Top Employer: Hershey Canada Inc.

Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2023) and Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2023):

Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Nov 17, 2022)

Here are some of the reasons why Hershey Canada Inc. was selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2023) and Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2023):

Hershey Canada encourages ongoing employee development through a range of in-house and online training initiatives, mentoring and leadership development programs, and generous tuition subsidies for courses at outside institutions (up to $6,000 annually)
Hershey Canada supports employee volunteerism with two paid days off to volunteer (and a $500 donation for every 50 hours volunteered) and encourages employee giving with matching charitable donations, to a maximum of $5,000 USD
Hershey Canada manages the SMILE peer recognition program, enabling employees to award redeemable points to colleagues who demonstrate one of the company's five global behaviours

An employee at a Hershey Canada production facility

Employer Background

Industry	Food manufacturing
Established in Canada	1978
Publicly traded	yes
Parent company	The Hershey Company
Parent company head office	Hershey, PA, United States
Major Canadian hiring locations	Brantford ON, Mississauga ON, Saint-Hyacinthe QC, Granby QC
Full-time employees in Canada	851
Part-time employees in Canada	81
Full-time employees worldwide	17,944
Workforce engaged on a contract basis	1%
Average age of employees in Canada	45 years
Longest serving employee	40 years

Work Environment Rating: B+

Hybrid work	office equipment loan program, hybrid and remote work options existed for eligible employees prior to the pandemic, corporate discounts on Dell computer equipment purchased for home offices
Flexible work options	flexible work hours, 35-hour work week (with full pay), telecommuting
Commuter amenities	walk to public transit, free parking
Onsite workplace features	head office features flexible workspaces, a wellness room, appropriately named meeting rooms and workspaces (such as Oh! Henry Hideaway and the Twizzler Licorice Lounge), telecommuter workstations, sit-stand workstations, private phone booth, nap room, religious observance room, outdoor patio, discounts at local restaurants
Employee lounge amenities	comfortable seating, television, foosball table, board games, modern chairs and sofas with televisions tuned to employee favourites (and also used for HR updates), high desks overlooking Toronto Pearson airport runway
Snacks available	Hershey-branded snacks from onsite company store such as Reese's Pieces and Oh! Henry bars

Work Atmosphere & Communications Rating: B

Employee social committee name	Quality Through Engagement (est. 2009)
Past social events	hosted numerous virtual events to keep employees in-touch in fun ways, from virtual cooking classes to bingo to mocktail making to Halloween celebrations (and much more)
Cultural aspects	dress-for-your-day policy, casual dress (e.g. jeans) daily, music while working, concierge services available, employee sports teams
Employee communications	intranet site, company newsletter, internal social media
Other in-house communications	monthly Canadian town halls with live question and answer sessions

Financial Benefits & Compensation Rating: A

Financial benefits note	Hershey Canada Inc. has multiple employee groups, financial benefits may vary by position
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, matching RSP
Long-term planning	retirement planning assistance, phased-in retirement work options, life & disability insurance
Year-end bonuses	available to all employees
Referral bonuses (max)	new employee referral bonuses (up to $1,000) for some positions
Signing bonuses	available for some positions
Additional financial benefits	share purchase plan available to some employees, corporate discount program (e.g. retail, services, travel, etc.), discounted home insurance, discounted auto insurance, discounted Hershey's products

Health & Family-Friendly Benefits Rating: B

Health plan note	Hershey Canada Inc. has multiple employee groups, health plans may vary by position
Health plan premium	as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 90% of the premiums
Flexible coverage	health plan is flexible with adjustable premiums and coverage levels
Minimum hours worked for coverage	30 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
Paid sick days	employees receive 5 days off each year
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), virtual healthcare services
Mental health practitioner benefit	up to $1,000 each year
Health spending account	up to $12,000 each year
Fitness club subsidy	up to $350 each year
Additional health and wellness initiatives	formal MyWellbeing wellness committee (hosts seminars with guest speakers on a range of topics, including mindfulness, sleep hygiene, meditation, stress management and yoga classes)
Family-friendly benefits note	Hershey Canada Inc. has multiple employee groups, family-friendly policies may vary by position
Maternity top-up (mothers)	up to 70% of salary for 11 weeks
Parental top-up (mothers)	up to 100% of salary for 6 weeks
Parental top-up (fathers)	up to 100% of salary for 6 weeks
Adoption top-up	up to 70% of salary for 17 weeks
Adoption assistance subsidy	up to $7,500 per child
Additional family-friendly benefits	extended parental leave to unpaid leave, phased-in return to work for new parents, academic scholarships of up to $3,000 per child
Additional family-friendly information	parental top-up for adoptive parents is 100% of salary for 2 weeks, followed by 70% of salary for 15 weeks

Vacation & Personal Time-Off Rating: B

Vacation note	Hershey Canada Inc. has multiple employee groups, vacation policies may vary by position
Vacation allowance	new employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job
Vacation jump	vacation increases after 10 years of employment
Maximum vacation allowance	employees move to a maximum of 6 weeks of vacation over their career
Personal paid days off	employees can schedule 3 personal days off each year, as needed
Company paid days off	employees receive 2 personal days off, as determined by their employer
Unpaid leave of absence option	yes
Additional time-off information	vacation purchase program for salaried employees (up to 5 extra days each year), provided 3 additional paid personal days off to salaried employees last summer along with early closing summer hours (noon on Fridays) between Victoria Day and Labour Day weekends

Employee Engagement & Performance Rating: A

Employee performance reviews	employees receive individual performance reviews every 6 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, long-service awards, tailored and unique rewards (e.g. travel), annual Global Behaviour Award for salaried employees who go above and beyond and exhibit the "Hershey Way" (winners are recognized at quarterly town halls), SMILE peer recognition program with redeemable points
In-house survey period	in-house surveys are conducted every 3 months

Training & Skills Development Rating: A+

Career planning	online employee skills inventory
In-house training initiatives	mentoring, in-house training, online training, 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 $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

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 2 paid days)
Total number of charities supported last year	approximately 52 charitable and community organizations were supported last year
Some of the community organizations supported	Food Banks Canada, Pink Shirt Day, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada (BGC Canada), Food Banks Canada, SickKids Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and many more
Charitable giving	matches employee donations, matches employee volunteer hours with company donations
Community highlight	Hershey Canada's charitable efforts are focused on "Making More Moments of Goodness", which is part of the company's international efforts. The program's tangible effort are focused on helping children succeed in life and enabling employee engagement and volunteerism.

The Career Directory

Hershey Canada Inc. has been selected for The Career Directory, our guide to entry-level recruitment for recent college and university graduates.

Hershey Canada employees collaborate

Highlights for New Grads

Industry	Food manufacturing
Full-time employees in Canada	751 to 1,000
Parent company	The Hershey Company
Parent company head office	Hershey, PA, United States
Major Canadian hiring locations	Brantford ON, Mississauga ON, Saint-Hyacinthe QC, Granby QC
Student opportunities	co-op opportunities
Training	subsidies for professional accreditation, orientation program, online training, in-house training, mentoring
Annual tuition maximum	employer pays up to $6,000 in tuition subsidies for job-related courses per year
Typical new grad positions	Assistant Manager Marketing, Financial Analyst, Demand Planner, Territory Sales Leader, HR Representative
Starting salary	$60K to $70K
Work benefits	health benefits for new employees, flexible work hours, telecommuting, employees receive paid time off to volunteer, (up to 2 paid days)
Vacation allowance	new employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job

Academic fields recruited

Bachelor of Commerce / Business Administration
- Accounting
- Finance
- Human Resources
- Marketing
Master of Business Administration

Recruits at these schools

McMaster University

Queen's University

Toronto Metropolitan University

University of Guelph

University of Toronto

University of Waterloo

Western University

Wilfrid Laurier University

York University

Hershey Canada Inc.

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