Innovation driven by competition between public and private sectors: 'National Capital Region's Top Employers' for 2023 are announced

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 7, 2023 /CNW/ - With its high concentration of innovative employers from both the public and private sectors, the National Capital Region is setting new benchmarks when it comes to creating progressive workplaces offering the benefits employees value most. That's the message from this year's winners of the National Capital Region's Top Employers competition, announced today by Mediacorp Canada Inc., organizers of the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers project. 

"The National Capital Region's unique blend of public and private sector employers creates a healthy competition when it comes to developing innovative workplace policies, with employers challenging each other to do – and be – better," says Richard Yerema, executive editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "Innovation is inherent in the workplace culture of this region, with employers uniquely motivated to raise the bar when it comes to best practices."

Key workplace benefits such as maternity and parental leave top-up, pension plans and comprehensive health benefits have long been an advantage at public-sector employers. But now employers in the private sector are responding with their own unique benefits, such as generous time-off policies, flexible work arrangements and wellness support.

"A key focus of the past year has been incorporating flexibility," adds Kristina Leung, managing editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "Employers are trying to find a model that balances structure and flexibility. The results can be seen in policies such as hybrid and remote work options, 'core' working hours, and block allocations of time that employees can use as needed, rather than differentiating between vacation, illness, and other commitments."

Notable initiatives singled out by the editors this year include:

• Carleton University offers robust health and wellness programming as part of its healthy workplace initiative, providing benefits that enable employees to care for themselves such as paid sick time and unlimited coverage for psychologist services, massage and physiotherapy.
• Kanata-based Kinaxis introduced a special initiative (Working@Kinaxis) that lets employees choose their preferred working pattern (in-office, remote or hybrid) – and continued the company's policy, launched in the pandemic, of offering the last Friday of each month off to provide employees with an additional mental break from work.
• Ross Video, based in Nepean, supports new moms, dads and adoptive parents with generous maternity and parental leave top-up to 70 per cent of salary for 26 weeks.
• CBC / Radio-Canada offers a special employee assistance fund to help staff and eligible dependents claim necessary medical expenses not covered by other sources, such as individual or provincial health plans.
• Software firm Tehama offers staff a flexible paid time off program, providing a "bucket of days" that employees can use as needed, to a maximum of 30 days per year.

Now in its 18^th year, National Capital Region's Top Employers is a special designation that recognizes employers in the Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan 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) 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 National Capital Region; 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 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 the National Capital Region's Top Employers (2023) was announced today in a special magazine co-published with the Ottawa Citizen. Detailed reasons for selection for each of this year's winners, as well as additional stories and photos, were also released today by the editors and are accessible via the competition homepage.

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Stephanie Leung, Editor, [email protected]