Nordia, Medavie Blue Cross and ONB Make List Of Top Workplaces in Canada
Nordia, Medavie Blue Cross and Opportunities NB (ONB) are amongst the 40 companies and organizations from across Canada recognized by Waterstone Human Capital as having the Most Admired Corporate Cultures for 2018.
This national award is presented annually to “best-in-class” organizations across Canada for nurturing corporate cultures that enhance performance and help sustain a competitive advantage.
Nordia has its headquarters in Quebec but has a significant presence in New Brunswick. The Moncton centre is its largest in Canada, employing more than 700 people and generating almost $28-million in the local economy each year.
The company’s Saint John centre opened in 2015 and employs more than 460 people and generates almost $15-million in the local economy each year.
“As Canada’s largest provider of customer service solutions, people are truly the essence of our business,” said John DiNardo, president and CEO of Nordia. “That’s why we invest so much in building a strong supportive culture focused on our employees, providing excellent compensation, exceptional work environments and lots of opportunities for career growth and development.”
“These are essential ingredients to attract and maintain the best talent. The results speak for themselves: Nordia boasts the best employee retention and the highest employee satisfaction in its industry.”
Stephen Lund, CEO of ONB, says workplace culture has been a priority for him since the provincial economic development agency was first established.
“One of my first hires was Heather Libbey to be the ‘chief culture officer,'” said Lund in an interview with Huddle. “I always believed that you get the right team and the right culture and you’ll be successful.”
He says they’ve done a lot to make sure the workforce is diverse, placing a priority on hiring young people and having co-op programs where students are expected to deliver results like everyone else so they get a meaningful experience.
Gender equity is also a priority at ONB, he says, and they’ve put in place a pay equity program and made sure the management team was 50/50 male and female.
Lund says that establishing the right workplace culture delivers tangible results. For ONB, those measures include job creation, GDP figures, the number of companies they help and deals they help facilitate.
“We have the best results in Canada on a per capita basis,” he said after they reviewed 20 years of reports.
“It gives [our employees] a sense of pride, the fact that they’re doing things to help the province. We’re lucky because people buy into what we do. They really feel proud to be able to create jobs to help the province, help companies grow.”
Waterstone Human Capital, a national executive search firm, presents this annual to “best-in-class organizations” across Canada for nurturing corporate cultures that enhance performance and help sustain a competitive advantage.
“At Waterstone, we believe corporate culture drives performance and that it’s your organization’s greatest asset,” said Marty Parker, president and chief executive officer of Waterstone Human Capital and chair of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures.