Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2025) and Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2025):
By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Nov 14, 2024)
Here are some of the reasons why Ford Motor Company of Canada Ltd. was selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2025) and Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2025):
- Ford of Canada invests in ongoing education, providing generous tuition subsidies for courses taken externally (up to $6,000 per year) and offers financial bonuses as an award for certain course completions
- Ford of Canada maintains an unpaid sabbatical leave program (maximum of 12 months in duration) to enable employees to take a pause for a variety of reasons, including emotional or physical rehabilitation, travel, rest, or to work with a charitable or religious group
- Ford of Canada helps employees plan for the future with retirement planning assistance and a defined contribution pension plan -- along the way, employees can take advantage of the new vehicle purchase program, which features generous discounts on employee purchases (and for eligible family members) of up to four new vehicles annually
Ford of Canada team members plant trees with Oakvillegreen
Ford of Canada team members plant trees with Oakvillegreen
Ford of Canada team members plant trees with Oakvillegreen
Employer Background
| Industry | Automobile manufacturing |
| Established in Canada | 1904 |
| Publicly traded | yes |
| Parent company | Ford Motor Co. |
| Parent company head office | Dearborn, MI, United States |
| Major Canadian locations | Casselman ON, Paris ON, Ottawa ON, Waterloo ON, Montréal QC, Windsor ON, Oakville ON, Edmonton AB |
| Full-time employees in Canada | 7,229 |
| Part-time employees in Canada | 272 |
| Full-time employees worldwide | 177,000 |
| Workforce engaged on a contract basis | 3.8% |
| Average age of employees in Canada | 43.4 years |
| Longest serving employee | 41 years |
Work Environment Rating: A
| Commuter amenities | walk to public transit, free parking, electric vehicle charging stations |
| Onsite workplace features | 6-storey head office tower is surrounded by parkland and walking trails, inside, the workplace features collaborative and flexible workspaces, private room that can be used for mindfulness activities, naps and meditation, telecommuter workstations, sit-stand workstations, private phone booth, nap room, religious observance room, self-serve lunchroom, outdoor patio, outdoor barbecue |
| Employee lounge amenities | comfortable seating, music, television, board games, table tennis |
| Onsite cafeteria | healthy menus, special diet menus, subsidized meals, chef-cooked meals with rotating menus, market available 24/7 with "grab and go" options made in-house |
| Onsite fitness facility | for employees only, free membership, treadmills, stationary bikes, stairmasters, elliptical trainers, rowing machines, weights, basketball court, shower facilities |
Work Atmosphere & Communications Rating: B
| Employee social committee name | Life and Culture Social Committee (est. 2018) |
| Past social events | Ford Family Day Skate, site-wide barbecues, spring softball tournament, curling, Pride day celebrations, annual hockey ball tournament |
| Cultural aspects | business-casual dress daily, dress-for-your-day policy, casual dress (e.g. jeans) daily, music while working, concierge services available, employee sports teams, organized social activities for retirees |
| Employee communications | intranet site, company newsletter, traditional/email suggestion box, internal social media |
Financial Benefits & Compensation Rating: B+
| Financial benefits note | Ford of Canada has multiple employee groups, financial benefits may vary by position |
| Long-term savings | defined-contribution (DC) pension, matching RSP |
| Long-term planning | retirement planning assistance, phased-in retirement work options |
| Share purchase plan | available to all employees |
| Additional financial benefits | new vehicle purchase program with generous discounts on employee purchases (and for eligible family members) for up to 4 new vehicles annually, some employees receive matching RSP contributions, salaried compensation rates are reviewed annually |
Health & Family-Friendly Benefits Rating: B+
| Health plan note | Ford of Canada has multiple employee groups, health plans may vary by position |
| Health plan premium | as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 100% of the premiums |
| Retiree coverage with no age limit | yes |
| Dental coverage | routine, restorative, orthodontics |
| Health plan includes | traditional coverage (e.g. prescription drugs), physiotherapy, medical travel insurance, medical equipment and supplies, massage therapy, podiatrist, chiropractor, alternative coverage (e.g. acupuncture, naturopathy) |
| Mental health practitioner benefit | up to $1,000 each year |
| Additional health plan information | salaried employees (26% of employees) receive an annual health spending account ($3,900) and can transfer unused credits to salary, savings or extra vacation time |
| Family-friendly benefits note | Ford of Canada has multiple employee groups, family-friendly policies may vary by position |
| Maternity top-up (mothers) | up to 75% of salary for 16 weeks |
| Parental top-up (mothers) | up to 65% of salary for 35 weeks |
| Parental top-up (fathers) | up to 65% of salary for 35 weeks |
| Adoption top-up | up to 65% of salary for 35 weeks |
| Additional family-friendly benefits | compassionate top-up to 65% of salary for 26 weeks, academic scholarships of up to $1,300 per child |
Vacation & Personal Time-Off Rating: B
| Vacation note | Ford of Canada has multiple employee groups, vacation policies may vary by position |
| Vacation allowance | new employees receive 2 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job |
| Vacation jump | vacation increases after 3 years of employment |
| Maximum vacation allowance | employees move to a maximum of 6 weeks of vacation over their career |
| Previous experience | considers previous work experience when setting annual vacation for new employees |
| Paid holiday shutdown | during the Christmas to New Year's holiday break, employees receive an additional 3 days off |
| Company paid days off | employees receive 10 personal days off, as determined by their employer |
| Additional time-off information | vacation for unionized employees increases incrementally, moving to 2.2 weeks after their second year and 3.5 weeks after 3 years on the job (to a maximum of 6 weeks for long-serving employees); salaried employees (approximately 26% of the workforce) move to 3 weeks after 4 years on the job and a maximum of 5 weeks of paid vacation, receive varying paid personal days and Christmas holiday shutdown days off, and can apply for unpaid leaves of absence; sabbatical leave program of up to 12 months (granted on the basis of physical or emotional rehabilitation, to work with pay for a charitable or religious group, to travel, or to rest) |
Employee Engagement & Performance Rating: B
| Employee performance reviews | employees receive individual performance reviews every 12 months |
| Managers receive performance review training | yes |
| 360° feedback option | as part of the review process, performance feedback is also solicited from co-workers and other managers familiar with each employee's work |
| Confidential employee feedback | employees can also provide confidential feedback on their manager's performance |
| Exit interview | exit interview option is available for departing employees |
| Performance recognition | online recognition platform, individual performance bonuses, on-the-spot rewards, peer-to-peer recognition awards, long-service awards, tailored and unique rewards (e.g. travel), spot bonus award pilot program (monetary awards for individuals and teams who demonstrate extraordinary performance) |
| In-house survey period | in-house surveys are conducted every 6 months |
| Outside survey period | outside consultant surveys are held every 24 months |
Training & Skills Development Rating: A
| Career planning | in-house career planning services, online employee skills inventory |
| In-house training initiatives | apprenticeship/skilled trades programs, mentoring, in-house training, online training, leadership development programs, paid internships, subsidies for professional accreditation, mentoring to transfer retirees' skills |
| Related tuition subsidies | employer covers up to 100% of tuition per year |
| Annual tuition maximum | employer pays up to $6,000 in tuition subsidies for job-related courses per year |
| Unrelated tuition subsidies | employer covers up to 100% of tuition per year for courses unrelated to current position |
| Unrelated tuition maximum | employer pays up to $6,000 in tuition subsidies per year for courses unrelated to current position |
| Financial bonuses for course completions | yes |
Community Involvement Rating: B+
| Scope of charitable involvement | local, national |
| Employee charitable involvement | employees are involved in selection of charities, employees receive paid time off to volunteer, (up to 2 paid days) |
| Total number of charities supported last year | approximately 3 charitable and community organizations were supported last year |
| Some of the community organizations supported | United Way, Diabetes Research Foundation, Terry Fox Run (other organizations are supported through employee engagement) |
| Community highlight | Ford of Canada's charitable focus is supporting initiatives in the communities where its employees live and work |