “Our head of diversity, equity and inclusion is building wonderful programming around unconscious bias,” says Madeley, “and how we actually manage it and build inclusion into recruiting, hiring and promoting.” 

500

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

224

NEW HIRES YTD

25 44%

DAYS & UP, STARTING PAID TIME OFF ALLOWANCE OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

84

( 2022 )

Unplugged can mean connected at Visa Canada

S

amantha Pang started her position as manager of product and strategy at Visa Canada in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when everyone was working at home and in-person onboarding was not possible. Luckily, the company had developed a program to help ease her into her role and familiarize her with the organization.

“I was really impressed with the resources I was offered, and how well organized it was,” Pang says. “I had a buddy who was my go-to person for any general questions, and my manager helped with specific info about my work.

Plus I had several check-ins with the HR team, which had a checklist with all the training and administrative tasks I needed to do.”

“We have a unique, almost family-like culture that’s highly collaborative.”

— Stacey Madge Country Manager and President

Pang was also given access to Visa’s internal online platform where she could find company information and a glossary explaining its acronyms, and Visa University, where she could sign up for classes taught by professionals. “I’ve registered for courses on how to succeed at Visa as well as on cryptocurrency, presentation skills, diversity and inclusion – it’s great.”

The amount of attention given to making employees feel comfortable and supported is what sets Visa Canada

 The amount of attention given to making employees feel comfortable and supported is what sets Visa Canada apart

apart, according to country manager and president Stacey Madge. “We have a unique, almost family-like culture that’s highly collaborative,” she says. “Our focus is on employee engagement, health and wellness, inclusion and diversity, and leadership development.”

During the pandemic, the company reimagined more than 50 events to keep home-bound employees healthy and connected, from bi-weekly chats with Madge to team lunches, fitness challenges and cooking classes, as well as cultural celebrations and discussions about diversity and inclusion.

“We also launched our Unplugged series, which has been extremely popular,”

Madge says. “Once a quarter, at the end of the day, we’ll have a virtual wine or cheese or chocolate tasting, with a local small business owner talking about the products and opportunities for employees to chat in small groups. It’s a lot of fun.”

Visa employees also engage in community and charitable efforts, such as Volunteer Month activities, winter coat drives and the Weekend to Conquer Cancer walk, in which a third of the office participated this year.

Leadership development is another key focus. “We take it very seriously,” says Madge, adding that 15 per cent of Visa Canada’s employees were either promoted or made a lateral move within

Visa last year.

“I meet with a number of people every quarter to focus on their development and support them in their new opportunities,” she says. “Sometimes they’re taking on an initiative with other teams; sometimes it’s a totally different role. We also started a quarterly series that brings our leaders together to talk about what we should be doing to support our people.”

The career and business support also extends to the wider community. In 2021, Visa Canada joined the Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism (CILAR), which supports diverse populations through mentorship opportunities and job training. It also launched the She’s Next grant program, which provides $10,000 grants and mentoring support to 10 women – expanding to 20 this year – to help their small businesses grow.

Volunteers in the Visa office are the ones who pick the winning candidates for the She’s Next program, providing yet another opportunity for employee engagement. Says Madge: “The fact that it’s a group of employees from our office doing the choosing rather than senior leaders really helps engage our people and makes it very rewarding for them.” 

177

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

55%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

56%

OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

300

STAFF VOLUNTEER HOURS LAST YEAR

85

( 2022 )

Walmart Canada’s ‘culture of caring’ helps people live better

O

ne powerful advantage to being a retailer as large as Walmart Canada Corp., says Nabeela Ixtabalan, executive vicepresident of people and corporate affairs for the Mississauga-based company, is having the power to effect positive change, both in the workplace and across the industry.

“We have the size, the scale, the influence and the purpose to really make a difference,” Ixtabalan says. “And that’s become even more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting supply chain crunch. We’ve been able to use our size and influence to help make sure that goods continue to move, and support our local suppliers – we work with more than 2,200 of them across the country.”

“We have the size, the scale, the influence and the purpose to really make a difference.”

— Nabeela Ixtabalan Executive Vice-President of People and Corporate Affairs

The biggest workplace challenge, says Ixtabalan, is being able to make sure that every one of Walmart Canada’s 100,000 associates – whether full- or part-time in stores, distribution centres or the delivery fleet – can take advantage of the programs designed to keep them safe and healthy through the pandemic and beyond.

Walmart’s well-being initiatives include training 1,000 company leaders in mental

 Store manager Michel Soucy has worked at Walmart for more than 40 years

health first aid; launching a telehealth virtual support service to provide medical advice to associates and their families; and offering them the Thrive app, which helps users improve their eating, sleeping and exercise habits. Each micro-step they take – from walking at lunchtime to taking a mindfulness break – is tracked, and associates can win cash prizes for their efforts.

In the past year, Walmart has introduced an additional six-week top-up to its maternity-paternity leave benefit, a pay equity analysis and a commitment to achieving a 50-50 gender balance by

2023. “We’re actually seeing promotion rates of over 50 per cent for women in our stores,” says Ixtabalan, “which I’m really proud of, because it’s contrary to the trend in the marketplace.”

Michel Soucy manages a Walmart store on the GTA’s northern border. He’s worked for the company in various roles since 1994, and appreciates the many opportunities for advancement he’s been given. “I’ve learned something in each position,” he says. “If associates want to grow, they can pursue any career they want within the business – the sky’s the limit!”

Soucy points to the example of an international student from Japan who started as a floor manager. “The passion he had for his work was amazing. Every time I walked into the store he would call me over and show me something he’d done that he was proud of. So I helped him get to a position as a support manager, then an assistant manager, and now he’s one of my co-managers.”

Associates can also benefit from programs including profit-sharing, performance-based bonuses, tuition reimbursement and store discounts. “The company takes care of the associates,” says Soucy. “They’re the ones on the frontlines, the ones that fill the shelves and help the customers. These programs show its appreciation and support.”

Since 1994, Walmart has also donated $500 million to its charitable initiatives, which support Food Banks Canada, the Children’s Miracle Network, the Canadian Red Cross and the Breakfast Club of Canada. “Last year our store alone contributed $100,000 to the four organizations,” says Soucy. “That makes me proud. It’s that culture of caring for people that’s kept me going all these years.” 

43,243

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES

58

YEARS, LONGESTSERVING EMPLOYEE

55%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

$

60M+

DONATED TO CANADIAN CHARITIES IN 2020

86

( 2022 )

Zurich Canada benefits from being big – and small

W

hen a company like Zurich Canada is part of an even larger conglomerate with 55,000 employees worldwide, a person might be a little daunted, a little concerned about getting lost in the shuffle. But senior claims specialist Ritu Kashyap has never felt that way.

“There are tons of opportunities and tons of resources,” she says. “It’s such a structured organization that you really do feel well supported regardless of what your role is, but at the same time there’s flexibility and autonomy so you can grow.”

“We have a very agile leadership team so when we have initiatives, it happens very quickly, and people can visibly see the results of that.”

— Saad Mered CEO

In fact, within four months of starting at Zurich Canada, Kashyap was invited to apply for the company’s leadership development program. Not only was her mentor CEO Saad Mered, but she got some insights into the workings of other departments. “Having the goals of the company aligned from top to bottom really does open your eyes to how you can contribute and how you can develop on your own,” says Kashyap.

While Zurich Canada offers all the opportunities and resources of a large company, it has the culture of a much smaller organization.

“While we’re hard-charging on business,

 Zurich Canada employees donate their time and talent by participating in volunteer programs we’re very mindful of the employee experience, what the employees are going through and how we can help them,” says Mered. “In the services businesses, especially in financial services, our people are our single most important resource.

And we need to focus as much on them as on the balance sheet.”

The company’s relative size also means there are not as many layers of management, and communication isn’t as formal as it might be in a bigger company. “It allows us to move quickly,” Mered adds.

“We have a very agile leadership team so when we have initiatives, it happens very quickly, and people can visibly see the results of that.”

While the senior leaders have an

open-door policy, the company has its own social media tool, Workplace, that Mered says has taken on a life of its own in terms of how active and pervasive it has become.

Staff meetings are regular, and virtual town halls are held on any topic, not just for quarterly updates. “That’s probably one thing that’s had the most impact – that leadership is transparent, direct and has an open agenda,” he says.

Opportunities for learning and for new job experiences are almost limitless. A cross-training program allows employees to job shadow staff in other departments for up to a year to learn how other areas of the company operate.

“There’s no streamlined path in the insurance industry,” Kashyap explains.

“There are so many different tracks and so many different avenues you can follow within the industry, it’s really mind-boggling. Here there’s the opportunity to take your career path in your own hands.”

Equally appealing for Kashyap is the company’s commitment to community involvement. Zurich Canada supports six core charities as well as more than 60 local non-profit organizations focused on education, youth empowerment, health and well-being, welfare and social services, including SickKids Foundation and the United Way. A new initiative launched in spring 2021 was designed to help underrepresented youth in the community who have been disconnected from education and the workforce and are looking for an opportunity to learn about insurance, build their resumés and increase their chances of finding solid employment.

The first Zurich Insurance Pathways Program focused on five Black Canadians, providing them with three months of inclass education followed by three months of paid internship at Zurich Canada. “I’m very, very proud of that,” says Mered. “I think the insurance industry needs to do a lot more to attract a more diverse intake of young professionals.” 

512

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

44

YEARS, LONGEST-SERVING EMPLOYEE

56.5%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

520

STAFF VOLUNTEER HOURS IN 2020

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2022

Tell us your story If you are an exceptional employer with progressive human resources programs and initiatives, consider applying for next year’s edition of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers. Now entering its 23rd year, our national project is Canada’s longest-running and best-known editorial competition for employers.

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