Hewitt Associates Celebrates a Decade of Research into Employee
EngagementTORONTO, Dec. 31 /CNW/ - As the country enters a recession, Canadian
businesses with high employee engagement have a competitive advantage in their
ability to weather the storm, according to results of the tenth annual Best
Employers in Canada study conducted by Hewitt Associates, a global human
resources consulting and outsourcing company. Employees who work for Canada's
Best Employers want to do their part to ensure their employer responds to the
challenges they face in a more uncertain business climate. They are highly
committed to the organization's success and understand their role in helping
to achieve business results.
"The average employee engagement score at this year's 50 Best Employers
is 76 per cent, 22 percentage points higher than the average at other
participants in the study," said Neil Crawford, leader of the Best Employers
in Canada study. "While an engaged workforce alone doesn't make an
organization recession-proof, it can provide a level of resilience that other
employers do not enjoy. These employees are highly productive and motivated.
They are more likely do what is necessary to help their employer succeed."
The list of the 50 Best Employers in Canada for 2009 (attached) appears
in the January issue of The Globe and Mail's Report on Business magazine and
in La Presse. One hundred and forty-five Canadian organizations registered to
participate in the study. The results from this year's study were based on
survey responses from more than 115,000 Canadian employees, with additional
input from over 1,200 leaders and human resources professionals.
Sustained Success
No organization has appeared on the Best Employers in Canada list every
year for the past decade. However, several organizations have been recognized
annually over extended periods since the study's inception. "Many of these
employers have experienced significant business challenges and have survived
and thrived, in large part due to a solid foundation of high employee
engagement," stated senior consultant Ted Emond.
All participants in the Best Employers in Canada study receive a
complimentary report detailing their employee engagement scores and
benchmarking them against those of the year's 50 Best Employers. "Many use
this information and the more in-depth analysis that is available to develop
and implement an action plan to increase employee engagement," said Emond. "It
may take a year or more to begin to see positive results from their efforts.
These organizations are now focused on ensuring they have the right people in
the right roles doing the right work to succeed in challenging as well as
prosperous economic times."
Learn from The Best
While the specific human resources practices used to engage employees at
Best Employer organizations vary, there are some common qualities shared by
all those recognized on the 50 Best Employers list.
One of the primary differentiators is the behaviour demonstrated by
senior leaders at the 50 Best Employers. "Leaders at these organizations are
absolutely clear that employees are critical to their success. They foster
frequent two-way communication to ensure employees feel 'part of the team' and
understand the part they play in achieving corporate objectives," stated
Crawford. "In addition, Best Employers place more emphasis than other
organizations on providing learning and development opportunities, strong
performance management, and human resources programs that are not only
competitive, but really meet the needs of each employee."
To find out more about Hewitt's Best Employers in Canada study, please
visit the Best Employers Web site at www.hewitt.com/bestemployerscanada.
About Hewitt Associates. For more than 65 years, Hewitt Associates (NYSE:
HEW) has provided clients with best-in-class human resources consulting and
outsourcing services. Hewitt consults with more than 3,000 large and mid-size
companies around the globe to develop and implement HR business strategies
covering retirement, financial and health management; compensation and total
rewards; and performance, talent and change management. As a market leader in
benefits administration, Hewitt delivers health care and retirement programs
to millions of participants and retirees, on behalf of more than 300
organizations worldwide. In addition, more than 30 clients rely on Hewitt to
provide a broader range of human resources business process outsourcing
services to nearly a million client employees. Located in 33 countries,
including Canadian offices in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and
Regina, Hewitt employs approximately 23,000 associates. For more information,
please visit www.hewitt.com.
The 2009 List of the 50 Best Employers in Canada
2009 marks the 10th anniversary of the Best Employers in Canada study.
This year, the list of the Best Employers in Canada includes 25 organizations
from Ontario, eight from British Columbia, eight from Quebec, five from
Alberta, three from Saskatchewan, and one from Manitoba. Ten organizations
have never appeared on the Best Employers in Canada list before.-------------------------------------------------------------------------
No. of
years
Rank Organization Headquarters on list
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 EllisDon Corporation London, ON 8
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 PCL Constructors Inc. Edmonton, AB 9
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 Bennett Jones LLP Calgary, AB 8
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 Edward Jones Mississauga, ON 7
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 CIMA + Montréal, QC 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 Wellington West Holdings Inc. Winnipeg, MB 4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 G&K Services Canada Inc. Mississauga, ON 5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
8 Farm Credit Canada Regina, SK 6
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
9 B.C. Biomedical Laboratories Ltd. Surrey, BC 8
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 Aecon Group Inc. Toronto, ON 2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
11 Flight Centre North America Vancouver, BC 8
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 The Co-operators Guelph, ON 6
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
13 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (Canada) Toronto, ON 7
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
14 GlaxoSmithKline Inc. Mississauga, ON 8
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
15 Earl's Restaurants Ltd. North Vancouver, BC 2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
16 Ivanhoe Cambridge Inc. Montréal, QC 5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
17 Amex Canada Inc. Markham, ON 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
18 Bentall LP Toronto, ON 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
19 AstraZeneca Canada Inc. Mississauga, ON 7
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
20 Scotiabank Toronto, ON 5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
21 OMERS Toronto, ON 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
22 Delta Hotels Toronto, ON 8
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
23 L'Union Canadienne Québec, QC 5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
24 Marriott Hotels and Resorts Canada Mississauga, ON 4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
25 McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Ltd. Toronto, ON 7
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
26 Envision Financial Langley, BC 7
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
27 Chubb Insurance Company of Canada Toronto, ON 9
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
28 TD Bank Financial Group Toronto, ON 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
29 OpenRoad Auto Group Richmond, BC 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
30 CONEXUS Regina, SK 4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
31 Dessau Inc. Montréal, QC 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
32 Federal Express Canada Limited Mississauga, ON 5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
33 Ceridian Canada Mississauga, ON 7
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
34 Keg Restaurants Ltd. Toronto, ON 7
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
35 Canadian Western Bank Edmonton, AB 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
36 Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP Toronto, ON 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
37 Novartis Pharma Canada Inc. Dorval, QC 5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
38 Deloitte & Touche LLP Toronto, ON 5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
39 SAP Canada Inc. Toronto, ON 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 ATB Financial Edmonton, AB 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
41 Co-operators Life Insurance Company Regina, SK 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
42 Golder Associates Ltd. Burnaby, BC 8
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
43 British Columbia Automobile Association Burnaby, BC 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
44 Ultramar Ltd. Montréal, QC 4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
45 Meyers Norris Penny Calgary, AB 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
46 Mouvement Desjardins Montréal, QC 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
47 R.C. Purdy Chocolates Ltd. Vancouver, BC 4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
48 Procter & Gamble Toronto, ON 6
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
49 Pepsi-QTG Canada Mississauga, ON 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
50 National Bank of Canada Montréal, QC 5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------For additional data from the 2009 study, or to speak with one of the
year's Best Employers or a consultant from Hewitt Associates, please contact
Marcia McDougall, (416) 227-5713, marcia.mcdougall@hewitt.com
For further information: Marcia McDougall, Hewitt Associates, (416)
227-5713, marcia.mcdougall@hewitt.com
