Healthy work-life balance is key to employee retention: 'Waterloo Area's Top Employers' for 2023 are announced

WATERLOO, ON, Dec. 1, 2022 /CNW/ - Three years after the arrival of a pandemic that saw an unprecedented shift towards remote work, top employers are focusing their attention on helping employees maintain a healthy work-life balance. That's the message from this year's winners of Waterloo Area's Top Employers, announced this morning by Mediacorp Canada Inc., organizers of the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers competition.

"As people start to return to the workplace, this year's winners have made it clear that their employees deserve both the time and space to focus on their families, their health, and their education," says Kristina Leung, Managing Editor at Mediacorp. "Organizations are doubling down on their commitment to flexibility, such as flexible working hours or a health plan that allows employees to tailor coverage to suit their needs."

It's no surprise that a region celebrated for being at the centre of Canada's tech boom – in addition to its distinguished post-secondary institutions – prioritizes training and development of employees.  "In a region known for innovation, it makes sense that employers are looking forward," Leung adds. "Investing in the future through active skills development helps keep employers ahead of the game."

Notable initiatives singled out by editors this year include:

• Auvik Networks employees can earmark a portion of their annual health spending account for wellness expenses. Employees are trusted to submit claims within the spirit of wellness within their own definitions of wellness, which varies by individual.
  
  
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada leads its industry in offering family-friendly benefits, providing maternity and parental leave top-ups for new moms, to 65 per cent of salary for 50 weeks, and parental leave top-ups for new dads and adoptive parents, to 65 per cent of salary for 35 weeks.
  
  
• BlackBerry strongly encourages ongoing employee learning through in-house and online training initiatives, as well as through generous tuition subsidies (to $6,000 annually) for courses, whether or not related to their current position.
  
  
• Danby Products introduced a hybrid working model for some employees, loaning needed technology and furniture for home offices. Employees can also apply to work remotely up to three months outside Canada.
  
  
• OpenText recently increased its maternity and parental leave top-up to 24 weeks for new mothers as well as extending coverage to eight weeks for fathers and adoptive parents. Employees seeking to start a family may take advantage of a generous IVF benefit up to $10,000, if required.
  
  
• Crawford & Company helps employees with a wide range of wellness needs, including a health spending account (to $500), access to a mobile health care app as well as a specialized fitness app with instructor-led exercises for meditation and mindfulness.

Now in its 16^th year, Waterloo Area's Top Employers is an annual competition organized by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers. This special designation recognizes the employers in the Kitchener-Waterloo area that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. Editors at Mediacorp review employers on eight criteria, which have remained consistent since the project's inception: (1) 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. The editors publish detailed 'reasons for selection' for these criteria, providing transparency in the selection of winners and a catalogue of best practices for employers and job-seekers alike. Employers interested in next year's competition may also request an application online.

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 millions of 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 over two million job-seekers annually and features exclusive editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project.

The full list of Waterloo Area's Top Employers for 2023 was announced in a special magazine published in the Waterloo Region Record this morning. Detailed reasons for selection with additional stories and photos were released simultaneously on the competition homepage.

Waterloo Area's Top Employers 2023 Winners

AET Group Inc., Kitchener 
ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc., Cambridge
Auvik Networks Inc., Waterloo
BlackBerry Limited, Waterloo
Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc., Waterloo
D2L Corporation, Kitchener
Danby Products Ltd., Guelph
Definity Financial Corporation, Waterloo
Denso Manufacturing Canada Inc., Guelph
Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada, The, Waterloo
eSentire Inc., Waterloo
Farm Mutual Reinsurance Plan Inc. / Farm Mutual Re, Cambridge
GHD Canada Holdings Inc., Waterloo
Gore Mutual Insurance Company, Cambridge
Grand River Hospital Corp., Kitchener
Guelph, Corporation of the City of, Guelph
Home Hardware Stores Ltd., St. Jacobs
Igloo Software, Kitchener
Northern Digital Inc. / NDI, Waterloo
OCAS Application Services, Inc., Guelph
Onsemi, Waterloo
OpenText Corporation, Waterloo
Reid's Heritage Construction, Cambridge
Skyline Group of Companies, Guelph
Sleeman Breweries Ltd., Guelph
System1 Canada ULC, Guelph
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. / TMMC, Cambridge
Ulma Construction Systems Canada Inc., Cambridge
WalterFedy Inc., Kitchener
Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Stephanie Leung, Editor, Tel. [phone] x1477, [email protected]