Canada Post Corporation

Canada Post's physical workplace is rated as above-average. Canada Post's Ottawa head office includes six buildings located in a suburban campus-like setting with easy highway access. The head office occupies over 650,000 square feet and recently received recognition by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) for its environmentally responsible building management practices. The head office is only a short walk to Carleton University as well as the Rideau Canal, which offers the world's longest skating rink in the winter as well bicycle commuter trails and recreational boating in the summer. Inside, the head office features an onsite fitness facility (with subsidized memberships -- approximately $50 each year, treadmills, stationary bikes, stairmasters, rowing machines, weights, shower facilities instructor-led classes, including tai-chi, pilates and yoga); employee lounge (with comfortable seating and television); meditation and religious observance rooms (by request); outdoor barbeque; onsite bank machine; onsite post office, which also includes a passport office; onsite cafeteria (with healthy menu items); two onsite Tim Horton's and one Pizza Pizza restaurant; secure bicycle parking; transit subsidies; subsidized parking; covered parking; organized car pools; onsite taxi stand.

Canada Post's work atmosphere is rated as above-average. Depending on their position, Canada Post employees may enjoy business casual dress, casual dress or a variety of uniform styles (for mail delivery and retail employees). On the job, employees can listen to music while working; employee sports teams; organized social events. Across the country, employees enjoy Christmas parties, special Christmas celebrations for employees' children, open houses, summer barbeques, baseball tournaments, a traditional Calgary Stampede breakfast (for Calgary employees), a unique National Aboriginal Day celebration Canada Day celebrations. For its newest employees, Canada Post operates a unique "New Hire Network". The social network is managed by a small group of employees, who organize a variety of events throughout the year, including lunch hour information meetings, networking breakfasts, evening socials and special events to welcome summer students.

At the head office, employees organize their own volleyball team as well as a slo-pitch baseball league that runs from May to September. Operating for over 25 years, the slo-pitch league is boasts over 175 players from various departments and levels within the organization who spend their summers getting to know one another and playing for some of the most creatively-named sports teams, including: The Missorts; The StampEaters; Mail Dominance; and The Post Mortems. Across Canada, employees also organize curling and hockey teams that compete locally and gather once a year for two Canada Post charitable fundraising tournaments. Operating for over 40 years, The Canadian Postal Employee Curling Classic includes up to 800 employees from across the country, with provincial teams gathering to compete for the the coveted national championship once a year. The International Postal Hockey Tournament has been hosted for over 30 years and has expanded to include as many as 100 teams from across Canada and the United States. Across the company, employees can provide feedback and are kept up-to-date about new developments through a company newsletter; corporate intranet site; traditional suggestion box; email suggestion box.

Canada Post's financial benefits are rated as very good. To keep salaries competitive the company participates in outside salary surveys every 12 months. Individual salaries are reviewed every 12 months. The corporation also provides signing bonuses for some employees; new employee referral bonuses (to $500 for some positions); defined benefit pension plan; life & disability insurance; retirement planning assistance; discounts on home computers; matching RSP contributions for new management employees (up to 4% of salary); discounted auto lease rates; discounts on a variety of products and services (from ski passes to hotel rooms); new annual bonuses available for unionized employees; bilingual bonus (to $800) for eligible unionized employees; year-end bonuses for commercial sales employees and sales conferences at various destinations.

Canada Post's health and family benefits are rated as very good. Canada Post's health benefits plan is managed by Great-West Life. As part of the health plan, the employer pays 95% of the premiums. Employees who work 12 hours per week receive coverage. There is no waiting period before coverage begins. Employees receive full family coverage on the health benefits plan. The health plan also includes retiree coverage with no age limit. The basic plan includes routine dental; restorative dental; orthodontics; traditional medicine coverage; alternative medicine coverage; massage therapy; medical equipment and supplies; homecare; employee assistance (EAP) plan; travel insurance. The corporation's health plan also includes variable eyecare coverage amounts and is available to part-time employees. Canada Post's family-friendly benefits include: maternity top-up payments (to 93% of salary for 17 weeks); parental leave top-up for adoptive parents (to 93% of salary for 12 weeks). Canada Post also provides a daycare subsidy for some employee groups, including an annual contribution (to $300,000) to a child care fund that is administered by the Union in support of child care facilities and initiatives for its employees. Additional family-friendly benefits include: compassionate care leave (unpaid); flexible working hours; shortened work week (fewer hours with less pay); self-funded leave program, short unpaid leave option (up to 19 days), phased-in retirement (for some positions).

Canada Post's vacation and personal time-off are rated as average. New employees receive 3 weeks of vacation allowance after their first year. Vacation increases after 7 years on the job. Long-serving employees receive a maximum of 7 weeks of vacation each year. Employees receive 15 paid sick days every year. Canada Post considers previous work experience when setting annual vacation for new employees. Employees can also apply for an unpaid leave of absence. Employees can apply for a variety of paid leaves of absence through Canada Post's formal leave program, which includes marriage leave (to 5 days) and family responsibility leave (to 5 days).

Canada Post'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. As part of the review process, employees complete self-evaluations and meet with their manager to discuss past progress and set goals for the upcoming year. In addition to its unique year-end bonus program, employees are recognized for exceptional work performance through the 'BRAVO' rewards program that ranges from an e-card recognizing a job well done to awards that let employees choose from a variety of consumer products. In a unique and timely effort last year, Canada Post provided its rural and suburban mail carriers with $50 gas cards as part of the corporation's 'Employee Appreciation Week' celebration. Canada Post sponsors its own in-house employee satisfaction survey. Canada Post hires an outside consultant to conduct confidential employee satisfaction and engagement surveys. (These surveys are held every 12 months).

Canada Post's training and skills development program is rated as exceptional. Employees receive tuition subsidies for courses related to their position. (The employer subsidizes up to 100% of tuition). Employees may also receive tuition subsidies for courses unrelated to their current position. (The employer subsidizes up to 100% of non-related tuition). Canada Post supports employees' ongoing career development with subsidies for professional accreditations; financial bonuses for course completions; in-house apprenticeship and skilled trades internships; in-house training programs; online training programs; online employee skills inventory; formal mentoring program; career planning services; new employee orientation program; formal mangement training program. Management and executive development program; leadership and Lean Six-Sigma training programs; French and English language training; as well as a variety of health and safety training and job-specific training programs, from customer service to dog bite prevention training programs.

Canada Post's community involvement program is rated as exceptional. Every year, Canada Post and its employees actively supports a variety of local and national charitable initiatives. Employees take part in the selection of charitable groups assisted each year. Last year, employees donated over 4,500 hours volunteering with charitable projects. Approximately 250 charitable and community organizations were supported last year. Last year, the Corporation contributed to hundreds of charitable groups across Canada, including the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Toy Mountain at Christmas, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Terry Fox Run, the Labatt's 24-Hour Relay, and United Way campaigns across the country -- employees and the company donated over $2 million to the United Way last year. Every year during the Christmas season, Canada Post employees also manage the company's unique Santa letter writing program. Over 11,000 volunteers donate 170,000 hours in an effort to help Santa respond to over 1 million letters from children across Canada and around the world. The program has been operating for 24 years under the HOHOHO postal code and now features an interactive website for children. The new website received over 1.3 million unique visitors in the weeks before Christmas last year and features games, activities and a "Write to Santa" email feature.

Canada Post also sponsors a unique adult literacy awards program to recognize adult literacy learners as well as the individuals and organizations that support them. Every year, over 30 employee volunteer judges help select winners from across the country, recognizing individual students and educators as well as community organizations and businesses. In addition, the Corporation operates an Aboriginal Education Incentive Award to recognize adults who have returned to school to complete their education. The Award also provides academic scholarships for northern Aboriginal students attending Aurora College in Yellowknife and Iqaluit. To encourage employee volunteerism, Canada Post operates the "Coaching and Community Involvement Program" for full- and part-time employees. Through this program, employees who volunteer with local organizations and charitable projects can direct a corporate donation (to $500 every two years) to their favourite charity.

Canada Post has also set an number of ambitious targets in the fight against global warming. Engaging with its employees, the Crown corporation has set the goal of diverting 75% of its office waste from the landfill by the end of this year. The corporation has also committed itself to reducing its direct greenhouse gas emissions from its fleet and buildings by 14% (from 2002 to 2012), as well as making the commitment to ensure that all major new buildings are designed and built to LEED standards. In another initiative, reaching back over more than a decade, the in-house "Canada Post Commuting Challenge" has encouraged over 150 head office employees to leave their cars at home and walk, run, skate or cycle to work -- helping to eliminate over 300 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Participating employees upload their mileage to the corporate intranet and can readily see the results of their efforts, which is followed by a year-end celebration for their efforts. The corporation also has other educational efforts designed to raise awareness and encourage the ongoing shift to environmentally sensitive behaviours, from simply turning down the lights in the office to anti-idling campaigns for its fleet drivers.