Top Employer: Université de Montréal

Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2023), Canada's Top Family-Friendly Employers (2022) and Montreal's Top Employers (2022):

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

Here are some of the reasons why Université de Montréal was selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2023), Canada's Top Family-Friendly Employers (2022) and Montreal's Top Employers (2022):

Université de Montréal employees enjoy a full range of campus amenities, from subsidized memberships to a fully equipped fitness centre, to a variety of on-campus food options -- and is located steps away from the city's Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood, which is one of the most cosmopolitan and lively in the city, with an incredible range of restaurants and cafés
Université de Montréal provides excellent family-friendly benefits, including maternity and parental leave top-up payments for employees who are new mothers, fathers or adoptive parents, the option to extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence, and the convenience of onsite child care when they are ready to return to work
Université de Montréal encourages employees to continue their education through an employee tuition waiver program as well as a variety of in-house and online training programs, including a dedicated "StudiUM" online learning portal for management employees

Université de Montréal employees Jacinthe Gauthier and Roxane Desroches

Employer Background

Industry	Post secondary schools, university
Established in Canada	1878
Major Canadian hiring locations	Montréal QC, Laval QC, Saint-Hyacinthe QC, Trois-Rivières QC, Longueuil QC
Full-time employees in Canada	5,667
Part-time employees in Canada	2,168
Workforce engaged on a contract basis	42%
Average age of employees in Canada	41.22 years
Longest serving employee	56.75 years

Work Environment Rating: A+

Hybrid work	office equipment loan program, developing a formal hybrid work policy (at time of writing), built around employee feedback and experience gained during the pandemic where employees typically worked 3 days offsite and 2 days onsite, program includes resources and training to ensure a smooth transition to new ways of working
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, reduced summer hours
Commuter amenities	walk to public transit, transit subsidies, online carpool sign-up, electric vehicle charging stations, secure/sheltered bicycle parking, nearby bike sharing station
Onsite workplace features	Université de Montréal's main campus has a rich architectural heritage and an abundance of green space, state-of-the-art Science Complex (with 6 auditoriums, a library, 10 teaching labs and nearly 190 research labs), Exhibition Centre (showcasing over a thousand works of art), onsite clinics and health centres, religious observance room, self-serve lunchroom, outdoor patio, the university has 3 additional campuses in Laval, Longueuil and Trois-Rivières
Employee lounge amenities	comfortable seating, multiple lounges across campus which feature comfortable chairs, sofas and televisions
Onsite cafeteria	healthy menus, special diet menus, take-home meals, multiple cafeterias and cafés across campus (university's food services department is called "Local-Local" to reflect its focus on eco-responsibility and sustainability)
Other food options at main location	food counters, coffee shops, restaurants
Onsite fitness facility	shared-use facility, subsidized membership, treadmills, stationary bikes, stairmasters, instructor-led classes (pilates, yoga, Zumba, cardio), elliptical trainers, rowing machines, weights, basketball court, sauna, shower facilities, Olympic-size swimming pool, spa and sauna, badminton, squash, racquetball and tennis courts, indoor track, practice area for golf, climbing wall, arena, multiple gymnasiums

Work Atmosphere & Communications Rating: B

Past social events	moved many of its social events to virtual versions during the pandemic
Cultural aspects	business-casual dress daily, music while working, employee sports teams, organized social activities for retirees
Employee communications	company newsletter
Other in-house communications	faculty newsletters, numerous blogs, conferences, online lunches or coffee break meet-ups

Financial Benefits & Compensation Rating: A

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
Long-term planning	retirement planning assistance, phased-in retirement work options, life & disability insurance
Additional financial benefits	corporate discount program (e.g. retail, services, travel, etc.)

Health & Family-Friendly Benefits Rating: A+

Health plan note	UdeM has multiple employee groups, health plans may vary by position
Health plan premium	as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 40% of the premiums
Flexible coverage	health plan is flexible with adjustable premiums and coverage levels
Waiting period	there is no waiting period for coverage
Family coverage option	yes
Dental coverage	routine, restorative
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, nutrition planning, podiatrist, osteopathy, chiropractor, alternative coverage (e.g. acupuncture, naturopathy)
Mental health practitioner benefit	up to $500 each year
Additional health and wellness initiatives	health and wellness program includes trainings, activities, conferences, challenges and projects, wellness committees in some faculties and departments
Family-friendly benefits note	UdeM has multiple employee groups, family-friendly policies may vary by position
Maternity top-up (mothers)	up to 90% of salary for 25 weeks
Parental top-up (mothers)	up to 90% of salary for 10 weeks
Parental top-up (fathers)	up to 90% of salary for 15 weeks
Adoption top-up	up to 90% of salary for 15 weeks
Additional family-friendly benefits	extended parental leave to unpaid leave, phased-in return to work for new parents, child care onsite
Additional family-friendly information	summer day camps programs for kids, from sport to music to science to theatre camps (and more)

Vacation & Personal Time-Off Rating: A+

Vacation note	UdeM has multiple employee groups, vacation policies may vary by position
Vacation allowance	new employees receive 4.6 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job
Maximum vacation allowance	employees move to a maximum of 5 weeks of vacation over their career
Paid holiday shutdown	during the Christmas to New Year's holiday break, employees receive an additional 5 days off
Personal paid days off	employees can schedule 2 personal days off each year, as needed
Company paid days off	employees receive 2 personal days off, as determined by their employer
Unpaid leave maximum	24 months
Self-funded/deferred salary leave maximum	60 months

Employee Engagement & Performance Rating: B-

Employee performance reviews	employees receive individual performance reviews every 12 months
Managers receive performance review training	yes
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, long-service awards, tailored and unique rewards (e.g. travel), dedicated awards to recognize excellence in teaching as well as research work, and the Rector's Award series that includes various categories such as inspiration, initiative, commitment, collaboration and diversity

Training & Skills Development Rating: A+

Career planning	online employee skills inventory
In-house training initiatives	mentoring, in-house training, online training, paid internships
Tuition subsidies (related to job)	yes
Tuition subsidies (unrelated to job)	yes
Unique training & development programs	staff tuition waiver policy, dedicated StudiUM online learning portal for management teams

Community Involvement Rating: B+

Scope of charitable involvement	local, national, international
Employee charitable involvement	employees are involved in selection of charities
Total number of charities supported last year	approximately 25 charitable and community organizations were supported last year
Some of the community organizations supported	United Way, Moisson Montréal, Scotiabank Charity Challenge, Multicaf, Canadian Red Cross, IRIC's Great Challenges Against Cancer, La lecture en cadeau
Community highlight	Université de Montréal and its employees have a longstanding campaign to raise funds for the annual United Way/Centraide campaign and the Christmas Basket program. Across the university, faculties and departments organize their own initiatives that are most important to each and many faculties support initiatives that are related to their academic subject matters.

Recognized as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers (2022):

By Kristina Leung and Stephanie Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Mar 7, 2022)

Here are some of the reasons why Université de Montréal was selected as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers (2022):

Université de Montréal appointed its first Special Advisor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion to the Rector, who helped coordinate the development of two 3-year action plans entitled "Pour l'équité et l'inclusion" (for equity and inclusion) and "Place aux Premiers Peuples" (welcoming Indigenous peoples) -- each action plan features over 100 initiatives and address issues such as the recruitment and progression of staff belonging to minority or at-risk groups
Additionally, the university launched four working groups to perform analysis on specific equity, diversity and inclusion issues, including persons with disabilities, improving participation of underrepresented groups at all stages of the academic career, institutional data, and racism and systemic discrimination
Université de Montréal strives to recruit candidates for all walks of life, maintaining partnerships with approximately 30 organizations that work to employ persons with disabilities, immigrants and Indigenous peoples

Université de Montréal employees at the Montréal Pride parade in summer 2019

Highlights

Industry	Post secondary schools, university
Major Canadian hiring locations	Montréal QC, Laval QC, Saint-Hyacinthe QC, Trois-Rivières QC, Longueuil QC
Full-time employees in Canada	5,568
Management of diversity and inclusion initiatives	appointed its first Special Advisor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion to the Rector (mandate is to coordinate diversity efforts and develop action plans to guide future efforts), created two 3-year action plans entitled "Pour l'équité et l'inclusion" (for equity and inclusion) and "Place aux Premiers Peuples" (welcoming Indigenous peoples), action plans address issues such as the recruitment and progression of staff belonging to minority or at-risk groups, created a new Associate Secretary General for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenous Relations role to support action plans, also welcomed a Chief Advisor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Employee resource groups	Kwe Kwe committee (for Indigenous employees), Aboriginal committee (comprised of technical and administrative support employee unions), Comit Femmes et Droit (women and the law committee), Groupe d’action Trans de l’Universite de Montreal (advocates for trans rights on campus)
Noteworthy diversity strategies and policies	created 4 equity and inclusion working groups in the past year for persons with disabilities, inclusive excellence (to improve the participation of under-represented groups at all stages of the academic career), institutional data, and racism and systemic discrimination
Recruitment initiatives	established partnerships with local organizations that work in employability for people with disabilities, immigrants, and Indigenous peoples (approximately 30 partnerships in total), provides unconscious bias training to managers involved in the recruitment process, ensures an equity, diversity and inclusion requirement is included to all management-level job offers
Training and awareness initiatives	training on inclusive leadership and minimizing unconscious bias, psychological health in the workplace, and trans diversity, created a guide for inclusive writing for the French-speaking community, Indigenous Cultural Week to highlight heritages, culture and knowledge of Aboriginal communities, celebrations for Pride

Université de Montréal

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