Category Winners

“I have two small children,” says clients and markets senior manager Alexander Hamilton, “and, stuff happens.” There’s no better way to sum it up: life with her three- and eight-year-old – at home or work – can be unpredictable. When one of them recently slipped from the monkey bars onto frozen ground, Hamilton had no choice but to leave the office. “It’s never an issue,” she says of sudden, kid-related departures. “People are respectful of this.”

To prove it, Deloitte & Touche works to relieve employees from having to choose between family and career. New moms receive 17 weeks maternity leave at 100% of salary; new dads, three weeks, fully paid. And the benefits don’t stop at biological parents. Those adopting are permitted not only six weeks (also at 100% pay) with their child, but $20,000 to cover adoption expenses. After that, employees can enjoy flex-time work arrangements – and a working environment that openly acknowledges that stuff happens outside the office.

“Instead of saying, ‘I have a client meeting,’ when you’re really rushing to see your child’s piano recital,” says Hamilton, she’s comfortable saying, “‘My child has a piano recital. It’s important to me.’ And that, for me, is very empowering.” – Scott Messenger

“Companies that say, ‘We just want to pay people cash,’ end of story, don’t get nearly the true value of them,” says Rudy Klaus, director of Epcor’s Total Rewards program, one aspect of the company’s benefit offerings. These days, it’s the extras that catch the eye of highly skilled and motivated potential hires. “It’s that sort of thing that will allow us to differentiate ourselves from other companies.”

As part of that effort to stand out, the City of Edmonton-owned electrical and water utility created a system allowing employees to tailor packages to their needs and even provides information sessions and a benefits hotline to explain how to take advantage of them. Given a basic plan covering 100% of premiums for employees and their families, Epcor workers also enjoy access to their choice of paramedical services like chiropractics, acupuncture or naturopathy. On top of that, a health spending account can be put towards anything from extra dental costs to laser eye surgery. As pension and benefits manager Deborah Samagalski says, “It allows employees to look after themselves to even be more productive.”

“There’s an inherent value there that you can’t really put a price tag on,” says Klaus, “and we want to fully leverage that.” – Scott Messenger

Current Issue