Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 20
20
F.SARMIENTO/HIROC
( 2026)
p Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada / HIROC encourages employees to get to know one another through in-person social events (including unique ‘Kitchen
Hangs’ and ‘Collision Chat’ programs) that bring together employees from different departments over walks, breakfasts, or snacks and coffee.
Coming back to life
Downtown Toronto and business districts throughout the GTA are bustling again as more employees return
A
fter a long period of remote
work following the pandemic, GTA employers are
making it easier for their
staff to spend more time
working in-person with colleagues. At
PointClickCare, a health-care technology
company in downtown Toronto, most
employees can come into the office as
much or as little as they want under the
firm’s hybrid work model. But for
employees who choose to come in, the
company hosts a special “Mid-Week
Mingle” at its offices, encouraging
employees across the organization to meet
in-person on-site to enjoy a free lunch,
socialize – and maybe talk a little shop
with their teams.
“We recognize that some activities
– such as onboarding, group
problem-solving, and team-building
events – are best experienced in person,”
says Angeline Pleunis, vice-president,
workplace experience and social impact at
PointClickCare. “For everything else, our
employees enjoy the flexibility to choose
their work environment, allowing them to
strike a balance between personal
productivity and team objectives.”
Over at Hazelview Investments Inc., a
real estate investment firm in Midtown,
employees work in the office most days
– normally four, with Friday being “work
from anywhere.” But there, too, the
company offers a variety of incentives to
work with colleagues in-person. “We
prefer to be in the office,” says Alicia Ross,
partner, people operations and talent. “We
do lots of different celebrations and ways
to connect people” There are birthday
celebrations, game days and coffee chats,
plus perks galore, including extra time off,
generous milestone awards and bonuses.
“In the end, it’s culture that keeps people
showing up and engaged,” says Ross.
As work arrangements continue to
evolve post-pandemic, the winners of
Greater Toronto’s Top Employers (2026) are
often at the forefront of these changes.
Many downtown employers have increased the number of days that employees need to be on-site to four or even five,
but others have maintained a hybrid
policy that typically involves two or three
days in the office. A few, like PointClickCare, leave it pretty much up to the
employee and their managers, so long as
business objectives are met.
Richard Yerema, executive editor of
Greater Toronto’s Top Employers (2026), has
followed trends in out-of-office work since
even before the pandemic, when it was
known as “telecommuting.” “The conversation among employers today is about
formalizing these programs and it’s unlikely that it will be a ‘one size fits all’ solution,” says Yerema. “This will be a conversation for years to come, as organizations
figure out which model works best in their
industry. Recognizing the challenges of
off-site work, particularly with onboarding
young employees or the effects on
company culture, is something employers
are weighing against the advantages of
hybrid work, such as avoiding long daily
commutes. Different industries and
workplace functions will almost certainly
end up with different policies when it
comes to what works best.”
– Mediacorp staff
