Recognized as one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2024):
Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Dec 4, 2023)
Here are some of the reasons why PepsiCo Canada was selected as one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2024):
- PepsiCo Canada encourages employees to adopt an ownership mentality through a share purchase plan, available to all employees, and offers a number of helpful everyday financial benefits, including discounted home and auto insurance, low-interest home loans, and discounted auto lease rates
- PepsiCo Canada empowers employees to take an active role in their local communities with paid time off to volunteer and generously matches employee donations dollar-for-dollar, to maximum of $10,000 per employee per year
- PepsiCo Canada invests in employee development through in-house and online training initiatives, leadership development programs and generous tuition subsidies for courses related and not directly related to their current position (to $5,000)
PepsiCo’s strong growth culture keeps staff engaged
Not many people recall having fun in their job interviews, but Lourdes Seminario, a senior director of marketing at PepsiCo Canada, definitely does. She says that’s what led to her joining the Mississauga-based food and beverage giant 23 years ago.
“I had two offers, and I decided to go with PepsiCo because the interviews were so much fun that I thought it was going to be a great place with great people,” she says. “And I was not mistaken.”
Seminario is not the only long-serving employee at the company: three of the four people who interviewed her back then are still working there. “That tells me a lot about PepsiCo,” she says. “I love it first of all because of the people, and then there are so many opportunities to develop your career and be more effective at your job.”
Dave Moncur, vice-president of human resources, feels the same way. “I’ve been here for 29 years, and the reason is that we’re a growth organization,” he says. “We’re focused on growing the business and our people, and you have to do both to be successful.”
To that end, the company offers employees a wide range of professional development programs, from basic onboarding to mentorships and formal leadership training.
“We’re really proud of our programs, and we’ve won multiple awards for them,” says Moncur, adding that they’re now expanding one of them, called the Leadership Roundtable Process.
“We pull six to eight leaders together for a full year, and they go through peer coaching and get together once a month to talk about their issues and challenges,” he says. “They get to a point where they become great coaches, and the best part is that we then ask them to lead groups of other leaders the following year.”
Moncur says that collaboration and communication are key to employee engagement at PepsiCo, which offers regular one-on-one meetings with managers and leaders to discuss issues, challenges and new initiatives.
“We have a rigorous strategic planning process, and we share the plan through the business and talk to all our employees about their role in bringing it to life,” he says. “Everyone has a clear understanding of what we’re doing and why and how we’re doing it. It means we can take an initiative across the organization in two weeks.”
Seminario values a program that uses colours to identify employees’ personality types and approaches to decision-making. “It’s really good, this awareness of different styles, because it helps us to understand each other and collaborate better,” she says.
She also likes the flexible work schedule that gives her time with her children when she needs it. “PepsiCo has always been good at considering the employee’s needs,” she says. “We are trusted in a way that allows us to deliver our best work, and there are great programs and benefits that help us succeed not just in work but in our lives.”
It’s all part of an attractive environment, says Moncur. “The number-one thing that comes to mind is the ability for everybody to make a difference in our business every day, no matter what job they’re in. I feel fortunate to be here. It’s an incredible culture.”
Recognized as one of Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2024):
Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Jan 22, 2024)
Here are some of the reasons why PepsiCo Canada was selected as one of Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2024):
- PepsiCo Canada manages a variety of internships across different business functions including sales, operations, and finance (to name a few) -- interns participate in onboarding, training, and have the opportunity to present and highlight their internship accomplishments to senior leadership at the end of their term
- PepsiCo Canada offers an Emerging Leader development program to help grads transition to the workplace -- the program features ongoing virtual learning sessions and exposure to other business functions to assist new grads with developing their knowledge of the organization, and concludes with a two-day event bringing together all participants at the company headquarters
PepsiCo Canada puts pep into people’s careers
Rachel McFarlane’s marketing career began when PepsiCo Canada sponsored a competition at her university, and she was part of the team that put it together. The connections she made then led to four internships at the Mississauga, Ont.-based food and beverage giant, and eventually to a full-time job as associate marketing manager of PepsiCo Canada’s Tostitos and Dips division.
“The number one thing about PepsiCo is the people,” she says. “I’ve been able to work with several different managers, and every one of them has really invested in my learning and growth. I think it’s rare to find an environment that’s not competitive but really collaborative in nature, and that’s why I wanted to come back here to work.”
McFarlane has been able to take advantage of lots of training opportunities during her time at PepsiCo, including Brand Marketing College, a “marketing 101” course that happens every fall, as well as the Emerging Leadership Program offered to all new sales, marketing and supply chain hires. She has also received both formal and informal mentorships.
“Apart from the formal programs, there have been people who have championed me and been willing to support me as I figure out how to be a great marketer,” she says. “And it’s often been in those informal connections that the greatest learning has taken place.”
Mariana Bedolla, vice-president of human resources for PepsiCo Canada’s beverage business, says the company’s strong focus on employee development starts right away with an intensive onboarding process.
“Onboarding is critical,” she says. “They spend time not just with their managers but with other parts of the organization, and it creates an environment where they feel welcomed and wanted.”
New hires are then offered a program called Campus. “For the majority this is their first experience with employment,” says Bedolla. “So it shows them how our business works and provides them with capability-building around things like time management and prioritization.”
Bedolla is particularly pleased with the Emerging Leadership Program, which identifies, trains and supports potential leaders, and the Transformational Leadership Program. “That’s geared toward women in the workforce, and talks about their aims and challenges. We’ve put about 200 people through that program, and I’m super proud of that.”
During the pandemic, the company boosted its efforts to keep staff safe and healthy by launching a series of mental health and resilience programs, like well-being webinars, and then made them permanent.
“It’s not something we just did for the pandemic,” says Bedolla. “All our programs now have mental health components. Our leadership programs have a huge emphasis on the role of leaders to support their employees and acknowledge their challenges. It’s built-in, rather than being a standalone program.”
As well, once a year the company gives everyone a little extra R&R during Employee Appreciation Week. “Every year it’s a bit different, and this year one of the days was all about caring for each other,” Bedolla says. “We did pet therapy with puppies, and the feedback was really great, like ‘I came in feeling stressed and came out a different person.’”
It’s all part of a culture that stresses openness and diversity of thought, Bedolla says. “We have several generations in our workplace, which makes it a rich and inclusive culture where everyone can share their perspectives, regardless of where they have worked or lived before.”
The Career Directory
PepsiCo Canada has been selected for The Career Directory, our guide to entry-level recruitment for recent college and university graduates.
