Manitoba's Top Employers

27 THE POWER OF INFLUENCE Top Employers have an effect on Canadian life that goes far beyond their own companies By Berton Woodward WHO ARE THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE DAILY LIVES OF CANADIANS? POLITICIANS, YOU MAY SAY. OR EDUCATORS, BANKERS, MARKETERS, COUNSELLORS, RELIGIOUS FIGURES. But how often do you consider the leaders of companies with the best employment practices in the nation? This year's list of Manitoba's Top Employers is part of the national Canada's Top 100 Employers project, now in its 16th year. Yet think about it. The companies honoured in this 2016 list of Canada's Top 100 Employers are themselves responsible for nearly three-quarters of a million full- time employees in Canada – some 743,000 people, and growing. The nation's entire workforce is only 18 million. Moreover, the influence of the Top 100 extends far beyond their own realm, to the legions of other companies who view these firms as the gold standard in employment and try to emulate their practices as they compete for Canada's best talent. "The Top 100 companies are influencing Canadians every day, and our goal is to document these leaders in the hope that they will inspire change for others," says Richard Yerema, Managing Editor at Mediacorp Canada, which compiles the Canada's Top 100 Employers list. The scope for improving lives is vast. Take the impact of benefits, where a generous range of supports is often seen as just the price of admission to the Top 100 list. Yet they mean so much. A new mother decides she can afford to take a full year off with her newborn thanks to her company's maternity top-up. A middle-aged man can plan for his retirement with a clear vision, thanks to the firm's pension and RRSP contributions. People of all ages develop longer life spans by taking advantage of their company's fitness and wellness programs. Or there are specialized perks that set new benchmarks. Some Top 100 companies offer tuition support not only to their employees, but to their employees' children. A young person's whole path in life may be changed as a result. Other companies have programs that encourage national and international mobility, meaning an employee hired in one part of Canada could end up working in another, or in the U.S., Europe or Asia. Inevitably, the whole family learns from the experience. But perhaps the greatest influence that the Top 100 companies have on individual Canadians is in how their corporate cultures affect the way their people think and act. Start with the words you hear a lot when you talk to CEOs and HR officers at the Top 100. "Collaboration" is one. "Innovation" is another. It's hard to spend your day collaborating with your work colleagues, busy thinking outside the box, and not bring that style home with you. Or to your parent-school meeting, or to a neighbourhood organization. Such values as cooperation and fresh thinking travel easily out of the workplace. It goes deeper. Top 100 companies have a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion programs. Sometimes these are influential in unexpected ways. One Top 100 CEO remembers getting a heartfelt note from an employee who said her participation in diversity awareness at work helped her and her husband respond supportively when their son told them he was gay. The concept of "bring your whole self to work" is now widespread among Top 100 companies, changing life for such employee communities as LGBT people, those with disabilities or those who need time to care for elderly parents – they can be open about their needs. And above all, there are the volunteers, hundreds of thousands of volunteers. Across Canada, almost every day, some group of employees somewhere is helping to build for Habitat for Humanity, fundraise for Oxfam, run for The Cure, or hold bake sales for their company's own charitable foundation. Often their employers have given them incentives to do good, from time off to matching funds to awards of recognition as they work with seniors or plant trees or fix up a school. The companies are also big donors in their own right. This is where Canada's Top 100 Employers are, unabashedly and decisively, a hugely positive influence in society. To Carles Navarro, President of BASF Canada, there is no doubt that the select members of the Top 100 influence other employers in Canada. He recounts how his company entered the competition in 2013 – and wasn't chosen. "That was kind of a reality check for us," he says. "We then looked at what the others were doing, and we were inspired to improve our workplace experience." In 2014, BASF Canada made the list, and it did again this year. "By being one of the Top 100, you feel a special sense of responsibility, because you are now a role model for the rest of Canada's employers," Navarro says. "And you know there are many highly competitive companies on the list, which makes you very aware of constantly needing to improve your offerings to your employees." It's a virtuous circle, one in which Canada's Top 100 Employers are using their influence to lead Canadians to better lives. "The Top 100 companies are influencing Canadians every day, and our goal is to document these leaders in the hope that they will inspire change for others." MANITOBA'S TOP EMPLOYERS

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