Agility and flexibility, from the pandemic to today's labour market challenges: this year's 'Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers' are announced

TORONTO, April 5, 2022 /CNW/ - Fleet of foot and nimble, the nation's smaller employers adapted quickly to the pandemic and today are using the same agility to overcome the challenges of a tightening labour market. The best of these initiatives were recognized today as Canada's Top Small and Medium Employers (2022) were announced by Mediacorp Canada Inc., organizers of the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers competition.

"Small and medium employers have the advantage of adaptability," says Kristina Leung, Senior Editor at Mediacorp. "They are independent and have always served as a 'laboratory' for the kinds of best practices we eventually see at larger employers.  As new ways of working emerge, such as the growing interest in hybrid work arrangements, smaller employers have the flexibility to experiment and come up with solutions that work for everyone."

"Early in the pandemic, smaller employers were able to respond to employees' needs quickly and with agility," says Anthony Meehan, Publisher at Mediacorp.  "Today, the new realities for employers include labour shortages across almost every sector, which has been made more acute by other employers offering remote work from further afield.  Once again, small and medium employers are responding with agility by adopting many of the benefits previously seen only at larger, more established organizations."

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

• Along with moving all employees to work-from-home arrangements early in the pandemic, Kitchener, Ont.-based WalterFedy let employees take home needed tech and furniture along with introducing a special program to provide interest-free loans (up to $1,000) for home office improvements.
• Toronto-based chat software firm Ada Support provides employees with a health spending account of up to $2,000, allowing them to top up coverage to suit their personal needs, plus a separate wellness spending account of $1,000 per year, which employees can spend as they see fit (e.g. fitness, books and app subscriptions).
• Early in the pandemic, Edmonton-based software firm Silvacom helped employees work from home by covering the cost of home-office equipment and expenses, while increasing employees' flex spending account to help cover other costs.
• Vancouver-based software security firm GeoComply Solutions starts new employees with four weeks of paid vacation allowance, while more experienced hires receive five weeks or more when they start at the company.
• Jacob Bros Construction, based in Surrey, BC., encourages employees to get involved helping charities the company supports in the Lower Mainland, especially programs that support youth and underprivileged children, as well as local nonprofits that aim to alleviate homelessness.

Now in its 9th 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. Employers are evaluated by the editors at Canada's Top 100 Employers using the same criteria as the Top 100 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 industry to determine which offers the most progressive and forward-thinking programs. The annual competition is open to any employer with its head office or principal place of business in Canada.  Employers must have less than 500 employees worldwide, including employees at affiliated companies, and be a commercial, for-profit business.

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, including The Globe and Mail. Mediacorp also operates Eluta.ca, one of Canada's largest job search engines, which reaches millions of job-seekers annually and features editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project.

The full list of Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers for 2022 was announced today in a special magazine co-published with The Globe and Mail. Detailed reasons for selection for each of the winners were released by the editors today and are accessible via the competition homepage: https://www.canadastop100.com/sme/

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Stephanie Leung, Assistant Editor, 416-964-6069 x1477