Alberta's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 38
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ALBERTA’S TOP EMPLOYERS
Direct Energy lights up its energized employees
A
manda Weighill
thinks it’s only
fitting that working
at Direct Energy
Canada provides
her with a special Spark that
keeps her happy to come into
work each day.
“Sparks are our employee-led
volunteer groups,” says Weighill, a
senior compliance analyst. “I run
two of them, which really gets me
excited to plan activities and make
an impact in the community.
I’ve shifted roles a few
times working my way
up the ladder, and I
absolutely love it. I
can’t imagine working
anywhere else.
— Amanda Weighill
Senior Compliance Analyst
RISE, an employee-led group at Direct Energy Canada, hosts a winter donation drive for charity.
“That’s one of the reasons why
I’ve chosen to stay here as long as I
have, because this is a place where
you really are encouraged to take
on challenges and contribute in
meaningful ways.”
Direct Energy has its Alberta
headquarters in Calgary and a
satellite office in Edmonton. It’s
one of the largest retail providers
of electricity, natural gas and
renewable energy across North
America to residential and
commercial customers and has
served Albertans for over 20 years.
Weighill says Direct Energy
doesn’t just provide power to the
public. She says the company also
empowers its employees to grow
their careers.
“I’ve never worked for a
company that has provided me
with so much support. They
really want what’s best for you
as an employee, and we feel very
valued,” she says.
“I’ve shifted roles a few times
working my way up the ladder,
and I absolutely love it. I can’t
imagine working anywhere else.”
Weighill and her fellow
employees receive a
comprehensive package of
benefits that include up to $6,000
in tuition subsidies, professional
training via numerous internal
programs (as well as LinkedIn)
and a hybrid work model.
“We value our flexible work
environment because we realize
that people have lives outside
work and need flexibility in
order to take care of things,” says
Dan Smith, director of brand
marketing and creative.
“We also enable employees
to drive their own learning
experience and identify areas
where they want to grow. We have,
at minimum, a yearly conversation
with employees to discuss their
development plan and what
they need to support growth in
their role or other areas of the
business.”
Employees are also
compensated for their volunteer
time so they can donate to a
charity of their choice. Weighill
is especially proud of the work
one of her Spark groups does with
Indigenous communities.
“One of the events we do is
called Season of Giving. We
purchase lots of winter clothes like
hats and mitts and donate them to
Indigenous schools so kids from
age three all the way up to high
school, whose families can’t afford
to buy them winter coats, can stay
warm,” she says.
“It reflects that sense of
community we’ve built together
internally at Direct Energy, but
also externally in the places where
we reside. We have a big impact
here in Alberta.”
The family feeling at Direct
Energy is also fuelled by constant
