Remote work takes on new meaning with Canada’s Top 100 Employers 2022

It’s still about resilience. That’s what has and still defines Canada’s Top 100 Employers 2022 by Mediacorp in a year where business has been anything but usual. COVID-19 hasn’t left so all of us – from CEOs to mid-managers to that nice HR rep – have continued to adapt to a new way of working, a new normal.

Remote took on a new meaning in this era. We gradually got more comfortable with the technology and the home office, even if that workspace was your hall closet. Co-workers came into each other’s lives and homes in unexpected ways. Colleagues met your children, pets and partners.

You shared virtual yoga class or trivia nights with the team over wine. In some ways it seemed more personal than when we all worked together in the same room. You could feel the culture shift as you cooked cacciatore along with the company president.

Remote could also mean feeling disconnected or simply fatigued by the never-ending pandemic. Mental health care became a top priority with the best of employers providing increased access and benefits for workers under stress.

Black Lives Matter, National Truth and Reconciliation Day, climate change, #MeToo all drew our attention in turn. People saw the world through a new lens and rightfully held companies accountable for their values.

Canada’s Top 100 Employers 2022, selected by Mediacorp Canada Inc., faced the same challenges as every other organization across Canada: How to stay connected, keep their culture alive, continue professional development and onboard new hires working out of their parents’ basement. What’s the new normal tomorrow?

The winners of this year’s competition stepped up and listened to what their workforce needed, to what their communities needed and responded. They continue to set the standard for doing business in Canada with best practices. These are the organizations that adversity made stronger.

METHODOLOGY 2022

While the selection process to choose the winners continually evolves to include new questions that reflect changes in the workplace, the underlying methodology has not significantly changed since the project began in 2000. The competition is and remains a catalogue of best practices.

To select the winners, the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers 2022 by Mediacorp compare each organization’s policies to others in their industry and region to see if they’re a leader. Each employer’s application is judged by rigorous criteria in eight key areas: (1) Physical workplace; (2) Work atmosphere & social; (3) Health, financial & family benefits; (4) Vacation & time Off; (5) Employee communications; (6) Performance management; (7) Training & skills development; and (8) Community involvement.

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

Canada’s Top 100 Employers 2022 by Mediacorp is an annual national competition and all applicants must pay a fee to enter. Any employer with its head office or principal place of business in Canada may apply regardless of size, whether private or public sector.

Canada’s Top 100 Employers 2022 by Mediacorp

3M Canada Company, London, Ont. Technology manufacturing; 1,867 employees. Helps employees manage unexpected challenges by offering compassionate leave top-up for those called upon to care for a loved one, (to 100 per cent of salary for up to eight weeks).

ABB Canada, Saint-Laurent, Que. Engineering and technology services; 2,938 employees. lncludes access to virtual health care services through a partnership with EQ Care as well as services ranging from mental health care to medical specialist referrals as part of its health benefits.

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network Inc. / APTN, Winnipeg. Television broadcasting; 155 employees. Offers unique programs such as educational partnerships with the National Film Board and the Canadian Association of Journalists.

Accenture Inc., Toronto. Professional services; 5,471 employees. Offers employees a variety of opportunities for professional development, including e-learning initiatives such as digital classrooms and coaching, mobile learning, video mini-series and broadcast learning.

Adobe Systems Canada Inc., Ottawa. Software publishers; 308 employees. Offers a Work From Home Expenses Fund, providing up to $500 to all employees to help create a comfortable at-home workspace during the pandemic.

Agriculture Financial Services Corp. / AFSC, Lacombe, Alta. Insurance and lending for agricultural producers; 480 employees. Offers dedicated full-day retirement planning courses tailored to employees over and under 45 years of age as well as contributions to a defined benefit pension plan

ArcelorMittal Dofasco G.P., Hamilton. Iron and steel mills; 4,729 employees. Offers generous tuition subsidies (to $24,000 lifetime maximum) for courses both related and unrelated to an employees’ current position.

Bank of Canada, Ottawa. Central bank; 1,940 employees. Increased its mental health benefit in the past year and organizes an annual Wellness Month in January to raise awareness of wellness resources for employees.

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

BC Public Service, Victoria. Provincial government; 32,368 employees. Offers up to a full year of maternity and parental leave top-up for new mothers and provides parental top-up for fathers and adoptive parents.

BDO Canada LLP, Toronto. Accounting; 4,663 employees. Manages a unique paid time off program that provides flexibility for employees to take time off for vacation, illness or personal matters.

Bell Canada, Verdun, Que. Communications; 36,412 employees. Launched a new $5-million Bell Let’s Talk Diversity Fund and a new advisory committee to support the mental health of racialized Canadians in communities nationwide.

Best Buy Canada Ltd., Burnaby, B.C. Retail; 5,223 employees. Made mental wellness a primary focus, introducing initiatives such as a mental wellness hub on its intranet and expanding mental health benefits.

BioVectra Inc., Charlottetown. Pharmaceutical manufacturing; 537 employees. Offers a range of financial benefits, from year-end bonuses to a defined contribution pension plan to referral bonuses for employees who recruit candidates from their personal networks.

Boston Consulting Group Canada ULC, Toronto. Management consulting; 425 employees. Offers family-friendly benefits including surrogacy reimbursement of up to $25,000, adoption reimbursement of up to $25,000, and a lifetime maximum of $80,000 for fertility procedures.

British Columbia Investment Management Corp. / BCI, Victoria. Portfolio management; 588 employees. Offers four weeks of starting vacation allowance along with an additional six paid personal days.

Business Development Bank of Canada, Montreal. Secondary market financing; 2,498 employees. Helps employees plan securely for the future with contributions to a defined benefit pension plan and health benefits that extend to retirees with 100 per cent premium coverage and no age limit.

Canada Energy Regulator, Calgary. Federal government; 524 employees. Established an Indigenous advisory committee and organized internal awareness activities on The Meaning of Reconciliation, cultural appropriation and the Blackfoot Confederacy History Treaty 7 Learning Series.

Canada Life Assurance Co. The, Winnipeg. Insurance; 10,734 employees. Encourages ongoing employee development through online and in-house training programs, subsidies for professional accreditation and tuition subsidies.

Canada Revenue Agency / CRA, Ottawa. Federal government; 47,016 employees. Maintains a national well-being network as well as well-being committees in local offices, branches and regions.

Canadian National Railway, Montreal. Railroad transportation; 17,875 employees. Cultivates an ownership mentality through a share purchase plan available to all employees.

Cascades, Kingsey Falls, Que. Paper products; 7,152 employees. Supports new parents-to-be through an IVF subsidy as well as supporting new moms through maternity top-up payments.

CIBC, Toronto. Banking; 36,744 employees. Encourages employees to put their health first with a generous sick day policy.

Cisco Systems Canada Co., Toronto. Computer and equipment manufacturing; 2,017 employees. Offers unlimited coverage for mental health benefits as part of the company’s health benefits.

Citi Canada, Toronto. Banking; 1,745 employees. Prioritizes the health and wellness of its employees and organized a wellness survey to gauge employee sentiment and shape future actions.

Clio, Burnaby, B.C. Computer software; 523 employees. Is striving to become an anti-racist organization, creating an employee-led diversity, inclusion, belonging and equity council (DIBE) as well as organizing recurring DIBE discussions.

College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia, The, Vancouver. Professional organizations; 156 employees. Provides excellent maternity and parental leave top-up payments for new mothers (to 75 per cent of salary for 52 weeks) and new fathers (to 75 per cent for 37 weeks).

Creative Options Regina Inc., Regina. Community support services; 195 employees. Manages an in-house Creative Encouragers program, allowing employees to share (and teach) their passion with others.

Danone Canada, Boucherville. Food manufacturing; 522 employees. Helped employees stay connected through conferences on stress and anxiety and balancing personal and professional lives while working from home, monthly live-streamed town halls, and virtual networking events.

Desjardins Group / Mouvement Desjardins, Lévis. Que. Financial institution; 43,105 employees. Directed donations to several organizations working to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.

Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc., Toronto. Architecture; 283 employees. Encourages employees to be active in their local communities, providing matching charitable donations along with paid time off to volunteer.

Digital Extremes Ltd., London, Ont. Software publishers; 333 employees. Provides a variety of helpful financial perks including discounted home and auto insurance, low-interest home loans and discounted auto lease rates.

Emera Inc., Halifax. Electric power generation and distribution and gas distribution; 2,332 employees. Manages post-secondary academic scholarship programs for older children of employees.

Employment and Social Development Canada, Gatineau. Federal government; 32,928 employees. Manages a robust recognition program and launched a special COVID-19 awards initiative in 2020 called “Together, We are Stronger”.

Enbridge Inc., Calgary. Energy infrastructure; 7,176 employees. Invested more than $5-million to support pandemic response, recovery and rebuilding efforts.

Export Development Canada, Ottawa. International trade financing and support; 1,891 employees. Offered a $1,000 allowance to help employees with home office set-up or wellness equipment at the start of the pandemic and an additional allowance of $750 in 2021.

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

Ford Motor Company of Canada, Ltd., Oakville, Ont. Automobile manufacturing; 6,851 employees. Helps employees manage unexpected challenges, offering compassionate leave top-up for those called upon to care for a loved one (to 65 per cent of salary for up to 26 weeks).

FreshBooks, Toronto. Software publishers; 404 employees. Implemented “No-Meeting Fridays” and “Half-Day Fridays” to ensure employees “press pause and enjoy some work/life balance” while working from home.

GlaxoSmithKline Inc. / GSK, Mississauga. Pharmaceutical manufacturing; 2,659 employees. Offers several in-house healthy lifestyle programs and sessions on topics such as sleep, yoga, healthy eating, personal resilience.

Greater Vancouver Food Bank, Burnaby, B.C. Food bank; 52 employees. Starts new employees with three weeks of paid vacation allowance, moving to four weeks after only three years on the job.

GSoft, Montreal. Computer software; 270 employees. Offers exceptional family-friendly benefits, providing maternity and parental leave top-up for new parents to 80 per cent of salary for up to 50 weeks.

Hatch Ltd., Mississauga. Engineering; 3,534 employees. Recognizes employee dedication and accomplishments through an annual global awards program with a variety of categories, including a recently added award for diversity and inclusion.

Health Canada / Santé Canada, Ottawa. Federal government; 9,119 employees. Maintains a longstanding mental health and wellness strategy (since 2015) to build and sustain a healthy and inclusive workplace.

Hershey Canada Inc., Mississauga. Food manufacturing; 864 employees. Invests in the ongoing education of current and future generations with tuition subsidies for job-related courses (up to $6,000).

Hospital for Sick Children, The, Toronto. Hospitals; 5,955 employees. Appointed an inaugural position of Executive Lead and Strategic Advisor, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as part of the organization’s strategic plan for 2025.

IG Wealth Management, Winnipeg. Financial services; 1,994 employees. Offers a full suite of financial benefits including signing bonuses for some, year-end bonuses for all and referral bonuses of up to $2,000.

Imperial Oil Ltd., Calgary. Oil and gas production and distribution; 5,580 employees. Manages a diverse health benefits plan offering flexible coverage, separate health and wellness spending accounts and $1,800 annually to cover the cost of mental health practitioners.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Ottawa. Federal government; 5,631 employees. Recognizes employee contributions and achievements through a variety of awards, most notably, through the Deputy Ministers’ Award of Merit.

Irving Oil, Saint John. Petroleum refining, distribution and retail; 2,766 employees. Introduced its first annual mental health symposium, in conjunction with World Mental Health Day, enabling employees to participate in virtual events hosted by accredited mental health professionals.

Kellogg Canada Inc., Mississauga. Breakfast cereal manufacturing; 334 employees. Helps employees save for the longer term through matching RSP and defined contribution pension plans.

Keurig Canada Inc., Montreal. Coffee distribution and brewing equipment; 1,352 employees. Offers a flexible health benefits plan including three coverage options and allows employees to increase coverage with flex dollars.

Kinaxis Inc., Ottawa. Software developer; 579 employees. Introduced a no-limit paid vacation policy for new and existing employees and offers additional time off during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

KPMG LLP, Toronto. Accounting; 8,467 employees. Introduced numerous thoughtful responses over the pandemic, including a dedicated information portal, employee-led support networks, a dedicated program to assist employees with furniture and equipment purchases for their home offices and the Health@Work program.

Labatt Brewing Company Ltd., Toronto. Breweries; 3,595 employees. Became a founder of “The Restaurant and Bar Support Fund” to provide financial support to as many Ontario establishments as possible.

Loblaw Companies Ltd., Brampton, Ont. Supermarkets and grocery stores; 28,962 employees. Made a $5-million donation in gift cards to Food Banks Canada, Second Harvest and Community Food Centres Canada to help get food and health essentials to those in need across Canada.

L’Oréal Canada Inc., Montreal. Cosmetics manufacturing; 1,440 employees. Updated its flexible work policies to include up to four days of working from home each month and introduced a new work from “anywhere” policy with corresponding new supporting technology.

Manulife, Toronto. Insurance; 12,404 employees. Helped employees keep connected during the pandemic through numerous initiatives, including podcasts, “Ask Me Anything” sessions with senior leaders and an online talent show.

McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Toronto. Law firm; 1,510 employees. Reimburses a portion of eligible expenses incurred for wellness and fitness activities and items, including sports programs, personal wellness, dietitian services, and even shared commuter bike rentals.

Medavie Inc., Moncton. Health insurance; 2,566 employees. Maintains a Wellbeing Committee along with a formal Wellbeing Strategy that includes a focus on all aspects of wellness, including physical, mental, social and financial wellbeing.

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

Mondelēz International, Toronto. Food manufacturing; 2,686 employees. Helps employees plan for the longer term with retirement planning assistance services along with a defined contribution pension plan.

Mott MacDonald Canada Ltd., Vancouver. Engineering; 231 employees. Introduced a new well-being portal to encourage employees to assess and develop actions to improve their current well being and health.

Nutrien Inc., Saskatoon. Phosphate, nitrogen and potash fertilizer manufacturing; 5,459 employees. Expanded its volunteer program offering up to five paid days off annually to volunteer in their communities

Oppenheimer Group, Coquitlam, B.C. Fresh fruits and vegetable distribution; 136 employees. Publishes an online wellness newsletter that covers a range of topics from parenting through the pandemic to ergonomics to healthy recipes.

PCL Construction, Edmonton. Industrial, commercial and institutional construction; 2,554 employees. Has kept employees in touch over the pandemic with guest speakers online, team celebrations (with home delivered food), fitness challenges, team trivia nights and online end-of-day socials.

Pembina Pipeline Corp., Calgary. Natural gas distribution; 2,264 employees. Invested nearly $600,000 towards pandemic relief efforts in the wider community, focusing on food security, frontline health care and first responders, social services, mental health and well-being, and education.

Penguin Random House Canada Ltd., Toronto. Book publishers; 251 employees. Offers three weeks of starting vacation allowance, moving to four weeks after their first year on the job.

PepsiCo Canada, Mississauga. Soft drink and food manufacturing; 9,922 employees. Increased its mental health and wellness supports, offering over 2,260 hours of instructor-led mental health training along with dedicated programs, including Healthy Living, Healthy Minds and Healthy Money.

Pfizer Canada ULC, Kirkland, Que. Pharmaceutical manufacturing; 894 employees. Introduced a virtual fitness and wellbeing program to encourage employees and their families to stay healthy.

Pomerleau Inc., Montreal. Construction; 2,105 employees. Developed a new ergonomic policy that provides employees with the funds needed to set up a comfortable office at home, along with 24/7 telehealth access as part of their health benefits.

Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, The, Toronto. Charitable foundation; 120 employees. Refined its flexible work policies to allow employees to flex their work day start and finish times and offers additional paid time off.

Procter & Gamble Inc., Toronto. Consumer product manufacturing; 1,434 employees. Donated over $4-million in cash, in-kind donations, and PPE donations since the start of the pandemic.

ResMed Halifax ULC, Halifax. Custom computer programming services; 249 employees. Enhanced its work-from-home policies to ensure employees could work from home.

Rio Tinto, Montreal. Diversified mining and metals manufacturing; 10,974 employees. Increased its starting vacation policy to provide a minimum of four weeks paid vacation for new employees with employees working to a maximum of six weeks of paid vacation.

Rogers Communications Inc., Toronto. Telecommunications, cable, publishing and subscription programming; 21,066 employees. Introduced a phased return-to-work program for new parents, allowing them to work on a modified schedule for the first five weeks of their return while receiving 100 per cent salary.

Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto. Banking; 59,098 employees. Developed the “Live, Learn, Lead Together” employee hub in response to having employees working from home for an extended period of time.

Salesforce, Toronto. Customer relationship management (CRM) services; 1,700 employees. Provides up to seven paid days off for employees to volunteer with local charities, donating 80,000 volunteer hours on company time in the past year.

Samsung Electronics Canada Inc., Mississauga. Communications equipment manufacturing; 593 employees. Allows new parents to apply to extend their parental leave into an unpaid leave of absence.

SAP Canada Inc., Vancouver. Custom computer programming services; 3,316 employees. Allows new parents to phase-in their return to work as they adjust to their new roles.

SaskTel, Regina. Telecommunications; 2,699 employees. Waived data overage charges for business and consumer customers unexpectedly utilizing their home internet accounts when working from home.

Schneider Electric Canada Inc., Mississauga. Industrial automation and controls; 1,830 employees. Introduced a furniture program that made 800 deliveries to employees working from home, shipping out sit-stand desks, ergonomic chairs and computer monitor arms for home offices.

Shopify Inc., Ottawa. Multi-channel commerce platform; 5,758 employees. Extended its charitable program to donate laptops to two area hospitals to help families and patients stay connected during the pandemic and subsequent restrictions.

Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C. Universities; 3,362 employees. Manages onsite child care which employees can take advantage of upon their return from parental leave.

Stryker Canada ULC, Waterdown, Ont. Medical equipment and supplies wholesalers; 723 employees. Has developed a dedicated “Homeward Bound” framework to ensure employees can safely return to onsite working arrangements.

Suncor Energy Inc., Calgary. Crude petroleum and natural gas extraction; 12,061 employees. Supports younger employees through apprenticeships, paid internships and mentoring programs.

TD Bank Group, Toronto. Banking; 55,292 employees. Maintains a Flexible Work Options Business Committee for each line of business to help ensure appropriate work options are implemented and supported across the company.

Teck Resources Ltd., Vancouver. Mining; 8,371 employees. Helps employees plan for the long term with retirement planning services, a defined contribution pension plan and phased-in retirement work options when close to retirement.

TELUS Communications Inc., Vancouver. Telecommunications; 25,014 employees. Features 300 rooftop solar panels, rainwater harvesting and 10,000 square feet of outdoor garden terraces at its LEED Platinum-certified corporate headquarters.

Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd., Toronto. Publishers; 1,118 employees. Developed numerous online training initiatives to help keep employees engaged through support for ongoing development.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. / TMMC, Cambridge, Ont. Automobile manufacturing; 9,854 employees. Ensures all employees are kept up-to-date and in touch through a number of new communications initiatives, including an internal television network and a new mobile app.

Université de Montréal, Montreal. Universities; 5,568 employees. Created a special Emergency Fund to help students in need by providing necessary financial aid to help cover basic living needs.

University of New Brunswick / UNB, Fredericton. Universities; 1,784 employees. Has continued to respond to the pandemic with numerous measures to help employees manager their day-to-day realities, ensuring online access to counsellors, therapists and social workers.

University of Toronto, Toronto. Universities; 10,429 employees. Offers a variety of family-friendly spaces at all three campuses, including designated areas for breastfeeding and pumping, baby change stations and a new family study room at Robarts Library.

Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver. Hospitals; 18,564 employees. Has worked to support employee wellness though increased 24/7 phone and video support services providing counselling, self-care coaching and emotional support services.

Verafin Inc., St. John’s. Specialized financial software; 635 employees. Adjusted its parental leave top-up for new fathers to offer all parents, including adoptive, the same amount of paid leave, to 75 per cent of salary for a full year.

Western Financial Group Inc., High River, Alta. Insurance and financial services; 1,779 employees. Introduced eight additional sick days annually in response to the pandemic (to 14 total days per year) to ensure employees had extra time for self and extended family care.

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd., Vancouver. Sawmills; 5,793 employees. Encourages employees to adopt an ownership mentality through a share purchase plan, available to all employees.

Yukon, Government of, Whitehorse. Territorial government; 5,102 employees. Introduced additional flexible work arrangements such as staggered hours of work to help reduce the number of employees working onsite at any given time.

Zymeworks Inc., Vancouver. Biopharmaceutical research and development; 224 employees. Introduced a new flexible ZymeLife flexible benefit program that employees can use for lifestyle expenses ranging from family wellness to education to fitness.

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