Top Employer: Université de Montréal

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

Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Nov 11, 2021)

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

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
In response to the impacts of the pandemic, the Université de Montréal created a special Emergency Fund (over $1-million that includes employee contributions) to help students in need by providing necessary financial aid to help cover basic living needs, such as housing or food, as well as providing support to help transition to online studies through subsidies for the purchase of any necessary technology needed for effective online studies
Université de Montréal recently appointed its first special advisor for equity, diversity and inclusion to formalize the organization's commitment to diversity and inclusion and is currently developing a three-year action plan to address issues such as the recruitment and success of students from diverse backgrounds, equity and diversity-related training and research, and the recruitment and retention of diverse employees

An instructor at Université de Montréal engages with students in a virtual classroom

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	5,568
Part-time employees in Canada	1,806
Workforce engaged on a contract basis	43%
Average age of employees in Canada	41.7 years
Longest serving employee	55 years

COVID-19

Pandemic response

special emergency fund to help students address basic financial needs if needed, let employees bring needed computer equipment home along with offering financial support for home internet speed upgrades as needed

Physical Workplace Rating: A+

Editorial note	due to the pandemic, some workplace amenities may be temporarily unavailable
Commuter amenities	transit subsidies, online carpool sign-up, electric vehicle charging stations, secure/sheltered bicycle parking, nearby bike sharing station
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)
Onsite fitness facility	shared-use facility, subsidized membership, treadmills, stationary bikes, stairmasters, instructor-led classes (pilates, yoga, Zumba, aerobics), 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, Montréal Convention Centre, outdoor markets within minutes from the main campus (offering fresh, local and affordable goods)

Work Atmosphere & Communications Rating: B

Past social events	moved many of its social events to virtual versions over the past year, including celebrations such as back-to-school picnics, Halloween and Christmas parties, end-of-year and retirement parties as well as employee recognition and birthday celebrations
Cultural aspects	business-casual dress daily, music while working, employee sports teams, organized social activities for retirees
Employee communications	intranet site, company newsletter
Other in-house communications	faculty newsletters, numerous blogs, conferences, introduced online tools (such as Gather.town) to help employees keep in touch and get together for lunches or coffee breaks

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
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
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	new health and wellness program (includes more than 20 online conferences and workshops as well as fitness challenges, podcasts, videos and live training sessions) 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
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
Additional family-friendly information	summer day camps on campus (for kids ages 5 to 17) 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 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job
Vacation jump	vacation increases after 15 years of employment
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
Additional time-off information	offered its regular and temporary employees 3 extra paid vacation days during the 2020 Christmas shutdown period

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), a number of 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	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
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, Héma-Québec, Guignolée (food drive), Québec Breakfast Club, Pro Bono Québec, Canadian Cancer Society, Scotiabank Charity Challenge, Hema Québec
Community highlight	Université de Montréal supports 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.
Pandemic-related community initiatives	Université de Montréal created a special $1-million emergency fund to provide students with the necessary financial aid to fulfill their basic living needs, such as housing and food to help ensure they could continue with their online studies through the subsidization of any needed technology.

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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