Policy action
Progressive thinking a hallmark of best workplaces
According to Best Place to Work Institute CEO Jen Wetherow, organizations that support employee wellness are the companies that will lead in future. “The best practices illustrated by these organizations enhance employee engagement and productivity while making these organizations a great place to work,” she says.
The following examples illustrate progressive policies of companies recognized among Canada’s best workplaces.
Ernst & Young LLP has a history in Canada dating back to 1864 and is one of Canada’s leading professional services firms. Management at Ernst & Young demonstrates caring for employees’ personal lives by making work-life balance a reality. For example, employees are given three unrestricted personal days per year, and three four-day long weekends per year (an additional day off during each of three long weekends in the summer). Employees who work late are provided with free after-hours food delivery. All employees can use the firm’s free concierge service, which includes such things as travel planning, shopping assistance and dry-cleaning pick-up (plus errand running for $10/hour). In addition to flexible work arrangements, the firm also offers a back-up child- and elder-care program that gives employees up to 100 hours of subsidized in-home or centre-based care per year when regular arrangements break down.
Precision Biologic Inc. designs and makes medical products typically used in hospital laboratories to diagnose blood coagulation disorders. In January 2007, this Halifax-based company conducted a grassroots review of its corporate values to understand which ones were the most important to sustain as the company grows. Using an organizational development process known as appreciative inquiry, each employee interviewed two co-workers who they had little regular contact with to discover what they appreciated most about working at the company. Results were summarized using a consensus-based process, and formalized as the company’s core values.
Thomson Carswell, which began by importing and selling legal books in 1864, now provides integrated knowledge and business solutions for the legal, finance, and HR markets. To inspire a sense of “family,” Thomson Carswell has developed a compassionate care leave policy that provides 95 per cent salary top-up for employees who need to take up to eight weeks’ personal leave to care for a seriously ill family member.
Adapted from: Great Place to Work Institute
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