Stories of compassion in the pandemic, taking care of staff and stepping up to help the community - Manitoba's Top Employers for 2021 are announced

WINNIPEG, MB, Nov. 25, 2020 /CNW/ - As Manitoba moves into a challenging winter ahead, many of the province's employers have already stepped up to take care of their employees and support their communities.  The best of these efforts were recognized this morning, as Manitoba's Top Employers for 2021 was announced by Mediacorp Canada Inc.

"The employers chosen as this year's winners have also distinguished themselves during the pandemic," says Richard Yerema, managing editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project at Mediacorp.  "They continue to demonstrate leadership, going the extra distance to take care of their employees and the community in what is proving to be one of the most challenging years in living memory."

Published annually since 2006, Manitoba's Top Employers is a special designation that recognizes Manitoba employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. Employers were evaluated by the editors at Canada's Top 100 Employers using the same criteria as the national competition: (1) Physical Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement. Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs. The annual competition is open to any employer with its head office in Manitoba and employers of any size may apply, whether private or public sector.

"This year, Manitoba employers demonstrated an exceptional sense of community," added Kristina Leung, senior editor at Mediacorp. "This year's winners supported nearly 3,500 charities across the province and their employees contributed over 16,000 volunteer hours.  Over half the winners also supported local charities with matching contributions made by their employees."

Some of the special initiatives by this year's winners include:

• Assiniboine Credit Union provided temporary wage increases for branch personnel early in the pandemic, enhanced their work from home policy, offered financial support for members (including reduced fees and payment deferrals), and focused their community donations program on those most in need during the pandemic.
  
  
• Red River College created a dedicated fund to help students requiring financial assistance due to the pandemic, launched a "#COVIDkindness" campaign to promote acts of kindness on campus, and developed a new blog to share stories of staff who stepped-up to the challenges of the pandemic.
  
  
• At Johnston Group, two enthusiastic employees created an entertaining Zoom-based show for colleagues featuring interviews with local celebrities and staff. The company also stepped up its online wellbeing program, with new support for mental health, virtual recesses on workdays, and fitness classes.
  
  
• Canada Life provided employees with an additional $100 to help with the costs of home office set-up and enabled employees to use their wellness account to claim items such as office furniture or expenses related to elder care or child care, enabled employees to receive their annual benefit maximums in just six months, and donated $1-million with its affiliates to support crisis relief in local communities.
  
  
• Arctic Co-operatives supported employee health and wellness during the pandemic with weekly emails highlighting resources available through their health plan (as well as external resources), offered virtual yoga classes and subsidized a fitness challenge with an outside fitness centre, and encouraged employees to stay in touch with bingo, knitting and yarn club meetings online.

Founded in 1992, Mediacorp Canada Inc. is the nation's largest publisher of employment periodicals. Since 1999, the Toronto-based publisher has managed the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which includes 18 regional and special-interest editorial competitions that reach over 15 million Canadians annually through a variety of magazine and newspaper partners, including The Globe and Mail. Mediacorp also operates Eluta.ca, one of Canada's largest job search engines, which reaches millions of unique visitors annually and features editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. The company also publishes The Career Directory, now in its 28^th year ? a free online guide for recent college and university graduates looking for employers hiring candidates from their educational background.

The full list of Manitoba's Top Employers for 2021 was announced in a special magazine published in the Winnipeg Free Press this morning. Detailed reasons for selection with additional stories and photos were released simultaneously on the competition homepage.

Homepage:
https://www.canadastop100.com/manitoba/

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.