Flexible fun is the bottom line at Northbridge

Zeenat Taki figures if you’re going to spend much of your life at work, it should be at a company that shares your values, like inclusion, integrity and diversity. Which is why she loves the career she’s created at Northbridge Financial Corporation.

“Northbridge is a place where my fellow employees and I feel safe and want to come to work every day,” says Taki.

“You get to work with great people, not only on your team but with different people throughout the organization who are having a great time while creating that atmosphere.”

Northbridge Financial Corporation provides property and casualty insurance services. Headquartered in Toronto, it has regional offices across the country and over 1,900 employees. It’s provided a wide range of insurance solutions to Canadians for over 100 years.

As lead in corporate underwriting, Taki has a unique role that puts her at the centre of a hub of teams providing hightech support. She helped build Northbridge’s Android platforms on the IT side and works closely with the business team to help her fellow employees deliver insurance services to their clients.

Taki appreciates the flexibility of a hybrid work model that allows her to spend half her time in the office and half working from home. That balance allows her to be creative and productive in her own space while collaborating with her colleagues at the company’s Toronto office.

Northbridge’s flexibility also extends to perks like early long weekend closures that give employees a head start on their holidays, as well as to individually tailored career development and personal growth planning, says Harold Weckworth, senior vice president of people and culture.

“We want to provide meaningful experiences for our employees and we want to really empower them to bring their best selves to work while having fun,” he says.

“That creates a ripple effect across the organization that impacts wellness and is inspirational, which is important because we want to give all our employees an opportunity to excel.”

Taki says one of the most important things helping her succeed is Northbridge’s education assistance program. Not only do employees receive 100 per cent support for course costs, they get a financial bonus of up to $2,000 for course completion – something Taki had never run across at other companies.

Another form of education and training Taki has benefited from is the company’s mentoring program, where she was matched with a senior employee who helped her hone the skills she needed to build her career. Northbridge has a wealth of collective experience to draw on, with employees staying for as long as 50 years.

Weckworth says another core company policy that employees appreciate is Northbridge’s accessible culture.

“You can just knock on your manager’s door, or even our senior executives’ and say, ‘I’ve got an idea.’ That’s really encouraged because it drives creativity and innovation when employees bring in their ideas,” he says.

“It’s not just an open door, it’s an opportunity for employees to provide feedback as well and to be listened to.”

Taki says the company has created a family vibe for employees like her and she’s not thinking of leaving any time soon.

“When I first started at Northbridge, if anyone said I would be here for almost nine years, I would have probably laughed at them,” she says.

“The longest job I’d ever stayed at was three or four years. I never imagined I would be here this long but I am here and I’m happy and I’m staying.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Greater Toronto’s Top Employers winners, published December 3, 2024 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.