Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers (2019) by Canada's Top 100 Employers

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2019 WINNERS

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p Employees from Strategic Natural Resource Consultants Inc. working on a project on Vancouver Island.

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D&D

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

6th Annual Edition

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019 Magazine Anthony Meehan, PUBLISHER

Editorial Team:

Richard Yerema, MANAGING EDITOR

Kristina Leung, SENIOR EDITOR

Stephanie Leung, ASSISTANT EDITOR

Chantel Watkins, RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Advertising Team:

Kristen Chow,

DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS

Ye Jin Suhe,

CLIENT SUPPORT COORDINATOR

Sponsored Profile Writers:

Berton Woodward, SENIOR EDITOR

Michael Benedict Brian Bergman Sheldon Gordon Simon Hally Patricia Hluchy D’Arcy Jenish Bruce McDougall John Schofield Nora Underwood Barbara Wickens

p Employees working on the cutting edge of industrial automation at D&D Automation in Stratford, Ont.

Our SME winners: growth and opportunity

he spring release of our annual list of Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers is always a special time at Mediacorp. This competition, more than any other, shines a light on fast-growing employers that you don’t often see in the news. On this year’s list, you’ll find small, nimble companies with up to 500 employees that have the flexibility to try new things in the workplace – usually with limited financial resources. The SME competition is very much the laboratory of the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project, because it’s the place where we often see new kinds of HR initiatives and workplace policies being tested – before they are adopted by other employers. In the six years we have held the SME competition, the common thread that runs through all the winners is rapid growth. The small companies with the most interesting HR programs and workplace policies, it turns out, also happen to be the ones expanding their sales and employee numbers rapidly. It’s a bittersweet discovery though, as many winners grow beyond the 500-employee limit for the competition. (We use the Statistics Canada definition of a “small and medium employer” that limits the list to private sector companies with 500 employees or less.) For the winning employers, the programs described in this year’s magazine are often a matter of necessity.

When an organization is growing fast, they leave no stone unturned when it comes to recruiting and retaining the best and brightest employees. Many of the SME winners compete in high technology industries, where the race to scale-up is also a matter of economic survival. From our vantage point – as writers and editors reporting on what leading SMEs are doing – we’ve noticed another interesting trend among this year’s winners. Many of the winners have put in place HR policies and benefits once seen only at much larger employers. Big-company benefits like maternity and parental leave top-up, training allowances and even retirement savings plans are increasingly found among the SME winners. In part, this is due to Canada’s tight labour market: successful SMEs are recognizing that they also compete with larger employers to attract and retain the best and brightest. But it’s also a reflection of the increasing sophistication of the HR value proposition that SMEs offer. For the right employee, a career at one of this year’s winners represents an unmatched opportunity to work at a smaller, more intimate organization while enjoying the benefits traditionally associated with larger employers: it’s an opportunity too good to pass up. – Tony Meehan

VIDYARD

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

p Inside the Kitchener, Ont., head office of Vidyard, which has a no-limit annual vacation policy that lets employees decide how much time to take off each year.

Canada’s Top SME Employers share a passion for growth With groundbreaking concepts such as no-limit vacations, this sector also leads the way in human-resource innovation

ob creation is at the heart of Canada’s Top Small and Medium Employers (SMEs) 2019. That’s good news for job seekers and the Canadian economy – the SME sector is responsible for more than 95 per cent of new jobs in Canada over the past decade. It’s encouraging to see how many of these top SMEs added new jobs last year, often growing at an incredible pace. Some outstanding examples include Toronto-based Fleet Complete, a provider of fleet and mobile resource tracking, which increased its full-time work force by more than 40 per cent, and R.F. Binnie & Associates, an

employee-owned and managed engineering firm in Burnaby, B.C., whose work force increased by more than 38 per cent, resulting in more than 50 new full-time positions. Besides creating new jobs, SMEs are known to be incubators of humanresource innovation, leading the way for larger employers to follow. Groundbreaking concepts such as no-limit vacations, which allow employees to decide how much time off they need in any given year, are currently offered by software developers Vidyard in Kitchener, Ont., and Verafin Inc. in St. John’s. While bold, this kind of forward thinking could bring more

balance into our technology-driven workplaces where people are always connected. Canada’s Top SMEs can also compete with those bigger organizations when it comes to traditional benefits, such as support for long-term savings, career development, flexible health plans and maternity and parental leave top-up payments. Our winners often add their own improvements, including the choice to extend parental leave into an unpaid leave of absence or flexible hours to help new parents manage when they return. Increasingly, alternative work options are the norm rather than the exception.

Concern for the well-being of staff continues to be a trend with popular perks, from Zumba class at lunch to comfortable employee lounges with lending libraries, table tennis and a Friday afternoon wine bar. Employees at Rangle.io, a software developer in Toronto, enjoy weekly yoga, onsite massage services, quiet rooms on each floor and swinging hammocks as well as a variety of healthy snacks every day. Whether you’re an individual looking for work or an enterprise looking for inspiration, these top SME employers hit the mark. – Diane Jermyn

CONNECTED

CANADAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

p Employees at the head office of Connected in Toronto discuss the day ahead in a stand-up meeting every morning.

BILIS SOLUTIONS, Montreal. Computer software; 160 employees. Celebrates exceptional performance and achievement through a variety of initiatives and rewards including tickets to events such as Cirque du Soleil. ABSORB SOFTWARE INC., Calgary. Learning management systems; 150 employees. Continues to expand, adding nearly 50 new full-time positions in the past year. ACL SERVICES LTD., Vancouver. Custom computer programming; 255 employees. Offers a flexible health and wellness spending account which can be used to top up coverage or cover the costs of related expenses.

LUE SPURS, Fredericton. Computer systems design; 82 employees. Offers referral bonuses for employees who recruit candidates from their personal networks.

BOOK4TIME INC., Markham, Ont. Software development; 42 employees. Lets everyone share in the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success with profit sharing. BROADVIEW NETWORKS INC., Winnipeg. Computer systems design; 22 employees. Organizes a variety of social events throughout the year including Taco Tuesdays, games nights, beer-tasting events and spa days.

BCL LTD., Halifax. Engineering; 286 employees. Provides maternity leave top-up payments for new mothers and the option to extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence. CLEARTECH INDUSTRIES INC., Saskatoon. Chemicals and equipment distribution; 121 employees. Gathers employee feedback regarding which charities to support and matches employee donations. CLIO, Burnaby, B.C. Computer software; 243 employees. Provides two employee

lounges at head office featuring video games, foosball, table tennis, board games and a lending library. COMMUNITY TRUST CO., Mississauga. Financial products and services; 107 employees. Encourages employees to give back to the community with a paid day off to volunteer, donating 800 volunteer hours on company time last year. COMPUVISION SYSTEMS INC., Edmonton. Information technology services; 101 employees. Offers six paid personal days, which can be scheduled as needed, along with three weeks of starting vacation allowance. CONNECTED, Toronto. Software developer; 123 employees. Encourages employees to adopt an ownership mentality through a share-purchase plan, available to all employees. CORITY SOFTWARE INC., Toronto. Software developer; 169 employees. Continues to grow, adding nearly 30 new full-time positions in the past year.

COWELL MOTORS LTD., Richmond, B.C. New car dealerships; 320 employees. Offers a variety of alternative work arrangements including flexible hours, shortened and compressed work weeks and telecommuting. CROESUS FINANSOFT INC., Laval, Que. Financial management software and services; 180 employees. Lets everyone share in the fruits of their labour with profit sharing and year-end bonuses. CROWDRIFF INC., Toronto. Software developer; 54 employees. Supports employees who are new mothers and fathers, including adoptive parents, with generous maternity and parental leave top-up payments.

&D AUTOMATION INC., Stratford, Ont. Industrial controls; 72 employees. Offers generous referral bonuses for employees who recruit candidates from their personal networks.

Continued

DIAMOND SCHMITT

2019 WINNERS

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

DEJERO LABS INC., Waterloo, Ont. Internet connectivity technology; 101 employees. Offers a health-spending account and a separate wellness-spending account to help cover the costs of wellness-related expenses. DELNOR CONSTRUCTION LTD., Edmonton. Construction; 195 employees. Provides matching RRSP contributions and helps employees prepare for the long term with retirement planning assistance. DIAMOND SCHMITT ARCHITECTS INC., Toronto. Architecture; 206 employees. Offers paid summer shutdown for all employees (half days every Friday), along with three weeks of starting vacation allowance. DISTRICT M, Montreal. Software developer; 67 employees. Offers subsidized memberships to an onsite shared-use fitness facility that features instructor-led classes. DIVA INTERNATIONAL INC., Kitchener, Ont. Personal hygiene products; 33 employees. Offers an annual health-spending account, allowing employees to top up coverage as needed.

LASTIC PATH SOFTWARE INC., Vancouver. Software publishers; 103 employees. Is growing at a rapid pace, adding more than 20 new full-time jobs in the past year. p Employees at Diamond Schmitt Architects in Toronto at work in one of the firm’s boardrooms. DEJERO LABS

ERA ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING INC., Saint-Laurent, Que. Environmental, health and safety software; 68 employees. Features a variety of amenities at head office including a cafeteria with subsidized meals and healthy and special-diet menus. ESENTIRE INC.,Cambridge, Ont. Cybersecurity; 256 employees. Helps keep employees engaged with social events throughout the year including a beer and wine tour and Star Wars movie day.

IASCO GELATO CAFES LTD., Calgary. Gelato and sorbetto production and café; 31 employees. Encourages employees to adopt an ownership culture through a share-purchase plan, available to all employees.

p Employees at Dejero Labs in Waterloo, Ont., receive a special wellness spending account to help improve workplace health.

FRESCHE

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

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p Andy Kulakowski, CEO and president of Montreal-based Fresche Solutions, an IT consulting firm specializing in IBM-platform software development and management.

2019 WINNERS

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FIIX, Toronto. Software developer; 70 employees. Makes the commute to work a little easier with a transit subsidy of $70 per month. FINANCIALCAD CORPORATION / FINCAD, Surrey, B.C. Computer software; 86 employees. Encourages employees to give back to the community with two paid days off to volunteer and matching employee donations. FLEET COMPLETE, Toronto. Fleet and mobile resource tracking; 265 employees. Organizes a variety of social events and celebrations throughout the year including a Mariposa boat cruise on Lake Ontario. FRESCHE SOLUTIONS INC., Montreal. Information technology consulting; 184 employees. Recognizes exceptional performance through multiple initiatives, including peer-to-peer recognition, long-service awards, the President’s Award and the People’s Choice Award. FRESHBOOKS, Toronto. Software publishers; 263 employees. Maintains a compassion fund to help employees through extenuating circumstances, such as covering the cost of a stolen bike or an emergency vet bill.

FROZEN MOUNTAIN SOFTWARE LTD., Surrey, B.C. Computer software; 35 employees. Offers phased-in work options for those nearing retirement. FULLER LANDAU LLP, Toronto. Accounting; 120 employees. Offers a health-spending account allowing employees to customize coverage to suit their personal needs.

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REAT LITTLE BOX COMPANY LTD., Richmond, B.C. Box manufacturing; 279 employees. Rewards employee suggestions and cost-savings ideas with a share of the company’s financial savings. ARBOUR AIR GROUP, Richmond, B.C. Airline; 290 employees. Donated more than 700 one-way flights in the past year to local and national non-profit organizations. HARVARD DEVELOPMENTS INC., Regina. Commercial real estate management and development; 188 employees. Helps employees save for the future with contributions to a defined-contribution pension plan. HOCKEYTECH INC., Waterloo, Ont. Sports analytics information; 46 employees. Starts new employees with

three weeks of paid vacation and offers up to five paid personal days off. HOSTWAY CORP., Vancouver. Website hosting and management; 40 employees. Rewards outstanding employee performance with monetary bonuses and offers team-based monetary awards to spend on activities of their choice. HUMANIA ASSURANCE INC., Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. Insurance; 150 employees. Keeps employees connected and up to date through a company newsletter and themed town hall meetings each quarter.

NTEGRATED SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANTS LTD., Calgary. Environmental consulting; 80 employees. Is growing at a rapid pace, adding nearly 20 new full-time positions in the past year. INTELEX TECHNOLOGIES, Toronto. Software developer; 404 employees. Offers a casual work environment with a number of social events throughout the year, including monthly summer patio parties. IQMETRIX, Vancouver. Retail management software; 372 employees. Supports local and national charitable initiatives each year, as well as offering employees four paid days off to volunteer and matching their donations.

AVELIN TECHNOLOGIES INC., Oakville, Ont. Specialized 3D software publisher; 95 employees. Provides referral bonuses as an incentive for employees to recruit candidates from their personal networks. EYSTONE ENVIRONMENTAL LTD., Burnaby, B.C. Environmental consulting; 95 employees. Offers a variety of financial benefits including profit sharing for all employees. ANDRY ET ASSOCIÉS, Montreal. Business consulting: 20 employees. Keeps employees engaged with social events throughout the year including sugar shack trips, a boat cruise and dinner on the St. Lawrence River and an internal board game competition. LAROCHELLE GROUPE CONSEIL, Montreal. Information technology consulting; 92 employees. Offers an annual health-spending account allowing employees to customize coverage to suit their personal needs. LAWTON PARTNERS FINANCIAL PLANNING SERVICES LTD., Winnipeg. Financial planning; 61 employees. Offers tuition subsidies for job-related courses, subsidies for professional

NULOGY

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

p Employees from Toronto-based Nulogy Corp., a technology firm serving the consumer packaged goods industry, volunteer at a local charity.

2019 WINNERS

Continued

accreditation and financial bonuses for some course completion. LEFT, Maple Ridge, B.C. Software development; 36 employees. Offers innovative rewards for small wins (such as a bottle of wine), big wins (a whisky tasting on top of a glacier), or gigantic wins (a photo safari and river cruise to a World Heritage site in Bangladesh). LPI MECHANICAL INC., Brampton, Ont. Commercial and industrial HVAC services; 45 employees. Lets everyone share in the fruits of their labour with profit sharing and a year-end bonus program.

AXIMIZER SOFTWARE INC., Vancouver. Software developer; 73 employees. Invests in ongoing employee education with tuition subsidies for job-related courses. MCLEOD LAW LLP, Calgary. Law; 118 employees. Encourages employees to keep fit with a subsidy to help cover the cost of gym membership. MESSAGEPOINT INC., Toronto. Communications management software; 68 employees. Offers flexible hours and a telecommuting option to help employees balance their personal and professional commitment.

AYLOR BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS INC., Oakville, Ont. Specialized building contractor; 174 employees. Provides matching RRSP contributions and encourages employees to prepare for the long term with retirement planning assistance. NICOLA WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD., Vancouver. Investment management; 154 employees. Offers alternative work arrangements including flexible hours, shortened work weeks, a formal earned-days-off program and up to 10 paid personal days off. NORTHERN MAT AND BRIDGE LP, Clairmont, Alta. Industrial equipment

and rentals; 323 employees. Offers a variety of in-house and online training programs, including apprenticeship opportunities. NOSEWORTHY CHAPMAN CHARTERED PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANTS, St. John’s. Accounting; 57 employees. Considers previous experience when setting individual vacation entitlements. NULOGY CORP., Toronto. Computer software; 140 employees. Offers new parents a $750 baby bonus, in addition to parental leave top-up payments, and flexible return-to-work options when returning from parental leave.

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

ERLEY-ROBERTSON, HILL & MCDOUGALL LLP / S.R.L., Ottawa. Law; 114 employees. Offers a variety of alternative work arrangements including flexible hours, telecommuting, shortened work weeks and paid personal days off. POINTS, Toronto. Customer loyalty program software; 192 employees. Supports ongoing employee education with generous tuition subsidies for courses directly and indirectly related to their current role. PRIESTLY DEMOLITION INC., King, Ont. Remediation and demolition services; 276 employees. Helps employees save for the future with a defined contribution pension plan. PROPHIX SOFTWARE INC., Mississauga. Software developer; 185 employees. Maintains a number of company-sponsored sports teams including hockey, volleyball, dodgeball and squash. PSB BOISJOLI LLP, Mont-Royal, Que. Accounting; 163 employees. Offers a generous health and wellness spending account allowing employees to top up coverage as needed. PYTHIAN GROUP INC., The, Ottawa. Computer systems design; 196 employees. Increased its maternity and parental leave top-up policy for new mothers. New parents can extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence.

UESTRADE FINANCIAL GROUP INC., North York, Ont. Financial services: 370 employees. Encourages employees to keep their skills sharp through in-house training initiatives and generous tuition subsidies for courses at outside institutions.

.F. BINNIE & ASSOCIATES LTD., Burnaby, B.C. Engineering; 192 employees. Helps employees save for the future with generous contributions to their RRSP accounts. RANGLE.IO, Toronto. Software development; 196 employees. Offers new employees three weeks of paid starting vacation, increasing to four weeks after only two years on the job.

REID’S HERITAGE GROUP OF COMPANIES, Cambridge, Ont. Housing construction; 253 employees. Offers bonus vacation time and travel vouchers to celebrate an employee’s fifth year on the job and every five-year increment thereafter. RICHTER LLP, Montreal. Accounting; 451 employees. Offers generous referral bonuses for employees who successfully recruit a new candidate to the firm. ROCKY MOUNTAINEER, Vancouver. Rail tour operators; 299 employees. Offers 10 fully paid new child days for any employee who becomes a new parent, in addition to its maternity and parental leave top-ups. RODEO FX INC., Montreal. Visual effects studio; 395 employees. Invests in ongoing employee education with generous tuition subsidies for job-related courses. ROHIT GROUP OF COMPANIES, Edmonton. Real estate development and management; 170 employees. Encourages employees to make healthy choices with a steady supply of healthy snacks as part of its health and wellness program.

CALAR DECISIONS INC., Toronto. Information technology services; 330 employees. Starts new employees with three or four weeks of paid vacation, varying by position. SILVACOM LTD., Edmonton. Custom computer software and consulting; 65 employees. Helps employees prepare for the future with retirement planning assistance and phased-in retirement work options.

POINTS

Continued

p A few of the team members from Points, out for a quiet afternoon of knife throwing. RODEO FX

2019 WINNERS

SIONNA INVESTMENT MANAGERS INC., Toronto. Investment management; 25 employees. Helps employees balance their day to day with flexible hours, shortened work weeks and telecommuting work options. SMART & BIGGAR/FETHERSTONHAUGH, Ottawa. Law; 390 employees. Provides numerous transportation options, including transit subsidies, a car pool sign-up system, secure bicycle parking, EV parking spots and work stations for telecommuters. SOLINK CORP., Kanata, Ont. Video surveillance software; 41 employees. Encourages employees to keep fit with subsidized memberships to an onsite

p Each design studio at Montreal-based Rodeo FX is equipped with a fully stocked kitchen.

Continued

shared-use fitness facility featuring exercise equipment and instructor-led classes. SOURCED GROUP INC., Toronto. Consulting; 31 employees. Starts new employees with four weeks of paid vacation. STARTEC, Calgary. Commercial refrigeration systems; 129 employees. Makes the transition from full-time work to retirement a little easier with phased-in retirement work options. STRATEGIC NATURAL RESOURCE CONSULTANTS INC., Campbell River, B.C. Natural resource consulting; 181 employees. Encourages employees to save for life after work with generous matching RRSP contributions, up to six per cent of salary. SYSGEN SOLUTIONS GROUP LTD., Calgary. Information technology consulting; 61 employees. Features an employee lounge at head office with a foosball table and a ready supply of toys for visiting four-legged family members at the pet-friendly workplace.

BT ENGINEERING LTD., Thunder Bay, Ont. Engineering; 147 employees. Invests in the long-term development of its employees with tuition subsidies for courses at outside institutions. TEED SAUNDERS DOYLE & CO., Fredericton. Accounting; 39 employees. Counters the accounting stereotype with a busy social calendar including an end of tax season party, box seats at hockey games, curling, and a summer party with whale watching and zip lining.

TRISURA GUARANTEE INSURANCE CO., Toronto. Insurance; 121 employees. Lets all employees share in the company’s success with profit sharing and share-purchase plans. TSM / TALK SHOP MEDIA INC., Vancouver. Public relations; 25 employees. Hosts weekly creative sessions, quarterly off-site team-building events and an annual overnight retreat to Whistler.

BERFLIP, Toronto. Cloudbased marketing software; 106 employees. Provides a variety of free healthy snack options every day such as fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, protein bars, hummus and rice crackers. UKEN STUDIOS INC., Toronto. Game developer; 90 employees. Cultivates an ownership culture through a share-purchase program that is available to all employees.

ENTANA CONSTRUCTION CORP., Burnaby, B.C. Commercial construction; 181 employees. Features an employee lounge at head office complete with foosball and table tennis as well as free access to an onsite fitness facility. VERAFIN INC., St. John’s. Specialized financial software; 303 employees. Offers employees the opportunity to add some steps to their workout routine at a treadmill desk. VIDYARD, Kitchener, Ont. Software developer; 199 employees. Allows employees to apply for an unpaid leave of absence.

TOURSBYLOCALS, Vancouver. Tour operator; 42 employees. Offers employees a casual dress code daily and the option to bring their four-legged friends to work when needed.

VISIER SOLUTIONS INC., Vancouver. Software developer; 300 employees. Offers a generous IVF subsidy if needed as well as maternity leave top-up and parental leave top-up for new dads and adoptive parents.

TRACTION ON DEMAND INC., Burnaby, B.C. Marketing consulting; 325 employees. Encourages employees to work smart and balance their work and personal lives through a variety of alternative working options.

VOICES.COM INC., London, Ont. Online marketplace for voice actors; 99 employees. Reaches out to the next generation through paid internships, co-ops and summer employment opportunities.

TRICO HOMES INC., Calgary. Housing construction; 139 employees. Encourages employees to become recruiters for the company with new employee referral bonuses.

VOONYX INC., Lac-Beauport, Que. Computer software; 31 employees. Encourages employees to save for the longer term with matching RRSP contributions.

WEALTHSIMPLE

2019 WINNERS

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

p Employees share a word in the staff kitchen at Wealthsimple Technologies in Toronto.

ALTERFEDY, Kitchener, Ont. Architectural and engineering services; 172 employees. Starts new employees with three weeks of paid vacation and offers three paid personal days off. WEALTHSIMPLE TECHNOLOGIES INC., Toronto. Investment management; 130 employees. Offers its new moms and dads, including adoptive parents, generous maternity and parental leave top-up payments, to 100 per cent of salary for 24 weeks. WEIRFOULDS LLP, Toronto. Law; 218 employees. Offers new moms maternity leave top-up payments as well as the

possibility of alternative work options to help balance their work and personal lives. WESGROUP EQUIPMENT LP, Surrey, B.C. Industrial machinery and equipment distribution; 183 employees. Encourages employees to recruit their friends with generous new employee referral bonuses. WILD ROSE BREWERY, Calgary. Breweries; 59 employees. Lets employees share in the company’s successes through a year-end bonus program and also offers discounts on company products. – Diane Jermyn

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Methodology Canada’s Top Small and Medium Employers is an editorial competition that recognizes exceptional small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across Canada. The competition is limited to private-sector commercial organizations with fewer than 500 employees worldwide. Non-profit organizations are not eligible. The Top 100 editors at Toronto-based Mediacorp Canada Inc. evaluate employers according to the same eight key areas used for judging in the national competition of Canada’s Top 100 Employers: physical workplace; work and social atmosphere; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; community involvement.

ESENTIRE

Employers are compared with other organizations in their field to determine which ones offer the best workplaces and forward-thinking human resource policies. Whether an employer has positive employment growth is also a factor in determining the winners. As well, the unique initiatives of each employer are taken into account. p Employees at eSentire Inc. have access to an in-house concierge service that looks after personal errands and other time-saving tasks.

– Diane Jermyn

TRACTION ON DEMAND

PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): 1. Members of the Global Sales Team at London, Ont.-based Voices.com, an online marketplace for voice actors. 2. An employee of Burnaby, B.C.-based marketing consulting firm Traction on Demand enjoying a day retreat for staff. 3. It’s high-fives and sunny skies for employees of Richmond, B.C.-based Harbour Air Group, the world’s largest seaplane airline.

HARBOUR AIR

VOICES.COM

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

QUESTRADE

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

p Employees from Questrade Financial Group, an online investment brokerage, gather for a drink in a restaurant below their head office in North York, Ont.

Engines of Growth

As Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers get bigger, they are focusing on culture ho said this? “Just because we’re small, doesn’t mean we don’t stand tall.” The child in you may recall it was Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends, who continued: “And we pull our weight like all the others do. You’ll be surprised, in spite of our size, just what little engines can do!” Thomas could be speaking – OK, singing – for all 100 of Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers. For they do stand tall. They are a part of the

country’s 1.1 million enterprises with fewer than 500 employees, known as SMEs. These enterprises make up 90 per cent of Canada’s private-sector workforce and produce fully 30 per cent of the country’s GDP. Moreover, they account for 95 per cent of net job creation. And, of course, Canada’s Top Small and Medium Employers represent the crème de la crème of those organizations – the little engines that really could. As Richard Yerema, Managing Editor at Mediacorp Canada, which

runs the annual competition, points out, you can’t even be considered for the list unless your employee numbers have grown in the past year. “That’s a distinguishing factor of this competition,” he says. “This is a very active category in terms of recruitment.” And expansion there has been, big-time. “Many of the employers have very impressive growth numbers,” says Yerema. “Some have doubled in size. It’s a testament to good times for the economy and for the companies themselves.”

Fast growth, of course, can bring with it some unintended consequences. Preserving the corporate culture and values may become more difficult if many new employees are coming in the door. Yerema says that among SMEs, it is almost universal to offer referral bonuses to staff who recommend a successful hire. “Not every big employer has this program,” he says, “but for smaller companies, there’s a sense you’re recruiting almost for a family. It’s not just qualifications – cultural fit really matters as well.”

PHOTOS (FROM TOP): 1. Employees at Vancouver-based Clio, a software developer for law offices, join colleagues at four other offices around the world for weekly company-wide meetings. 2. Staff at Toronto-based Nulogy Corp. attend an agile software development meeting.

NULOGY

CLIO

CANADAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

ENGINES OF GROWTH

Continued

Leaders at Clio, a fast-growing legal software firm in Vancouver that expects by the end of 2019 to surpass the 500-employee definition of a SME, are very aware of the potential cultural repercussions of getting big, says Director of Talent Lyndsey Hannigan. So it’s important, she adds, to create the right environment while the company is still smaller. “We want to prove that it’s possible to build and scale an organization that is both human and high-performing,” says Hannigan. “I have been part of organizations where they care about results at the expense of the people who are there. It’s a miserable environment, even when the company is doing well from a bottom-line perspective. I’ve also been part of organizations that prioritize the

human at the expense of performance – that’s also not a fun place to work, because layoffs are happening and people are stagnating. At Clio we’re trying to show it’s possible to have both qualities, without trading one off for the other.” Last year, taking advantage of its expansive hiring, Clio managed to nearly double the level of female software developers – to 25 per cent – in a clear change to the culture. It also created a new role, Manager of Developer Experience, to help preserve the firm’s unique culture among the developers, who are crucial to its performance. Another of this year’s winners is Questrade Financial Group, Inc., Canada’s fastest-growing online broker and one of the few remaining

independents. Like so many SME founders, President and CEO Edward Kholodenko believes strongly in the reasons he started the company in 1999. “We’re an extremely fast, innovative, entrepreneurial, and customer-centric organization, and those are the values of our culture that we try to safeguard, especially as the company has grown at such a fast rate,” he says. Kholodenko well understands the benefits of fast growth in a competitive industry. “There’s so much more we can do – growing the company, providing customers with more financial services.” But he, too, is aware of the impact on workplace environment. “I recently spoke at our off-site about the challenges of growing quickly and the importance of retaining a great culture, so that it still feels the same as it did when we

were 50 or 100, when we’re 500 or 5,000,” he says. Beyond culture, though, growth can be very good for employees, Yerema notes. Prosperous SMEs are adding more of the benefits that larger companies offer. “To compete, SMEs can’t just say, hey, we’ve got a cool culture, come work for us,” Yerema says. “Along with health benefits, they usually have generous personal time and vacation policies. Tuition support is pretty much across the board now. We’re also seeing maternity and paternity leave top-ups creeping in. When you put all that together with a comfortable cultural fit and a more relaxed environment, it’s a pretty unbeatable combination.” The little engines, in other words, are staying on track. - Berton Woodward

RANGLE.IO

q A project team at Rangle.io, a Toronto-based IT consulting firm specializing in high-end user interface design using Angular, React and Vue.

LANDRY

PYTHIAN

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

JAVELIN

PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): 1. Employees at Ottawa-based Pythian Group, an IT development firm specializing in database applications, take part in a beer-tasting event led by an aficionado. 2. Employees at Montreal-based Landry et associés, a risk management consulting firm, share a laugh while making a meal in the firm’s staff kitchen. 3. Employees at Oakville, Ont.-based Javelin Technologies, a 3D software developer, steel themselves for total victory in an office competition.

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Creative thinking wins the day at Absorb Software

hen Mike Owens founded Calgary-based Absorb Software, makers of Absorb LMS (Learning Management System), in 2002, he drew on his 24 years of military experience in more ways than one. Owens had his first exposure to e-learning while serving in the Canadian Armed Forces. As a lieutenant-colonel, Owens was placed in charge of an early and innovative project to put weapons and field craft training online. “It helped me steer clear of many of the pitfalls you read about of smart, young programmers who start businesses but don’t have the leadership background and team-building skills to succeed over the long run,” says the Absorb CEO. “It’s also about something my army buddies and I took as a given: lead by example and personally meet or exceed the expectations you set for the rest of your team.”

I encourage dissenting views and talking through the root causes of work challenges. _______ Mike Owens CEO

Absorb has succeeded by identifying and filling a void in the LMS marketplace and providing a fresh approach to corporate software training. Absorb LMS is available to customers on an annual or multi-year basis, empowering companies to efficiently train both internal and external learners in a variety of learning topics.

p Absorb Software employees participate in annual lawn bowling event

The company is currently on a significant growth curve, which is expected to nearly double the size of its workforce and includes additional international satellite offices in the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. Through all the growth, Owens continues to stress the need for creative and critical thinking and finding new ways to solve the technology challenges of tomorrow. At his latest annual town hall this past February, he struck a familiar theme: employees must continually challenge leadership with their ideas for better ways to serve client needs. “I encourage dissenting views and talking through the root causes of work challenges,” says Owens. “The ability to freely express opinions results in better decisions for the entire company.” Absorb has a young and dynamic workforce; more than a third of its full-time employees are under the age of

We’re building tech that’s changing how people learn.

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30. It also has a strong track record in supporting and promoting high performers. Observes Owen: “We have people who lead product divisions, or who are VPs, that are in these roles probably a decade earlier than would happen in any other work environment.” Being a trend-setting software company in Calgary has its own advantages. Absorb regularly draws employees from Silicon Valley and Vancouver who are attracted by the prospect of more affordable housing, shorter commutes and a high quality of life. After working in the oil and gas and construction industries, Emad Issa joined Absorb as a business systems analyst in 2017. “It’s a one-of-a-kind company for Calgary,” he says. “We are on the cutting edge, both from a technology and business perspective. The company is growing and providing software to

big-name clients across the world. It’s very exciting to be part of this.” Issa describes the work environment as “demanding, but also respectful of the need to have a balanced life.” Absorb encourages employees to stick to an eight-hour work schedule. Staff are allowed to work from home one day a week and there is flexibility to deal with family illnesses or other unexpected circumstances. “I was away on vacation and couldn’t make it back to Calgary for my return date,” says Issa. “I worked remotely, collaborated, put in my eight hours and it was acceptable to everyone.” Issa also appreciates the mentoring he’s received and the open-door policy practiced by the Absorb leadership team. “You really do have access to people higher in the hierarchy, including our CEO and CFO,” he says. “You can ask for feedback at any time. Often, you’ll also get asked for advice, which I find quite unique.” Owens says that approach is deliberate. “We’re not a company that stands a lot on title. Your position or the size of your paycheque does not determine your importance in the decision-making process.” ¡

150

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

4,834

APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

37%

OF FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES ARE UNDER 30

WEEKS, STARTING VACATION ALLOWANCE

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Book4Time stresses values, wellness – and good pay

f you’ve ever visited the spa at one of the major hotel chains in North America or internationally, chances are your session was managed using software from the Markham, Ont. company Book4Time. The firm, started in 2005 by Founder and CEO Roger Sholanki, offers cloud-based services that support spa and wellness operations, including booking, services and guest experience, for such hotel chains as Four Seasons, Fairmont and Hyatt, as well as many resorts, fitness centres, casinos and day spas. Currently it has clients in some 70 countries. “Our platform can support any business that provides wellness related services that need to be scheduled with a specific provider and booked in advance or same day,” says Sholanki. “It could be a massage at your hotel, or a personal trainer at the gym, or a resort with nine or ten services to book over the course of a week, all on the same reservation.”

I like to hire people who are amazing at what they do and want to make a difference. _______ Roger Sholanki Founder and CEO

Sholanki notes that the global wellness industry is now estimated to

p Book4Time’s lobby at their head office in Markham, ON

be worth US$4 trillion annually. “The total spend on wellness is exceeding the total spend on healthcare,” he says. To keep his 100-person company growing, Sholanki says he recruits top people, whether in software development, client success or corporate functions. And to attract and keep them, he says, one of the tools is above-market compensation. “If you want to have good people, you have to pay them well,” he says. “This year, our average merit increase on salaries was 10 per cent – way, way above the industry standard.” It evidently works: people commute from all over the Greater Toronto Area to work there, says Sholanki. The company looks for people who share its core values of commitment,

empathy, innovation, team spirit and people. “We have instilled a culture that focuses on innovation and exceptional customer service,” he says. “That’s key, so that our clients can provide their customers with the best guest experience, because we’re the glue behind that.” The company culture is “very transparent,” says Sholanki. “People are empowered to make decisions. I don’t like to micro-manage people. I like to hire people who are amazing at what they do and want to make a difference.” Nizar Gulzar certainly finds that his job makes a difference to him. With the firm for six years and now a Senior Software Trainer, he trains clients in using the products and also works with

other internal trainers. “I’ve always been a person who enjoys learning,” he says, “and I find I do that all the time here. I’ve been given quite a lot of opportunity to learn and grow with the company.” He describes Book4Time as “more like a family environment. We have a collaborative culture in terms of learning and helping people out. That’s something I love about this company.” Not surprisingly for a company involved in wellness, there are subsidized gym memberships and weekly wellness events, such as kickboxing, yoga or nutrition, as well as staff social events, including monthly lunches and outings that can include Toronto Raptors basketball games or golf. Sholanki and members of his leader-ship team also hold monthly town hall meetings to brief staff on the latest company developments. “It’s a great team,” says Gulzar. “There’s always something new, there’s always something to learn. That keeps me going. ” ¡

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

9,907

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

DAYS STARTING VACATION ALLOWANCE

42%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

Our most valuable asset is our people Thanks to our family of industry innovators for helping Book4Time become one of Canada’s Top 100 S&M Employers.

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book4time.com/careers

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

How Clio is removing barriers for female tech professionals

ast June, Clio, an innovative and fast-growing legal software firm, embarked on an ambitious gender diversity project. Needing to hire a large number of new software developers in a short time, the Vancouver-based company set out to increase the ratio of female software developers from 13 per cent to 25 per cent – by the end of 2018. “Thirteen per cent just wasn’t good enough,” says Ainsley Robertson, Manager of Developer Experience. In the course of nearly doubling the size of its software development team, the company wanted to actively remove barriers that kept women from seeking these roles. By encouraging more women to apply, the resulting successful hires would be both the best fit for the roles and represent more diverse experiences and points of view. “We strongly believe that high-performing teams need to be gender-diverse teams,” says Robertson. The company reached out to groups that bring together women in software development to encourage their members to apply. Robertson notes that the key word is “apply” – “this doesn’t change our evaluation process. This was just about increasing the number of applicants.”

We strongly believe that high-performing teams need to be gender-diverse teams. _______ Ainsley Robertson

Manager of Developer Experience

So did it work? “Our goal was 25 per cent by December 31, and we made it on December 16,” says Robertson. But that’s just the start. Clio will continue to check

p Clio staff take the stage to host the industry-defining Clio Cloud Conference

in on targets and set new goals to continue to drive a diverse and talented workforce. The exercise tells you a lot about Clio, which has tried to do things differently since its founding in 2008 by computer science grad Jack Newton and Rian Gauvreau, who had worked in IT at a law firm. As Director of Talent Lyndsey Hannigan puts it, “Our mission as a company is to transform the practice of law for good, in both senses – permanently and also for the better, bringing our clients into the 21st century. We’re trying to help lawyers see themselves as not just legal professionals but as business owners.” The company offers a suite of cloud-based products that help lawyers manage and grow their firms, from client intake through scheduling to invoicing and much more. It has become the world leader in its field, with additional offices in Toronto,

Calgary, Los Angeles and Dublin. And for employees, it has big ambitions. “By the end of this year, we’ll be north of 500 people, with an eye to 1,000 in the next couple of years,” says Hannigan. Throughout that process, she says, the company is determined to maintain an environment that is both “human and high-performing” – based on core values that including learning, sharing and humility. Clions, as Clio employees call themselves, also boast a diversity and inclusion employee resource group, which Robertson helped lead after she arrived in 2016. An employee-led initiative, the group helps generate discussions about diversity and inclusion across the company and, says Robertson, “create an environment at Clio where everybody feels that they belong.” To support this work, the

Transform your career at Clio We’re proud to be a team of driven, passionate, award-winners. Join us at clio.com/careers

company recently launched its first inclusion survey to benchmark how Clio is performing. The company is also focused on meaningful career development. For example, Robertson, a Bachelor of Commerce graduate in marketing, started at Clio as a product manager. After working on projects such as accessibility that she was passionate about, she was able to switch to her current developer experience role. The role was created to ensure that developers, who are in high demand everywhere, continue to enjoy Clio’s unique culture as the company grows. Throughout her time at Clio, Robertson says, she has particularly appreciated the help of Clio’s in-house career coach, accessible to all staff, and what she gained from Clio’s leadership training – “I was blown away.” Hannigan notes that Clio’s core philosophy is that “Clions own their career path. It’s not, once a developer always a developer. We encourage continuous exploration of the things you’re passionate about, and we promise our employees that they’ll be given the support to explore those possibilities.” ¡

375

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

410

FULL-TIME STAFF ACROSS ALL LOCATIONS

56% $22m.+

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN DONATED THROUGH CLIO GIVES

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Community Trust backs its people in trying times

n early 2018, Community Trust had just come through a difficult year, with the overheated housing market causing volatility throughout the mortgage industry. Another challenging period lay ahead. Christopher Humeniuk, President and CEO of the Mississauga, Ont.-based financial-services company, explains: “2017 was a very interesting time for alternative lenders, especially for our residential lending team. Then on Jan. 1, 2018, our regulator, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, introduced the so-called stress test for residential mortgages. There was a lot of uncertainty about the impact this would have on our market.” Recognizing that employees were feeling their own stress and uncertainty as a result of these disruptions, Community Trust’s leadership decided to do something special to support them through the next several months. The result was an incentive program called 2018: The Time Is Now.

I’m very happy that I came here. One thing that stands out for me about Community Trust is its involvement with the community _______ Renata Nadarajah

Mortgage Retention Specialist

“We talk a lot about resilience and we wanted to encourage that,” says Humeniuk. “The message we wanted to send our people was, ‘We’re going to help you

p Community Trust team-building at 'Community Matters' volunteer event

through this year. It’s time to look after ourselves and each other. If we work hard we’ll be successful even in the face of further volatility and challenges.’” Employees were offered a choice of four leisure packages to help them look after themselves. They could pick an Air Canada travel package, a weekend in the city, an adventure package, or a bottle of wine, a blanket and a Kobo reader. This was followed by an extension of the company’s well-developed employee wellness programs, which cover mental and physical health, nutrition, exercise and more. Asked to assess the results of The Time Is Now, Humeniuk says, “Looking back, I’d point to two things. First, although we expected the scores in our annual employee engagement survey to be down in 2018, they were the highest ever. We’re close to the top 10 per cent of companies of similar size for employee engagement.

Work/life? Meet work-life. (A lot of your life happens at work. We’re here to help you make it count).

“Second, we’ve always put a high priority on giving back to the community, and towards the end of 2018 we challenged our people to support the Children’s Aid Foundation, with the company matching employee contributions two-to-one,” he says. “We hoped to raise $6,000 for a university scholarship, but we ended up with enough funding for three scholarships and bursaries. “This was an outward sign of our employees’ desire to give back, and I’m sure there was a connection to the year we had. And, by the way, we achieved all our financial objectives for 2018.” Uncertainty in the mortgage market is subsiding now, Humeniuk says, “but the message about looking after ourselves will always be there.” Early 2018 also saw the launch of another innovation at Community Trust: the Women’s Initiative Committee. “There are five of us on the committee, which came about at the time of the

#MeToo movement to identify any gender-specific issues that might exist within the company,” says Renata Nadarajah, who has been involved since the beginning. “Early on we held a survey and found there were no major concerns – this is already a progressive and diverse company – but we’re pleased that Chris, our CEO, took action to get this started so women have a support system they can turn to.” Nadrajah, who has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from York University and a postgraduate certificate in financial services underwriting from Seneca College, moved to Community Trust from another lending institution in 2017 as a Mortgage Underwriter, and more recently became a Mortgage Retention Specialist. “I’m very happy that I came here,” she says. “One thing that stands out for me about Community Trust is its involvement with the community. We get a paid day to volunteer and there are many company-sponsored opportunities to give back. It’s definitely rewarding to know I work for a company that gives back as much as this one does.” ¡

121

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

YEARS, LONGEST-SERVING EMPLOYEE

845

STAFF VOLUNTEER HOURS LAST YEAR

9,817

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

D&D Automation is a teaching and learning machine

s Sales Manager for D&D Automation Inc. of Stratford, Ont., Keith McIntosh doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. “There’s plenty of technical knowledge in our building – people who know everything about the industry. I’m not that person. But I can take the technical knowledge that our team has and make sure it’s delivered in a way that the customer wants to hear.” D&D Automation Inc. is a specialty engineering firm. It designs and implements industrial automation control systems for industrial conveyors and machinery, manufacturing lines, process environments and other automated facilities. The company has enjoyed steady growth and expects to hire 20 additional employees in 2019, bringing its total staff to 90-plus. It recently advertised openings for a senior project manager, with training and experience in electrical engineering; controls and automation specialists, with experience in the automotive sector; and accounting personnel, with either post-secondary accounting education or equivalent work experience.

When people do leave, I want them to remember this as the best job they have ever had. _______ Michael McCourt President

p D&D Automation employees grill up a delicious new employee luncheon

“We’re always looking for top talent,” says President Michael McCourt. “We try to develop and promote from within, but we are also looking for leadership talent from outside.” He is proud that the company’s turnover rate is well below the industry s average. “And when people do leave, I want them to remember this as the best job they have ever had,” he says. McIntosh values the trust and flexibility that the company shows its employees. “Everyone around here is trusted to do their job,” he says. And a balance is maintained between business travel and home life. “If you’ve been on the road for a while and need more time with family the next week, of course, go for it.” McIntosh has been with D&D just over two years. His first day included a

“new guy/gal lunch,” a D&D tradition in which a new hire is introduced to co-workers at an on-site barbecue or at a nearby restaurant on his or her first day. “It takes away the nervousness,” he says. “You get that community feeling right away.” Mentorship is a major part of D&D’s workplace culture. “Employees need to know they have permission to ask,” says McCourt. “Mentoring has to be more than just your boss telling you what to do.” McIntosh, for example, helps develop the internal sales process. So on average, he mentors up to 10 employees, including some senior project managers. D&D is a “teaching and learning machine,” says McCourt. The employer pays full tuition when staff pursue external courses in areas such as

engineering, project management or leadership skills. “The criterion for reimbursement is, will the course help you in your career,” says McCourt. Last August, for example, McIntosh attended a two-day Sandler sales course in London, Ont. that proved valuable. For its controls and automation specialists, D&D introduced the Tech Leader program, which allows them to progress through five levels to attain guru proficiency in one or more of the industry’s technology platforms. The program includes working in the field with a customer as well as instruction in labs in D&D’s warehouse. McCourt has also originated the Platinum Club, where up to a dozen D&D employees select relevant books to read and discuss. “We often discuss the content at a lunch & learn, but sometimes the reading will come up for discussion at a regular staff meeting,” says McCourt. The club’s selections are even taken on the road. “Because I’m driving so much,” says McIntosh, “I often get the book’s audio version and listen to it along the way.” ¡

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

825

APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF EMPLOYEES

38%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

IF YOU’RE INSPIRING, WE’RE HIRING! Proud to be one of Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers Join our team at ddauto.com

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Communication is a priority at Humania Assurance

hen Louise Crawford had a good idea about creating a spot in the office that remote workers could reserve ahead before coming in to Humania Assurance, she submitted it through the company’s weekly online employee survey. Her director responded the same day and within two weeks, Crawford’s idea became a reality – no more wondering where to sit. “Communication is very strong here,” says Crawford, a Claims Analyst for Disability Benefits at the firm’s headquarters in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. “The upper management really hears us and takes our opinions and suggestions seriously. If it’s something they can do, they do it.” Crawford appreciates that the company listens to what people would like to have as well as making sure programs are truly aligned with what the employees want, not necessarily what the company wants. “The employees and upper management are very close,” says Crawford. “The president and vice presidents know who we are. They do the maximum to keep employees happy.”

The upper management really hears us and takes our opinions and suggestions seriously. _______ Louise Crawford

Claims Analyst, Disability Benefits

President and CEO Stéphane Rochon says the frequent Officevibe surveys help evaluate the engagement, mood and overall satisfaction of employees quickly.

www.humania.ca

p Humania Assurance employees participate in an active training class

He personally reads every comment, ensuring there’s a follow up by a manager to any request or question so that the person has a timely response and interaction. “This is something that allows us to put the employee at the centre of our culture and react in an agile way,” says Rochon. “It’s an interesting way to manage in real time. We used to do a survey once a year but now we can see if there are problems right away. Then we can decide if it needs an action from HR, management, the VP or myself.” Communication has become increasingly important to Humania since the company started a change towards a full digital approach a few years ago. The digital transformation is allowing the small firm to expand its clientele and be more competitive with bigger companies. “People had to know why we made that decision and to continue reporting on our

progress,” says Rochon. “So we began to communicate more about the vision, the mission and the projects that are happening. Every two months or so we have a town hall where we go over the projects and achievements of every department so everyone has a better understanding of what the organization is trying to achieve.” Humania’s award-winning Dragons project, started in 2017, further encourages workplace communication and engagement in an innovative way. Employees submit ideas for improving work processes or the workplace in general and then present their case to Humania’s top management. Five or six of the best ideas are chosen from about 20 presentations every year. “It’s important for us to stimulate innovation from the bottom up,” says Isabel Portelance, Assistant Vice-President, Human Resources. “The employees come up with initiatives in areas such as

health and wellness or green committees. Those projects are implemented on their own initiative and they manage those committees themselves.” “The Dragons project illustrates our culture perfectly,” adds Rochon. “Employees have to identify the problem, the different solution, the ROI [return on investment] and implementation. The ROI might not necessarily be financial, but could be an ROI on wellness or greenness. They have to determine what it costs versus what it gives to the organization.” Rochon says one of the best employee ideas to come out of the Dragons project was the creation of a training room for fitness instead of the traditional gym that you’d find in most businesses. The difference is most classes are led by employees. “On one day, you might have the head of the call centre becoming the yoga master and a computer programmer as our kick-boxing trainer,” says Rochon. “The approach is very inclusive. It creates a different mindset and engagement rather than having someone external, but if we need outside expertise, we’ll do that too. It builds a camaraderie among the staff.” ¡

160

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

YEARS, LONGEST-SERVING EMPLOYEE

65%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

CHARITIES HELPED LAST YEAR

THANKS TO OUR AMAZING EMPLOYEES FOR HELPING US BE ONE OF CANADA’S TOP SMALL AND MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Creating unique experiences at Integrated Sustainability

manda Jardine had mixed feelings after winning the top raffle prize at the annual Integrated Sustainability barbeque. Held at the company president’s home on his farm near Calgary, the employeeand-family event doubles as a fundraiser for Energy for All, an Alberta non-profit that specializes in clean-water projects in the developing world. Integrated Sustainability, which also specializes in water-sustainability, has teamed up with Energy for All on several past initiatives and encourages staff to volunteer by providing them with time off as well as picking up most of their travel costs. “I see the difference this makes for people who participate,” says Integrated President Stuart Torr, who established the consultancy nearly a decade ago. “It brings together people from different backgrounds, and they can see first-hand the impact of their work.” For the raffle winner, all expenses and salary would be paid for this year’s two-week venture to rural Tanzania where an Integrated team, led by Torr, will help complete the installation of a village groundwater well. But Jardine knew that she would have to turn down the prize. That’s because she has multiple sclerosis (MS), and the journey would present challenges she might be unable to meet.

We want our people to be agents of change, not to fear change. _______ Stuart Torr

President

p Integrated staff and family participating in the Calgary MS Walk supporting “Team Jardine”

Still, thanks to Integrated’s support, Jardine has learned to cope with her “invisible illness” as she continues to help companies navigate the regulatory approval process for water projects. “They have been amazing,” she says of Integrated’s reaction to her MS. “Everyone is incredibly supportive.” Jardine, an Environmental and Regulatory Advisor, had been working at Integrated for about a year when she first experienced the tiredness and minor cognitive symptoms typical of MS. After receiving a formal diagnosis, she went on a three-month medical leave on full salary. Announcing her return to work with an all-staff email entitled “I MS you all,” Jardine is learning to manage her symptoms and now looks to the future. “I plan on taking advantage of the amazing opportunities to move my career ahead,” she says.

However, Jardine is quick to add that the company-wide backing she received for her battle with MS is nothing unusual. “They would do it for anyone,” she says. “Integrated recognizes that everyone has challenges to deal with, and everyone is here to help them.” Indeed, Torr wants the company to be seen as “a unique experience where you’re looked after and encouraged to be a leader in whatever you do.” To that end, as one strategy to break the boundaries of the traditional workplace, he instituted a share-purchase plan from day one. “Employee ownership is critical,” explains Torr. “It’s empowering. We want our people to be agents of change, not to fear change.” Jardine agrees. “The share plan is a chance for employees to invest in something they believe in and to have influence over the company’s direction.” Another financial perk is profit-sharing

Sustainable Infrastructure Development Innovate • Construct • Operate

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for all employees. But Integrated is not focused solely on its employees’ financial well-being. There are free weekly lunchtime yoga classes and monthly meditation sessions that have been so successful that they, too, may become a more frequent feature. In the office, there are two seven-speed cruiser bicycles, should anyone want to ride the paths along the Bow River below Integrated’s downtown Calgary offices. Says Torr: “We believe in physical wellness. It helps clear your head and energize you for the day.” On her first day at work, someone on Jardine’s new team told her, “You’re presenting today.” Taken aback, Jardine learned that her colleagues were introducing her to Pitch It, a regular company event where anyone can submit any idea to senior management – in public. Recalls Jardine: “I said, ‘What the heck,’ and went for it. It shows that at Integrated any voice can be heard and the company really listens.” As for her all-expenses trip to Tanzania, Jardine gave it to a co-worker. “It’s that sort of place,” she says. “We all support each other.” ¡

100

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

NEW POSITIONS CREATED LAST YEAR

$15,000

RAISED BY EMPLOYEES FOR CHARITIES LAST YEAR

40%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Keystone Environmental brainstorms staff well-being

here’s a feeling of renewal and camaraderie at Keystone Environmental. The Burnaby, B.C.-based environmental consulting firm – which has projects across Canada – has taken on the mission to be more innovative and place greater emphasis on employees’ holistic well-being, all with input from the staff. “We asked staff to help us be more creative around our business development initiatives,” says President Raminder Grewal. One outside-the-box idea emerged during the brainstorming sessions that are now part of every quarterly all-staff meeting. “Someone suggested having a spa day with clients. That’s a little different for us, but we thought it was a great idea and we’re in the process of implementing it.” On the employee wellness side, Keystone Environmental has introduced initiatives that include an “employee goal wall,” on which staffers place their personal goals, work-related or not. Grewal himself committed to donating blood every eight weeks.

A conscious decision was made by the leadership – with consultation from staff – to evolve, step out of our comfort zone and push the envelope. _______ Raminder Grewal President

“Someone has a goal on the wall about wanting to learn how to play a song on the

Keystone Environmental Knowledge-Driven Results

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Join our Team! www.keystoneenviro.com/careers

p Keystone Environmental staff brainstorming in one of the many collaboration spaces

guitar,” notes COO Ray Bertani. “Another person wants to learn the Chinese alphabet. We encourage our employees to focus on their personal as well as their professional development. Putting these goals on the wall creates a buzz and encouragement from their peers that motivates individuals to follow through.” It’s all part of letting employees know that their ideas on how to make the workplace better, and their need for fulfilling work and personal lives, are valued. Grewal explains that in 2017, when Keystone was 29 years old, the leadership group changed and a transition in the company’s ownership resulted in a younger mean age for shareholders. “We had been in business for a long time and had been quite successful, which makes it pretty easy to rest on your laurels and become complacent,” he says. “A conscious decision was made by the leadership – with consultation from staff

– to evolve, step out of our comfort zone and push the envelope.” Grewal says that resulted in “new ideas, a new outlook and a higher tolerance for risk that has led to a number of improvements in all areas of our operations. We are now able to promote a culture of innovation and continual improvement that flows through the entire organization.” “Most of the credit, though, goes to the dedicated employees of Keystone Environmental,” he adds. As a result of staff feedback, the firm established an innovation committee, involving staff from all levels and departments, to look at how to streamline any and every company process, and that has led to a focus on automation of systems, greater wireless and remote connectivity, and a more efficient service delivery model. At the same time, the firm has moved to greater collaboration and consultation, with an open-door policy and a larger

number of meeting and collaboration spaces scattered throughout the office. In 2017, Keystone Environmental hired Alison Boons as an Executive Assistant to focus largely on staff well-being and engagement. The firm’s new Health & Wellness program regularly brings in guest speakers on topics ranging from retirement and estate planning to nutrition, and offers lunchtime yoga classes. Boons, with the help of the company’s Social Committee, also co-ordinates regular office social events. “There’s a big focus on employees’ overall well-being and enjoying their time here,” she says. “It’s not just how hard you work and how many hours you put in, but also how much fun can you have in the process.” To promote work-life balance, Keystone encourages employees who work overtime to bank those hours and use them later. Staff also have the ability to work remotely. Boons says there’s been a noticeable change in staff engagement since the company adopted this new approach. “People really wanted to be involved in the conversation and are more than willing to throw out ideas and participate as a team, regardless of whether we are working toward a deadline or having a little fun.” ¡

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

1050

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

YEARS, LONGEST-SERVING EMPLOYEE

WEEKS, STARTING VACATION ALLOWANCE

YOUR FACE HERE

It’s not what we are that’s important, it’s WHO we are!

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

McLeod Law advocates for health, wellness and mentoring

he lawyers and support staff at Calgary-based McLeod Law are encouraged to take a proactive approach to their mental and physical health and wellness. All employees receive an annual fitness subsidy and support through McLeod’s Employee & Family Assistance Program. The firm also encourages carpooling, biking or taking other alternate methods to get to work, and offers financial incentives to do so, as well as a parking garage for bikes and shower facilities. Legal Assistant Julie Jack is one of the commuters who bikes to work every day (even on -30C days). She is also one of the McLeod staff who took part in the firm’s Cross Canada Fitness Adventure, a contest where teams logged their fitness activities over a five-week period. “McLeod shares my philosophy that a healthy employee is a happy employee,” says Jack. “Initiatives like this show they care about our wellbeing and encourage us to stay physically and mentally healthy.”

McLeod shares my philosophy that a healthy employee is a happy employee. _______ Julie Jack

Legal Assistant

McLeod’s offices are near pathways and parks, providing easy access for lunch-time walks or runs. In the summer, there are guided walks in the neighbouring provincial park where employees learn about the wildlife, ecology and history while enjoying fresh air and sunshine.

p Members of the 'Average Joe's' team from McLeod Law LLP raising funds for KidSport in Calgary

Jack says the guided walks are just one of many impressive perks of working at McLeod. Among the others: Friday breakfasts in the staff lounge, private movie screenings, the annual children’s Christmas party at the Calgary Zoo and a barbeque during the Calgary Stampede. McLeod also brings in guest speakers for lunch-and-learns, on topics such as mental toughness, office ergonomics, blood donor typing and the Cross Canada Fitness Adventure kick-off. In addition to health and wellness, McLeod places a strong emphasis on mentoring and career development. As an undergraduate, Austin Paladeau decided he wanted to be a lawyer. Paladeau worked as a summer student at McLeod throughout law school. He then articled with the firm

and is now an Associate in the Personal Injury Group. While he was a student, a senior partner took Paladeau under his wing, providing him with invaluable experience and a clear understanding about the practical side of being a lawyer. “My career path was not unusual for lawyers at McLeod,” says Paladeau. “This is a firm that takes mentoring seriously. I had pretty much every opportunity to follow my dreams.” Others have followed a similar path, including a paralegal who became an articling student and is now an Associate in the Wills, Trusts and Estates group. As well, many partners started with the firm as articling students. McLeod is committed to continual learning and education. The firm has designed a proprietary program called McLeod U. It is a four-year program

Always moving forward McLeod Law is one of Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers for a third consecutive year. Learn more about joining our team at McLeod-Law.com/careers

that helps junior lawyers develop practical skills and gain specialized legal knowledge across all service areas. “McLeod has willingly accepted the investment of training their lawyers beyond what the law schools have already done,” observes Paladeau. “That’s such a competitive advantage when you are trying to recruit good people.” Both Paladeau and Jack are appreciative of McLeod’s open-door, friendly workplace culture. “We work in a team environment where everyone is willing to help each other out,” says Jack. “All of the lawyers are open to answering our questions and helping us move our files forward efficiently and professionally.” Paladeau agrees collegiality is a McLeod trademark. “Even though we all have different titles, there is actually a lot more interaction across the board than you’d expect for a firm our size,” he says. “People understand the contribution they make and we are all here to work for a common purpose.” ¡

118

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

PERSONAL LEAVE DAYS PER YEAR

PAID DAY TO VOLUNTEER PER YEAR

100%

OF HEALTH-PLAN PREMIUMS ARE PAID FOR

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Northern Mat & Bridge lays it all down for staff

fter 20 years in business, Northern Mat & Bridge LP (NMB) continues to grow, and Daryl Northrup is growing right along with it. Based in Clairmont, Alta., about 10 km north of Grande Prairie, NMB provides access mats, portable bridges and winter road construction services to companies in a variety of industries across the country. As Senior Dispatcher, Northrup and his team are responsible for coordinating the transportation of products either directly to customers or to one of NMB’s 50 storage locations across the country. From these locations, NMB delivers its products efficiently to remote sites where customers need safe access to otherwise impassable terrain. “It takes a group effort to get the job done,” says Northrup. “Our sales team make the initial calls, a superintendent sets up operations, and we line up the trucks to deliver the product. We work as a team.” That team has grown since Northrup joined the company five years ago. “When I started we had one mat plant and 30 trucks,” he says. “Now we have three mat plants and 40 trucks.”

I’ve never worked for a company like this. I don’t think I’ll ever leave. _______ Daryl Northrup Senior Dispatcher

Even more impressive is NMB’s growth since it began in 1999. At the time, Canadian industry was becoming more environmentally conscious, and legislators

p Northern Mat & Bridge LP employees participate in Jersey Day in support of the Humboldt

Broncos at their head office in Clairmont

were imposing more stringent regulations on mining, forestry and other companies involved in the natural-resource sector. “They were looking for environmentally sound solutions,” says Scott Vyse, NMB’s Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing and its first full-time employee. “With all the infrastructure work to be done in Canada, the founders thought it would be a good time to get into the business. “We started providing temporary access for oil and gas rigs in swamps and muskeg,” says Vyse, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry from the University of Alberta. “You can’t build proper roads in these places, so you either go in on frozen roads or you build a matted road that works like snowshoes.” Twenty years later, NMB’s 415 full- and part-time employees now provide products and services to industries ranging from power transmission to oil and gas extraction. It has incorporated its

own manufacturing capabilities, increasing its rental inventory of mats from 2,000 when Vyse joined to hundreds of thousands today. A division of NMB provides mat and equipment washing services to minimize cross-contamination issues and environmental impacts from industrial incidents and natural disasters. And the company now has offices in Calgary, Dawson Creek, B.C., Toronto and Montreal. “We’re good at what we do,” says Vyse. “We deliver a reliable and safe product. But more important, we have the right people on the bus to execute at a high level. We’re big believers in continuous improvement. And we’ve really tried to maintain a smaller-company atmosphere even though we’ve grown into a Canadawide business.” From apprentice mechanics to health and safety administrators to leadership candidates, NMB has developed training programs to encourage employees to

advance through the organization. “Our priority is to train and promote from within,” says Vyse, “to allow our people to grow and develop in concert with our business.” NMB also encourages teamwork and expects each employee to contribute to the company’s continuing success. “We can bring our knowledge to the table,” says Daryl Northrup. “It’s not just upper management making all the decisions.” In return for their commitment and expertise, NMB rewards its employees with salary, benefits, pension packages and profit-sharing, all of which contribute to Northrup’s dedication to the company. But the foundations of his loyalty go deeper. “They involve your whole family here,” says Northrup, a husband and the father of two daughters, nine and 13. “We have family skates and pot-luck dinners. At Thanksgiving, the company gives each employee a turkey. At Christmas, there’s a party, and each kid gets a present. They even give our wives a gift. “I’ve never worked for a company like this,” he says. “I don’t think I’ll ever leave.” ¡

323

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

14,250

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF ALL EMPLOYEES

CHARITIES HELPED LAST YEAR

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Everyone has a performance coach at PSB Boisjoli

t’s almost a cliché to say that a good business is like a family, but in the case of Montreal-based accounting firm PSB Boisjoli LLP, it’s true. That feeling partly comes from being run by two managing partners who started at the firm as summer students and never left. “People genuinely like coming to work,” says Managing Partner Patrick Grosjean. “We develop people, we allow people to thrive, and we also know and have relationships with our staff. We treat people right.” One way that’s clear is by the amount of formal and informal training the company offers its employees. There are in-house core technical sessions throughout the year for junior auditors, soft skills and leadership training for managers, and speakers who are brought in to talk about a variety of topics. “On the informal side, when you’re working on a mandate, you’re part of a team, you’re being directly supervised, and you’re getting opportunities to try new things,” says Grosjean. “We don’t just leave them alone and say ‘Come back to me with the results.’ They’re supervised, mentored, coached.”

We really look at each person and see what their goals are and try to individualize their career paths. _______ Patrick Grosjean Managing Partner

p A diverse group of employees represents PSB Boisjoli LLP

In addition, the company offers tuition subsidies, paying 100 per cent for job-related courses and providing a $1,500-per-year allocation for anything elective. “We appreciate people wanting to further their careers or exploring different options,” says Marisa Rezzara, Vice-President of Human Resources and Operations. “It’s important that everyone develops in their role. This is what we all want. We all want to grow and feel challenged.” A happy side-effect of this corporate culture is that there’s little bureaucracy for a company the size of PSB Boisjoli. Even when Cassandra D’Ambrosio started at the firm three years ago, she says, the partners, managers and people from different departments all

made her feel comfortable going to see them or asking questions. “That was a big plus for me,” says D’Ambrosio, a Manager in the Audit Department. “It’s important for me to feel valued and to feel I can approach people.” Every person at the company is assigned a performance coach, not only to offer regular evaluations but to provide coaching throughout the employee’s career. “I use mine a lot, for anything,” says D’Ambrosio. “If I’m having an issue with a client that I don’t know how to resolve, I feel very comfortable going to my coach and asking for advice. Or if I have a lot on my plate and I don’t know who I should be discussing it with, I got see my coach

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to help resolve all the issues.” Adds Grosjean: “We really look at each person and see what their goals are and try to individualize their career paths.” Because the jobs are challenging and time is often of the essence, senior managers do what they can to alleviate the pressure, whether that comes in the form of 20-minute professional massages during tax season or catered meals on late nights. “They know you work hard,” says D’Ambrosio, “and they want to try to make your life easier.” There are many social gatherings – including an after-tax-season celebration – as well as a health and well-being program with an annual $1,000 allowance, and a yearly company-wide community outreach event. The proof is in the pudding, as they say. And PSB Boisjoli has an admirable retention rate. “For the managing partners, it’s like their family, and they want to treat their family well,” says D’Ambrosio. “So if you voice a concern, they will do their best to improve on the situation because it’s not just a job for them. They take it to heart.” ¡

163

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

YEARS, LONGESTSERVING EMPLOYEE

50%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

CHARITIES HELPED LAST YEAR

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Questrade invests in people and values

ou could say that the Questrade Financial Group, Inc. is an important part of the reason China-born Lulu Feng decided to stay in Canada. It’s that kind of place. Feng left her native Beijing to study at the University of Toronto, and right after getting her BCom in Finance in 2011, she got a job at Questrade as a client services specialist. The Toronto-based firm is Canada’s fastest-growing online brokerage. But like so many international students, Feng was still thinking about where she wanted to live. Booming China offered many opportunities, and she still had to convert her student visa to permanent residency within three years to stay in Canada. That’s one of the ways the firm supported her. “Questrade really helped me with my immigration documents,” she says. “That was very important for me to stay and build a life and career in Toronto. Not a lot of companies would do that for their employees.”

At Questrade, I’ve felt valued and recognized and supported. It’s like a home forever. _______ Lulu Feng

Manager, Tax & Clearing Operations

She also considered lifestyle. “After a few years, I realized I wanted work-life balance. At Questrade, I had that sense of balance. I could also see that if you put in your effort, you would see rewards and

p Questrade leaders at their Leadership Development Program

recognition at the end.” At the same time, Feng rose steadily in the fast-growing company, and is now Manager, Tax & Clearing Operations, with three teams totalling about 30 people reporting to her. She is currently completing a part-time MBA through U of T, funded by Questrade. Feng has also been able to make an impact on the company itself by recently starting a Women in Leadership group that is bringing together women in management roles and will eventually reach out to all female staff. “At Questrade, I’ve felt valued and recognized and supported,” she says. “It’s like a home forever.” That’s the environment President and CEO Edward Kholodenko has been intent on creating since he founded Questrade in 1999. “We not only care deeply about helping Canadians become more financially successful and secure, we also

care deeply about our own people, ensuring that we give them the guidance and support they need to progress in their careers,” he says. “Our values drive the company culture, and the people who work here really love it – they are making an impact. And that comes out in the service we provide our clients.” Among values, says Kholodenko, “honesty and integrity is core to our business. So is being customer-centric. We have an abbreviation, IQ-Tech – the I is for innovative, the Q is for ‘curious’ and optimistic, and Tech stands for team-oriented, entrepreneurial and agile, customer-centric, and honest with integrity.” The company’s biggest employee groups are client services and technology staff. Kholodenko says client services people don’t necessarily need a financial background. “We provide them with a lot of in-depth training and they become

very knowledgeable before they speak to customers on the phone, over chat or by email,” he says. So does it look like a financial company or a tech company? “If you come in, you’ll find doodles on the wall, interesting art on the cubicles, a ping-pong table, billiards, a video games centre and lots of comfy chairs, but there are desks as well,” he says. “We’re a mix – we’re really a tech company, but strapped onto a financial services company. We’re probably Canada’s largest fintech.” Staff can take advantage of RRSP matching, subsidized gym memberships, education assistance up to $5,000, maternity leave top-up and incentive bonuses linked to business performance. There is also an annual volunteer day and plenty of social events designed to support the firm’s “one team” culture. Kholodenko feels, like Feng, that Questrade is a home. “Some of the people who’ve worked here, starting young, think, maybe there’s something else out there – maybe the grass is greener. And it just isn’t. We’ve had a few who left and asked to come back – it’s very gratifying to see.” For them, Questrade turned out to be the better investment. ¡

404

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

44%

OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF ALL EMPLOYEES

15.5

YEARS, LONGEST SERVING EMPLOYEE

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Reid’s Heritage has a blueprint for success

s a plumber, Kyle Proulx was accustomed to construction sites where workers associated primarily with others in their own trades. But since joining Reid’s Heritage Group of Companies in 2012, Proulx has enjoyed a very different workplace culture. Instead of silos, the Cambridge, Ont.-based homebuilder has a collegial atmosphere where mutual respect and a commitment to excellence unite the team members, regardless of their role, location or years of service. “The whole one-team environment is something I’ve never encountered before,” says Proulx, Branch Manager, Northern Division, in the company’s Collingwood office. “The result is a level of cooperation and coordination that is not only a more efficient way to work, but more enjoyable as well.”

We know that if we look after our team members, they will look after our customers. _______ Tim Blevins

President

He credits this to management at the family-owned business, who treat all team members like they, too, are part of the family. This includes everything from hosting fun social events throughout the year to providing opportunities for advancement and thoughtful perks and benefits. For instances, says Proulx, who is with the company’s Hy-Mark Mechanical division, the health & wellness component offers all team members $250 a year

p The Reid’s Heritage Group team at their annual summer barbecue

for purchases such as exercise equipment and certain membership fees. Reid’s Heritage builds single detached homes, mid-rise condos, two-storey, executive and bungalow townhomes as well as custom estates and active adult communities. Doing so requires a diverse workforce encompassing labourers, skilled tradespeople, engineers, and more. President Tim Blevins says these team members are the company’s competitive advantage. The Reid’s Heritage mission statement “We Build and Enhance Quality of Life” means going beyond delivering a quality product, he says, to delivering a quality experience, from the house plans to the after-sales. “We know that if we look after our team members, they will look after our customers,” he adds. The prerequisite is creating the right environment for that to happen. For Blevins, that means hiring the right people, equipping them with the training

and tools they need to succeed, and then “getting out of their way.” Reid’s Heritage, in fact, provides a range of learning and professional development opportunities typically associated with much larger corporations. Two to three times a year, the company brings everyone together for off-site team meetings. Managers and supervisors receive leadership training while others attend sessions that focus on the company culture, core values and team development. The company also offers tuition subsidies for courses offered by third-party institutions while a wide variety of online tutorials covering everything from health and safety to improving communications skills are available free of charge to all team members. Individuals at all levels have opportunities for professional development to guide their advancement at the company; for those considering switching career paths, Reid’s Heritage offers job shadowing, so they can test the waters first.

Of course, not everything can be covered in a training manual, says Doug Sider, Vice-President, People and Culture. That’s why the company emphasizes what he calls the 4Cs – Character, Competence, Curiosity and Caring. Curiosity is especially important, he says, because it drives people to improve and innovate. “They’re always asking questions,” Sider adds. “‘How can we do things better? How can we better serve our customers?’ They see their work not as a career but as a calling.” Like Proulx, Jennifer Desroches is based in Collingwood. As an Office Manager & Project Coordinator with Reid’s Heritage Homes, her responsibilities include meeting with new home buyers to review floor plans and helping them customize their homes. But while her days are very different from her colleague’s, she shares his view that it’s the culture that sets Reid’s Heritage apart. She appreciates, for instance that that she, like all team members, can take one paid day off annually to volunteer with a charity of her choosing. With care and support like that, Desroches plans on sticking around: “I don’t see myself working anywhere else.” ¡

253

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

WEEKS, MATERNITY LEAVE TOP-UP PAY

YEARS, LONGESTSERVING EMPLOYEE

$1,000

AVAILABLE ANNUALLY FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION

Thanks to Our Exceptional Team for Achieving these Prestigious Awards REID’S HERITAGE GROUP OF COMPANIES

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Richter LLP supports employee growth and innovation

mong her colleagues at Montréal-based Richter LLP, Stephanie Lincourt is sometimes lightheartedly referred to as a “Richter baby,” given that she started as a student intern in 2001, worked there part-time while completing her undergraduate degree and then joined the advisory firm full-time after graduating. She moved up the ranks until – two years ago – she was made a partner in the audit division, specializing in commercial real estate. “It’s been a very rewarding, never boring, 18 years,” says Lincourt. “If you’re seeking challenges or thrive on different experiences, there’s lots of opportunity. We encourage personal and professional development.” For Lincourt, that meant joining the Montréal chapter of CREW – Commercial Real Estate Women – and serving a term as president as well as being a member of the board. “It was a tremendous opportunity to learn about the industry itself and that’s part of the Richter difference,” she says. “We’re business professionals, not just auditors.”

If you’re seeking challenges or thrive on different experiences, there’s lots of opportunity. We encourage personal and professional development. _______ Stephanie Lincourt Partner

p Richter LLP's annual summer party in Montréal

Christina Howitt, Senior Manager in the Risk, Performance and Technology group at the Toronto office, can attest to that. She arrived from a multinational firm four years ago with a background in IT audits and a mandate to help grow that part of Richter’s business. Howitt has seen her group grow from five to roughly 25 employees and she has enjoyed some significant professional growth and development along the way. “I was hired to do IT audits, but because of the culture at Richter I’ve been able to work on several different projects to build my skill set,” says Howitt. “Currently, I’m working with one of the vice-presidents to build the intelligent automation part of the practice.” Intelligent Automation is an emerging field that allows companies to automate high-volume, repetitive processes. Howitt and her vice-president, David Lachmansingh, work with companies to

identify processes that are handled manually but are good candidates for automation. “It was a great opportunity for us to explore and paired well with Richter’s commitment to innovation,” says Howitt. Richter has also launched initiatives to promote women in leadership. Two years ago, an advocacy project for female vice presidents was enacted. “They’re connected with a partner in a different division to establish objectives and action points and they meet monthly,” says Lincourt. “We want to make sure women are fully equipped to advance in their career at Richter.” The firm has also introduced initiatives that recognize the personal challenges facing employees who live and work in Montréal, Toronto and Chicago, where its offices are located. A formal remote work policy was started as a pilot project in two divisions but has

now been accepted company-wide. Employees can work remotely at least some of the time to alleviate the stress of commuting and to reduce the demands on parents with young children. Richter has also established a worklife integration committee to examine ways of alleviating the burdens of dayto-day tasks that can be time-consuming and stress-inducing. The Montréal and Toronto offices have contracts with dry cleaning services to pick up and drop off clothes that need to be spruced up. “We’re looking at other opportunities and we welcome contributions from staff,” says Lincourt. “We hope these initiatives entice employees to stay with the firm.” The firm’s culture of innovation also extends to its fitness and well-being credits, which apply to standard pursuits such as working out at a gym, aerobics, yoga classes and recreational sport. “We’ve expanded our reimbursement policy to include art classes and similar activities,” says Lincourt. “It was revised to accommodate employees who may not be into sports but find wellbeing in other ways.” ¡

451

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF ALL EMPLOYEES

57.6%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

47.6%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Smart & Biggar thrives on diversity and growth culture

hen she was in law school, Jyoti Chakraborty was interested in the intellectual property domain, but to work in this field lawyers typically had either a science background or a master’s degree in IP law. But when she saw an opening at Smart & Biggar for a junior position in IP with neither academic requirement, she hoped she’d found her way in. “The moment I walked through the door and had my first meeting, I quickly realized they weren’t looking for people with the cookie-cutter, standard oldschool IP profile. They were actually looking for people from a diverse background and with business savvy and experience,” says Chakraborty, who is an IP Lawyer in the firm’s Montreal office. “In my experience, the firm has evolved to meet the business needs of clients today.” In fact, Smart & Biggar has been going through some changes over the past few years, first by bringing in a professional management team to help run the business. Areas such as HR, IT, finance, and clients and markets, which were traditionally looked after by partners, were turned over to professionals in those fields.

It’s about creating a culture where highly skilled people are challenged and feel rewarded and can build a career and a life.” _______ Paul Horton

Chief Talent Officer

p Smart & Biggar provides a warm reception area at their growing Calgary office

“The partnership decided we wanted to operate more like a modern business and not rest on their laurels,” says Chief Talent Offer Paul Horton, “because the IP landscape is changing and we want to get ahead of it.” At the same time, the organization has sharpened its focus on things that are important to the people who work there. One change is that every employee has a coach – a partner or senior person – working with them to help them achieve personal and professional success. “We have lawyers and agents who are at the top of their field, we have a really impressive list of clients, so why would we not also have a talent experience that’s world class?” says Horton. “It’s about creating a

culture where highly skilled people are challenged and feel rewarded and can build a career and a life.” To that end, senior management has been holding regular candid conversations with staff members to understand what inspires and motivates them, and what success means to them. Twice a year, staff take a pulse survey, which gives leadership a sense of what’s important to employees, and senior leaders also hold town halls in Smart & Biggar offices across the country. “This is big shift in our firm and in this industry, as transparency is not a traditional characteristic of the legal industry,” says Horton. “We’re trying to get away from the way it always used to be and build a different talent experience here.”

For Jennifer Higgins, a Team Coordinator/Patent Legal Assistant, the environment at Smart & Biggar is a comfortable, supportive one, despite the intensity of the work. There are many ways in which team members are able to come together. “The firm takes the time to celebrate our victories and also recognizes all of the hard work behind every success,” she says. And there is always encouragement to do more. “Even the busiest person in the firm will take the time to answer your questions,” says Higgins, “to help guide you if you express a desire to learn more or do more.” That endless growth potential is one of the real benefits of working at Smart & Biggar for Chakraborty. “There’s a lot of diversity in the files, mandates and levels of complexity in our work that allows us to infinitely grow,” she says. “As a young associate, I see Smart & Biggar as somewhere I can grow for a long time. I feel like you’ll never reach a place where you turn back and say, ‘I’ve learned everything I can learn here now.’ ” ¡

384

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF ALL EMPLOYEES

YEARS, LONGESTSERVING EMPLOYEE

61.5%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

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CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Sourced’s supportive atmosphere puts staff first

t’s not the way most executives would spend their time. But one afternoon four years ago, as they prepared to open the Toronto office of Sourced Group Inc., Founder and CEO Jon Spinks and Paul Bertoni, Managing Director, Canada, spent a couple of hours at an office supplier’s showroom checking out chairs. “We tested out 15 types,” recalls Bertoni, who has seen the staff at the Toronto office of the global cloudconsulting firm grow from five team mem-bers to 60 since 2015. “Maybe some managers would just go through a catalogue. But, for us, we want to make sure we give our employees the best work environment possible.” p Sourced Group Toronto staff in their open and paperless office that encourages teamwork and

They had everything on my list for a perfect employer. What really impressed me is how much they value their people. _______ Vimmy Solanki Project Manager

For Bertoni and Spinks, it’s part of a personal mission: they want Sourced to be the last company that new recruits ever work for. The company’s low attrition rate suggests they’re succeeding. Much of the appeal is a corporate culture based on six fundamental values: integrity, innovation, quality, humility, service and sustainability. “We’ve worked diligently to make Sourced the kind of company that attracts and retains top talent in a very competitive market,” says Spinks, who has overseen the

reflects the company's commitment to sustainability

expansion of the company from Australia to Canada to, most recently, Singapore. “Based on these values,” he adds, “we strive to create a unique workplace that is open, transparent and welcoming to diverse cultures, skills and opinions. We believe that everyone brings something to the table, and we encourage employees to be candid.” In return, says Bertoni, Sourced shares almost every aspect of the business with employees. Building loyalty and longevity, he adds, depends on creating a workplace where employees feel truly appreciated and where they can grow professionally. “We value employees’ well-being over pretty much everything else,” he notes. “We start from there and work out to our clients and partners.” At Sourced, colleagues genuinely like each other and often socialize outside of work hours, says Spinks. Sourced’s two-part interview process helps ensure a collegial atmosphere. The company initially

interviews for technical skills, and then for cultural fit. “Candidates need to demonstrate an understanding of our values,” he adds, “and how they’ve practised at least some of them in their professional lives.” When Project Manager Vimmy Solanki relocated from Montreal to Toronto last year, the job offer she got from Sourced checked all the boxes. “They had everything on my list for a perfect employer,” says the electrical engineering and management graduate from Concordia University and McGill. “What really impressed me is how much they value their people.” If an issue causes consternation, management makes a sincere effort to fix it, she notes. “They care about employees at a personal level,” she says. “It’s like a family. They try to create that vibe. It’s like your second home.” In addition, says Solanki, she gets to work for major clients, including three of Canada’s Big Five banks. And the

Scale your career at Sourced sourcedgroup.com/careers

company’s rapid growth provides great opportunities for advancement. “They help you realize your career aspirations, and they support that,” she says. “It’s not like other companies where you get buried under all these layers.” Many team members spend much of the week working at client locations, she explains. But returning to the Toronto office on Fridays is generally mandatory. The day usually ends with a “Tribal Knowledge” session, where team members take turns giving technical or business presentations, followed by socializing over the office beer tap. Solanki says Sourced tries to organize at least one social event every month that appeals to employees of all ages and their families. The company also offers competitive salaries and benefits, and supports professional development and employee recognition. And even though Sourced is privately held, it recently introduced a popular Employee Stock Ownership Program. “We wanted to demonstrate that management and staff are truly aligned,” explains Spinks. “All of us will share in the rewards of continuing to grow a strong and successful company.” ¡

60 34

YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF ALL EMPLOYEES

CHARITIES HELPED LAST YEAR

PAID TRAINING AND CONFERENCE DAYS PER YEAR

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Volunteering is second nature at TBT Engineering

t daybreak in spring and fall, Lindsay Davidson can often be found at the Mckellar Island Bird Observatory counting and banding migratory birds. Sponsored by his employer, TBT Engineering in Thunder Bay, Ont., Davidson volunteers several hours a week, more whenever his schedule allows. “It’s all mornings for the songbirds,” says Davidson, a Senior Environmental Technician. “They follow sunrise patterns so may start up at five at the beginning of spring. The main breeding ground for any kind of migratory birds that come from the southern Hemisphere is here, including warblers, sparrows, nuthatches and woodpeckers. I was willing to volunteer on my own but the company said, ‘No, put it on your time sheet and we’ll pay you.’” Besides volunteering, Davidson’s work for TBT Engineering includes sampling soils and water to determine if they’re contaminated and investigating sites to see what types of birds or animals might be living there, including determining if any species would be at risk. While he needs to be able to identify birds and bird songs as part of his job, volunteering has turned him into a lifelong birder.

I’m grateful to the company for supporting me to do something that I love. _______ Lindsay Davidson

Senior Environmental Technician

“Once they let me hold a bird, I was hooked,” Davidson says. “I just love this

p TBT Engineering is celebrating the company's 50th anniversary this year

work. Monitoring is a way to see how strong the populations are – if they’re declining or increasing. I’m grateful to the company for supporting me to do something that I love.” Volunteering in the community is integral to the work culture at TBT Engineering. The multi-disciplinary consulting firm provides down-to-earth engineering services to a diverse range of clients across Canada and abroad. Additionally, the company sponsors everything from recreational hockey leagues and soccer to community theatre and the symphony. “A company is a collection of like-minded people that provide services but at the end of the day, it’s the communities and clients that provide us with the means to do this,” says President Rob Frenette. “There’s an ethical responsibility to

give back. We encourage our people to participate in something communitybased that’s outside of their professional and family life so they’ve got that community interaction.” Alongside his wife and company CEO, Liana Frenette, he says their vision for the 50-year-old company, which they purchased together in 1995, was to grow the organization locally, premised on the fact that the experts can come from the north. “In the early years, we encountered this belief that the experts have to come from somewhere else,” Frenette explains. “We don’t believe that. Who knows better how to deal with the northern climate, environment and communities than people who live and have lived here for most, if not all, of their lives?” The couple feel an overwhelming

appreciation for the fact that although they’re not originally from Thunder Bay, they’ve been able to successfully build a business here. “The community has supported us in our pursuit of our goals, which was to become the engineering experts of the north,” says Frenette. “As we have opportunities to support those communities that have supported us, we’re wholeheartedly behind any initiative where we can assist, whether financially or through volunteering, participation in cultural events or providing training.” With celebrations of the 50th anniversary coming up this year, Frenette says there will be a big party, including celebrating their sense of community in Northern Ontario, where they’ve been able to provide the majority of the company’s services over the past 25 years. “What’s important is that we’re committed to continuing this venture,” says Liana Frenette. “We have 25 other employee owners in this corporation and we’re committed to sticking around. We’re planning for the future and the next generation.” ¡

147 100+

CHARITIES AIDED LAST YEAR

2,000

STAFF VOLUNTEER HOURS LAST YEAR

YEARS, LONGESTSERVING EMPLOYEE

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

Teed Saunders Doyle finds many ways to support staff

eith McQueen grew up in Saint John, N.B., went to university in his hometown and has spent his entire career in the Saint John office of the accounting firm Teed Saunders Doyle. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. A Chartered Professional Accountant and a Manager with the firm, McQueen says there are many advantages to working for a mid-size firm like Teed Saunders Doyle. “There’s lots of opportunities for personal and professional growth,” he says. “We deal with a lot of local companies. You may be retained to do an audit, tax returns or their year-end, but you can become an advisor on pretty well anything financial.” The partners in the firm have endeavoured to create a supportive atmosphere that enhances the prospects of success for younger employees or those who are new to the profession. “We invest in our people,” says TJ (Trevor) Smith, a Partner in the Fredericton office. “It’s one of our top strategic priorities. And we treat people like family. People stay here because of that.”

We invest in our people. It’s one of our top strategic priorities. And we treat people like family. People stay here because of that. _______ TJ (Trevor) Smith Partner

p Teed Saunders Doyle & Co. annual ‘Curling Night in Canada’ event

Investing in people starts with new hires who are pursuing their CPA designation. The firm covers tuition fees on the understanding that the employee remains with Teed Saunders Doyle for three years after completing the program. Employees are entitled to a paid day off to study for each exam and are reimbursed for hotel, meals and other travel expenses. The firm also covers annual accreditation fees for those who are certified CPAs. McQueen adds that the firm has a formal mentorship program and he personally serves as mentor for five employees who work under him. Mentoring is available to employees at all levels of the firm – from staff to managers, senior managers and partners. As well, the firm covers the cost of training sessions offered to managers

and senior managers through DFK Canada, headquartered in Markham, Ont. “A lot of firms our size don’t have the internal resources available to large national firms,” says Smith. “By affiliating with an organization like DFK we can give our employees the same opportunities available to their counterparts at the bigger firms.” Accounting is a seasonal profession that comes with heavy workloads and extra hours during the first six months of the year, when clients are filing personal or business tax returns and many companies require year-end audits. “We know many people work exceptionally hard during that time of the year, but we can’t change the seasonality of the profession,” says Smith. “We don’t expect nearly as much of them the rest of the year.” In fact, Teed Saunders Doyle

compensates staff by allowing them to take Friday afternoons off during nine weeks of the summer. That is just one way in which the firm promotes a culture of collegiality among staff. Each branch has a social committee that organizes events throughout the year, some of them formal, other less so. The Fredericton committee hosts curling and bowling nights while some team members take turns inviting colleagues to their homes to watch weekly network reality television shows. Teed Saunders Doyle was founded in 1974 and has long had a culture of giving back to the communities it serves. The Saint John office allows employees to volunteer the equivalent of one hour a week at a local elementary school under a program sponsored by PALS (Partners Assisting Local Schools). The same branch joined a group of 10 companies that promised to raise $1 million for the United Way over a 10-year period. Each company contributed $10,000 annually – no small undertaking for Teed Saunders Doyle’s Saint John branch, which has only 20 employees. ¡

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

YEARS, LONGESTSERVING EMPLOYEE

63%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

CHARITIES HELPED LAST YEAR

World-class expertise, with a personal touch Proud to be one of Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers for 2019. Visit us at teedsaundersdoyle.com/careers.

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

ToursByLocals takes a fresh approach to travel – and work

or many organizations, 2008 was a disaster. U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers had filed for bankruptcy in September, helping to drive an already sputtering economy into a deep global recession. For ToursByLocals, however, launching just two months later turned out to be good timing after all, says CEO and Founder Paul Melhus. The downturn affected numerous sectors worldwide, including travel and tourism. As a result, a critical mass of tour guides was willing to sign on with a Vancouver start-up and take a chance on its ground-breaking business model of enabling travellers to find and book private, customizable tours with local guides worldwide. “As the world economy started to heal, we had something special to offer,” says Melhus, noting that ToursByLocals entered the market when travellers were increasingly forgoing mass tourism in favour of more authentic cultural experiences. “We had a lot of tailwind.”

Tell us what you need and we’ll try to make it work for you. _______ Paul Melhus CEO and Founder

The numbers tell the story. In 2009, ToursByLocals booked 192 tours; in 2018, 3,537 guides in 156 countries led 80,230 tours. The company also opened offices in Glasgow and Kuala Lumpur, expanded its office in Buenos Aires and moved into a new 10,500-sq.-ft. office in downtown Vancouver, doubling its headquarters’ space.

p ToursByLocals guide, Yvonne, explores Amsterdam with travellers from Canada

Melhus attributes the company’s success, in part, to staying true to founding principles. The seed was sown when he and Dave Vincent, ToursByLocals’ Chief Technical Officer and Founder, vacationed in China in 2006. Instead of taking a bus tour to the Great Wall, they hired a driver to take them to a less touristy section of the wall where two local women gave them an impromptu – and knowledgeable – tour. In return, the women indicated that Melhus and Vincent should buy souvenirs from them. They reluctantly bought the unwanted goods, an awkward exchange that led them to question how they could improve that scenario to everyone’s benefit. Back in Vancouver, the two, who had previously founded and sold a successful educational software company, set to work on plans for safely and reliably connecting travellers and local guides.

With 40 per cent growth projected for 2019, the hiring continues. In addition to providing employees with competitive compensation and benefits, ToursByLocals supports their ongoing development. This includes tuition reimbursement on a sliding scale, from 100 per cent for companyrequired courses to 50 per cent for general educational programs; travel to international trade shows; and opportunities to work in one of the foreign offices for a month. The company offers unlimited paid vacation time, providing certain conditions are met. As long as their work gets done, Melhus says he’s not worried that some employees may take advantage of these or other perks. “I’m more concerned about the output, not the input,” he adds. The goal, he says, is to avoid a transactional atmosphere where X work

done equals X owed and instead create a pleasant place to work. “Tell us what you need and we’ll try to make it work for you.” That’s certainly been the case for Sara Cooke. Intrigued by a job posting she saw in 2009, she applied to ToursByLocals even though the position was unrelated to her background in media relations. She responded to the inevitable rejection letter by suggesting she could write content for ToursByLocals’ website. It worked. As the company grew, so did her role, from contract writer to part-time employee to her current full-time position as Director of Communications. The increasing workload suited her as her two young children grew, and now that they’re 11 and 14, Cooke says she still appreciates ToursByLocals’ familyfriendly atmosphere. Both flex time and the ability to occasionally work from home are a boon to work-life balance, she says. “I’ve felt supported since the beginning,” Cooke adds. “As a result, I’ve been able to enjoy my time as parent while also having a job that I absolutely love.” ¡

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

1,000

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF ALL EMPLOYEES

AVOCADOS CONSUMED WEEKLY IN HEALTHY SNACKS PROGRAM

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

At Trisura, success is built on collaboration

lthough he was running late for lunch one Friday, company CEO Mike George stopped to do a little something for his staff. It was a few years after he cofounded Trisura Guarantee Insurance Company in 2006, and he wanted to acknowledge the recent good work by his dozen or so staff. “This afternoon, you can all leave early,” he emailed them – or so he thought. Instead, the email went to everyone working for the partner investor backing Trisura’s startup. “I didn’t realize my error until I started getting thank-you emails from strangers across North America!” George’s misdirected goodwill gesture was an early winner of Toronto-based Trisura’s periodic Blunder Award and one that has become legendary among the now some 130 employees in six offices across the country “At Trisura, we leave our egos at the door,” says George. “We take our work seriously, but not ourselves – that’s an essential part of our culture.” He adds: “The Blunder Awards demonstrate that. It’s okay to make mistakes, everyone does, especially if you learn from them.”

If you have the drive, you get lots of responsibility and opportunities right out of the gate. _______ Mathew Manol Underwriter, Surety

George, like everyone else, except the VP Human Resources, occupies a

p Trisura employees at their Calgary office

workstation in the middle of Trisura’s office. “I love the open concept because it creates a more collaborative environment,” he says. “Walls create issues; people hide behind them.” Adds George: “Too many of us spend too much time glued to our computers or devices. In an open office, people are almost forced to speak with each other. That creates collaboration, and our success is based on collaboration.” Mathew Manol, a Trisura Underwriter, Surety, also endorses the open space design. “I don’t feel intimidated walking into Mike’s or any other senior person’s office to discuss an idea or concern,” he says. Manol, who joined Trisura after graduating from university some three years ago, is among a growing number of young people attracted to the company despite the insurance industry’s overall dull image. “Lots of people think insurance is not very sexy,” he says, “but

nothing could be further from the truth, at least at Trisura.” Indeed, Trisura’s workforce average age is in the mid-30s, well below the industry’s as a whole. But to retain young people and their energy, says George, “you need to provide them with mentoring, career opportunities and meaningful work.” In the case of Manol, who started as an analyst, it has meant company support for professional development courses and ongoing education as he seeks a professional accreditation. “They really care,” he says of management. “If you have the drive, you get lots of responsibility and opportunities right out of the gate.” Trisura also is generous in its financial support. There is profit-sharing and an employee share purchase plan that has attracted three-quarters of the workforce. The company also contributes to its employees’ RSP plans. Another point of pride is Trisura’s

full-blown support for charitable activities. All staff get two paid days of leave to devote to a cause of their own choosing or for a company-sponsored event. As well, the company donates one per cent of its net underwriting income to its charity partners. “Giving back to our communities is another critical company value,” says George. “When we hire, we look beyond skills. We want to ensure we have decent people.” For his part, Manol, who volunteers as a hockey coach for a local boys-and-girls hockey league in a downtown Toronto neighbourhood, says Trisura “hires compassionate people who care both about our clients and the community.” Manol has even persuaded George to speak to his hockey team about career possibilities and contributing to the community. Trisura also values its flexible working environment, tailored to the needs of its people. Working from home is not an issue, and if you need time off for family reasons, that’s also not a problem. Says Manol: “This is a company that cares more about your well-being than rushing you back to the office.” ¡

128

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

33%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

CHARITIES HELPED LAST YEAR

630

STAFF VOLUNTEER HOURS LAST YEAR

What Makes a Winning Team? Enthusiasm, passion, and an unwavering belief that we can do it better. Learn more at www.trisura.com a step above Trisura Guarantee Insurance Company is a Canadian owned and operated Property and Casualty insurance company specializing in niche insurance and surety products. We are a proud supporter of the Insurance Broker’s Association of Canada

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

At Uberflip, culture is a full-time specialty

hen Julie Whish saw a posting on an employment website from a Toronto tech company called Uberflip, she didn’t think twice about applying. And no wonder. Until three months earlier, Whish had worked at a travel company as a Culture Coordinator. Now Uberflip was looking for a Culture Specialist. The similarities were too obvious to ignore. “I’d just started another job,” she says, “but I applied anyway.” Uberflip started in earnest in 2013 as a platform for marketers to create personalized content experiences without the help of IT staff. By the time Whish applied, the company had grown to about 80 people and had generated a unique and dynamic culture, defined in its early stages, says CEO and co-founder Yoav Schwartz, by a core group of employees. “We had a full-day session where we listed everything that was important to us,” he recalls.

It’s a competitive market. In the tech industry, people find out what other companies are doing. You need someone keeping tabs on your culture to be ahead of the game. _______ Yoav Schwartz

CEO & co-founder

p Uberflip leaders Randy and Yoav conquer the edge walk at CN Tower

Out of that session came Uberflip’s core values and cultural priorities, which encompass such qualities as heart (“We want to employ nice people,” says Schwartz), uniqueness (“We don’t want to hire the same person over and over”) and a tech orientation (“You might be in HR or finance, but every role interacts with tech and it’s important that you want to be part of it”). Even with her credentials and experience, Whish went through a round of interviews before she was hired. “The founders wanted to make sure they got everything they were looking for,” she says. “Someone who would make people feel comfortable, who could keep a pulse check on the company plus organize events and special occasions.” For Uberflip, finding the right person was critical. “It’s a competitive market,” says Schwartz. “In the tech industry, people find out what other companies are doing. You need someone keeping tabs on

Love Where You Work

your culture to be ahead of the game.” In the meantime, the process gave Whish a chance to evaluate the company. She was impressed from her first visit. “When I went to the office, the staff were just so friendly and kind,” she says. In the two years since then, Whish has dived into her job, organizing employee events around field trips to the Canadian National Exhibition and the Toronto Christmas Market, charcuterie days, a Super Bowl pot luck, themed parties, participation in Toronto Pride and an impromptu visit by an ice cream truck to dispense free cones outside the office on a hot summer day. There is also charity and volunteering. “One of Uberflip’s core values is Give Back, which means one per cent of our new revenue each year goes to charitable initiatives,” she says. “We even plan our own charity ping pong tournament called Startupong for the Toronto tech community. Last year, thanks to the support of

start-ups across the city, we raised $50,000 for the SickKids Foundation.” In helping to create an inclusive workplace, Whish works closely with Uberflip’s inclusivity and diversity ally group Luv, and celebrates individual achievements on blogs and social media. “Julie understands the impact of incorporating surprise and delight into an organizational culture,” says Schwartz. Uberflip has more conventional ways of keeping its 135 employees motivated, as well, offering a comprehensive health and dental plan, an employee share ownership program, a personal wellness spending account and a $1,000 yearly learning credit. Other benefits include a paternity leave policy, weekly onsite yoga or meditation sessions and lunch and learns. The company also provides mentoring and leadership training to support employees as they advance in their careers. “The Uberflip team is happiest when its employees are happy,” says Whish. “Culture isn’t about the physical space where we work each day, it’s about building meaningful relationships. When visitors come into the office, they can tell people care about working here and being a part of a company that cares.” ¡

135

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

8,067

JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED LAST YEAR

YEARS, AVERAGE AGE OF ALL EMPLOYEES

41%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

We create great work experiences. Visit us at uberflip.com/careers

CANADA’S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2019

WeirFoulds adds a modern outlook to a rich heritage

ounded over 150 years ago, WeirFoulds is one of the oldest law firms in Canada, but it prides itself on being up to date and inclusive in everything it does. “Law is a business that’s constantly evolving so we have to adapt to keep up,” says Managing Partner Wayne Egan. “We try to humanize the way we treat each other and our clients, and we’re good at it. We’re committed to excellence. There are many excellent law firms in Toronto but we have a great culture as well. We also like to think our long history gives us stability.” Egan isn’t alone in thinking highly of the WeirFoulds culture. “This is a very progressive firm,” says Sandra Noe, a Law Clerk in the Regulatory Practice Group with 30 years’ experience in the legal field. “At other firms where I’ve worked, I haven’t seen the same level of involvement in issues that are relevant to the times. It’s a very nurturing culture. We have wonderful specialized practice groups here, but they all work together.”

We try to humanize the way we treat each other and our clients, and we’re good at it. _______ Wayne Egan Managing Partner

Noe joined WeirFoulds in 2007 as a Legal Assistant to a lawyer specializing in administration and constitutional law with a focus on human rights. After a

p A group of WeirFoulds lawyers and students tackled the 1,776-step CN Tower stair climb in support of the United Way Greater Toronto

two-year break for family reasons, she returned to work for the same lawyer in 2015 and was promoted to Regulatory Law Clerk in November 2018. “Hard work is appreciated and recognized and there are lots of meaningful opportunities, not only for lawyers,” she says. “For example, I’m part of the firm’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. And the size is nice. I’ve worked for very large firms, which aren’t as collegial just because of their scale.” With approximately 220 employees, about half of whom are lawyers and the other half professional staff, WeirFoulds was ranked the top regional firm in Ontario by Canadian Lawyer magazine in both 2015 and 2017. Supporting women in the legal profession is a priority, Egan says: “Like

other firms, we have a challenge. Law schools are graduating a more-or-less even split of men and women, and the industry is hiring equally, but we aren’t turning them into partners. The industry needs more women in leadership roles. “We really are trying to address this. Of the six partners on our Management Committee, three are women, and it’s the same on our Profit Allocation Committee. And through a program called WeirFoulds Women we support women legal professionals both internally and externally. We have an intensive new coaching program to connect women lawyers and help them advance their careers, and we host networking events to support women clients beyond providing legal services.” Career development opportunities for

WeirFoulds employees include coaching and a mentorship program that matches up younger lawyers with mentors in other areas of expertise to allow for the widest possible discussions. The firm offers a range of benefits, such as an employee and family assistance program and access to a total well-being platform, and is very involved in giving back, both to the legal profession and the wider community. “We have a history of partners going on to senior positions in the profession and we donate time and money to charitable work for our clients, such as SickKids,” says Egan. He also points to the firm’s advanced use of technology, particularly in enhancing the ability to work from home: “We’ve been told by new people coming into the firm that our IT systems work very well remotely, allowing them to operate seamlessly from home.” For Noe, one of the most satisfying aspects of working at WeirFoulds is the feeling of teamwork. “It’s very inspiring to see the notable cases our people have worked on,” she says. “There’s a lot of pride and a sense of belonging in the idea that we did that.” ¡

218

FULL-TIME STAFF IN CANADA

77%

OF EMPLOYEES ARE WOMEN

50%

OF MANAGERS ARE WOMEN

50%

OF EXECUTIVE TEAM ARE WOMEN

We are proud to be recognized as one of Canada’s Top Small and Medium Employers! We look forward to providing guidance and direction to our clients for another 150 years.

+1 416.365.1110 WEIRFOULDS.COM

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