Environics Communications No. 1 on the List of Canada's Best Workplaces

Public relations firm celebrates fourth consecutive year on prestigious list of Canadian companies

TORONTO, April 13 /CNW/ - Environics Communications has earned the No. 1 ranking on the list of Canada's 75 Best Workplaces. Generated by the Great Place to Work(R) Institute using a unique employee survey approach, the 2010 "Best Workplaces in Canada" list was published today in The Globe and Mail.

"We are honoured to be recognized as the number one workplace in Canada by the Great Place to Work Institute, particularly because of the strong voice given to employees in their selection process," says Bruce MacLellan, president of Environics Communications. "A trusting and supportive workplace is deeply engrained in our firm and is a major competitive edge in our success in serving our clients."

The Great Place to Work model is based on the concept that a great workplace is measured by the quality of three interconnected relationships within the work environment: the relationship between employees and management; the relationship between employees and their jobs/organization; and the relationship between employees and other employees.

With more than 20 years of experience, the Great Place to Work's employee survey gathers feedback on Canadian companies, providing an accurate measurement of relationships and overarching culture. Environics team members completed the Best Workplaces survey, giving the company near-perfect marks for a caring environment, training and development, ethical management, celebration of success, community support and overall fairness, among other criteria.

Notable programs at Environics include annual profit-sharing for all employees, company-paid trips on key anniversary dates, an annual company retreat, generous professional development funding, and a friendly, relaxed culture.

The list of "Best Workplaces in Canada" was compiled for The Globe and Mail's Report on Business by the Great Place to Work Institute Canada. The competition process is based on two criteria: two-thirds of the total score comes from a 57-statement survey completed by a random selection of employees, along with their open-ended comments about their organization; the remaining one-third of the score comes from an in-depth review of the organization's culture, including an evaluation of HR policies and procedures.

This offers a rigorous representation of the organization from an employee perspective, and an overall portrait of the workplace culture. Together they provide crucial data relative to the five trust-building dimensions of a great place to work: credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie.

About Environics Communications

Environics Communications Inc. is a full-service, management-owned public relations agency focusing primarily on the advanced technology, financial services, health sciences, association/non-profit, consumer, and sustainability and clean energy sectors. Ranked No. 2 on the list of the 75 Best Workplaces in Canada for 2008 and 2009, and No. 1 Workplace for Women in 2009, the firm has also won more than 160 awards for client work. Environics Communications has a strong commitment to reducing environmental impact and in June 2008 became the first North American PR agency to be carbon neutral.

The Great Place to Work(R) Institute

The Great Place to Work(R) Institute Canada was launched in 2005 and is the Canadian affiliate of the U.S.-based Great Place to Work(R) Institute, founded in 1991. It offers services to help companies enhance workplace environments and promote an atmosphere of trust between employees and management. Striving to become a great place to work has been recognized by leaders in a variety of industries, government organizations and educational institutions as a prime means to improve workplace environments, corporate image and financial performance.

For further information: or to schedule an interview, please contact: Stacey Flowers, Environics Communications, [phone], [email protected]