Flexible and agile, 'Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers' for 2023 are raising the bar for all employers.

TORONTO, April 4, 2023 /CNW/ - Flexible and agile, Canada's small and medium enterprises are 'laboratories of innovation' when it comes to progressive human resources policies and forward-thinking workplace programs. That's the message from this year's Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers, announced this morning by Mediacorp Canada Inc., organizers of the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers competition.

"The employers chosen this year represent the 'best of the best' and many have pioneered initiatives that would have been unthinkable five years ago," says Kristina Leung, managing editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "These trailblazers are among the first in Canada to adopt new HR initiatives, such as offering permanent hybrid work options and removing formal caps on vacation allowance and paid time off. It's a refreshing way to mark our 10th anniversary of the SME competition."

A hallmark of Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers is that winners have the freedom and flexibility to develop creative – and often unique – solutions that improve the work environment and the lives of employees. From flexible time off policies that help employees balance family commitments to unique staff recognition programs, this year's winners have raised the bar in anticipating employee needs and expanding the range of programs offered.

Additionally, winners offer employees the chance to get involved and leave their fingerprints on work they do, ensuring staff have a direct connection to the company's product or service. Employees take satisfaction in knowing that they helped shape the client experience in a tangible way and that they are an integral part of the company's DNA.

"In contrast to larger organizations where there can sometimes be layers of red tape around career growth and interaction with other departments, SMEs have a 'culture of connection' where employees help build the company and contribute ideas," adds Richard Yerema, executive editor at the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "This atmosphere allows employees to build deeper connections with colleagues at all levels of seniority and lets them see the impact of their work."

Notable initiatives singled out at this year's winners include:

• Waterloo, Ont.-based Auvik Networks provides new hires with a subsidy ($500) to set up a home office using "whatever makes their home office environment effective"; employees also receive a stipend ($100 monthly) to cover incidental remote work costs, from technology to coffee. Employees at the company also enjoy a no-limit vacation policy, with the encouragement of at least three weeks off each year.
• Olympia Financial, based in Calgary, has special employee recognition program where colleagues nominate peers quarterly for exceptional performance on the basis of company values in eight categories; winners receive paid time off, free parking, gift cards, or even lunch with the company president.
• BlueStone Properties, based in London, Ont., offers new employees three weeks of annual paid vacation plus up to 10 personal days to help with family and personal commitments. These include four days ('Better Days') that are intended as flexible "no guilt" personal wellness days.
• Montreal-based game developer Mistplay encourages staff to donate time and money to local charities, matching employee donations to an exceptional limit ($10,000 per employee annually).
• Vancouver-based FISPAN Services provides weekly onsite team lunches so employees can sample delicacies from local restaurants and connect with each other in person.
• Toronto-based Points offers a unique personal leave program ('You Only Live Once'), which allows long-time employees to apply for unpaid leaves of up to three months while continuing to receive benefits, bonuses and accrued vacation.

Now in its 10^th year, Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers is an editorial competition that recognizes the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that offer the nation's best workplaces and forward-thinking human resources policies. Canada's SME sector is tremendously important to the nation and is responsible for over half of the country's private-sector employment. Editors at Mediacorp review employers on eight criteria, which have remained consistent since the project's inception: (1) 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. The editors publish detailed 'reasons for selection' for these criteria, providing transparency in the selection of winners and a catalogue of best practices for employers and job-seekers alike. The competition follows the definition of a "small and medium enterprise" used by Statistics Canada, which limits the competition to private-sector businesses with under 500 employees.

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 millions of Canadians annually through a variety of magazine and newspaper partners, including The Globe and Mail. Mediacorp also operates Eluta.ca, one of Canada's largest job search engines, which reaches over two million job-seekers annually and features exclusive editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project.

The full list of Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers (2023) was announced today in a special magazine co-published with the Globe and Mail. Detailed reasons for selection for each of this year's winners, as well as additional stories and photos, were released today by the editors and are accessible via the competition homepage.

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Stephanie Leung, Editor, [email protected]