Blurring the lines between the best public and private sector workplaces: this year's "National Capital Region's Top Employers" are announced
OTTAWA, Jan. 30, 2019 /CNW/ - With unemployment in the Ottawa-Gatineau area at a 30-year low, it's easy to understand why public and private-sector employers in the nation's capital are increasingly looking more and more like each other. Organizations are competing for the best and brightest employees and are borrowing the best ideas from each other, regardless of where the ideas originated – that's the message from the National Capital Region's Top Employers for 2019, released this morning by Mediacorp Canada Inc.
"When you visit some of the leading public-sector employers in downtown Ottawa," says Anthony Meehan, Publisher of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project at Mediacorp. "You might be excused for thinking that you had stumbled into the lobby or the innovation-based workspace of a technology start-up. And at many private sector employers in the area, you can now find many of the best workplace policies from the public sector – there's a cross-pollination of the best ideas taking place."
"When we launched the National Capital Region's Top Employers competition in 2006, it was a challenge to find a mix of public and private sector employers that represented progressive workplace programs and forward-thinking human resources policies," says Richard Yerema, Managing Editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "Today, the National Capital Region is home to some of the country's most dynamic technology employers and many public-sector organizations that lead their fields not just in Canada, but internationally as well."
Here are a few of the notable initiatives singled out by the editors this year:
- The City of Ottawa maintains a special network to provide employees with resources on physical, mental and emotional health and well-being – in addition to a variety of workshops and training to help managers incorporate wellness into the workplace.
- Pythian Group recognizes exceptional performance and service through a formal "Laureate Program" that includes ongoing peer-nominated awards, an extra five days of vacation after 10 years of service, and a three-week all-expenses-paid trip to any Pythian office around the world after 15 years of service.
- Shopify's head office in Ottawa features a wide range of amenities, including an indoor go-kart track, an exercise room and a cafeteria – lunch is provided for employees daily along with a variety of snacks, from Japanese noodles to chocolates.
- Employment and Social Development Canada encourages ongoing development through "The [email protected]", which consists of five collaborative learning centres across the country equipped with video conferencing classrooms, breakout spaces and collaborative workspaces.
- Export Development Canada helps new mothers with maternity and parental leave top-up (to 95% of salary for 24 weeks) and provides parental leave top-up to new dads and adoptive parents (to 95% of salary for 18 weeks) – in addition to offering workshops and speakers on family-related topics through a special initiative, [email protected]
First published in 2006, the National Capital Region's Top Employers is a special designation that recognizes employers in the Ottawa-Gatineau area that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. Employers throughout the area 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 the Ottawa-Gatineau area; 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 8 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 the National Capital Region's Top Employers for 2019 was posted this morning on the competition homepage. The winners were announced in special magazine published in the Ottawa Citizen this morning. Detailed reasons for selection, with hundreds of additional stories and photos, were also released this morning by the editors and are accessible via the competition homepage.
SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.
For further information: Kristina Leung, Senior Editor, 416-964-6069 x1464
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