Atlantic Canada's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 14
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COLAB
ATLANTIC CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
St. John’s-based CoLab Software hosts an employee channel for parents to share tips and funny moments with each other, building everyday connections.
Why would you want to leave?
In Atlantic Canada, many employers are reshaping work around family life
I
t’s more than just a job. Atlantic
Canada’s Top Employers (2026) are
wholeheartedly promoting policies
that help people put down real roots,
with unique family-centric perks
that make it easy to see a long-term future
within the region.
“A lot of employers on the list aren’t
just encouraging employees to build
their career, but also to really build their
life, a social circle, a family — and have
the ability to retire comfortably,” says
Cypress Weston, assistant editor at
Mediacorp Canada, which runs the
Atlantic Canada’s Top Employers (2026)
competition. “The benefits we’re seeing
really reflect that.”
From flexible time off for family
appointments to family-inclusive activities,
these benefits are increasingly designed
around the realities of family life.
Sometimes that’s simply making sure the
day-to-day stuff works more smoothly.
Halifax Regional Municipality runs a
program for commuters that provides free
transit from work in the event of an
emergency, while at CoLab Software Inc.,
parent-specific supports include a channel
for parents to share tips and funny
moments with each other, building those
everyday connections.
Admiral Insurance Services Ltd.
stresses that benefits come from what staff
say they need, not just top-down decisions.
As many staff are in their 40s or older,
traditional parental leave policies weren’t
ideal for them, so the company added paid
grandparent leave to go help with a
newborn.
“We’re constantly speaking to staff to try
and understand what they want out of
their benefits, so the grandparent policy
came from our staff who wanted something for their grandkids,” says David
Edwards, interim head of Admiral Canada.
“We thought, why not? So we devised a
policy that gives that leave to a greater
number of our staff who aren’t planning to
have children.
“That’s really the mantra behind
everything we do. Our diversity, equity,
and inclusion committees actively gather
input from different employee groups so
policies reflect real needs.
“Benefits aren’t static — they’re always
evolving so today’s benefits may look very
different in a year.”
Edwards says the company’s total
rewards package is built around salary,
benefits and policies aimed at enabling
employees to live fulfilling lives outside of
work. That includes generous paid time
off, parental leave top-up available to
either parent, fertility drug coverage and
a competitive retirement program with
financial planning support. Employees
also receive two paid working days to
volunteer for causes that matter to them.
It’s proving to be a winning strategy for
the company.
“Admiral really does benefit from the
Nova Scotian attitude in terms of looking
after people and it shows in our service
levels,” says Edwards. “We’ve always had
the best customer feedback. The way the
people are here translates into incredible
customer service.”
– Diane Jermyn
