Leadership plays a key role in the companies that have made it to the newly released list of Canada’s top 100 employers for 2014, according to the organizers of the ranking.
This year’s list includes familiar organizations as well as many new entrants—more than a quarter of the list changes each year, according to Mediacorp Canada Inc., which publishes the list. However, there are a handful of companies among the winners that have managed to remain on the list for almost a decade—and their secret appears to be leadership, says Richard Yerema, the author of the ranking.
“Winning organizations consistently have leaders who recognize the importance of becoming an employer of choice, making it part of their organization’s DNA from the shop floor to the boardroom,” Yerema explains.
One of the companies that has been selected for nearly 10 years is Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, North America’s biggest operator of luxury hotels and resorts. Some of the reasons Fairmont made it to the 2014 list is that it provides contributions to a DC pension plan, discounts at its hotels across the globe and maternity leave top-up payments to employees who are new mothers.
SaskTel, a provider of communications services, is another employer that has remained on the list for about a decade. The reason the company made it to this year’s ranking is that it offers—among other things—contributions to a DC plan, free membership to an on-site fitness facility and subsidies for tuition in order to help employees further their education.
Shell Canada Ltd., too, has remained on the list for about a decade. It’s part of the 2014 ranking because it offers things such as DB and DC plans, a company share purchase plan, year-end bonuses and discounts on gasoline purchases at the pump.
Now in its 14th edition, the top 100 list is published alphabetically. Reviewers compare organizations of similar size, industry and region, so there is no further ranking within the list of 100.
Each organization is assessed against eight key criteria: physical workplace; work and social atmosphere; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement.
The full list of winners can be viewed here.