Montréal's Top Employers (2017)

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2017

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

MONTREAL'S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017 Magazine Anthony Meehan, PUBLISHER

Karen Le,

VICE-PRESIDENT

Editorial Team:

Richard Yerema, MANAGING EDITOR

Kristina Leung, SENIOR EDITOR

Stephanie Leung, RESEARCH ASSISTANT

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Kristen Chow,

DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS

Amy Wong,

SENIOR ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE

Sponsor Content Writers:

Berton Woodward, SENIOR EDITOR

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© 2017 Mediacorp Canada Inc. All rights reserved. MONTREAL'S TOP EMPLOYERS is a trade mark of Mediacorp Canada Inc.

SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN — CANADA

12th Annual Edition

3

p A clinical nurse (left) and the Chief of Staff of the Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada in Montréal.

INTRODUCTION

I

When Montréal’s Top Employers give back, they get back – a lot.

t’s easy to see how Montréal’s Top Employers make their organizations wonderful places to work, with everything from popular onsite daycare to share purchase plans to secure bike lockups. But these winning leaders also show their heart with outstanding charitable projects, notably reaching out into the community and beyond. Many encourage employee volunteering, such as Laurentide Controls, which offers staff paid time off to volunteer.

Others mount initiatives like CN’s employee- and pensioner-run Community Fund, which has raised more than $13.5 million over the past decade.

An organization’s charitable work can sometimes be transformative for the people involved as well as having a positive impact on the company. Montréal engineering firm WSP Canada recently participated in the Engineers Without Borders (EWB) fellowship program, sending employee Janelle De Vries – a Geomatics Proposal Office Lead who volunteered for the fellowship – on a six-month placement to Lusaka, Zambia. She’s currently helping with Rent To Own, an EWB social enterprise that provides resources to entrepreneurs in rural Zambia. She

says her biggest challenge was in coming from a corporate background where job duties are very defined.

“It was an adjustment at first because all the projects I was involved with were completely outside of my professional comfort zone, but you get used to it,” says De Vries. “It’s a start-up environment, so everyone does a little bit of everything and you run with it. You can’t approach problems with the same methodology you’d use in Canada, so it really pushes your mind to new realms. I call it a professional development boot camp.”

Steve Power, WSP Canada’s National Vice President of Marketing and Communications, says the partnership with EWB is a huge benefit to the company. This is the second year WSP Canada has offered the fellowship, which is also a monetary donation, plus the employee is still paid their regular full salary while away.

“When the person comes back, they think a little differently and bring that different perspective to their day job,” says Power. “We’ve also found that EWB has a far-reaching network of passionate young engineers at universities across the country.

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

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INTRODUCTION

Continued

Our partnership with EWB is actually attracting a lot of top young talent to our organization, which is a nice knock-on effect from our original approach of philanthropy.”

Power says the fellowship is open to all WSP employees, not just engineers, since EWB needs many kinds of skills. Last year the firm sent a finance person.

“It’s been a unifying force for the company nationally that we can all get behind,” says Power.

“We’ll absolutely continue. We like the development opportunities for our staff, the staff engagement because it gets people excited, and the talent acquisition component. There are a lot of great benefits.”

As the largest-ever corporate initiative of its kind in Canada, Bell Canada’s national "Bell Let's Talk" mental health initiative has not only positively impacted the entire country, it has transformed the company’s own culture.

Launched as a five-year program in 2010, Bell Canada renewed it in 2015 for a further five years,

committing at least $100 million in funding to support new mental health research, workplace best practices, improved care and access, and anti-stigma programs including Bell Let’s Talk Day – a national day of conversation about mental health – that takes place each year. To date, Bell Let's Talk has supported more than 700 organizations, from large healthcare institutions and universities to the smallest of grassroots mental health organizations in every province and territory.

Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let’s Talk, explains that the company first chose this issue because its leaders saw that mental illness was a highly stigmatized, yet very common, health issue that no one was talking about. Mental health wasn’t receiving corporate and community support like other common health concerns.

“We saw a need for corporate leadership, for somebody to step up and make this a front-andcentre issue, because it simply wasn’t getting the attention it needed,” says Deacon. “We also felt it was imperative that we lead by example in our own workplace. If we were going to champion this cause, we needed to walk the talk, so we’ve made

extensive, multi-faceted efforts internally to advance mental health in our workplace.”

Deacon says Bell’s workplace mental health activities have had a profound and positive impact on staff because, by creating a culture of support, it has become easier for people to recognize when there may be an issue and to take early action to get help and support. Also, she notes, there’s a broad sense of employee pride in what the company is doing in mental health. Her advice to any company considering a new charitable initiative is to be authentically engaged and willing to stay the course.

“Whatever you do, do it with real commitment and authentic engagement,” says Deacon. “We have a wide network of trusted advisors that we work with to ensure that we get it right. We’re not the experts so we work with leaders in the mental health community to make sure we’re advancing the cause in the most efficient and positive way.

Authentic engagement and sustained commitment have been crucial to the success of Bell Let’s Talk.”

– Diane Jermyn

ABB INC.

q Employees at ABB Inc. brainstorming on a new project. The company employs over 135,000 people worldwide and its Canadian headquarters is based in Saint-Laurent.

T

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

5 BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB CANADA, Montréal, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing; 340 full-time employees.

Supports its new-parents-to-be with a generous subsidy for IVF when needed, up to $15,000.

o determine the winners of this year’s Montréal’s Top Employers list, the editors at the Canada’s Top 100 Employer project evaluated each employer’s operations and human resources practices using the same eight criteria as the national competition: (1) physical workplace; (2) work atmosphere and social; (3) health, financial and family benefits; (4) vacation and time off; (5) employee communications; (6) performance management; (7) training and skills development; and (b) community involvement. These criteria have been consistent since the launch of the Montréal’s Top Employers competition 12 years ago.

Employers are compared with other organizations in their field to determine which ones offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs. Detailed reasons for selection, explaining why each of the winners was chosen, are published on the competition homepage at: www.CanadasTop100.com/montreal

Any employer with its head office or principal place of business in the Greater Montréal Area may apply for the competition. Further information for prospective applicants can be found on page 23. n

C

ANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY COMPANY / CN, Montréal, Railroad Transportation; 15,074 full-time employees. Employee and retirees support the longstanding "Community Fund" that has raised more than $13.5 million for community initiatives over the past decade.

CGI GROUP INC., Montréal, Information Technology Consulting Services; 9,948 full-time employees. Employees can get subsidized memberships to a fully-equipped onsite gym with free health evaluations.

B

DC / BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BANK OF CANADA, Montréal, Secondary Market Financing; 2,076 full-time employees. Provides retirement planning assistance and phased-in work options for those nearing retirement.

BELL CANADA, Montréal, Communications; 38,671 full-time employees. Created the highly praised “Let's Talk” initiative to raise the issue of mental health awareness in the workplace and provide support to similar initiatives across Canada.

q Employees at the head office of Bell Canada in Montréal.

COGECO CONNEXION INC., Montréal, Communications, Cable and Subscription Programming; 2,212 full-time employees. Manages a dedicated Women's Network to help the personal and professional development of women in leadership roles.

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY, Montréal, Post Secondary Schools, University; 2,689 full-time employees.

Offers its new moms a full year of paid leave as well as generous paren-

2017 WINNERS

A

AIR CANADA, Saint-Laurent, Air Transportation; 23,783 full-time employees. Offers employees and their family members discounted air travel as well as discount shipping services.

BELL CANADA

BB INC., Saint-Laurent, Technology and Engineering Services; 4,094 full-time employees. Supports an ownership culture through a share purchase plan that's available to all employees.

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

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2017 WINNERS

Continued

tal leave programs for new dads and adoptive parents.

CROESUS FINANSOFT INC., Laval, Custom Computer Programming Services; 159 full-time employees.

Offers its employees referral bonuses when they succesfully help recruit a new candidate, up to $2,000.

D

ASSAULT SYSTÈMES CANADA INC., Montréal, Custom Computer Programming Services; 294 full-time employees. Recently implemented a flexible health plan that lets employees customize levels of coverage .

F

EDNAV LIMITED, Montréal, Deep Sea Freight Transportation; 176 fulltime employees. Offers an annual fitness club subsidy (to $600) and subsidized access to an onsite, shared-use fitness facility.

FRESCHE SOLUTIONS INC., Montréal, Computer Systems Design Services; 82 full-time employees. Located in the city's revitalized Old Port district, its building features secure bike parking and a rooftop terrace with vegetable garden.

G

ENETEC INC., Saint-Laurent, Custom Computer Programming Services; 495 full-time employees. Head office features a lounge complete with video games, a pool table and foosball as well as free access to an onsite fitness facility.

I

VANHOÉ CAMBRIDGE INC., Montréal, Property Management; 1,188 full-time employees.

Downtown head office is steps

p Employees at BDC / Business Development Bank of Canada at the company's head office in Montréal.

BDC

GILDAN ACTIVEWEAR INC., Montréal, Apparel Manufacturing and Distribution; 603 full-time employees. Offers matching donations to charities where employees volunteer their time ($15 for every hour volunteered to a maximum of $1,000).

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY

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q

Students and staff at Concordia University enjoy the natural light in the glass atrium at the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex (EV Building).

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

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Employees at Montréal based Croesus Finansoft Inc., which develops portfolio management and customer relationship management software for the financial services industry.

z

CROESUS FINANSOFT INC.

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

2017 WINNERS

Continued

from the city's Métro as well as a shared-use bike station; hosts an annual bike tune-up clinic for cycling commuters.

J

EWISH GENERAL HOSPITAL, Montréal, Hospitals; 3,180 fulltime employees. Encourages employee development with career planning services and generous tuition subsidies for courses related to their position, up to $2,500/year.

K

EURIG CANADA INC., Montréal, Coffee Distribution and Brewing Equipment; 1,373 full-time employees. Encourages employees to get involved in their community

9 with financial donations to charities where they volunteer - $250 for every 25 volunteer hours.

contributions, profit-sharing, yearend bonuses and a share purchase plan available to all employees.

KRONOS INCORPORATED, Montréal, Computer Software; 327 fulltime employees. Offers academic scholarship program for employees' children, to $1,200 per child.

LUNDBECK CANADA INC., Saint-Laurent, Pharmaceuticals; 184 full-time employees. Offers employees a $500 wellness subsidy that can be used for physical pursuits or activities that support overall psychological well-being.

L

'ORÉAL CANADA INC., Montréal, Cosmetics Manufacturing; 1,200 full-time employees. Supports its new moms with full maternity top-up payments for the first 17 weeks along with an onsite daycare centre.

LAURENTIDE CONTROLS LTD., Kirkland, Instruments and Related Industrial Equipment; 253 full-time employees. Offers matching RSP

M

CGILL UNIVERSITY, Montréal, Post Secondary Schools, University; 5,741 full-time employees. Staff at the university can use the fully-equipped athletics centre, featuring everything from swimming to indoor golf and martial arts instruction.

MORGAN STANLEY SERVICES CANADA CORP., Montréal, Secondary Market Financing; 577 full-time employees. Supports the long-term development of employees with generous tuition subsidies for job-related courses, up to $10,000.

N

ATIONAL BANK OF CANADA, Montréal, Banking; 15,458 full-time employees. For young people, offers paid internships, co-op opportunities and summer positions.

NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS CANADA INC., Montréal, Software Publishers; 740 full-time employees.

Offers four weeks of paid vacation for new employees as well as flexible hours and telecommuting work options.

GENETEC INC.

q Get ready for a 24-hour hackathon at Montréal-based Genetec Inc., which develops software for video surveillance, access control and license plate recognition applications.

p Employees gather for a town-hall meeting at the Montréal-based accounting firm Richter LLP.

RICHTER LLP

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

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MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

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2017 WINNERS

Continued

HARMASCIENCE INC., Montréal, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing; 1,735 full-time employees. Head office features an onsite cafeteria with healthy and special diet menus, as well as free access to an onsite fitness facility.

POLYTECHNIQUE MONTRÉAL, Montréal, Post Secondary Schools, University; 1,377 full-time employees. Provides new moms and dads with maternity and parental leave top-up payments and offers onsite daycare when they're ready to return to work.

R S

ICHTER LLP, Montréal, Accounting; 443 full-time employees. Offers generous referral bonuses to employees who recommend job candidates, up to $5,000 for each successful hire.

ANDOZ CANADA INC., Boucherville, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing; 883 full-time employees. Along with three weeks of starting vacation, employees receive additional time off during the holiday season.

SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN, Montréal, Specialty Hospital; 197 full-time employees. Employees

11 can tailor their health benefits coverage to suit their needs through a flexible health plan.

U

NIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL, Montréal, Post Secondary Schools, University; 5,478 full-time employees. Encourages employee development with tuition subsidies for programs related to their current position and general interest courses.

V

IGILANT, Montréal, Custom Computer Programming Services; 139 full-time employees.

Encourages employees to keep fit and stay active through a number of

VIGILANT

q Employees at Montréal-based Vigilant settling old scores in a friendly game of 'bubble soccer' at the company's annual summer BBQ.

fun charitable initiatives and through a generous health subsidy to $1,200.

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SP CANADA INC., Montréal, Engineering Services; 8,300 full-time employees.

Offers a flexible health benefits plan that lets employees customize their coverage and transfer unused credits to their salary or savings.

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ODIAC AEROSPACE, Kirkland, Aerospace Equipment and Manufacturing; 931 full-time employees. Offers matching RSP contributions, year-end bonuses and a profitsharing plan. n

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

12

Bell makes a connection with top talent

C

lémence de Robert didn’t have a career at Bell Canada on her radar until she attended a session on women in engineering at Polytechnique Montréal shortly before her graduation. After speaking with Bell team members, she quickly decided to apply to the company’s new grad program. A few months later, she was hired as a network specialist in Dorval.

Now, after just over a year on the job, de Robert has moved on to a new role where she herself does campus recruiting, informing engineering students about why Bell is such a great place to start their careers, based on her own experience.

We are constantly revisiting how work takes place. We ask, ‘If we were a basement startup, what would we do?’

Nicholas Payant Vice President of Connectivity and Infrastructure

Nicholas Payant, Bell’s Vice President of Connectivity and Infrastructure, knows that attracting the best talent is key to Bell’s ongoing success. That means raising

CLÉMENCE DE ROBERT (LEFT) WITH COLLEAGUES AT BELL CANADA

awareness about Bell’s innovation leadership and development opportunities, he says. “Once students visit and have a chance to see what we’re all about, they’re blown away and want to work here.”

As the country’s largest communications company, Bell Canada offers a wide range of opportunities at its modern Montréal headquarters and locations across the country.

The Canadian leader in wireless, Internet, TV and media services, Bell has 50,000-plus team members, working in fields including network and product development,

broadcasting, marketing, IT, finance, HR, legal and regulatory.

Payant explains that Bell innovates in three specific ways – through its people, processes and technology.

“We are constantly revisiting how work takes place. We ask, ‘If we were a basement startup, what would we do?’ Our team’s thinking comes from a diversity of backgrounds, resulting in a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts.”

With the latest wireless technologies and most advanced broadband networks, Bell is a communications company built to anticipate

the future needs of customers.

It’s all about adaptability and staying nimble, says Payant.

Sylvie Basque, a 30-year Bell veteran, knows that well. “I’ve had three totally different careers at Bell,” she says. She began as a telecom engineer, then did a complete switch to managing 200-plus local field and cable repair technicians.

Now she leads a much smaller team of young recruits like de Robert.

No matter the job or the length of their career, there is a common theme that comes through in the words of Bell team members like Basque, de Robert and Payant: a passion for their work. “It’s a lot of fun to work here,” says Payant.

“There’s a true sense of ownership within the Bell team and that’s what makes working here great.”

50,000+

employees in Canada

270,000+

job applications received last year

7,500+

hires last year

170+

new grad hires last year

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

13

All aboard CN, the high-tech rail network

W

hen Vicki Gillis graduated from university with a bachelor’s degree in the arts, she didn’t envisage a career in high tech.

However, friends working in the Information and Technology (I&T) department of CN encouraged her to apply for a position there, saying she could learn on the job.

That was 20 years ago. Today, Gillis is CN’s new Manager Infrastructure & Telecomm Transition, leading a team of nearly 20. It’s the fifth position she’s had in I&T and her friends’ words still ring true. At every step, CN has provided her with the knowledge and resources she’s needed to succeed, whether through specialized training programs or more informal on-thejob coaching.

We have a breadth and depth of opportunities for any kind of I&T professional. If you want a new challenge, you don’t need to change companies.

Serge Leduc Sr. VP, Chief Information and Technology Officer

“I’ve been able to work on some really interesting projects, such as implementing our Enterprise

VICKI GILLIS WITH COLLEAGUE AT CN HEADQUARTERS

Resource Planning System, Supplier Portal and our I&T Workforce Management Strategy,” says Gillis.

CN is the largest railway in Canada and a backbone of the economy, transporting more than $250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors. It is the only transcontinental rail network in North America, with over 32,000 kilometres of track and integrated transportation services, making it a true supplychain enabler.

This vast enterprise requires a myriad of technology, from logistics

to safety systems and much more.

Most of it is handled from CN’s I&T department in Montreal where some 1,500 employees and contractors work.

For Serge Leduc, Sr. VP, Chief Information and Technology Officer, the variety is compelling.

“It’s a very dynamic environment,” he says. “We have a breadth and depth of opportunities for any kind of I&T professional. If you want a new challenge, you don’t need to change companies.”

More opportunities await as CN moves forward with implementing

Positive Train Control (PTC) technology across its U.S. network.

PTC involves numerous systems and is not an off-the-shelf technology. For CN, this represents a multi-year, US$1.2 billion investment.

Leduc’s team is playing a vital, leading role in the project, developing and implementing CN’s PTC technology. The workload is creating new positions for everyone from recent college and university graduates to senior personnel. “We hired 150 people in I&T last year,” says Leduc, “and we’re looking to hire another 150 this year.”

For her part, Gillis appreciates that CN is building for the future.

At the same time, CN’s past adds to its allure. Says Gillis, “I’m very proud to work for such an iconic Canadian company.”

14,885

full-time employees in Canada

750

jobs available last year

150

I&T jobs available this year

$15.6M

for community partnerships last year

Design and Integrate Innovative Technology jobs.cn.ca

Pascal Larin Lead Locomotive Onboard Systems

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

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Concordia’s collegial community has deep bonds

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t was because of Concordia University’s support of innovation that Mia Consalvo took a job there six years ago. In fact, the clincher for Consalvo, a professor of communications studies and the Canada Research Chair in Game Studies and Design, was the institution’s Technoculture, Art and Games (TAG) research centre, which she now heads.

It’s easy to come to work in the morning because you’re doing something that you think makes a big difference in the world and in the lives of individual students.

Alan Shepard President

“When I first started doing games research in the U.S. 16 or 17 years ago, I wanted to use some funds to buy a Sony PlayStation to play games and study them,” recalls Consalvo. “I had to write a special letter to justify why I needed a PlayStation. I was thinking, you’d never have to write a letter justifying why you needed a computer or a television

CONCORDIA TAKES GREAT PRIDE IN SERVING AND SUPPORTING THE UNIVERSITY’S RESEARCHERS

monitor. And there are still places where I know my colleagues have trouble either getting resources or getting legitimacy or even tenure because they study games.

It’s the opposite here: they take games incredibly seriously.”

She also applauds Concordia for providing her with a lab. “I have a space where I can work specifically on the game stuff. The location is great because it’s downtown. It’s easy to access a lot of the games industry that works in Montreal.”

Concordia, which has 500-plus programs, more than 47,000

students and some 6,000 part- and full-time faculty members and staff spread over two campuses – one downtown and the other in the west-end neighbourhood of NotreDame-de-Grâce – is a supportive community despite its size, says Alan Shepard, President of the university for the past five years.

“There’s a deep bond with the institution and with the people that make up the institution. It’s not just bureaucratic-speak to say that people care about each other, they’re interested in each other’s professional lives, in their personal

B E PA RT O F N E X T - G E N E R AT I O N T H I N K I N G CONCORDIA .C A /HR /JOB S . HTM L

lives, in helping each other out.”

Shepard says that sense of community is underpinned by benefits including a year’s worth of paid leave for new mothers and parental leave top-up for fathers and adoptive parents, and a defined benefit pension. And he says it’s fuelled by a shared commitment to students. “It’s easy to come to work in the morning because you’re doing something that you think makes a big difference in the world and in the lives of individual students. Education is about personal transformation.”

Consalvo feels that esprit de corps with her colleagues. “My department is extremely collegial and helpful and there are so many wonderful people who work there, both faculty and staff.”

2,689

full-time employees in Canada

440

jobs available last year

51%

of employees are women

54

years, longest-serving employee

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

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Following a 3D career track at Dassault Systèmes

E

lie Beignon began working for Dassault Systèmes in 2002 after graduating as a mechanical engineer in his native France. He liked his job but the cost of living in the Paris suburbs was too much for him and his wife, who was still a student. When a client offered him a position in a more affordable part of France, Beignon weighed the proposition seriously.

He even told his boss, who asked, “What would change your mind?”

People change roles and teams according to what they want to do and can do. It’s embedded in the yearly HR process.

Myriam Lepire Bid and Project Management

“Send me to North America,” Beignon replied, whereupon his manager sent an email to colleagues inquiring about possible openings in the U.S. Not long after, Beignon landed in Montreal, where he’s been based ever since and is now the Canadian Territory Practice Lead for the 3D software maker.

EMPLOYEES OF DASSAULT SYSTÈMES OUTSIDE THE COMPANY’S MONTRÉAL HEAD OFFICE

“It was a very good illustration of how Dassault Systèmes value their employees,” says Beignon.

“The main objective for everyone is to keep a person happy even if it means losing someone from your department because they want to transition to another part of Dassault Systèmes.”

In the case of Myriam Lepire – who left Dassault Systèmes Canada to work as design engineer in the automotive industry in the U.S. and then returned to Quebec to get her MBA – the company welcomed her back in a new role

in Bid and Project Management.

“If you’re someone like me who likes to experience things differently, they will support that, which is not something you see a lot,” she says, adding that she’s had three or four different roles since rejoining in 2011.

“People change roles and teams according to what they want to do and can do. It’s embedded in the yearly HR process.”

Lepire appreciates the company’s flexibility, allowing her and other employees to work remotely when needed and to manage their own

schedules. “They do what they can to accommodate people,” she says.

Dassault Systèmes also gives time off to employees working on corporate citizenship projects, which is something Lepire enjoys and values. She’s participated in events for the Moisson Montreal food bank and the 48-hour bike ride for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

For Beignon, the company where he’s made his career still has an innovative feel. Its latest 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which provides software solutions for all departments in a company – from marketing to sales to engineering – can also be used to create a differentiating consumer experience. “What I really like,” he says, “is we are always working with the latest and greatest software solutions.”

294

full-time employees in Canada

163

jobs available last year

1,318

job applications received last year

10

charities helped last year

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

16

Keurig brews a special mix of work and volunteerism

I

f you want to join Keurig Canada Inc., a company passionate about coffee (and tea), it helps to have a sunny disposition. “Coffee is social – it’s fun,” explains Olivier Lemire, Keurig Canada’s Vice President, Human Resources. “We want people who take their jobs seriously, but not themselves.”

Adds Lemire: “We can attract people with great compensation, but to retain them we need a workplace environment that people enjoy being part of.”

People come back to work from these experiences so energized that it inspires others to take part.

Maxime-Olivier Gauthier Brand Manager - Keurig

Retention, Lemire adds, also depends on a workplace where people can grow and reach their full potential. “It’s a unique mindset and people need to be ready to take on challenges and go beyond.”

While Keurig Canada, for example, pays for outside training, the company also supports professional development in other ways. For one thing, it is a big believer in moving people around the organization so

EMPLOYEES OF KEURIG CANADA COMPETING IN A WINTER TRIATHLON AND CHARITY FUNDRAISER

they can learn and develop other skills to get a better understanding of the business.

Indeed, Lemire joined Keurig Canada five years ago in sales.

Later, he expressed an interest in supply management. “Instead of sending me to class,” he says, “the company did it for real – they put me in the job and made sure I had the necessary support to perform.”

Subsequently, he was offered a promotion into his current position, again with mentoring when needed.

For his part, Maxime-Olivier Gauthier, Brand Manager - Keurig,

Brewing A Better World Together TM

corp.keurig.ca

also started in sales before moving to marketing. “The company is very open to shifting people into different roles,” he says. “It’s a great place to grow.”

Gauthier also appreciates the company’s generous community support initiatives. Keurig Canada matches employee charitable contributions up to $1,000 and provides everyone with up to a remarkable 52 hours paid time off for volunteer work. “They really encourage you to make a difference,” says Gauthier.

Each office unit has a Commu-

nity Action for Employees ambassador who promotes volunteer opportunities. “People come back to work from these experiences so energized that it inspires others to take part,” Gauthier says. “And if you go once, you want to go twice.”

As well, employees vie for annual opportunities to spend a week in a coffee-growing country where Keurig Canada cultivates partnerships and supports local farmers.

In many communities, the company helps improve peoples’ livelihoods and builds a resilient supply chain. “We want our employees to really make connections with our suppliers,” says Lemire. “We want them to take pride in the relationship.”

And one last thing: the coffee (and tea) is free for employees.

1,373

full-time employees in Canada

23,372

jobs applications received last year

100

charities helped last year

4,670

staff volunteer hours last year

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

17

Lundbeck Canada staff walk the talk on mental health

S

tella Antonaras experienced her “aha” moment over coffee with a friend. Life as a pastry chef was not providing the fulfilment she hoped for, after graduating from McGill University.

Antonaras talked about her bad day at the bakery, and then the realization hit her. “Everyone has bad days, but if I was going to have one, I wanted it be in a supportive environment, not a hostile one,” she says. “It was time to return to Lundbeck, where you are respected and everyone is helpful.”

We are not just doing a job, but making a positive contribution to the world around us.

Stella Antonaras Communications Coordinator

Lundbeck Canada, the Danishbased pharmaceutical company best known for tackling brain diseases, had earlier hired Antonaras as a summer intern. She continued parttime while finishing her degree.

But then she switched gears to pursue her creative pastry dreams.

“Lundbeck spoiled me,” recalls Antonaras, now the company’s

LUNDBECK CANADA EMPLOYEES TAKE A BREAK FROM WRAPPING TOYS FOR A WOMEN’S SHELTER

Communications Coordinator.

“After I returned, it didn’t take me long to find a new passion, working as part of a team helping others, especially those with mental health challenges.”

Among its numerous community outreach initiatives, Lundbeck is a major sponsor of Montreal Walks, an annual event to fight the stigma of mental health illness. Says Antonaras, who helps organize the initiative: “I’m proud to work for a company that not only donates money to the cause, but in this case actually walks the talk.”

She adds: “At Lundbeck, employees have a positive impact on the patients we help and on our community. We believe in challenging the status quo because people living with mental health issues and cancer deserve better.

We are not just doing a job, but making a positive contribution to the world around us.”

Catherine Baril, Lundbeck’s Senior Director, Human Resources and Administration, says the company boasts a “culture of caring and performance – we ask a lot of our people, but we

care a lot about them, too.”

One way Lundbeck demonstrates that care is with flexible hours, especially to accommodate families. Its airy new offices near Montreal-Trudeau airport feature a fitness facility that is free to all employees. Later this year, the company will offer subsidized healthy lunches in its cafeteria.

There are other employee-caring perks, including paying 100 per cent of all benefit premiums and a $500 wellness subsidy for a wide variety of activities, including photography and cooking classes.

“That shows the company wants you to lead a balanced life,” says Antonaras, who uses the money for yoga classes. “It shows that they really care about the whole person.”

184

full-time employees in Canada

21

years, longest-serving employee

3

weeks, starting vacation allowance

43%

of executive team are women

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

18

Nuance drives the future of talking to your car

T

rue or false: a spin-off of the old TV game show Name That Tune represents the cutting edge of the human-machine interface?

The answer is “true.” Nuance Communications Canada Inc., a leader in voice, language and cognitive innovation, has taken its Dragon Drive solution for cars – currently shipping across more than 160 million vehicles – to the next level, with a multi-passenger automotive assistant that can engage not just the driver but other riders as well in a natural conversation.

Nuance is working on natural language understanding and artificial intelligence across multiple levels of the business, and there is opportunity for me within several departments.

Andrea Schuch Software Engineer

And one of the chief ways it demonstrates the new system, expected to begin appearing in vehicles by 2018 or 2019, is the game “Dragon Tunes.” Andrea Schuch, a German-born software engineer who transferred from Nuance Germany to Nuance Canada and is now part of the

NUANCE EMPLOYEES (L-R) ANDREA SCHUCH, JOUMANA GHOSN AND DAVID ARDMAN WITH AN AI CONCEPT CAR (PHOTO CREDIT: WILLIAM MURA)

Dragon Tunes team, says she joined the 600-plus full-time staff in Montreal – the largest software engineering location of the Burlington, Mass.-based multinational – because she wanted to work at the cutting edge of her field.

The company focuses on creating more human interactions with consumer electronics, customerservice systems, cars, health-care systems and more. “Nuance is working on natural language understanding and artificial intelligence across multiple levels of the business,” says Schuch, “and there is opportunity for me within several departments.”

Schuch was one of three Montreal

Banner_The_Gazette_resized_for_specs_Montreal_FINAL2017.indd 1

employees who travelled last fall to the U.S. to test Dragon Tunes in a car, which demonstrates how Nuance’s speech, language understanding and automotivesignal technologies work together to engage multiple passengers simultaneously. “You could really imagine how people on a long, boring drive would enjoy it.”

David Ardman, Nuance’s VicePresident of Mobile Speech Research & Development, notes that Dragon Drive was a CES (Consumer Electronics Show) Innovation Award Honoree in 2015 and 2016, with this latest version of the system receiving positive feedback from all who experienced it. “Why can’t the

person in the back seat ask to play music while I’m, let’s say, talking to my wife on the phone,” Ardman asks, “and why can’t the kids in the back play a game with an AIpowered automotive assistant while their parents are engaged in a conversation?”

Interns, one of the strengths of Nuance’s Montreal office, have been very involved in Dragon Drive’s development, says Joumana Ghosn, Director of Natural Language Understanding and AI Research. They work on all kinds of challenging projects, and many get full-time jobs.

Ghosn also notes that the company benefits from proximity to renowned universities in the Montreal downtown core, including University of Montreal and McGill, both world leaders in academic research in the AI and deep learning fields.

740

full-time employees in Canada

4

weeks, starting vacation allowance

100+

interns every year in 4-month rotations

$10K USD

maximum referral bonuses for employees

23/03/2017 11:09

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

19

Shriners Hospitals for Children® - Canada An exceptional place to work Talent • Training programs • Teamwork

W

hen visitors, families and patients enter Shriners Hospitals for Children® – Canada, they comment about how the employees are always smiling and so warm and welcoming. There is a reason for that. Employees at all levels of the organisation love what they do and are very proud to be able to make a difference in the lives of children and families.

Shriners Hospital Canada is part of a 22-hospital network across North America, and is the only Shriners Hospital in Canada, specializing in pediatric orthopedic care. This hospital cares for children and youth from every province and territory, from the northeastern U.S. and around the world, offering services in French, English, and approximately 50 other languages.

“I

’ve completed my Master’s Degree with the support of the hospital because employees have access to a program that refunds school fees”, reports Physiotherapist Nancy Descôteaux.

“F

or me it is teamwork. On the Inpatient Unit, we work together to help make the children and families as comfortable as possible while they are here and to ensure that they are on the road to recovery and safely on their way home”, explains Johanne Brunelle, Assistant Nurse Manager.

“I

t is a home away from home, not just for our patients, but for the staff as well. As part of the Social Activities Committee, we can spend time with our colleagues at special events planned at the hospital and outside of the hospital.”, says Audra Smith, Transport Coordinator, Social Services.

Located on the Glen site, providing easy access to a variety of public transportation options with cycling paths and a hub for the metro, bus and the train just a few steps away. There are many other incentives and advantages offered to employees.

Recognized as one of Montreal’s Top Employers!

Join our team! Apply today at 514-282-7216 Send us your CV: recruitment@shrinenet.org FB Career tab

shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/Canada

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

20

Pharmascience: committed to Montreal

M

any of the positives about working at Pharmascience, employees say, stem from the fact it’s rooted in Montreal. It was cofounded by Montrealer Morris Goodman and is now helmed by his son, David. So Quebec’s largest pharmaceutical employer is committed to growing in that city – defying the trend of other companies in the sector relocating elsewhere – as well as to protecting the worklife balance of employees and to giving back to the community.

PHARMASCIENCE STAFF AT THEIR WORLD-LEADING RESEARCH FACILITY IN THE GREATER MONTREAL AREA

What’s great about Pharmascience is the challenging work, the opportunities for employee development, and the real opportunity to be creative.

Benoit Lemelin Vice-President of HR, Public Affairs and Communications

“With Montreal being the global head office, all the decision-making is here,” says Benoit Lemelin, VicePresident of Human Resources, Public Affairs and Communications.

He adds that because the company, also named one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People, is present in more than 60 countries,

employees have a global impact, and there are opportunities to work abroad.

Moreover, being a privately owned company means the firm is very agile. “What’s great about Pharmascience is the challenging work, the opportunities for employee development, and the real opportunity to be creative,” says Lemelin. “We have a Chief Executive Officer, David Goodman, who’s very empowering. So if I come up with an idea that’s obviously in line with what we want to do, you turn around and the next day you’re implementing what you proposed.”

At the same time, Lemelin says,

Pharmascience really does care about the “life” part of work-life balance.

It has a one-of-a-kind Youth Leadership Program for the children of employees – which also includes a number of disadvantaged youth from community organizations it supports – that draws close to 200 kids each year. The idea is to “help our employees parent in those difficult years and instill notions of leadership to their kids and teens.”

Flexibility about work arrangements is another sign of the company’s focus on employee wellness.

Sean MacDonald, Vice-President of Corporate and Business Development, says “no one batted an

eyelash” when he took time off in January because his three- and fiveyear old boys were sick. “If you’re getting your work done, you have leeway to use your judgment. So it really is just a culture in which the life piece of it is not just a statement that’s made in some HR document – the company lives by it.”

Julia Keshen, Brand Manager for the cough and cold portfolio, notes that another benefit of working at Pharmascience is the emphasis on community involvement fostered by Morris Goodman (now Chairman) and his son. Among other things, there’s the Morris Goodman Community Partnership day every year, in which employees volunteer in their community as part of a regular paid workday. Says Keshen: “It’s really a unique opportunity for employees to give back.”

1,500

full-time employees in Canada

802

full-time employees at Montreal head office

712

women employed in Canada

60

nationalities represented among employees

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

21

Mid-size Richter offers king-size opportunities

A

lexandra Batelli got her first taste of working at the midsized accounting firm Richter LLP as a summer intern in 2010 and quickly decided it was perfect for her. “I came here seven years ago and I love it,” says Batelli, who took a permanent position with Richter in 2012 after completing the chartered accounting program at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business.

Batelli is currently a Manager in the audit group, but because Richter is a mid-sized firm she does a lot more than just audits.

“I work with clients in a variety of industries who have different needs,” she says. “I am frequently the point of first contact, which allows me to handle tax issues and occasionally consulting issues as well.”

I work with clients in a variety of industries who have different needs.

Alexandra Batelli Manager, Audit Group

In 2015, Richter launched its Mentoring and Apprenticeship

AUDIT. TAX. CONSULTING.

LAST YEAR, MONTREAL-BASED RICHTER LLP CELEBRATED ITS 90TH YEAR IN BUSINESS

Program (MAP) for young associates. Essentially, it gives them an opportunity to work in all the firm’s business units. They typically spend six to nine months working with the audit group, the consulting group and the tax group.

Traditionally, says Mindy Mayman, Head of Richter’s Human Resources Committee, new employees started in audit.

“Junior accountants typically wouldn’t work in other areas till later in their careers,” Mayman says. “The Mentoring and Apprenticeship Program makes them more holistic practitioners

and better business advisors.”

Those who start as junior accountants out of university typically still have to earn a professional accreditation, such as their chartered professional accountant (CPA) title. Richter covers the cost and provides paid leaves of limited duration to study for the accreditation exams.

As a long-time Montreal firm that recently celebrated its 90th anniversary, Richter is committed to giving back to the community. Once a year the company shuts the office for a day and allows employees to

volunteer with various non-profit or charitable organizations.

“The employees always tell us how much they enjoyed it,” says Mayman. “One of the other benefits is that people get to work with colleagues from other parts of the organization.”

Batelli has served meals to guests at a homeless shelter, painted rooms at a women’s shelter, and wrapped Christmas gifts for underprivileged children.

Richter offers a number of alternative work arrangements, such as flex time, 80-per-cent work weeks and working from home. “The partners I work with understand the needs of their staff and allow us to work from home and keep our own hours,” says Batelli. “If you get the work done they’re happy.”

443

full-time employees in Canada

60%

of employees are women

53%

of managers are women

4,000

staff volunteer hours last year

MONTREAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2017

22

With Vigilant’s generous benefits, there is a free lunch

W

ondering what it’s like to work for Vigilant, the Montreal technology firm? You could start by taking a simple stroll through its spacious new offices on busy Boulevard RenéLévesque.

The environment is open and bright. The attractive cafeteria, where employees can enjoy a free breakfast and lunch, overlooks beautiful Mont Royal and the St. Lawrence River. There’s a cool games room. And during your walk, someone is bound to say “bonjour” or “hello!”

We want to be the best place to work. That really is a mission for us.

Laurie-Anne Foucault HR Manager

The culture is so collegial at Vigilant that the company even offers employees an annual $500 social subsidy that covers an arts event, hockey game or any other special group activity that five or more colleagues want to do together.

EMPLOYEE INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION ARE KEY AT VIGILANT, WHICH SPECIALIZES IN TECHNOLOGY AND R&D FOR THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL MARKETS

“Nobody’s isolated in this company,” says Software Developer Shahab Razavi. “It’s very easy to have conversations with pretty well anybody, from the founders to the person at the next desk.

Everyone is interested in making connections at work.”

Razavi eyed a number of opportunities before completing his computer science degree at McGill University last spring.

Vigilant lured him with the prospect of exciting work using cutting-edge technology.

“I didn’t want to be doing busy work,” he says. “My manager

made it clear I would be working on my own projects from the beginning. There is a hands-on approach to learning that I really enjoy.”

In a competitive industry that relies above all on innovation, Vigilant knows employees are the key to its success, says HR Manager Laurie-Anne Foucault.

“We want to be the best place to work,” she adds. “That really is a mission for us.”

New employees at Vigilant receive three weeks of paid vacation to start, and can schedule additional time off with up to

five paid personal days each year.

The company’s generous benefits include a health club subsidy of up to $1,200 per year to encourage employees to stay active.

To support families and promote work-life balance, Vigilant provides exceptional top-up payments for employees who are new mothers or adoptive parents, offering up to 100 per cent of salary for 25 to 50 weeks.

Employees also have the option to extend their parental leave into an unpaid leave of absence.

“If we want to contribute to an employee’s well-being,” says Foucault, “we have to see them as a whole and help them take care of their lives at work and at home.

We aim to do that every day.”

150

full-time employees in Canada

55

jobs available last year

35

years, average age of all employees

846

staff volunteer hours last year

Tell us your story If you are an exceptional employer with progressive human resources programs and initiatives, we invite you to submit an application for next year’s edition of Montréal’s Top Employers. Now entering its 18th year, our national project is Canada’s longestrunning and bestknown editorial competition for employers.

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