Maple Ridge named a top employer in B.C. for first time
Health benefits and tuition subsidies cited as reason for award, according to BC’s Top Employers
The City of Maple Ridge is one of the best places to work in B.C., according to the editors of an independent magazine.
On Tuesday, the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers lauded the city for its tuition subsidy program, retirement plan and active lifestyle initiatives among other employee health benefits.
“Many of this year’s winners are keenly aware that at the root of their success as organizations is the wellbeing of their employees,” wrote Kristina Leung, managing editor of the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project, in a press release.
The annual magazine, BC’s Top Employers, co-published by the Vancouver Sun and Mediacorp Canada Inc., ranks dozens of private and public organizations on eight criteria including work atmosphere, health and family benefits, performance management, training and community involvement among other guidelines.
Maple Ridge, which has 462 full-time employees and 326 part-time workers, scored high marks for covering 100 per cent of tuition costs for employees that seek out higher education related to their job.
The city was also praised for having an internal corporate wellness committee that promotes mental wellness and giving employees a discount to use a gym at work.
Building relationships has been a key component of the city’s vision to build a more collaborative workplace over the past four years, stated Brian Patel, Maple Ridge’s youth recreation coordinator.
“I’ve seen a lot of silos in a lot of cities, closed-off pockets that don’t really communicate, and Maple Ridge is breaking down those silos,” he wrote in a press release.
The establishment of the city’s first equity, diversity and inclusion committee was also a major factor that earned Maple Ridge a spot on the top employers list for the first time, the magazine wrote.
Michelle Lewis, Maple Ridge’s executive director of human resources, said in a news release that the city’s onboarding process breaks the hierarchical system of a typical workplace.
“Regardless of whether you work in operations or facilities or parks or fire or police service,” stated Lewis. “We highlight that it’s all one organization.”
Maple Ridge was one of four municipalities within Greater Vancouver to be included on the list.
Burnaby, Coquitlam and Vancouver were all also named top employers in the province this year.
Canada’s Top 100 Employers has been ranking B.C.’s best employers since 2006.
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