National Capital Region's Top Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 15
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NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2025)
ALWAYS IMPROVING
Cont.
important, these younger workers prize
flexible work schedules, time off,
connections to community and
opportunities for learning.
The City of Ottawa has been one of the
National Capital Region’s Top Employers for
14 years and continues to hone its
employee offerings. That begins with
competitive salaries, comprehensive
benefits coverage (including a generous
employee assistance program available
24/7 to employees and their families) and
flexible work arrangements. Additionally,
the city contributes to the Ontario
Municipal Employees Retirement System
(OMERS) pension plan on behalf of
employees. The defined benefit pension
plan is open to casual, temporary and
full-time employees.
Opportunities for learning and career
development are also a key benefit.
“People shape our future,” says a
spokesperson for the City of Ottawa.
“Putting people first involves supporting
and inspiring employees to reach their full
potential, ensuring they have the training
and tools they need to be successful. The
city supports employees to learn, progress
and grow into new opportunities through
corporate training, language training,
mentoring, coaching, special on-the-job
assignments and leadership development
programs.”
Export Development Canada (EDC)
— another winner on the National Capital
Region’s Top Employers list for over a decade
— also stresses opportunities for growth
and learning.
“We prioritize the professional
development and happiness of our
employees by supporting their goals and
focusing on their overall wellness,” says
Heather Crawley, director of HR strategy
at EDC. “We support a balanced work-life
dynamic through hybrid work flexibility,
exceptional benefits and a dedication to
community investment. Our unwavering
commitment to inclusion, diversity and
equity ensures that everyone feels
welcome.”
In addition to offering employees a
flexible, hybrid work model, EDC also
Employees at the City of Ottawa receive discounted rates to fitness facilities across the city that offer activities from
C.BRICKER/CITY OF OTTAWA
instructor-led fitness classes to swimming and skating.
provides significant leadership and
development opportunities, including a
formal leadership development program:
Leading with Impact. A language training
program encourages bilingualism.
“Our investment in ESG practices is also
key,” Crawley says. “Employees,
particularly Gen Z, are increasingly
seeking employment with companies they
perceive to be purposeful and that operate
in an ethical and socially and environmentally responsible manner.”
Private sector employer Thales Canada
also stresses employee engagement,
work-life balance, wellness programs that
include mental health, an emphasis on
diversity and inclusion, and a commitment
to providing equal opportunities, equal
pay and equal access to workplace
conditions to all employees.
Like so many NCR employers on this
year’s Top Employers list, Thales also
invests in employee development through
training programs, mentorship
opportunities and leadership development
initiatives, helping staff grow their skills
and advance in their careers.
“These programs are not static, and we
change and adapt them to the needs of our
workforce,” says Christine Clarkson,
human resources director for Thales
Canada. “What remains the same is our
commitment to promoting and
maintaining a workplace culture of shared
respect that enables all of us to feel valued,
do our best, and remain truly passionate
about the place that we work.”
With a federal election coming no later
than October 2025, the public sector in the
NCR may be shaped by new policies
— but that’s par for the course in the
nation’s capital.
“Over the past 20 years, the region has
gone through political changes, upheavals,
different parties and powers, and different
thoughts at work,” says Richard Yerema,
executive editor at Canada’s Top 100
Employers. “That’s part of the reality of the
National Capital Region. At the end of the
day, the large public sector presence in the
region certainly has created conversations
that don’t necessarily exist in other parts
of the country and the end result for
employees is a very generous, stable work
culture.”
This story was created by Content Works,
Postmedia’s commercial content division, on
behalf of National Capital Region’s Top
Employers.
