Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2025), Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2025) and Canada's Top Family-Friendly Employers (2025):
By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Nov 14, 2024)
Here are some of the reasons why HarperCollins Canada Ltd. and Harlequin Enterprises ULC was selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2025), Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2025) and Canada's Top Family-Friendly Employers (2025):
- HarperCollins Canada and Harlequin Enterprises' benefits plan features a health spending account of up to $1,100, allowing employees to exercise choice and flexibility in determining coverage -- the company also recently increased its mental health practitioner coverage to $2,000 annually
- HarperCollins Canada and Harlequin Enterprises supports a formal work from anywhere policy (up to four weeks annually) which can be taken consecutively or in week-long increments and may also be attached to paid vacation time -- employees can also sign-up for the summer hours program (running May through September) and work an extra 30 minutes each day to start their summer weekends early with Friday afternoons off
- HarperCollins Canada and Harlequin Enterprises provides maternity and parental leave top-up payments for all new parents, to 100 per cent of salary for 20 weeks -- and employees can use their sick leave time to care for family members (with no pre-set annual limit)
HarperCollins Canada and Harlequin Enterprises employee Suleka Ismail stops by a bookshelf in the office
HarperCollins Canada and Harlequin Enterprises employee Suleka Ismail stops by a bookshelf in the office
HarperCollins Canada and Harlequin Enterprises employee Suleka Ismail stops by a bookshelf in the office
Employer Background
| Industry | Book publishers |
| Established in Canada | 1949 |
| Parent company | News Corp. |
| Parent company head office | New York, NY, United States |
| Major Canadian locations | Toronto ON |
| Full-time employees in Canada | 265 |
| Full-time employees worldwide | 415 |
| Workforce engaged on a contract basis | 6.5% |
| Average age of employees in Canada | 42 years |
| Longest serving employee | 42 years |
Work Environment Rating: B+
| Flexible work options | hybrid work option, flexible work hours, 35-hour work week (with full pay), telecommuting, reduced summer hours, formal work from anywhere policy (up to 4 weeks annually, can be taken consecutively or in week-long increments and may also be attached to paid vacation time) |
| Commuter amenities | walk to public transit, electric vehicle charging stations, secure/sheltered bicycle parking, nearby bike sharing station |
| Onsite workplace features | telecommuter workstations, sit-stand workstations, self-serve lunchroom, discounts at local restaurants |
| Employee lounge amenities | comfortable seating, table tennis, book releases are available at the "bookstop" for employees to borrow |
| Other food options at main location | numerous restaurants and direct underground access to the PATH walking network that connects to food courts, cafes and restaurants |
Work Atmosphere & Communications Rating: A
| Employee social committee name | Club H (est. 2011) |
| Past social events | numerous events throughout the year, including movie outings, themed holiday parties, Halloween costume contest, summer Popsicle Day, Valentine’s Day book exchange, lunch hour crafts and painting sessions, annual Holiday Wine and Cheese event (with the annual ugly sweater contest) and a Children’s Christmas Holiday Party at the Toronto Zoo, Toronto Raptors games, and live theatre shows |
| Cultural aspects | business-casual dress daily, dress-for-your-day policy, casual dress (e.g. jeans) daily, concierge services available |
| Employee communications | intranet site, internal social media |
Financial Benefits & Compensation Rating: B+
| Outside salary surveys | participates in outside salary surveys every 12 months |
| Employee salary reviews | individual salaries are reviewed every 12 months |
| Long-term savings | defined-contribution (DC) pension |
| Referral bonuses (max) | new employee referral bonuses (up to $1,000) for some positions |
| Signing bonuses | available for some positions |
| Additional financial benefits | corporate discount program (e.g. retail, services, travel, etc.), discounted home insurance, discounted auto insurance, free e-books and audiobooks (up to 4 books per week) and discounts on purchases of paper copies |
Health & Family-Friendly Benefits Rating: A
| Health plan premium | as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 100% of the premiums |
| Flexible coverage | health plan is flexible with adjustable premiums and coverage levels |
| Minimum hours worked for coverage | 21 hours per week |
| Waiting period | there is no waiting period for coverage |
| Family coverage option | yes |
| Dental coverage | routine, restorative, orthodontics |
| Eyecare | $200 every 2 years |
| Health plan includes | traditional coverage (e.g. prescription drugs), employee assistance (EAP) plan, semi-private hospital room, physiotherapy, medical travel insurance, homecare, medical equipment and supplies, massage therapy, nutrition planning, podiatrist, osteopathy, chiropractor, alternative coverage (e.g. acupuncture, naturopathy) |
| Mental health practitioner benefit | up to $2,000 each year |
| Health spending account | up to $1,100 each year |
| Additional health and wellness initiatives | free access to the Headspace mindfulness app (for employees and their family members) |
| In vitro fertilization (IVF) | $5,000 per lifetime |
| Maternity top-up (mothers) | up to 100% of salary for 15 weeks |
| Parental top-up (mothers) | up to 100% of salary for 5 weeks |
| Parental top-up (fathers) | up to 100% of salary for 20 weeks |
| Adoption top-up | up to 100% of salary for 20 weeks |
| Adoption assistance subsidy | up to $5,000 per child |
| Additional family-friendly benefits | compassionate top-up to 100% of salary for 4 weeks |
Vacation & Personal Time-Off Rating: B+
| Vacation allowance | new employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job |
| Vacation jump | vacation increases after 5 years of employment |
| Maximum vacation allowance | employees move to a maximum of 5 weeks of vacation over their career |
| Personal paid days off | employees can schedule 7 personal days off each year, as needed |
| Company paid days off | employees receive 1 personal day off, as determined by their employer |
| Unpaid leave maximum | 24 months |
| Additional time-off information | sick day policy includes caring for sick family members and family medical appointments (no set annual limit) |
Employee Engagement & Performance Rating: B+
| Employee performance reviews | employees receive individual performance reviews every 12 months |
| Managers receive performance review training | yes |
| Exit interview | exit interview option is available for departing employees |
| Performance recognition | online recognition platform, on-the-spot rewards, peer-to-peer recognition awards, long-service awards |
| In-house survey period | in-house surveys are conducted every 12 months |
Training & Skills Development Rating: A+
| In-house training initiatives | mentoring, in-house training, online training, leadership development programs, paid internships, subsidies for professional accreditation |
| Related tuition subsidies | employer covers up to 100% of tuition per year |
| Annual tuition maximum | employer pays up to $5,000 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 $5,000 in tuition subsidies per year for courses unrelated to current position |
Community Involvement Rating: A
| 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 1 paid day) |
| Total employee volunteer hours (on company time) | over 80 hours last year |
| Total number of charities supported last year | approximately 16 charitable and community organizations were supported last year |
| Some of the community organizations supported | WorkInCulture, Foodshare, ChapterOne, Writer's Trust of Canada, American Library Association, International Readings at Harbourfront Centre, George Brown College, Toronto International Festival of Authors, Legacy of Hope Foundation, CanadaHelps, Chesley Hospital Foundation, Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, Seton Hill University |
| Charitable giving | matches employee donations, matches employee volunteer hours with company donations |
| Community highlight | HarperCollins Canada and Harlequin Enterprises' charitable focus is supporting BIPOC women, children and youth literacy, student support, and support for Canadian writers |