TORONTO, Sept. 10, 2015 /CNW/ - Empire Communities, one of Canada's largest integrated master-planned community homebuilders in Ontario, has been nominated for this year's Canadian HR Awards. The nominations are for Canadian HR Team of the Year (Fewer than 500 Employees) and for Best HR Strategic Plan. The two nominations mark the first time that a residential homebuilder has been nominated in these categories. The Awards will be held on Thursday, September 17 at the Liberty Grand.
The Canadian HR Team of the Year (Fewer than 500 Employees) award recognizes a team that has excelled within the HR function and across their business as a whole by partnering with different business functions. The award for Best HR Strategic Plan recognizes the HR team that has driven and implemented the most innovative and successful strategic plan, whether it's a single, one-off project strategy or a long-term, ongoing HR strategy.
"This is the first time that we have entered into the Canadian HR Awards and are honored to be nominated under not one but two categories, including Canadian HR Team of the Year (Fewer than 500 Employees)," says Eleanor Townsend, Director, Human Resources at Empire Communities. "This speaks volumes to the commitment we have to our employees that we put into action to ensure they are engaged and happy to come to work every day."
Empire Communities entered the Canadian HR Awards this year as a result of last year's efforts and initiatives that were launched and the positive impact that they've had on the 350 employees and the company as a whole.
The EmpireWay Learning & Development Program was initiated to address individual barriers or performance gaps and provide leadership and management training. Within this program, health and wellness initiatives were introduced that included lunch and learn sessions, physical exercise challenges and reduced gym memberships.
"One of the programs that we're most proud of is the Employee Engagement survey, which was introduced to obtain a pulse on our employees' point of view of the organization and to understand their goals and challenges. Working together, we can all achieve success!" says Ms. Townsend. The Employee Engagement results showed a significant improvement over the 2011 Engagement Survey results and exceeded the Corporate Executive Boards Benchmark by 10 per cent. The results were shared across the company and an Engagement Improvement Strategy was developed.
The Empire Communities HR department leveraged EmpireNet, adding a Human Resource Section to the dormant Intranet Site with real-time information to keep employees engaged in workplace initiatives and activities. Information shared on EmpireNet includes career opportunities, new hires and internal promotions, wellness initiatives, internal training opportunities, loyalty program additions and company celebrations. Prior to launching EmpireNet, the company had no employee communication platform.
Empire Communities is one of Canada's largest integrated master-planned community homebuilders in Ontario. Empire has built more than 10,000 beautiful new homes and condos across Southwestern Ontario and the GTA and is also one of the only homebuilders to offer ENERGY STAR® certification as a standard for all its single family homes. Empire Communities has received nearly 100 domestic and international awards for design, marketing, sales excellence and commitment to creating energy efficient homes, including the Green Builder of the Year Award from both the HHHBA and BILD. Learn more at empirecommunities.com
SOURCE Empire Communities
Image with caption: "Empire Communities (CNW Group/Empire Communities)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150910_C7149_PHOTO_EN_493896.jpg
Media Contacts: Vicki Griffiths, Vicbar Marketing Ltd., Ph: 416-510-0073, Cel: 416-432-8785, [email protected]; Jodi Goulart, Vicbar Marketing Ltd., Cel: 647-887-8643, [email protected]
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