Jump to winners | Jump to methodology
A collective national voice shines through as Canadian HR Reporter reveals the highly anticipated Readers’ Choice awards.
The 2023 award winners are recognized as top performers in their respective areas of expertise, from professional development, payroll solutions and talent acquisition, to disability management and employment and labour law.
The Readers’ Choice award winners have earned the trust of HR professionals by helping them to:
Chartered Professionals in Human Resources Canada (CPHR) CEO Anthony Ariganello remarks, “The expectation of HR management today is much more strategic than ever.”
Ariganello also stresses the importance of embracing technology. “HR departments have so many competing priorities they lead every day, so vendors and suppliers who are focused on providing digital solutions that improve efficiency and enhance the experience of all stakeholders will be most sought after.”
Queen’s University Industrial Relations Centre (IRC) and Crestcom International are two winners who embody this perspective. Both have adapted their leadership training programs to recent challenges presented by technology and generational transition. They have responded to these challenges by:
In leadership development and training, Crestcom International stood apart, receiving the most votes, which confirmed the company's effectiveness in helping business leaders motivate and empowering organizations to reach their full potential.
Crestcom garnered such strong support because of its unique, hands-on approach to development and training. The firm has earned this honour for four of the past five years.
Their eponymous proprietary program spans one year and instills lasting behaviour changes among participants in the provinces where Crestcom operates, including Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada.
“It’s fascinating work because we get to see people learn and express how those learnings affected them personally and professionally,” explains Mike Gibson who, together with Vickey Gibson, serves as managing partner of the Canadian operations. “Nearly three-quarters of our customers remain with us year after year, so it almost becomes like a family.”
With over 20 years of experience, Gibson notes an increasing focus on the importance of leadership development for employees at all levels.
Crestcom excels by creating results through its information-laden learning portal, where participants share details about their workplace challenges and the steps to overcome them. Program facilitators continue to support the trainee and their organization as actionable insights and plans are set in motion.
“We’ve helped companies transition from being overwhelmed by what’s taking place to providing them with the tools to succeed on things like succession planning, so they know their high performers are being looked after,” Gibson notes.
The results Gibson and his team have achieved are evidenced by:
91% of its current and former participants reporting that Crestcom’s concepts and tools can solve their daily challenges
“What our customers respect is the character of an organization they are doing business with,” says Gibson. “We commit ourselves to the values around diversity and inclusion, ethics and integrity, and our shift toward a digital-first approach to training helped us achieve our goal of becoming a green training provider.”
Queen’s University Industrial Relations Centre (IRC), honoured in the Labour Relations Training category, is known for equipping HR departments and organizational development professionals with the tools to become better leaders.
More than 15,500 participants have enrolled in IRC’s programs, attracted by its culture of evidence-based, experiential learning that enables participants to test new ideas and theories in a safe and collaborative environment.
Eleven of IRC’s 20 open enrolment programs have been substantially overhauled to embed EDI content, so managers and leaders know how to create an inclusive work environment, especially keeping remote employees engaged and ensuring equitable opportunities.
“There is huge burnout, so many HR professionals have left, and with the new generation coming in, we give them the skills to support staff, ensuring successful relationships and communication between staff and management,” explains Alison Darling, director of professional programs.
Queen's University IRC is dedicated to assisting organizations in excelling in a dynamic environment by providing:
A new HR program, Leading Human Resources, has also been launched that specifically targets what it means to lead the HR function in today’s work environment.
“It’s really those EDI skills, those human-centred leadership skills that are setting people apart now,” adds Darling.
She remarks that organizations typically cut training budgets when fears of a recession loom, but they are not seeing any reduction in demand with the hybrid workforce and the return to offices. They are seeing an uptick in training from the teachers’ unions, health care, oil and gas, and transport sectors.
When considering the critical areas that HR vendors and suppliers should be mindful of, CPHR’s Ariganello suggests the following:
“HR is primed to lead transformational change within organizations regarding DEI,” notes Ariganello. “HR also needs to ensure that all of their policies are inclusive and support diversity and equity, such as flexible work arrangements and parental leave policies that support work-life balance and encourage women to return to work after having children or have a flexible work arrangement to accommodate childcare and elderly care.”
This is echoed by James Sloane, Habanero Consulting’s director of employee experience. “Top employers should have good reasons for mandating where people work from and if it’s not clear that people need to be in an office together, then they should not make it mandatory. There’s too much evidence that flexible work is more equitable and at least as productive, if not more productive.”
Sloane highlights the following areas as key for HR vendors and suppliers:
Across over a dozen main categories, other awardees are recognized as the go-to leaders in their fields. They are distinguishing themselves by providing HR professionals with recommendation-worthy products and services, including:
The survey for the Readers’ Choice Awards 2023 took place between February 13 and March 10, 2023. Canadian HR Reporter opened service provider nominations to create an impressive list of vendors and suppliers in the HR community from across the country and compiled the list based on the team’s knowledge and additional research within each area.
Readers were invited to cast their ballots through an online survey, and responses were completely confidential. Survey participants were invited to select up to a certain number of organizations, depending on the category. A participant could nominate additional organizations that did not appear on the list if they thought they should be considered.
Three nominees who received the highest number of overall votes were awarded the Readers’ Choice designation.