United in purpose, helping employees and the community: 'Montreal's Top Employers' for 2021 are announced

MONTRÉAL, Feb. 9, 2021 /CNW/ - Whether confronting new working realities, managing the health and safety of their employees, or on the front lines of Canada's response to the novel coronavirus, Montréal's Top Employers have been united in their purpose: to put their best foot forward during challenging times. The 2021 list was announced this morning by Mediacorp Canada Inc., organizers of the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers project, and comprises 60 employers that lead their industries in the Greater Montreal region.

"The past year has been challenging emotionally, physically, and mentally," says Kristina Leung, Senior Editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "But organizations worked quickly and tirelessly to provide crucial support to employees to alleviate pressing concerns as well as working to contribute to a larger, communal effort for Canada's pandemic response."

Many of the employers featured this year offer flexible health benefits plans that can be adapted to suit personal needs, with support for mental health practitioners (up to $3,000 annually). Additionally, winners were recognized for their time-off policies, allowing employees to take time to care for themselves through flexible scheduling, paid personal days, and paid sick days in the event of illness. Supporting local communities was also highlighted, with many organizations offering paid time off to volunteer.

"The project has always aimed to highlight best practices of this nature, and the past year has demonstrated that these kinds of 'essential' benefits really do matter," notes Richard Yerema, Managing Editor. "Whether it's helping employees take time to take care or enabling them to have an impact in the community, the best employers recognize the need to put their people first."

Some of the initiatives noted by the editors include:

• CCM Hockey of Saint-Laurent reconfigured its manufacturing facilities to produce medical materials, such as visors and medical hoods, and donated 500,000 masks to healthcare workers.
  
  
• CIUSSS West-Central Montreal hired approximately 2,000 new employees since March 2020 and established a pandemic mental health hotline along with free meditation courses and wellness initiatives for employees.
  
  
• Genetec of Saint-Laurent reimbursed employees for the purchase of home office computer monitors (50 per cent) and launched online daily fitness classes as well as weekly cooking classes hosted by the office's bistro team. The company also created virtual lounges and coffee breaks to encourage employees to stay connected socially.
  
  
• Lowe's Canada of Boucherville made a philanthropic investment of $1 million, with funds allocated at the store level either in cash or in kind, to address the specific needs of local communities.
  
  
• Nuance Communications Canada, Inc. offered speech recognition software free-of charge to help health care systems navigate the pandemic, distributed more than 50,000 free product licenses to health care providers, provided free meals for more healthcare staff members and donated iPads healthcare systems to enable clinical staff to work remotely.
  
  
• Pomerleau Inc. created an emergency fund for employees experiencing financial distress and worked with the Québec government to build standalone modular wards to support the province's health care system.

Now in its 16^th year, 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, one of Canada's largest job search engines, which reaches millions of unique visitors annually and features editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. The company also publishes The Career Directory, now in its 28^th year – a free online guide for recent college and university graduates looking for employers hiring candidates from their educational background.

The full list of Montréal's Top Employers for 2021 was announced today in a special magazine and featured in the Montreal Gazette. Detailed reasons for selection for each of the winners, with hundreds of stories and photos, were released by the editors today and are accessible via the competition homepage.

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Stephanie Leung, Assistant Editor, 416-964-6069 x5334