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  Employer Review

AMEC Americas

 
AMEC Americas Limited
AMEC Americas employees at a company barbecue
AMEC Americas employees at a company barbecue
Chosen as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers and Greater Toronto's Top Employers for 2013:
By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors   (Oct 9, 2012)

Some of the reasons why AMEC was selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers for 2013:
  • operates the extensive "AMEC Academy", an in-house training and development program as well as a two-year engineer-in-training program, through which engineering graduates receive mentoring assistance and on-the-job guidance while preparing to write the PEng Ontario licensing exam
  • employees enjoy a very busy social calendar including an annual Christmas party, children's Christmas party, summer family party, Chinese New Year celebration, ski trips, baseball and much more
  • provides great financial benefits including signing bonuses for some employees, referral bonuses for some positions (to $5,000), project bonuses, and a share purchase plan available to all employees
  • depending on their position, employees can take advantage of a variety of flexible work options, such as telecommuting and shortened work weeks
  • offers maternity leave top-up payments to new mothers (to 100% of salary for 4 weeks), with unionized personnel eligible to receive a top-up to 93% of salary for 20 weeks
  • through the company's intranet, employees can find discounts on everything from home electronics to financial services to theme park and museum passes

Employer Background

AMEC Americas Limited, a member of the United Kingdom-based AMEC plc, is an engineering consulting firm that provides services to public and private-sector clients in a range of industries. Operating in Canada for over 100 years, the firm serves clients in mining, oilsands, oil and gas, power, transportation, manufacturing, commercial, infrastructure and process industries. AMEC's construction projects include the creation of the Ekati diamond mine in the Northwest Territories, the Horseshoe Falls hydroelectric plant upgrades in Niagara Falls, sections of Vancouver's SkyTrain public transit system, Ontario's Highway 407 ETR, and laboratory facilities for University Health Network's world-renowned MARS medical research facility in Toronto.


Industry: Engineering Services. Major Canadian hiring locations: Vancouver BC, Burnaby BC, Saskatoon SK, Calgary AB, Edmonton AB, Oakville ON, Toronto ON. Publicly traded. Stock symbol: AMEC. Revenues: $5,100 million. Established: 1907. Parent company: AMEC plc. Full-time at this location: 650. Full-time employees in Canada: 7,200. Full-time worldwide: 27,000. New jobs created in Canada last year: 500. Workforce engaged on a contract basis: 20.85%. Number of applications received at this location last year: 41,112. Average age of all employees: 46. Longest serving employee: 51 years.

 Rating: B+Physical Workplace

AMEC's physical workplace is rated as very good. AMEC's suburban head office building features an employee lounge (with comfortable seating and television); self-serve lunch room (with vending machines, free coffee and tea); an outdoor barbecue; secure bicycle parking; free parking; car pool sign-up; convenient highway access; close to shopping areas and restaurants; fitness centre nearby.

 Rating: A+Work Atmosphere & Communications

AMEC's work atmosphere is rated as exceptional. Head office employees enjoy business casual dress; casual dress Fridays; can listen to music while working; employee sports teams; organized social events. The company-subsidized social committee (established in 1988) organizes a number of social events including a company Christmas party (as well as a party for children of employees), summer barbecue, pancake breakfast, a summer kids party, a Chinese New Year celebration, ski trips, pub crawls and golf tournament. The company also sponsors employee sports teams such as cycling, volleyball, baseball, soccer and hockey. Throughout the year, AMEC captures feedback and keeps employees informed about company developments through regular lunch and learn sessions; a company newsletter; corporate intranet site; traditional suggestion box; email suggestion box.

 Rating: BFinancial Benefits & Compensation

AMEC's financial benefits are rated as average. To keep salaries competitive the company participates in outside salary surveys every 12 months. Individual salaries are reviewed every 12 months. AMEC also provides (non-unionized employees entered) share-purchase plan for all employees; signing bonuses for some employees; year-end bonuses for some employees; matching RSP contributions (up to 7% of salary); new employee referral bonuses (to $5,000 for some positions); life & disability insurance; phased-in retirement work options; discounted auto lease rates; project-based bonuses and profit-sharing opportunities depending on the position. Unionized employees have access to a profit sharing plan. In a unique initiative, all employees have access to a shopping intranet site that offers savings on everything from home and auto insurance to theme park passes to home electronics.

 Rating: B+Health & Family-Friendly Benefits

AMEC's health and family benefits are rated as very good. AMEC's health benefits plan is managed by Great West Life and AXA Canada. There are separate plans for the firm's union and non-union employee groups. Under the basic health and dental plan, the employer pays 100% of the premiums. Employees who work 24 hours per week receive coverage. There is no waiting period before coverage begins. Family coverage is available on the health benefits plan. The basic plan includes routine dental; restorative dental; eyecare ($65 every 2 years); traditional medicine coverage; alternative medicine coverage; fertility treatment medications; employee assistance (EAP) plan; healthclub subsidy (to $350 each year); medical equipment and supplies; physiotherapy; massage therapy; homecare; travel insurance. For non-union personnel, AMEC offers a health and wellness allowance (up to $750) that can cover a variety of initiatives including the cost of membership or registration in a formal program of physical activity (such as sports teams, ski classes, gym memberships and instructor-led programs in karate, dance, yoga, etc.). AMEC's family-friendly benefits include; maternity top-up payments (to 100% of salary for 4 weeks); health benefits during maternity and parental leave. In addition, new mothers also receive a 75% top-up for 2 additional weeks of their leave. For unionized employees, new mothers receive 93% top-up for 20 weeks, with new fathers and adoptive parents receiving 93% top-up for 3 weeks of their leave. Additional family-friendly benefits include (and may vary with employee group); post-secondary academic scholarships for children of employees; compassionate top-up payment (to 100% of salary for 1 week) while caring for a family member; flexible working hours; shortened work week (fewer hours with less pay); telecommuting; earned days off (EDO) program; and a compassionate top-up payment (to 1 week) for bereavement leave.

 Rating: BVacation & Personal Time-Off

AMEC's vacation and personal time-off are rated as average. New employees receive 2 weeks of vacation allowance after their first year. Vacation increases after 3 years on the job. Long-serving employees receive a maximum of 4 weeks of vacation each year. Employees receive 10 paid sick days every year. Employees can also apply for an unpaid leave of absence. (Recent graduates receive 2 weeks paid vacation to start, increasing to 3 weeks after 3 years on the job).

 Rating: B+Employee Engagement

AMEC's employee engagement program is rated as very good. Employees receive individual performance reviews every 12 months. Managers receive training in how to conduct effective performance reviews. Performance feedback is also solicited from co-workers and other managers familiar with each employee's work. As part of the review process employees can provide confidential feedback on their manager's performance. Exit interviews are provided for departing employees. AMEC recognizes exceptional performance with project completion bonuses. Employees also receive company store vouchers (called "AMEC Bucks", valued from $25 to $100) for when they publish a paper or write articles for external publications, give technical presentations, or organize company involvement in a community event. Each department also has a budget for celebratory lunches and small rewards for excellent work, such as movie tickets. AMEC sponsors its own in-house employee satisfaction survey. (Surveys are conducted every 12 months); AMEC hires an outside consultant to conduct confidential employee satisfaction and engagement surveys. (These surveys are held every 12 months).

 Rating: B+Training & Skills Development

AMEC's training and skills development program is rated as very good. Employees receive tuition subsidies for courses related to their position. (Employer covers up to 75% of tuition). (Employer pays up to $2,500 in subsidies). AMEC also supports the career development of employees with in-house apprenticeship and skilled trades programs; formal mentoring program; career planning services; in-house training programs; online training programs; online employee skills inventory; new employee orientation program; formal management training program. The company's impressive in-house training program (called AMEC Academy) is designed to help employees plan their career paths and develop the necessary skills to achieve their long term goals. AMEC also operates a formal engineer-in-training program for employees who are recent engineering graduates. Over the course of the two-year program, employees are assigned a mentor to help them obtain the experience, technical expertise and interpersonal skills necessary to become a well-rounded junior engineer. The program consists of monthly meetings, biannual evaluations, in-class training and on-the-job development activities.

 Rating: ACommunity Involvement

AMEC's community involvement program is rated as above-average. AMEC supports a number of local, national and international charitable organizations. Employees take part in the selection of charitable groups assisted each year. Last year, employees donated over 1,200 hours volunteering with charitable projects. Approximately 25 charitable and community organizations were supported last year. Each year, employee members of a "Charity Committee" nominate a variety of charitable events for consideration. The committee then votes to select at least seven (or more) events for the calendar year. The company has recently supported the United Way, the Salvation Army, Red Cross and Japan Relief. In the past, head office employees put their skills to work and designed a mini-putt course as a fundraising initiative for the Oakville United Way campaign.

This Employer Review has been viewed 137,422 times.
©2013 Mediacorp Canada Inc. All rights reserved. Used by Eluta with permission. For comments or questions on this employer review, please contact Mediacorp's editorial team.



   

©2013 Mediacorp Canada Inc.
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