Top Employer: Hospital for Sick Children, The

Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2021), Canada's Top Family-Friendly Employers (2021) and Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2021):

By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Nov 12, 2020)

Here are some of the reasons why Hospital for Sick Children, The was selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2021), Canada's Top Family-Friendly Employers (2021) and Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2021):

SickKids offers extensive wellness programming to encourage employees to make healthy choices for their physical, social and mental well-being -- initiatives include virtual fitness classes, annual biometric health screenings, healthy eating and cooking workshops, and a dedicated stretching program
SickKids' unionized and non-union employees can plan for the future through the security of a defined benefit pension plan and can access retirement-related resources through an online pension centre
Varying by employee group, SickKids offers maternity and parental leave top-ups for its new moms, dads and adoptive parents -- and also provides the option for employees to extend their parental leave into an unpaid leave of absence

SickKids employees raise gay and trans Pride flags, as part of the organization's 2020 Pride Month festivities

Employer Background

Industry	Hospitals
Established in Canada	1875
Major Canadian hiring locations	Toronto ON
Full-time employees in Canada	5,913
Part-time employees in Canada	688
Workforce engaged on a contract basis	24.04%
Average age of employees in Canada	40.3 years
Longest serving employee	47.5 years

COVID-19

Pandemic response

increased internal communications, including regular CEO updates and the launch of an informational COVID-19 site, dedicated community outreach strategy to provide health care support, education and coaching to children, youth and families in various settings in the community, including homeless shelters, group homes, supportive housing and community support living, as well as disability-specific communities

Physical Workplace Rating: A

Commuter amenities	online carpool sign-up, subsidized parking, electric vehicle charging stations, secure/sheltered bicycle parking, nearby bike sharing station
Workplace features	the hospital's downtown campus consists of several interconnected buildings including the LEED Gold-certified Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, which features multiple atriums with floor-to-ceiling windows, televisions and lounge areas, additional workplace features include a garden terrace and patio, original artwork displayed in hallways and offices, rotating vendors selling crafts and unique goods, in-house library and an onsite Shoppers Drug Mart owned and operated by the hospital (with no dispensing fees for employees), telecommuter workstations, sit-stand workstations, private phone booth, nap room, religious observance room, self-serve lunchroom, outdoor patio, discounts at local restaurants
Employee lounge amenities	comfortable seating, television
Onsite cafeteria	healthy menus, special diet menus, take-home meals, (award-winning Terrace Cafe serves healthy options and Ontario-sourced food products)
Other food options at main location	food court area with numerous food options, 24-hour Starbucks and Tim Hortons, a hospital-owned specialty food store that provides organic, gluten-free and allergen-free food options
Onsite fitness facility	for employees only, subsidized membership, treadmills, stationary bikes, instructor-led classes (pilates, Tabata, spin, kickboxing, boot camp, yoga, high-intensity interval training), weights, shower facilities, onsite 2,400 square-foot Wellness Centre also includes a fitness studio, onsite massage therapy (at discounted rates), fitness assessments, personal training, cooking workshops, exercise coaching and nutrition seminars
Other nearby amenities	Queen's Park, University of Toronto (St. George campus), Art Gallery of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum, Chinatown and Kensington Market, CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Nathan Phillips Square, year-round farmers' market

Work Atmosphere & Communications Rating: B+

Past social events	various departmental celebrations and social events throughout the year, annual long-service celebration, holiday dinners for employees who are scheduled to work on observed religious holidays (and offers vouchers for patients and their families over the holidays)
Cultural aspects	dress-for-your-day policy, casual dress Fridays, music while working
Employee communications	company newsletter, traditional/email suggestion box, internal social media
Other in-house communications	town hall-style Open Forum to encourage employees to ask questions and hear directly from the leadership team, ongoing executive "Walkarounds" to generate engagement

Financial Benefits & Compensation Rating: A

Financial benefits note	SickKids 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-benefit (DB) pension, defined-contribution (DC) pension
Long-term planning	life & disability insurance
Additional financial benefits	year-end bonuses for some employees, offers access to discounts through a partnership with Workperks and hosts an annual vendor fair to showcase savings and discounts

Health & Family-Friendly Benefits Rating: A

Health plan note	SickKids has multiple employee groups, health plans may vary by position
Health plan premium	as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 75% of the premiums
Minimum hours worked for coverage	18 hours per week
Waiting period for coverage	90 days
Family coverage option	yes
Dental coverage	routine, restorative, orthodontics
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, medical equipment and supplies, massage therapy, podiatrist, osteopathy, chiropractor, alternative coverage (e.g. acupuncture, naturopathy)
Mental health practitioner benefit	up to $1,500 each year
Wellness initiatives	wellness committee to help spearhead overarching strategy, includes mental health and peer support programs, wellness programming (cooking challenges, healthy eating seminars, wellness seminars on topics such as conflict management, time management), stretching program, mindfulness sessions, walking and running clubs and annual biometric health screenings
Family-friendly benefits note	SickKids has multiple employee groups, family-friendly policies may vary by position
In vitro fertilization (IVF)	$2,400 per lifetime
Maternity top-up (mothers)	up to 84% of salary for 15 weeks
Parental top-up (mothers)	up to 84% of salary for 10 weeks
Parental top-up (fathers)	up to 84% of salary for 25 weeks
Adoption top-up	up to 84% of salary for 25 weeks
Additional family-friendly benefits	extended parental leave to unpaid leave
Flexible work options	flexible work hours, 35-hour work week (with full pay), shortened work week (fewer hours with less pay), compressed work week, telecommuting
Additional family-friendly information	depending on employee group, some employees receive maternity and parental leave top-up of 93% of salary for up to 26 weeks, and parental leave top-up (for fathers and adoptive parents) of 93% of salary for up to 11 weeks

Vacation & Personal Time-Off Rating: B

Vacation note	SickKids 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 3 years of employment
Maximum vacation allowance	employees move to a maximum of 7 weeks of vacation over their career
Personal paid days off	employees can schedule 2 personal days off each year, as needed
Unpaid leave maximum	3 months
Additional time-off information	depending on their grouping, employees receive 2 to 4 weeks of paid vacation to start

Employee Engagement & Performance Rating: A

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, on-the-spot rewards, peer-to-peer recognition awards, long-service awards, the President's Award to honour individuals and teams who embody the organization's values, Good Catch Award for individuals who prevented staff or patient harm, annual Celebration of Excellence to recognize employees for their hard work
In-house survey period	in-house surveys are conducted every 6 months

Training & Skills Development Rating: A

Career planning	in-house career planning services
In-house training initiatives	apprenticeship/skilled trades programs, mentoring, in-house training, online training, paid internships, subsidies for professional accreditation
Related tuition subsidies	employer covers up to 50% of tuition per year
Annual tuition maximum	employer pays up to $20,000 in tuition subsidies for job-related courses per year
Unique training & development programs	specialized orientation and training programs for medical personnel, extensive leadership development training, the Learning Institute (has a mandate to support educational initiatives, offering a range of learning opportunities), offers career development seminars, workshops and events for all research personnel through the Research Institute, and as a teaching hospital, is home to the largest pediatric medical and surgical training program in Canada

Community Involvement Rating: A

Scope of charitable involvement	local, national
Employee charitable involvement	employees are involved in selection of charities
Some of the community organizations supported	United Way, Canadian Blood Services, Manulife Kids Science, Herbie Fund (surgeons volunteer their time and expertise to treat children from around the world) and the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health and SickKids International (developing partnerships and training nursing personnel worldwide)
Community highlight	SickKids' charitable focus includes children's health, research and education, and supporting the local community. The longstanding SickKids Foundation is a focal point for employee involvement and fundraising efforts, setting the ambitious goal of raising $15-million by 2022 with 100% employee involvement in fundraising activities.

Recognized as one of Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2021):

By Kristina Leung, Stephanie Leung, and Jing Wang, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Jan 18, 2021)

Here are some of the reasons why Hospital for Sick Children, The was selected as one of Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2021):

SickKids collaborates with Toronto Public Health, University Health Network and Nipissing University for an accelerated second degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) Scholar Practitioner program, producing nurses who are "practice-ready" -- as a participating organization, SickKids employs approximately 15 students in each cohort and has hired outstanding new graduate nurses from the program since its launch in 2011
SickKids organizes and hosts over 100 conferences each year, many of which support ongoing professional development in areas such as patient safety, child health care, complex diseases and research advances -- full- and part-time employees also have access to a Staff Continuing Professional Development Fund to pursue a degree, diploma or professional designation
SickKids offers a preceptorship program, connecting experienced staff with novice health care practitioners and students as they learn to apply their practice (over 700 interprofessional staff participated in the program in 2019) -- interprofessional preceptors complete an introductory workshop and an advanced preceptor course, with advanced training for those who have been in a preceptor role for at least a year to address coaching, feedback, assessment and evaluation for more complex teaching-learning situations

Employees at SickKids meeting

Highlights

Industry	Hospitals
Major Canadian hiring locations	Toronto ON
Full-time employees in Canada	5,913
Student opportunities	summer jobs, co-op opportunities, paid internships
In-house training programs	in-house training, online training, in-house career planning services, mentoring, apprenticeship/skilled trades programs
Related tuition subsidies	employer covers up to 50% of tuition per year
Annual tuition maximum	employer pays up to $20,000 in tuition subsidies for job-related courses per year
Unique training and development opportunities	Research Institute and its Research Training Centre supports undergraduate, graduate students and research fellows with a robust curriculum, offers a range of educational initiatives and learning opportunities through the Learning Institute (including the Simulation Program, which allows individuals and teams to practice routine procedures, recognize and treat rare conditions, and practice life-saving techniques in a real-time environment), Teaching Scholars Program (focuses on the essentials of adult learning to enhance the teaching skills of health-care professionals), Leading Voices (monthly 1-hour forum to learn from industry leaders on strategic and organizational issues), SickKids Mentorship Academy to support the mentoring program and Mentor Boot Camp supports the skills required in a mentorship relationship
Additional highlights	summer research program that allows undergraduate and medical students to conduct research in a laboratory or clinical setting, summer clinical extern program for final-year nursing students, graduate dietetic internship program (participants receive Professional Master's Diploma in dietetics from Ryerson University upon completion), participates in the New Graduate Guarantee (nurses), Kids Science program (includes the Student Advancement Research (StAR) internship program for Black, Filipino and Indigenous high school students)
Vacation allowance	new employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job

Hospital for Sick Children, The

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