'A little fun goes a long way' say winners of this year's 'Saskatchewan's Top Employers' competition

REGINA, Jan. 24, 2018 /CNW/ - Your grade-school teacher may have warned that 'All work and no play make Jack a dull boy' – but it might be a surprise to learn that the same maxim applies equally to employers.  That's the message from this year's Saskatchewan's Top Employers, announced today by the organizers of the Canada's Top Employers project at Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Of course, the best employers have the bases covered when it comes to traditional HR policies like vacation allowance and time-off, retirement planning, training and health benefits.  But a healthy balance of work and play is also a defining feature of the 2018 winners of the Saskatchewan's Top Employers competition, announced today in a special magazine in the Regina Leader-Post and Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Whether it's holiday parties, offsite retreats or attending Saskatchewan Roughriders and Saskatoon Blades games, this year's winners understand that a little fun goes a long way toward cultivating a workplace culture that promotes collaboration and teamwork.

"Organizations that help employees connect on a deeper, more personal level have a strong sense of community, says Richard Yerema, Managing Editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which manages the competition. "Most employers we review are covering all the bases when it comes to traditional HR policies that help people develop in their careers.  But the best of these employers also pay attention to a fundamental human need for their staff to interact and meet other people – and this sensibility often translates into higher levels of engagement among employees."

"As people's lives get busier, it becomes difficult to make new friendships," adds Anthony Meehan, Publisher at Mediacorp. "Organizations that take the time to build social events into their calendar create important opportunities for employees and their families to socialize and make new friendships.  In today's 'connected' world, personal interactions are becoming less frequent and, as a result, these opportunities are more valued."

Some notable initiatives that the editors recognized this year:

• Saskatoon-based Flaman Sales Ltd. keeps employees busy throughout the year with a full social calendar that includes summer BBQs, an annual charitable fundraising gala, employee Christmas party, employee dodgeball and slowpitch teams, outings to Saskatchewan Roughriders and Saskatoon Blades games, and access to the company box for concerts and events at SaskTel Centre.
  
  
• In addition to a wide range of company-planned social events, Regina-based Harvard Developments Inc. provides employees who are new mothers with maternity leave top-up to 100% of their pay for up to 17 weeks.
  
  
• Along with a casual dress code and a full calendar of social events, Saskatoon-based Vibe HCM provides three weeks of paid vacation to start, as well as paid personal days and paid time-off during the winter holiday season.
  
  
• Saskatoon-based Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority has an employee-led social committee that organizes fun employee events throughout the year, including Christmas parties for employees and their children. SIGA also organizes cultural events, summer family day events, general assemblies, monthly health and wellness events and an annual employee appreciation breakfast.
  
  
• Lloydminster-based Synergy Credit Union Ltd. encourages employees to volunteer in the community with paid volunteer time-off and matching charitable donations -- the credit union also makes its office meeting space available for local non-profit organizations when needed.

Now in its 13^th year, Saskatchewan's Top Employers is a special designation that recognizes Saskatchewan employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. Employers throughout Saskatchewan were evaluated by the editors at Canada's Top 100 Employers using the same criteria as the national competition: (1) Physical Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement. Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs. The annual competition is open to any employer with its head office in Saskatchewan; employers of any size may apply, whether private or public sector.

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 18 regional and special-interest editorial competitions that reach over 13 million Canadians annually through a variety of magazine and newspaper partners. Mediacorp also operates Eluta.ca, the largest Canadian job search engine, which includes editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project and is now used by almost 7 million users in Canada each year. Together with Willis Towers Watson, Mediacorp also hosts the Top Employer Summit, Canada's largest conference for senior-level HR professionals.

The full list of Saskatchewan's Top Employers for 2018 is attached. This year's winners were announced today in a special magazine published in the Regina Leader-Post and Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Detailed reasons for selection, with dozens of additional stories and photos, were released this morning and are accessible via the competition homepage.

Saskatchewan's Top Employers
2018 Winners

3sHealth / Health Shared Services Saskatchewan, Regina
Access Communications Co-operative Ltd., Regina
ClearTech Industries Inc., Saskatoon
Cornerstone Credit Union Financial Group Limited, Yorkton
Creative Options Regina, Inc., Regina
Flaman Sales Ltd., Saskatoon
Group Medical Services / GMS Insurance Inc., Regina
Harvard Developments Inc., Regina
Information Services Corporation, Regina
Innovation Credit Union, Swift Current
ISM Canada, Regina
K+S Potash Canada GP, Saskatoon
Mosaic Company, The, Regina
Ranch Ehrlo Society, Regina
Regina, City of, Regina
Saskatchewan Blue Cross, Saskatoon
Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation / SCIC, Melville
Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority / SIGA, Saskatoon
Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Saskatoon
Saskatchewan Research Council / SRC, Saskatoon
Saskatchewan Workers' Compensation Board, Regina
Saskatoon Police Service, Saskatoon
Saskatoon, City of, Saskatoon
SaskPower, Regina
SaskTel, Regina
Solvera Solutions, Regina
Southeast College, Weyburn
Synergy Credit Union Ltd., Lloydminster
Vibe HCM, Saskatoon
West Wind Aviation Limited Partnership, Saskatoon

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Kristina Leung, Senior Editor, 416-964-6069 x1464