National Capital Region's Top Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 18
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NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2025)
Dairy Farmers of Canada nourishes staff development
acques Lefebvre has been
CEO of Dairy Farmers of
Canada (DFC) since 2018,
helping shape the strategic
direction of the Ottawa-based
national advocacy organization
and shepherding it through
the pandemic and its pivot to a
hybrid work model. In that time,
he recognized the need to stay
connected with homebound staff.
“During the pandemic, we had
regular touchpoints with employees and I recorded video messages
and sent them out every few weeks
to update staff and see how they
were doing,” Lefebvre says. “It was
part of a deliberate strategy to put
the well-being of our employees
at the centre of our priorities,
and we are still committed to that
approach.”
That commitment was always
there, but it has become foundational to DFC’s operational philosophy. In fact, the pandemic offered
Lefebvre and the leadership team
a learning experience that led
to some permanent changes for
DFC’s employees.
“We quickly recognized that
people weren’t set up to work from
home and that it was important
to support them there, so we
provided financial resources for
employees to use for their home
offices,” Lefebvre says.
On top of home office resources,
DFC offers employees mentorships, flexible work schedules,
individual development plans and
support for all kinds of training
and education programs, from
attending external courses and
seminars to leading internal
informational sessions on issues
like artificial intelligence.
Abdou Doumbia, DFC’s
financial controller, appreciates
that support. “This organization
is committed to professional
development,” he says. “Right
now, I’m doing my MBA, and
they’re providing me with a lot of
flexibility and accommodations to
balance my work and studies. It’s
a great work environment, with
many development opportunities
and a supportive culture.”
DFC incorporates a value
system that asks employees to
embrace three mindsets inspired
by The Ideal Team Player by
Patrick Lencioni that help
shape the organization: being
hungry, humble and smart. “The
leadership promotes those values,
and they really speak to me,” says
Doumbia. “Since day one, my
interest has been in improving
systems, and they’ve been very
open and supportive of my
projects.”
We offer advocacy, policy
and marketing services
to our members, and that
value is not derived by
machinery, but by people,
so we need to support
our team.
— Jacques Lefebvre
CEO
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Dairy Farmers of Canada fosters collaborative discussions among its employees.
The organization also offers
employees financial support to
spend on health and wellnessrelated activities, like gym memberships and sporting equipment,
as well as access to physicians and
psychologists and reimbursements
for public transit.
Doumbia mentions perks like
a three-day floater that can be
used for personal matters and a
generous income supplement for
new parents. “I took advantage of
that last year, taking four months
off when my daughter was born,”
he says. “Being able to have the
