Photo courtesy Jim Ryce
For the past seven years, Canada’s Top Small and Medium Employers (SME) has recognized companies with the nation’s best workplaces and forward-thinking human resource policies. Diamond Schmitt Architects has been awarded each year, and is again for 2020.
The editorial competition managed by Mediacorp Canada in conjunction with The Globe and Mail reviews thousands of applications from private sector companies. They rank recruitment histories, human resource practices, and employee benefits and perks.
“The companies chosen as this year’s winners are not only workplace leaders, but they also set the benchmark for SMEs across Canada that can benefit from learning their best practices,” said Tony Meehan, the program’s publisher.
Winning companies are graded on eight key areas: physical workplace, work atmosphere and social programs, health, financial and family benefits, vacation and time-off, employee communications, performance management, training and skills development, and community involvement.
“We are thrilled to be recognized once again for being a great place to work,” said Donald Schmitt, principal at the design firm. “We believe fostering a supportive, collaborative culture is the foundation of our success in the pursuit of design excellence.”
The practices and policies at Diamond Schmitt cited by the jury include:
- a variety of social events and celebrations throughout the year;
- maternity and parental leave top-up payments of up to 80 percent of salary; and
- the firm is rated ‘A’ for its work atmosphere and communications and ‘A+’ for community involvement.
