TORONTO, March 7, 2024 /CNW/ - Organizations across Canada are stepping up to provide more assistance to employees as they struggle to take care of family members at both ends of the age spectrum. The best of these initiatives were recognized today, as Canada's Top Family-Friendly Employers (2024) were recognized today by Mediacorp Canada Inc., organizers of the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers competition.
"This year's Canada's Top Family-Friendly Employers honour the idea that their employees are part of something bigger and don't just exist in a vacuum," says Kristina Leung, managing editor at Mediacorp. "They know their staff have lives outside of work, and those lives include their parents, partners, children, and other family members whom they hold dear. Winning employers understand that an employee's well-being is intrinsically linked to their family's well-being, so they have prioritized policies and benefits that strengthen these bonds."
Many of these benefits and programs now provide wider coverage, recognizing alternative pathways to parenthood (whether through IVF, IUI, surrogacy, or adoption), increased paid time off and compassionate leave (specifically to care for family members who are ill), and more flexible child care options, often with subsidies and discounts. Also noteworthy, many winning employers have increased the coverage for mental health services, with some now covering dependents and other family members in need.
"We've seen a steady expansion of health, wellness, and lifestyle spending accounts that can now cover child care expenses and elder care expenses," adds Leung. "Many employers offer employee resource groups (ERGs) for staff with families, offering support and a sense of community during an employee's parental leave. These programs sometimes feature regular check-ins to prevent employees feeling isolated while on leave, as well as a 'buddy' being assigned when they return to work to help ease the transition."
Now in its 23rd year, Canada's Top Family-Friendly Employers is one of the longest-running competitions within the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. This special designation recognizes the employers that do the most to help their employees balance work and family obligations. The editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers evaluate each employer in terms of the programs and initiatives they have to help employees balance work and family commitments. The competition looks at a wide range of HR practices, including: maternity and parental leave; child care assistance; paid personal- and earned-days-off (EDO) programs; flexible work arrangements; compassionate leave and elder care assistance; adoption assistance; reproductive assistance, including fertility drugs and IVF; and even academic bursaries for employees' children. In addition, the editors look at other unique programs an employer may have to address specific work-life balance issues specific to their industry.
Founded in 1992, Mediacorp Canada Inc. is the nation's largest publisher of employment periodicals. Since 1999, the Toronto-based publisher has managed the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which includes 19 regional and special-interest editorial competitions that reach millions of Canadians annually through a variety of media partners, including The Globe and Mail. Mediacorp also operates Eluta.ca, one of Canada's largest job search engines, used by millions of job-seekers annually to find new job postings and discover what the nation's best employers are offering.
The full list of Canada's Top Family-Friendly Employers (2024) was announced today by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers. Detailed 'reasons for selection' for each of this year's winners, as well as stories and photos about their initiatives, were released today by the editors and are accessible via the competition homepage.
Join the discussion about today's announcement on social media:
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3a11Fkf
Instagram & Facebook: @topemployers
Twitter/X: @top_employers
Hashtags: #FamilyFriendlyEmployers #topemployers2024
SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.
Stephanie Leung, Editor, [email protected]
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