'We have kept our focus on our employees who have been resilient and continued to exemplify the utmost professionalism'
Genome Canada, Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) are among the National Capital Region’s Top Employers for 2021.
The employers were evaluated by Mediacorp using eight criteria: 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. ]
Winners
Genome Canada established a work-from-home committee as part of its response to the pandemic to help ensure staff were supported during the transition to remote work. Employees also received care packages with gift cards to local restaurants and coffee shops, as well as a reimbursement of up to $550 for home office expenses. The company also provides maternity and parental leave top-up for new and adoptive parents (up to 82 per cent of salary for 37 to 52 weeks, depending) and a variety of flexible work options for when they are ready to return to work.
“Our mission is nothing short of building a healthier and more prosperous future for all Canadians through research and innovation. We have seen this come to life in Genome Canada’s leadership in mobilizing a national response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Rob Annan, president and CEO of Genome Canada.
To help cover costs of working from home, CFI increased the annual allotment for wellness spending accounts for employees from $750 to $1,000. The company also offers maternity and parental leave top-up for mothers (up to 85 per cent of salary for a full year) and parental top-up for fathers and adoptive parents (up to 85 per cent of salary for up to 35 weeks). CFI also provides four weeks of starting vacation allowance, additional paid time off during the winter holidays and up to six paid personal days per year.
“CFI staff members have demonstrated extraordinary resilience and innovation in working together virtually to deliver necessary support to the research community across the country despite the challenges of the pandemic,” says Roseann O’Reilly Runte, CFI president and CEO. “This award is a tribute to a fine team and recognizes our shared efforts to understand needs and facilitate working from home while maintaining good communications, sharing ideas and finding creative ways to come together using technology.”
OSFI provides employees with a health benefits plan that extends to retirees (with 50 per cent premium coverage) and offers a defined benefit pension plan. It also provides new mothers with maternity and parental leave top-up payments (to 93 per cent of salary for a full year) and parental top-up for fathers and adoptive parents (to 93 per cent of salary for up to 37 weeks).
“Throughout the past year, we have kept our focus on our employees who have been resilient and continued to exemplify the utmost professionalism during a difficult time. Their dedication and excellence are what make OSFI a wonderful place to work,” says superintendent Jeremy Rudin.
The full list of winners for the Top National Capital Region Employer 2021 is available here.
Capital Power, CISCO, DHL Express, Dentons, SAP Canada, Jazz Aviation, Canada Life, Jobber and PEAK Financial Group are also among Canada’s top employers for 2021, according to separate competitions.
