Olympus Canada Recognized Again as a Greater Toronto Top Employer

Dedication to Company’s Core Values and Work-Life Balance Cited

Olympus announced that Olympus Canada Inc. has been named one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for the sixth consecutive year. The award recognizes a workplace culture that encourages a strong work-life balance along with increased employee engagement and recognition programs.

During the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, about 80 essential employees continued to report to the company’s Richmond Hill-based facility to repair and service critical medical equipment on rotating shifts.

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“The company acted quickly to create strict safety policies to protect essential workers and their families,” says Russell Blackburn, a process engineering manager with Olympus Canada. “We recognized the effort and sacrifices they’ve made during the pandemic, including the risk to them and their families of being exposed to COVID-19. We worked to mitigate that risk as much as possible and empower them to do their jobs.”

As safety measures were added, employees returned to their standard shifts. Other measures were then taken to improve work-life balance, including two paid days off in the spring for essential workers in lieu of summer hours, summer hours for colleagues working from home and company-wide policies such as no meetings on Friday afternoons. The company has also introduced a hybrid work policy that will allow eligible employees to split their time between home and the office.

Blackburn says Olympus Canada Inc. has truly lived the company’s values during the pandemic.

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“One that really stood out was unity — that we are strongest when we work together as a team,” he said.

The Greater Toronto’s Top Employers competition recognizes employers with exceptional human resources programs and forward-thinking workplace policies. Editors at Mediacorp grade employers on eight criteria: (1) Physical Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time-Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement. Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.

Olympus employee benefits considered for the award include the work-from-home option for some employees, tuition subsidies of up to $5,250 per year and subsidies for professional accreditation, two days paid leave a year for employees who want to volunteer with a nonprofit organization and matching charitable donations of up to $2,000.

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