Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 42
42
( 2026)
SPONSOR CONTENT
At Dynacare, care and compassion start with staff
C
an a fast-growing business prioritize both
employee well-being
and productivity? At
Dynacare Inc., one of
Canada’s largest health solutions
companies offering medical
laboratory testing and diagnostics,
the two goals are not mutually
exclusive.
“I had always been told that, at
work, you can have psychological
safety or you can have productivity, but not both,” says Christina
Beamish, senior manager of client
solutions in Dynacare’s toxicology
division. “One of the things that’s
different about the culture at
Dynacare is their commitment to
their employees: the personal is
professional and the professional
is personal.”
One of the things that’s
different about the
culture at Dynacare is
their commitment to
their employees: the
personal is professional
and the professional is
personal.
— Christina Beamish
Senior Manager
of Client Solutions
Beamish recently wrapped up
her participation in the company’s
newest wellness initiative, Mental
Health First Aider training.
The three-module educational
program teaches employees how
to identify and support colleagues
facing mental health challenges.
Dynacare encourages its employees to take care of their mental health and seek out practitioners to support
their well-being.
“The first module was theoretical, but a big component of
this training is getting into the
breakout rooms and doing experiential exercises with colleagues
across Canada, playing the person
having the challenge or the one
providing support,” she says. “The
curriculum is evidence-based, so
there is proof-of-concept here.
Being able to put the theory into
practice has given me confidence
to have those conversations.”
For Tricia Burd, head of human
resources, coming to Dynacare
nearly a year ago was an easy
decision. “After over 27 years in
senior roles in the packaged goods
industry, joining Dynacare, where
its purpose aligned with my personal values, was important,” she
says. “I think we all reach a stage
in our careers where we’ve learned
a lot. This was an opportunity to
take those learnings and bring
them to an industry that is underlined by care and compassion.
There’s an expectation that being
in health care we take our employees’ well-being very seriously.”
The company’s commitment to
its employees shows up in many
ways, including the vacation
policy. “We do things a little differently than some large Fortune
500 companies,” says Burd. “For
example, we have a diverse workforce and many of our employees
travel overseas to their home
countries to visit family members,
aging parents, and friends. Our
vacation policy is we don’t cap
carryover where you must ‘use it
or lose it.’ Our vacation benefits
never expire because we know it’s
something that’s very important to
our employees.”
The company also awards
