The University of Toronto has been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2011. The rankings are a result of a competition organized by Mediacorp Canada Incorporated that recognizes the best workplaces in different industries across the country. Since the list was first compiled in 2001, U of T has appeared on the list four times.
Christina Sass-Kortsak, the assistant vice-president of the Department of Human Resources and Equity, attributes the high ranking to the exceptional health, family, and skill-development benefits that the university provides.
“We see this as the key for retaining staff and faculty. Some examples of these benefits include the maternity program, the employee and family assistance program where staff and their family members can speak to professionals about a variety of personal issues, and the family care office where students can go on all sorts of workshops like on senior care for one.”
U of T was rated very highly in two areas that are part of the eight criteria used to evaluate employers. They include physical workplace; work atmosphere and social; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement. These criteria have not changed in the 11 years that Mediacorp, a specialty publisher focused on employment-related publications, has been holding the competition.
To be a part of this list, employers fill out an application that makes them eligible for Mediacorp’s national, regional, and special-interest competitions. This year, 2,750 employers applied. They were then compared to other organizations in their respective industries to see which ones are creating the best workplaces for their employees.
Sass-Kortsak explains how the university is maintaining these excellent work conditions. “We are constantly assessing ourselves against the best and most exemplary practices in the private and public sectors. We look at other post-secondary institutions, particularly the larger ones that are more of our peers and competitors. We look at the U.S. and we look at other large employers depending on what it is we’re comparing.”
When asked about how U of T works to continually improve work conditions, Sass-Kortsak had this to say: “We are always looking to see how we can improve. Four years ago, we did our first ever staff and aculty work experience survey. Through the survey we gather data on how staff and faculty are perceiving the work experience, leadership, management, communication, diversity, and a lot of other areas. It identified that we had a high level of satisfaction that people are really proud to work here, but also identified some opportunities for improvement. The next survey is underway right now as we speak. It’s a very competitive job market so we can’t rest on our laurels and we’re looking for ways to improve with the current financial conditions we’re facing.”
The financial downturn in recent years has had an effect on work conditions at U of T, but Sass-Kortsak maintains that it has been minimal. “There may be some things that we’ve liked to do but can’t do. It does have an impact on workloads. But it hasn’t affected our commitment to providing a really positive workplace and there are certainly lots of things we can that don’t necessarily cost a lot of money. Good and positive leadership, respecting the work that people do, and providing professional development opportunities, don’t all have to be huge investments.”
In the end, a lot of it has to do with the work that the university does. “One of the advantages we have is the nature of the work we do. People generally feel the most engaged when they’re doing work that is meaningful, when they’re making a contribution. It’s hard to think of anything more meaningful than education and contribution to research, and seeing that link to the overall work they do.”
