GTA's Top Employers For 2014 Are Announced
TORONTO, November 27 – The 2014 winners of the Greater Toronto's Top Employers were announced this morning, marking the 9th consecutive year for one of the GTA's most important editorial competitions. Greater Toronto's Top Employers is an annual competition organized by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers. This special designation recognizes the GTA employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. This year's list features some familiar organizations with a handful of companies successfully staying on the list for almost a decade.
What's their secret to staying on the list? "We get asked this question all the time," says Richard Yerema, who manages the editorial side of the competitions, including Canada's Top 100 Employers at Mediacorp Canada. "As the years go by, I am increasingly of the view that it really comes down to a question of leadership. Winning organizations consistently have leaders who recognize the importance of becoming an employer- of-choice, making it part of their organization's DNA from the shop floor to the boardroom."
To develop this year's list, Mediacorp examined the recruitment histories of a wide range of employers across the GTA that it tracks for its widely-used job search engine, Eluta.ca. Employers then completed an extensive application process that included a detailed review of their operations and HR practices, comparing them to others in their industry and region.
"We have also seen an increasing familiarity by job-seekers with the benefits and workplace policies that make a difference in their lives," adds Anthony Meehan, Publisher at Mediacorp. "From company-paid pension plans to issues like vacation allowance and family-friendly maternity leave, today's job-seekers are more aware that significant differences exist among different employers in an industry. Leaders at the winning organizations have recognized this change and understand that their organizations need to improve constantly to attract and retain the best and brightest."
The GTA's Top Employers is a vast editorial project with an impressive number of employers taking part in each year's application process. The project's distinguishing feature is that its editors publish detailed reasons, providing transparency in the selection of winners and practical guidance for job-seekers about exceptional workplaces. Each employer is graded by Mediacorp editors on eight key areas: (1) Physical Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement. The same eight criteria have been applied since the first edition. Any employer with its head office or principal place of business in the Greater Toronto Area may apply for this competition. For ease of reference, Greater Toronto is defined as the City of Toronto and the Regional Municipalities of York, Halton, Peel and Durham. Employers of any size may apply, whether private or public sector.
Founded in 1992, Mediacorp Canada Inc. is the nation's largest publisher of employment periodicals and guides. For 15 years, the Toronto-based publisher has managed the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which includes 20 regional and special-interest editorial competitions that reach over 13 million Canadians through a variety of magazine and newspaper partners. The company operates the popular job search engine, Eluta.ca, which brings job- seekers new job postings directly from employer websites and exclusive editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. Last year, more than five million Canadians used Eluta.ca, performing eight million monthly job searches
Employers can apply for the GTA competition through the Canada's Top 100 Employers application process. Employers complete a single application package for both competitions. www.canadastop100.com