Excellence in helping employees in the second-half of their career: this year's "Top Employers for Canadians Over 40" are announced

TORONTO, May 16, 2016 /CNW/ - For most working Canadians, there's more than a little worry about what awaits them in the second-half of their careers. The workplace perks and benefits that seemed important in youth have given way to concerns about retirement and, on the employer's side, worries about transferring expertise to the next generation. Progressive employers are responding to these concerns with forward-thinking initiatives that make it clear to all employees that their employer supports them throughout their careers. The best of these initiatives were recognized today, as the "Top Employers for Canadians Over 40" for 2016 were announced by Mediacorp Canada Inc.

"The winning employers build long-term relationships between the generations that make up their workforce," says Richard Yerema, Managing Editor at Mediacorp.  "They understand how to retain the accumulated knowledge of their most experienced employees and transfer it to the next generation, which is often the key to their success as an organization."

The competition recognizes organizations that outperform their peers based on eight criteria: (1) they offer interesting programs to assist older workers; (2) they actively recruit new workers aged 40 years or older; (3) their HR policies take into account the unique concerns of older workers, such as recognizing outside work experience in determining vacation entitlement; (4) they offer a pension plan with reasonable employer contributions; (5) they assist older employees with retirement and succession planning; (6) they create opportunities for retirees to stay socially connected to former co-workers through organized social activities and volunteering; (7) they extend health coverage and similar benefits to employees after retirement; and (8) they offer programs such as mentorship and phased-in retirement, to ease the emotional challenges of retirement and ensure older employees' skills are transferred to the next generation.

Examples from this year's winners include:

• Agricultural Financial Services Corporation of Lacombe, AB actively recruits experienced insurance adjusters (with an average age of 53 years) because of the wealth of knowledge these candidates bring to the organization. In addition, AFSC offers a forward-thinking package of benefits for older workers, including retirement planning, a defined-benefit pension plan, and phased-in retirement options.
• At the University of Toronto, retiring faculty have access to a university-run Academic Retiree Centre, which offers a variety of resources to help continue their research and professional activities after they stop teaching.
• British Columbia Public Service offers a range of initiatives to support employees through all stages of life, including a number of flexible work options, retirement planning workshops, contributions to a defined-benefit pension plan and a health plan that extends through their retirement years.
• At Montréal-based Air Canada, retirees stay connected through the "Pionairs" association, which has a worldwide membership of 24,000. The association also maintains a pension and benefits committee, which advocates for pension protection and reform.

The 15 employers selected for the Top Employers for Canadians Over 40 competition are drawn from this year's Canada's Top 100 Employers list, also published by Mediacorp.

About Mediacorp

Founded in 1992, Mediacorp Canada Inc. is the nation's largest publisher of employment periodicals and guides. Since 1999, the Toronto-based publisher has managed the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which includes a series of regional and special-interest editorial competitions that annually reach over 13 million Canadians through a group of magazine and newspaper partners. The publishing firm also operates the popular search engine, Eluta.ca, which brings job-seekers new postings directly from employer websites and exclusive editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project.  Mediacorp also manages the Top Employer Summit, an annual editorial conference that explores themes related to the Canada's Top 100 Employers project – this year's conference takes place in Vancouver on November 14-15, 2016.

The full list of this year's winners of the Top Employers for Canadians Over 40 competition is attached.  To review the editors' detailed reasons for selecting each employer, please visit:
http://www.canadastop100.com/over40

Top Employers for Canadians Over 40
2016 Winners

3M Canada Company (London ON)

Agriculture Financial Services Corporation / AFSC (Lacombe AB)

Air Canada (Saint-Laurent QC)

BC Public Service (Victoria BC)

BDC / Business Development Bank of Canada (Montréal QC)

CIBC (Toronto ON)

EllisDon Corporation (Mississauga ON)

Hospital for Sick Children, The (Toronto ON)

Johnson & Johnson Inc. (Markham ON)

National Energy Board (Calgary AB)

Ontario Public Service / OPS (Toronto ON)

TD Bank Group (Toronto ON)

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. / TMMC (Cambridge ON)

Union Gas Limited (Chatham ON)

University of Toronto (Toronto ON)

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Image with caption: "Mediacorp Canada Inc. (CNW Group/Mediacorp Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160516_C5369_PHOTO_EN_690546.jpg

Kristina Leung, Senior Editor, 416-964-6069 x1464