Saskatchewan's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 5
5
SASKATCHEWAN’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
Continued
VÄDERSTAD
PERSONAL APPROACH
“We’re very farmer focused,” she says. A
cafeteria with heavily subsidized “homecooked meals” builds camaraderie. The
4/10 schedule — where employees work
four 10-hour days, with Friday, Saturday
and Sunday off — “has really turned the
tide for us as an employer.”
“[Onboarding gives
employees] a sense of
greater purpose
within their positions,
because they know
they can grow into
different areas.”
– SCOTT ROSE, CEO, OKANE CONSULTANTS
This story was created by Content Works,
Postmedia’s commercial content division, on
behalf of Saskatchewan’s Top Employers.
Väderstad Industries in Langbank organizes regular roundtables to encourage employee participation in strategic
development and policy-making, including discussing company benefits, training, health and wellness.
MERIDIAN SURVEYS
Scott Rose, CEO of Okane Consultants,
says understanding and living the firm’s
core values drives its recruitment and
retention. Okane, which works with
companies decommissioning mines, uses
a three-month onboarding process to
make sure new employees feel comfortable with all aspects company.
“It’s a unique process that we go through
to ensure that the people coming into
Okane fit within the core values that we
foster,” says Rose. “They need to get
exposed to other fields within Okane to
gain knowledge and understand more
globally what Okane does.
“They become more well-rounded, and
it gives them more of a sense of greater
purpose within their positions, because
they know they can grow into different
areas.”
Sonja Verpoort, assistant editor in
charge of the Saskatchewan’s Top Employers
(2026) competition, says successful
organizations are offering employees more
autonomy.
“They are doing things in new ways that
are not as structured or don’t require as
much of a hierarchy, a permission
hierarchy, to get things approved,” she
says, adding that successful companies are
quick on their feet when challenges arrive.
“A lot of the industries that are doing well
are ones that have found ways to adapt.”
At Saskatoon-based Meridian Surveys, annual performance reviews provide an opportunity for employees to tell their
supervisors what they want — and the role into which they hope to advance.
