The pandemic may have changed how we work over the past 18 months – hello Zoom – but it’s also given employers a new opportunity to build stronger, better organizations.
Judged as the most progressive companies in their industry when it comes to human resources policies, Greater Toronto’s Top Employers by Mediacorp are ready to remake the workplace.
These organizations have shown resiliency and adaptability in challenging times. While there is still uncertainty about what work will look like in the near future, the best are listening to what their people want and having conversations about working differently than in the past.
For example, after Panasonic Canada quickly moved employees to work from home at the beginning of the pandemic, it followed up with a company-wide survey to capture feedback on remote work, productivity and future work options. In response, the company introduced new flexible work policies, office supply discounts and support for at-home fitness.
Across the organization, staff at Ornge settled on a mix of working arrangements that are dependent on position and preferences, with employees working from home or onsite and nearly half of employees working a hybrid model. TMX Group Inc. is already ahead, having established an employee committee back in 2020 to begin imagining and discussing the future work environment post pandemic.
The stress of the pandemic has also brought wellness to the forefront, with a new focus on mental health. That’s become a top priority for Greater Toronto’s Top Employers by Mediacorp, with most significantly increasing funding for mental health benefits as well as resources ranging from mindfulness sessions to healthy cooking class.
Another trend is that many employers have formalized their renewed commitment to inclusion and diversity, incorporating accountability at every level of their organizations. Given the GTA’s rich and multi-cultural talent pool (Toronto is reported to be one of the most diverse cities in the world, according to Statistics Canada), that’s just smart business.
METHODOLOGY 2022
Any employer with its head office or principal place of business in the Greater Toronto Area may apply for Greater Toronto’s Top Employers by Mediacorp contest. Competition is tough as the region is home to over 40 per cent of Canada’s business headquarters, with many exceptional workplaces. Here’s how the winners are decided.
The editors of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers by Mediacorp evaluate each employer’s operations and human resources practices using the same eight criteria as the national competition of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. Those criteria are physical workplace; work atmosphere and social; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement. The criteria have remained the same since the competition’s inception. All applicants must pay a fee to enter and The Globe and Mail is not involved in the judging process.
Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which ones offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.
More detailed reasons for selection, explaining why each of the winners was chosen, are published on the competition’s website, www.canadastop100.com/toronto.
Greater Toronto’s Top Employers 2022 by Mediacorp
Accenture Inc., Toronto. Professional services; 5,471 employees. Offers a variety of opportunities for professional development, including e-learning initiatives, mobile learning, video mini-series and broadcast learning and extensive leadership development programs.
ADP Canada Co., Toronto. Payroll services; 2,325 employees. Launched the #It’sOK campaign to encourage and support employees in maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
AIG Insurance Company of Canada, Toronto. Insurance; 416 employees. Helped sustain employee engagement over the pandemic through a variety of initiatives, including a sushi-making course, town halls and virtual volunteering.
Alectra Inc., Mississauga. Electric power distribution; 1,538 employees. Helps students and new grads gain valuable work experience through co-op opportunities and in-house apprenticeships for various roles.
AMD / Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Markham. Computer technology manufacturing; 2,514 employees. Supported employee efforts to keep fit over the past year, pivoting its physical fitness centre to virtual programming.
Amex Bank of Canada, Toronto. Credit card issuing; 1,648 employees. Supported employee health and wellness by offering resources on a variety of topics such as caregiving while working from home and ergonomic training.
Arup Canada Inc., Toronto. Engineering consulting; 419 employees. Provides paid time off to volunteer, enabling employees to offer their expertise and skills through pro bono work with charitable partners.
AstraZeneca Canada Inc., Mississauga. Pharmaceutical manufacturing; 1,006 employees. Invests in ongoing employee development, offering subsidies for job-related courses to $6,000 as well as for professional accreditation.
Aviva Canada Inc., Markham. Insurance; 4,238 employees. Offers over $2,600 of flexible benefit credits per year as part of its health benefits plan, allowing employees to customize coverage.
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.
BDO Canada LLP, Toronto. Accounting; 4,663 employees. Manages a unique paid time off program providing flexibility for employees to take time off for vacation, illness or personal matters.
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Toronto. Law firm; 1,333 employees. Offered an extra day off as well as a mid-year bonus in 2021 to acknowledge the extra efforts of employees over the pandemic.
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Toronto. Law firm; 1,444 employees. Prioritized communication and social connectivity over the past year, organizing quarterly town halls, virtual health and wellness events and virtual social events.
Boston Consulting Group of Canada Ltd., Toronto. Management consulting; 425 employees. Make mental health support more accessible through generous coverage up to $10,000 per year as well as appointments with an in-house registered psychologist.
CAA Club Group, Thornhill. Travel insurance and auto services; 1,683 employees. Offers retirement planning assistance, a defined contribution pension plan and health benefits that extend to retirees with no age limit.
CAAT Pension Plan, Toronto. Pension plan; 247 employees. Helps employees balance their lives with flexible work hours, six paid personal days per year and up to six paid sick days annually.
Campbell Co. of Canada, Mississauga. Food preparation and packaging; 160 employees. Helped sustain social connection over the past year with virtual events, including cookie demos hosted by in-house Campbell chefs, and virtual children’s story time.
Canadian Roots Exchange, Toronto. Social advocacy; 20 employees. Opted to forgo annual performance reviews in 2020 in recognition of the challenges of the past year.
Canadian Standards Association / CSA, Toronto. Testing, certification and related services; 697 employees. Enhanced its stress and mental health support programs over the past year and significantly increased its annual coverage for paramedical services.
Canadian Tire Corporation Ltd., Toronto. Retail; 31,191 employees. Employed its first vice-president of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) and established a dedicated DIB team, responsible for developing and implementing the company’s five-year strategy.
Capital One Canada, Toronto. Credit card issuing; 1,225 employees. Manages the “1 in 5 Committee”, which spearheads various events including mental health training for managers, weekly checkins and virtual mindfulness sessions.
Centennial College, Scarborough. Colleges; 1,249 employees. Offers a virtual Fitness on Demand program to help employees stay physically active including classes in cardio, core, cycling and strength.
Ceridian HCM Inc., North York. Human resources software and services; 2,103 employees. Maintains an in-house Live Well, Work Well program to support employees’ career, emotional, financial, physical, and social well-being.
CGI Inc., Toronto. Information technology; 9,074 employees. Cultivates an ownership culture through a share purchase plan, available to all employees.
Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, Toronto. Child and youth services; 707 employees. Provides exceptional family-friendly benefits, offering maternity and parental leave top-up for new mothers and fathers, including adoptive parents.
CIBC, Toronto. Banking; 36,744 employees. Encourages employees to put their health first with a flexible paid sick day policy and introduced up to 10 additional paid personal days for unexpected issues.
Cisco Systems Canada Co., Toronto. Computer and equipment manufacturing; 2,107 employees. Offers unlimited coverage for mental health benefits and organizes dedicated initiatives to raise internal awareness of available mental heath support services.
Citi Canada, Mississauga. Banking; 1,745 employees. Organized a wellness survey to gauge employee sentiment and shape future actions and also distributes a weekly Wellness Wednesday newsletter.
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, The, Toronto. Professional organizations; TK employees. Provides exceptional family-friendly benefits, recently increasing its top-up policy for new parents to 90 per cent of salary for up to 36 weeks.
Corus Entertainment Inc., Toronto. Media production and broadcasting; 2,852 employees. Supports volunteer efforts across the company through its Corus Boost! donation program, encouraging offices to submit an application on behalf of a local charity they support.
Cox Automotive Canada, Milton. Automobile auctions; 755 employees. Maintains a charitable focus on initiatives related to inclusion, diversity, and equity, health and well-being, and the environment.
Credit Valley Conservation Authority / CVC, Mississauga. Environment, conservation and wildlife organizations; 219 employees. Offers development opportunities at various career stages, from paid internships and co-op placements to mentoring subsidies for tuition and professional accreditation.
CRH Canada Group Inc., Concord. Concrete manufacturing; 2,679 employees. Offers financial perks and benefits, including year-end bonuses, referral bonuses, discounted home and auto insurance, discounted auto lease rates and subsidized home internet.
Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc., Toronto. Architecture; 283 employees. Offers compassionate leave top-up for those called upon to care for a loved one, to 80 per cent of salary for up to 17 weeks.
Distributel Communications Ltd., Toronto. Telecommunications; 512 employees. Helped employees stayed connected while apart through monthly virtual town halls with the CEO, a Break Time channel, talent showcases, and bi-weekly parenting calls.
Durham College of Applied Arts and Technology, Oshawa. Colleges; 791 employees. Maintains exceptional maternity and parental leave top-up policies, offering paid leave for a full year for mothers and 35 weeks for fathers and adoptive parents.
Dyson Canada Ltd., Toronto. Appliance manufacturing; 155 employees. Encourages employees to put their health first, adding 10 days to its paid sick day policy for a total of 17 days per year.
Ecclesiastical Insurance Office PLC, Toronto. Insurance; 77 employees. Doubled its charitable giving, donating $500,000 to charities across Canada in 2020, including $250,000 to high-priority organizations during the pandemic.
Fidelity Canada, Toronto. Portfolio management; 1,200 employees. Is a certified Imagine Canada Caring Company contributing a minimum of one per cent of its pre-tax profits to communities where employees live and work.
First Capital REIT, Toronto. Real estate development and management; 340 employees. Supports parents-to-be with a subsidy for IVF, up to $15,000, as well as maternity and parental leave top-up payments.
Fleet Complete, Toronto. Fleet and mobile resource tracking; 267 employees. Offers a variety of financial perks and incentives, including signing bonuses for some, year-end bonuses for all and referral bonuses up to $3,500.
Ford Motor Company of Canada, Ltd., Oakville. Automobile manufacturing; 6,851 employees. Offers compassionate leave top-up for those called upon to care for a loved one, to 65 per cent of salary for up to 26 weeks.
FreshBooks, Toronto. Software publishers; 404 employees. Introduced a $50 monthly home office subsidy as well as a headphone and earphone reimbursement up to $175.
Fundserv Inc., Toronto. Financial transaction processing; 100 employees. Encourages employees to put their health first with no annual limit on paid sick days and two paid days off for mental health in the past year.
General Mills Canada Corp., Mississauga. Food manufacturing; 680 employees. Adapted its Cheerios campaign to Cheer the Frontlines last year, donating $500,000 to Food Banks of Canada along with $600,000 of company products.
George Brown College, Toronto. College; 1,419 employees. Launched an anti-racism strategy with an aim of increasing Black, Indigenous and racialized student and employee representation and engagement.
GSK / GlaxoSmithKline Inc., Mississauga. Pharmaceutical manufacturing; 2,659 employees. Maintains a formal online health and well-being hub, with information on preventative measures such as exams and health screenings for cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure.
Griffith Foods Ltd., Scarborough. Spice and extract manufacturing; 381 employees. Offered a $200 gift card to thank employees for their contributions over the past year, in lieu of in-person events.
Halton, Regional Municipality of, Oakville. Municipal government; 2,139 employees. Launched the Stronger Together campaign to recognize frontline staff who delivered essential programs and services.
HarperCollins Canada Ltd., Toronto. Book publishers; 312 employees. Prioritized ongoing communications to ensure employees stayed connected such as the Work From Home Water Cooler Group for informal chatter.
Hatch Ltd., Mississauga. Engineering; 3,534 employees. Recognizes employee dedication and accomplishments through an annual global awards program with a variety of categories including diversity and inclusion.
Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada / HIROC, Toronto. Insurance; 115 employees. Strove to recreate its office culture with virtual food-related events, including The Recipe Channel on its intranet, enabling employees to share what they were cooking at home.
Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan / HOOPP, Toronto. Pension plan; 777 employees. Provided office equipment to help employees set up their home office at the start of the pandemic and offered reimbursements for additional expenses.
Henkel Canada Corp., Mississauga. Adhesive manufacturing; 478 employees. Celebrates exceptional performance through global awards in customer service, operations, and innovation, and manages Excellence Awards based on the company’s vision and values.
Hershey Canada Inc., Mississauga. Food manufacturing; 864 employees. Invests in current and future generations with tuition subsidies for job-related courses and academic scholarships for children of employees.
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, East York. Hospitals; 514 employees. Encourages lifelong learning with paid professional development days as well as tuition assistance of up to $3,000 per year.
Home Depot Canada, Toronto. Retail; 14,485 employees. Established an Emergency Relief Fund in response to the pandemic, supporting Canadian registered charities that offer services to youth within local communities, and additionally Food Banks Canada.
Hospital for Sick Children, The, Toronto. Hospitals; 5,955 employees. Appointed an inaugural position of Executive Lead and Strategic Advisor, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion to help champion equity, diversity and inclusion internally as well as develop a hospital-wide strategy.
HP Canada Co., Mississauga. Computer technology and services; 488 employees. Offers incentives for health behaviour through a global wellness challenge to encourage physical activity.
Hyundai Capital Canada, Inc., Toronto. Financial services; 144 employees. Offers a range of financial incentives including signing bonuses for some, year-end bonuses for all, and referral bonuses of up to $2,000.
Independent Electricity System Operator / IESO, Toronto. Electric power distribution; 874 employees. Conducted several surveys and focus groups to help ensure the organization’s response met the needs of employees over the course of the pandemic.
Interac Corp., Toronto. Financial services; 437 employees. Helps employees balance work and personal commitments with flexible work hours, a 35-hour work week option with full pay, and reduced summer hours.
Intuit Canada ULC, Mississauga. Software publishers; 537 employees. Strives to make mental health services more accessible, offering up to $4,000 per year for paramedical services and 10 free employee assistance program (EAP) visits.
Investment Planning Counsel Inc., Mississauga. Financial services; 399 employees. Supports numerous charitable organizations throughout the year and encourages employees to get involved with two paid days off to volunteer.
Kellogg Canada Inc., Mississauga. Breakfast cereal manufacturing; 334 employees. Helps employees save for the longer term through matching RSP and defined contribution pension plans.
Kinross Gold Corp., Toronto. Gold mining; 236 employees. Conducted pulse surveys to help ensure the organization’s response met the needs of employees over the course of the pandemic.
Klick Health, Toronto. Digital marketing; 890 employees. Offers a separate benefit for mental health practitioners, along with providing access to Resili, a virtual counselling app.
KPMG LLP, Toronto. Accounting; 8,467 employees. Introduced a new more broadly defined unpaid leave policy to provide employees with the opportunity to take extended time away from work.
Kruger Products L.P., Mississauga. Paper products; 2,308 employees. Supports employee efforts to prioritize health and wellness through a Wellness Wednesday initiative, with programming on physical and mental health.
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.
LifeLabs LP, Etobicoke. Medical laboratories; 3,317 employees. Launched a Healthcare Heroes campaign to formally recognize employee efforts with personal messages of gratitude and appreciation.
Liquor Control Board of Ontario / LCBO, Toronto. Liquor distribution; 4,009 employees. Raised $3.3-million for its COVID-19 Food Relief Fund and donated $30,000 to the Bartenders Benevolent Fund’s COVID-19 Support Fund.
Loblaw Companies Ltd., Brampton. Supermarkets and grocery stores; 28,962 employees. Encourages ongoing employee development through the online Loblaw Virtual Learning Centre and tuition subsidies for courses related and not directly related to their current position.
Loopio Inc., Toronto. Software developer; 150 employees. Prioritize employees’ mental health with an annual allotment for mental health practitioners and access to Inkblot Therapy, an online video counselling platform.
Mackenzie Investments, Toronto. Financial services; 1,220 employees. Maintains an employee-led charitable foundation which provides grants to grassroots charities that support underprivileged women, youth and children.
Manulife, Toronto. Insurance; 12,404 employees. Offered a dedicated day off for all employees to thank them for all their extra efforts over the past year.
Mars Inc., Bolton. Food manufacturing; 1,516 employees. Offers a unique “Pet-ernity” leave program allowing employees to take up to eight hours off for a new cat or dog.
Mattamy Homes Ltd., Toronto. Real estate development; 1,384 employees. Supports new mothers and fathers, including adoptive parents, with maternity and parental leave top-up payments and lets employees extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence.
Mazda Canada Inc., Richmond Hill. Auto wholesale; 171 employees. Implemented a four-day work week for 10 weeks along with additional scheduling flexibility during the pandemic.
McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Toronto. Law firm; 1,510 employees. Starts the majority of its new employees with three weeks of paid vacation with management and legal personnel starting with four weeks.
Medtronic of Canada Ltd., Brampton. Electromedical apparatus manufacturing; 688 employees. Introduced an emergency leave policy that includes 30 days of pay to utilize if needed because of the pandemic.
Mercer Canada, Toronto. Human resources consulting; 969 employees. Starts new employees with 3.4 weeks of paid vacation with vacation moving to over 4 weeks after 6 years on the job.
Metrolinx, Toronto. Public transit; 4,374 employees. Extended sick days to part-time, contract and newly hired employees and added 10 additional days for employees to utilize for personal care.
Michael Garron Hospital | Toronto East Hospital Network, East York. Hospitals; 1,418 employees. Encourages curious minds and lifelong learning with in-house training on a variety of topics including financial wellness, inclusivity, emotional intelligence and leadership.
Mondelēz International, Etobicoke. Food manufacturing; 2,686 employees. Helps employees plan for the longer term with retirement planning assistance services along with a defined contribution pension plan.
Municipal Property Assessment Corp., Pickering. Real estate appraisal; 1,769 employees. Allows employees can apply for an unpaid or self-funded (deferred salary) leave of absence for up to one year in duration.
Neighbourhood Group Community Services, Toronto. Social support services; 402 employees. Reached out to its tenants and clients through social events such as balcony bingo, balcony dancing, a volunteer appreciation night and holiday celebrations.
Nelson Education Ltd., Scarborough. Publishers; 195 employees. Made its numerous online educational resources available at no cost to its employees faced with the added challenge of home-schooling children during the pandemic.
Novo Nordisk Canada Inc., Mississauga. Pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing; 336 employees. Provided virtual access to an online personal trainer and increased its fitness allowance by 50 per cent for any exercise or self-care regime.
Olympus Canada Inc., Richmond Hill. Medical, industrial and imaging equipment; 266 employees. Updated its flexible work from home policy to ensure that employees can work from home for up to three days each week.
OMERS, Toronto. Pension funds; 1,167 employees. Helps employees prepare for the future with retirement planning assistance services, contributions to a defined benefit pension plan and phased-in retirement work options.
Ontario Dental Association, The, Toronto. Professional organizations; 54 employees. Created a dedicated “Working From Home” working group to explore what working at the ODA might look like in the future.
Ontario Medical Association / OMA, Toronto. Professional organizations; 294 employees. Offers tuition subsidies for courses taken at outside institutions, career planning services and a variety of in-house and online training options.
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, Whitby. Hospitals; 893 employees. Introduced “The Innovation Fund” to inspire employees to create and implement innovative ideas in response to the pandemic, such as the construction of an outdoor skating rink.
Oracle Canada ULC, Mississauga. Computer and information management systems; 2,258 employees. Encourages employees to adopt an ownership mentality through a share purchase plan, available to all employees.
Ornge, Mississauga. Air ambulance services; 627 employees. Offers maternity leave top-up payments for employees who are new mothers, to 93 per cent of salary for up to 30 weeks, and parental top-up for new fathers and adoptive parents, to 93 per cent of salary for up to 15 weeks.
Panasonic Canada Inc., Mississauga. Consumer electronics; 375 employees. Created a company-wide survey to capture feedback on remote work, productivity and future work options and responded with new flexible work policies.
Penguin Random House Canada Ltd., Toronto. Book publishers; 251 employees. Expanded its wellness benefit to cover the purchase of desks, office equipment and even heaters and air conditioners to build a comfortable home office.
PepsiCo Canada, Mississauga. Soft drink and food manufacturing; 9,922 employees. Increased its mental health and wellness supports offering over 2,260 hours of instructor-led mental health training along with dedicated programs.
Philips Electronics Ltd., Markham. Healthcare, lighting and consumer products; 568 employees. Offers a flexible health benefits plan with an annual allotment of flex dollars that can be used in different ways.
Points, Toronto. Customer loyalty program software; 241 employees. Supported employees throughout the pandemic from repurposing its $300 green commuter benefit for their home office expenses to numerous virtual social hours.
Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, The, Toronto. Charitable foundations; 120 employees. Refined its flexible work policies to allow employees to flex their workday start and finish times and offered additional paid time off.
Procter & Gamble Inc., Toronto. Consumer product manufacturing; 1,434 employees. Enhanced its vacation policy, moving employees from three weeks to four weeks of paid vacation after five years of employment.
Questrade Inc., North York. Financial services; 835 employees. Partnered with a virtual care service to provide employees with immediate online health consultations along with access to an online wellness platform.
RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust, Toronto. Real estate investments; 584 employees. Dedicated three paid days off if employees needed to isolate as well as adding two extra personal days off for eligible employees.
Rogers Communications Inc., Toronto. Telecommunications, cable, publishing and subscription programming; 21.066 employees. Introduced a phased return-to-work program for new parents, allowing them to work a modified schedule for the first five weeks while receiving 100 per cent salary.
Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, Inc., North York. Tobacco and cigarette manufacturing; 811 employees. Offered increased pay rates for employees working onsite during the pandemic along with enhanced safety and mitigation protocols.
Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto. Banking; 59,098 employees. Increased its maternity leave top-up payments for new mothers as well as parental leave top-ups for adoptive parents and new fathers.
RSA Canada Group, Toronto. Insurance; 2,923 employees. Invests in ongoing employee education with generous tuition subsidies plus access to a variety of in-house and online training programs.
RSM Canada LLP, Toronto. Accounting; 697 employees. Encourages employees to be active in their local communities, providing paid time off to volunteer along with generous matching employer donations.
R.V. Anderson Associates Ltd., North York. Engineering; 347 employees. Lets everyone share in the fruits of their labour with profit-sharing and year-end bonuses.
Salesforce, Toronto. Customer relationship management; 1,700 employees. Encourages employees to become recruiters for the company with new employee referral bonuses, ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 depending on the position.
Samsung Electronics Canada Inc., Mississauga. Communications equipment manufacturing; 593 employees. Allows new parents to apply to extend their maternity or parental leave into an unpaid leave of absence.
Sanofi Canada, North York. Pharmaceutical manufacturing; 1,947 employees. Provided work from home ergonomic guidance and followed-up with a one-time allowance to purchase needed items for their home offices.
Scarborough Health Network Ontario, Scarborough. Hospitals; 3,103 employees. Adapted its employee lounge and dining facilities to accommodate physical distance and other safety mitigation protocols.
Schneider Electric Canada Inc., Mississauga. Industrial automation and controls; 1,830 employees. Introduced a furniture program that made 800 deliveries to employees working from home, shipping out sit-stand desks, ergonomic chairs and computer monitor arms.
Scotiabank, Toronto. Banking; 33,397 employees. Increased communications from senior leadership as well as introducing employee surveys to capture employee feedback during the pandemic.
Seneca College, North York. College; 1,509 employees. Offers retirement planning assistance and employer contributions to a defined benefit pension plan to help employees save for the future.
Siemens Canada Ltd., Oakville, Ont. Engineering; 2,252 employees. Considers previous work experience when setting vacation entitlement for more experienced candidates.
Sinai Health, Toronto. Hospitals; 3,846 employees. Introduced resiliency coaches to support employees through a range of activities, from strategies for lowering anxiety to practicing breathing exercises to helping arrange transportation after a long shift.
Slalom ULC, Toronto. Consulting; 533 employees. Adapted its workday flex policies to help parents with young children adapt to the changing school policies.
Spin Master Ltd., Toronto. Children’s toys and entertainment; 702 employees. Invests in ongoing employee development with tuition subsidies for courses related and not directly related to their current position.
Stanley Black and Decker Canada Corp., Mississauga. Tool and hardware manufacturing; 1,369 employees. Encourages employees to volunteer and support local initiatives through paid volunteer time and a generous matching donations program.
SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions, Oakville. Waste and wastewater services; 895 employees. Hosted numerous virtual social events to help keep employees connected, including a virtual baking event, trivia nights and a Women’s Network event.
TD Bank Group, Toronto. Banking; 55,292 employees. Continues to work with employee groups across the bank in designing future workplace models as the pandemic situation evolves.
Techtronic Industries Canada Inc., Markham. Power equipment manufacturing; 494 employees. Endeavoured to keep employees connected through numerous virtual social events, including a virtual marathon run and event and a TikTok dancing video challenge.
Teranet Inc., Toronto. Land registration and information systems; 904 employees. Offers tuition subsidies for courses at outside institutions as well as in-house and online training programs.
Thales Canada Inc., North York. Aerospace systems; 2,240 employees. Supports individuals who are early in their careers through numerous initiatives, including a buddy program, mentoring and paid internships.
Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd., Toronto. Publishers; 1,118 employees. Offers several mental health resources including first aid training, dedicated management training and a formal Take a Break program.
TMX Group Ltd., Toronto. Stock exchange; 1,142 employees. Established an employee committee back in 2020 to begin imagining and discussing the future work environment post pandemic.
Toronto Community Housing Corp., Toronto. Housing programs; 2,348 employees. Provides exceptional maternity and parental leave top-up payments for employees who are new mothers, as well as generous parental top-up for fathers and adoptive parents.
Toronto Transit Commission / TTC, Toronto. Public transit; 14,830 employees. Reaches out to the next generation of talent with paid internships, co-op placements and summer employment in a variety of fields.
Toronto Zoo, Toronto. Zoos and botanical gardens; 273 employees. Extended its Employee Assistance Program to all non-permanent employees to provide additional support and increased online communications.
Tucows.com Co., Toronto. Internet domain name registrar; 534 employees. Helps employees keep a balanced perspective with mindfulness workshops, in-house massages, and resources on nutrition, mental health and financial health.
Turner Construction Company, Ltd., Toronto. Construction; 117 employees. Manages a reduced summer hours program that includes a company paid early shutdown every Friday afternoon, from end of May to end of August.
TVO, Toronto. Public television; 378 employees. Allows employees nearing retirement to step away slowly with phased-in retirement work options.
Uken Inc., Toronto. Game developer; 97 employees. Encourages employees to keep their skills up to date through in-house training programs as well as tuition subsidies for courses at outside institutions.
UNICEF Canada, Toronto. Charitable organizations; 70 employees. Has hosted several employee surveys to gauge their views on the return to work.
United Way Greater Toronto, Toronto. Charitable organizations; 192 employees. Starts its new employees with four weeks of paid vacation along with five paid personal days to help employees balance their work and personal lives.
Unity Health Toronto, Toronto. Hospitals; 5,864 employees. Allows employees to apply for unpaid and self-funded/deferred salary leaves of absence up to one year or for educational leaves of absence.
University of Toronto, Toronto. University; 10,429 employees. Offers multiple childcare options on campus plus all three campuses offer family-friendly spaces, including designated areas for breastfeeding and pumping, and baby change stations.
Vaughan, The Corporation of the City of, Maple. Municipal government; 1,322 employees. Has updated its alternative work arrangement policy along with supportive training and guidelines for managers.
Vena Solutions Inc., Toronto. Software development; 413 employees. Has conduced employee surveys about the next steps and is developing a new permanent hybrid workplace model to support employees wanting to work from 0 to 5 days in-office.
VISA Canada Corp., Toronto. Payments technology; 142 employees. Has focused on the longer term through a $200 million program to support the recovery and re-building of small businesses.
Walmart Canada Corp., Mississauga. Retail; 41,853 employees. Introduced special store hours and online delivery pick-up times for eligible seniors, people with disabilities or vulnerable health conditions, and front-line first responders.
Women’s College Hospital, Toronto. Hospitals; 722 employees. Supports an occupational health, safety and wellness team that organizes and supports numerous health and wellness initiatives.
World Vision Canada, Mississauga. Charitable organizations; 376 employees. Manages the unique Orange Days program offering all full-time employees an additional six paid days off scheduled on holiday long weekends throughout summer.
YMCA of Greater Toronto, Toronto. Individual and family services; 2,884 employees. Transformed eight of its centres into pop-up food banks and collected hundreds of pounds of non-perishable through food drives.
York Regional Police, Aurora. Police service; 2,377 employees. Established a dedicated pandemic information page on the corporate intranet as well as a hotline and support email to respond to employee questions.
YWCA Toronto, Toronto. Individual and family services; 254 employees. Created a dedicated committee to support the health and wellbeing of employees during the pandemic and increased counselling services through its extended health benefits program.
Zurich Canada, Toronto. Insurance; 444 employees. Hosted virtual fundraising initiatives to raise funds to support community organizations assisting people adversely impacted by the pandemic.
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