The Best Workplaces in Canada 2007
1. Back in Motion Rehab
2. 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
3. Urban Systems
4. Environics Communications
5. Karo Design
6. Vancity Credit Union
7. Edward Jones Canada
8. Halsall Associates
9. iTRANS Consulting
10. Ernst & Young LLP
11. WCG International HR Solutions
12. AdFarm
13. SaskCentral
14. Randstad Canada
15. Keller Williams Ottawa Realty
16. Intuit Canada
17. Windsor Family Credit Union
18. Trico Homes
19. Microsoft Canada
20. The Marketing Store
21. Sandvine
22. Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa
23. Fuller Landau LLP
24. Ceridian Canada
25. Globex Foreign Exchange
26. Softchoice
27. Kingston Ross Pasnak LLP
28. Online Business Systems
29. Hill & Knowlton Canada
30. IHS Canada
31. Tourism British Columbia
32. Heenan Blaikie LLP
33. Coastal Pacific Xpress
34. Banff Lodging Company
35. Canadian Health Services Research Foundation
36. Pinchin Environmental
37. Deloitte & Touche LLP
38. The Personnel Department
39. TD Bank Financial Group
40. Lannick Group of Companies
41. Concert Properties
42. Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia
43. High Road Communications
44. Info-Tech Research Group
45. S.C. Johnson and Son
46. Thomson Carswell
47. Sapient
48. Monster Canada
49. NewHeights Software
50. Cobalt Engineering
Methodology
To choose the Best Workplaces in Canada, we rely on two things: our evaluation of the culture of each organization, and the opinions of an organization's employees. We give the latter considerably more weight: two-thirds of a company's total score comes from employee responses to the Trust Index survey (comprised of 57 scaled and two open-ended questions) created by the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco. The survey goes to a minimum of 350 randomly selected employees from each company (or all employees if less than 350) and asks about such things as credibility, fairness, respect, pride and camaraderie.
The remaining third of the score comes from our evaluation of a culture audit submitted by each company. It examines demographic makeup, pay and benefits programs and how the companies themselves say they exhibit the core elements of the Great Place to Work Institute Trust Index Model, which is based on credibility (two-way communication, competence, integrity); respect (support, collaboration, caring); fairness (equity, impartiality, justice); pride (in personal job, team, company); and camaraderie (intimacy, hospitality, community). Culture audits are evaluated by a team of trained evaluators. Individual evaluators score each submission and present the company or organization to the team, providing a rationale for their scoring. Team members ask questions, weigh the scoring against other submissions and ultimately come up with the final score. After evaluations are completed, our team conducts various searches to ensure that the organization has not been involved in any unethical business practices in the past year. If news about an organization comes to light that may significantly damage employees' faith in management or suggest that it would not be a good example of a great place to work, we may exclude it from the list.
This methodology is identical to that used by the Great Place to Work Institute to compile lists of “best workplaces” and “best companies to work for” in 30 countries around the world. About 184 organizations contacted us to participate; of them, 103 finished the survey process.
To nominate your organization for the 2008 Best Workplaces in Canada list, go to: GreatPlacetoWork.ca.
For more details on the companies selected, profiles and tips for building the ideal workplace, pick up the current issue of Canadian Business Magazine, on newsstands now.
