Mediacorp Canada Inc. released its annual report today of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2019, and a number of companies that made the list are technology developers, and vendors.
So here at ITBusiness.ca we decided to take a look at the top Canadian tech employers for 2019 according to Mediacorp, and see what makes them so great.
According to the report which was published in the Globe and Mail, a common theme this year is employers reaching beyond just the workplace and attempting to ‘do good’ in communities.
“We are seeing more time off for employers to work in the community, more matching funds for their fundraising efforts, more donations in return for employees’ volunteer hours – there’s more robustness in these programs,” said Richard Yerema, managing editor at Mediacorp in a press release.
ITBusiness.ca found that of the top 100 employers in Canada that made the list, more than 20 are directly involved in the tech industry and many outside that grouping are heavily involved with digital transformation and making tech a part of their business.
Notable tech vendors and enterprise technology service providers that made the list include (organized alphabetically):
- Accenture Inc.
- ACL Services
- Adobe Systems Canada
- Cisco Systems Canada Ltd.
- ISM Canada
- OpenText Corp.
- Salesforce
- SAP Canada Inc.
- Samsung Electronics Canada
- Shopify
- Verafin Inc.
- Xerox Canada Ltd.
Mediacorp, in collaboration with job-search site Eluta.ca, select the companies after a long process of narrowing down. “Mediacorp editors started by examining the recruitment histories of over 95,000 employers that it tracks for its popular job-search engine, Eluta.ca. From this pool, Mediacorp invited 9,801 employers to submit detailed applications,” stated the report.
The companies are graded based on eight criteria: Physical Workplace, Work Atmosphere and Social, Health/Financial and Family Benefits, Vacation and Time Off, Employee Communications, Performance Management, Training and Skills Development, and Community Involvement.
Let’s take a closer look at why these technology companies are so well rated by employees.
Shopify
There is little surprise seeing Canada’s ‘tech-sweetheart’ Shopify on the list. The Ottawa based company is known for its positive work environment and employee perks. Mediacorp listed one of the reasons it made the list is its employee benefits, “in addition to Shopify’s basic health benefits plan, employees receive $5,000 which can be put towards a health or wellness spending account, a charitable giving account or retirement savings.”
When it comes to community support Shopify, notably its CEO Tobias Lütke has been outspoken about building the Canadian tech industry. He has teamed up with the federal government to provide insights into building the country’s digital economy. Shopify also expanded its post-secondary internship program this year to help address the growing shortage of tech talent. It also supports community organizations like Canada Learning Code, Boys and Girls Club, and Virtual Ventures.
It has also been named one of Toronto’s most desirable brands for tech workers by Hired, as ITBusiness.ca has previously reported.
OpenText
Waterloo’s OpenText also made the top 100 (as well as the top 10 employers in the Waterloo area), for being, “a strong supporter of ongoing employee education with tuition subsidies for courses related and not directly related to their current position,” stated the report, which also noted that its employees receive up to three days off in paid time to be spent volunteering.
Salesforce
The Canadian division of the San Francisco-based Salesforce.com Inc. also made the list for having, “done away with the formal annual review and developing an in-house feedback app that encourages ongoing monthly two-way feedback between employees and managers.”
The company’s charitable program also offers seven paid days off to volunteer with local charities and matches donations up to $5,000, according to Mediacorp’s report.
Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters was selected for the top 100 employers of 2019 because if its “generous discounts to its impressive suite of educational and professional resources,” and its community volunteer efforts through its ‘Dollars for Doers’ initiative.
The Canadian media and information company has been heavily investing in technology and the tech industry in the past few years. In 2015 it established Thomson Reuters Labs in Waterloo and in 2016 announced that it was investing $100 million and creating 1,500 tech jobs in Toronto with its new technology centre.
Accenture
The global management consulting and professional services firm Accenture received top ratings for community involvement, with employees completing more than 9,000 volunteer hours last year, with approximately 115 charitable or community organizations supported.
ACL Services
Vancouver-based software company ACL Services, was also made the list of British Columbia’s top employers in 2018. It is reocginzed as a top employer by Mediacorp for its “unique head office.” According to the report the office, “includes a number of distinctive features, from an employee lounge with karaoke, an acoustic guitar, dartboards and beer kegs (from a local craft brewer) to a shared-use onsite fitness facility. The office design also includes over 125 alternative workspaces and options to encourage movement, as well as employee collaboration and communication.”
Adobe Systems
Adobe also made the list thanks to its office space which was created with employee feedback. Like many mentioned above, it is also strong in community involvement supporting charities like Ottawa Food Bank, Youth Services Bureau, and Women for Women International.
Cisco Systems
IT and networking company Cisco Canada following in this year’s trend offers five paid days off for volunteering and subsequently, employees spent more than 3,103 hours volunteering last year. It also invests in the tech community in other ways, as ITBusiness.ca has previously reported the company announced a $1 million investment with the University of Waterloo to help advance 5G wireless technology.
ISM Canada
This information technology service provider is based out of Regina, Saskatchewan, was also named as one of Canada’s top family-friendly employers and Saskatchewan’s top employers in 2018. “ISM Canada follows the “Think 40” concept developed by its parent company IBM Canada to encourage employees to complete a minimum of 40 hours of professional development each year,” stated Mediacorp.
It was also recognized for its employee benefits such as parental leave, ISM employees can “receive maternity and parental leave top-up payments, up to 50 weeks, [and] new fathers and adoptive parents can also receive parental leave top-ups, up to 35 weeks.
SAP
The Canadian division of German-based enterprise software company received top marks for its recently renovated Vancouver office, which includes collaborative spaces and a market with local food vendors.
“SAP Canada offers a number of great financial benefits for all employees, including profit-sharing and year-end bonus programs…new employee referral bonuses (up to $2,500), and a defined contribution pension plan to help employees save for the longer term,” stated the report.
Samsung
As one of the top 100 and top employer’s in the Greater Toronto region, Samsung scored well across a number of categories including physical workplace, work atmosphere and communication, training and skills development and community involvement.
Verafin Inc.
Located in St. John’s Newfoundland Verafin provides fraud detection and anti-money laundering software. According to Mediacorp it “sets the bar a little higher for small and medium-sized employers” with its strong parental leave programs, its unlimited vacation time policy and a new office space designed with employee feedback.
Xerox Canada
Finally, Xerox makes the top 100 employers in Canada list for its “Bwell” program that allows employees to access a number of online health and wellness tools as well as its “Xerox Employee Initiated Philanthropy” program and strong pension and retirement planning assistance.
Employers embracing technology
Other companies that made the list but aren’t necessarily technology-native, have been recognized elsewhere this year, such Loblaw, TD Bank, CIBC and Royal Bank of Canada which were all named the top places for tech workers.
You can find the full list of Canada’s Top 100 Employers 2019 as decided by Mediacorp here.
