Gowlings named one of Canada’s Best Employers for the fifth year in a row

06 November 2014

For a fifth straight year, Gowlings has been recognized as one of the Best Employers in Canada by Aon Hewitt, a world leader in employee research and human resources consulting.

The annual Best Employers list, which is based on the results of a comprehensive survey of employees from companies across Canada, honours organizations with the highest levels of employee engagement and workplace satisfaction. It is also the only national ranking of employers that uses employee feedback as its primary source of measurement.

“We are thrilled to have once again earned a place on the Best Employers list,” said Sharon Mitchell, Chief Operating Officer at Gowlings. “Our people are our most important asset, and we work hard to foster a work environment that enables them to perform at their best.”

“Taking part in the Best Employers survey each year gives us invaluable insights into how we can continually  improve the experience we offer our employees, which ultimately allows us to deliver the best possible service to our clients.”

Highlights of the employee experience at Gowlings include:

  • A fitness program that reimburses employees for 50 per cent of the cost of gym memberships, fitness classes, exercise equipment and other fitness expenses.
  • A firm-wide spirit of community service that encourages staff to give back to the communities in which they live and work; for example, in 2014, Gowlings matched individual staff donations to raise over $60,000 through the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
         
  • A strong commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace: Gowlings is one of the founding members of the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network, and recently embarked on a firm-wide diversity and inclusion strategy.
         
  • Frequent employee recognition events throughout the year, including an annual staff appreciation week, long-term service awards and many holiday-themed events.
         
  • Ongoing professional development opportunities, including training programs and courses, “lunch & learn” seminars, and regular performance reviews and feedback.

Each year, approximately 350,000 employees from over 259 companies across Canada take part in the Best Employers survey. Employee engagement levels are measured by how positively employees speak about their company, how likely they are to stay in their current place of employment and how committed they are contributing to the overall success of the organization.

The complete list of the Best Employers in Canada for 2015 will appear in the Nov. 17 issue of Maclean’s and the December issue of Canadian Business (both on newsstands Nov. 6), as well as the Dec. 10 edition of La Presse.