Do you have 'designs' on finding a better place to work? This year's 'Montréal's Top Employers' winners know how to succeed with style

MONTREAL, Feb. 1, 2018 /CNW/ - It's long been understood that there's a strong relationship between good workplace design and fostering employee engagement and creativity.  But many people are surprised to discover that some employers are putting just as much thought into designing innovative workspaces as the more traditional parts of their organizational culture.  The very best of these organizations were recognized today, as Montréal's Top Employers for 2018 were announced by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers at Mediacorp Canada Inc.

"Workplace design has always been a fascinating part of our review," says Richard Yerema, Managing Editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which manages the competition. "As notions of work change, so too do our workplaces. At many employers, traditional cubicles and offices have given way to beautifully designed spaces for collaboration that facilitate a wide range of work styles."

"These employers all understand the fundamentals of being a good employer, like paying close attention to employee health and wellness, training and planning for retirement" adds Kristina Leung, Senior Editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project.  "But many of this year's winners are going beyond these traditional benefits to create beautiful workplaces that make it pleasure for their staff to come to work in the mornings."

Some notable initiatives the editors singled out this year:

• Fashion retailer ALDO Group arranged its offices, training spaces and lounges around a beautiful 10,000 square-foot atrium, employing a company chef to prepare fresh food daily in the cafeteria.
  
  
• Fasken Martineau DuMoulin invests in ongoing employee development with tuition subsidies for outside courses (to $1,000), subsidies for professional accreditation and financial bonuses for some course completions.
  
  
• At its LEED-Silver certified head office, Merck Canada employees enjoy a market-style cafeteria, themed relaxation rooms, and free access to a shared-use fitness facility.
  
  
• Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada supports employees who want to start a family, offering a generous subsidy for IVF when needed and maternity and parental leave top-up payments for new mothers and adoptive parents (to 100% of salary, up to 16 weeks).
  
  
• Along with helping employees save for the future, Shutterstock Music encourages everyone to share in the company's success with a profit-sharing for employees.

First published in 2006, Montréal's Top Employers is a special designation that recognizes employers in Greater Montréal that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. Employers 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 Greater Montréal; 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 15 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 Montréal's Top Employers (2018) is attached. The winners were announced in a special magazine published in the Montreal Gazette this morning. Detailed reasons for selection, with hundreds of additional stories and photos, were also released by the editors this morning and are accessible via the competition homepage.

Montréal's Top Employers
2018 Winners

Air Canada
ALDO Group Inc.
BDC / Business Development Bank of Canada
Bell Canada
Blue Cross Canassurance Group
Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada
Canadian National Railway Company / CN
Charles River Laboratories, Inc.
Cogeco Connexion Inc.
Concordia University
Coop fédérée, La
Croesus Finansoft Inc.
Dassault Systèmes Canada Inc.
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Fednav Limited
FL Fuller Landau LLP
Fresche Solutions Inc.
Genetec Inc.
Gildan Activewear Inc.
Groupe Dynamite Inc.
Ivanhoé Cambridge Inc.
Jewish General Hospital
Keurig Canada Inc.
Kronos Incorporated
L'Oréal Canada Inc.
Laurentide Controls Ltd.
McGill University
McKesson Canada Corporation
Merck Canada Inc.
National Bank of Canada
Nestlé Nespresso Canada
Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Nuance Communications Canada Inc.
oXya Corporation
Polytechnique Montréal
Public Sector Pension Investment Board / PSP Investments
Richter LLP
Sandoz Canada Inc.
Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shutterstock Music Canada
Thales Canada, Avionique
Université de Montréal
Vigilant
WSP Canada Inc.
Zodiac Aerospace

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

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