Carswell, a division of Thomson Reuters Canada Limited

Carswell's physical workplace is rated as very good. Carswell's offices occupy five floors of a 13-storey office building in suburban Toronto. Their head office building recently achieved the "BOMA Go Green Plus" certification in recognition of their efforts toward environmentally-friendly building management and operation. The building features an employee lounge; nap room; onsite cafeteria (with healthy menus, fresh baked pastries, fresh fruits and salads); free parking; free coffee and tea; outdoor patio/deck; onsite convenience store that offers dry-cleaning services and clothing alternations; onsite ATM.

Carswell's work atmosphere is rated as very good. Carswell employees enjoy business casual dress; casual dress daily; can listen to music while working; employee sports teams; organized social events. The company-subsidized social committee hosts events throughout the year, such as golf tournaments, holiday parties, and family picnics. Company accomplishments are celebrated with movie afternoons, and ice cream days are held throughout the summer months. Carswell manages an employee suggestion program, and rewards employees whose ideas are implemented with gift certificates or cash bonuses (up to $10,000). The company also keeps employees informed and gathers employee feedback through a company newsletter; corporate intranet site; traditional suggestion box; email suggestion box.

Carswell's financial benefits are rated as above-average. To keep salaries competitive the company participates in outside salary surveys every 12 months. Individual salaries are reviewed every 12 months. Carswell also provides new employee referral bonuses (to $1,500 for some positions); year-end bonuses for all employees; year-end bonuses (to $32,000); share-purchase plan for all employees; defined contribution pension plan with employer contribution (up to 3.5% of salary); life & disability insurance; retirement planning assistance; discounts on home computers; subsidized home Internet access.

Carswell's health and family benefits are rated as very good. Carswell's health benefits plan is managed by Sun Life. As part of the health plan, the employer pays 85% of the premiums. The health plan is a flexible plan with adjustable premiums and coverage levels. Employees who work 21 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 up to 65 years of age. The basic plan includes routine dental; restorative dental; eyecare ($200 every 2 years); traditional medicine coverage; alternative medicine coverage; massage therapy; medical equipment and supplies; homecare; employee assistance (EAP) plan; travel insurance. The organization provides a flexible health benefits plan, which gives employees the option of putting excess benefit credits towards a health spending account or an RRSP. Carswell's family-friendly benefits include: maternity top-up payments (to 95% of salary for 17 weeks); parental leave top-up for new fathers (to 100% of salary for 1 week); parental leave top-up for adoptive parents (to 100% of salary for 1 week); adoption assistance subsidy to $5,000 per child. Additional family-friendly benefits include: compassionate top-up payment (to 95% of salary for 8 weeks) while caring for a family member; flexible working hours; telecommuting; 35-hour work week (with full pay); compressed work week; phased-in retirement.

Carswell's vacation and personal time-off are rated as very good. New employees receive 3 weeks of vacation allowance after their first year. Vacation increases after 5 years on the job. Long-serving employees receive a maximum of 5 weeks of vacation each year. Employees can schedule 3 personal days off each year, as needed. Employees receive 1 personal day off, as scheduled by their employer. Employees can also apply for an unpaid leave of absence. (Unpaid leave of absences are for up to two months). The company's year-round compressed work-week schedule allows for early closings every Friday. Employees can also bank overtime, earning up to 10 additional days off each year.

Carswell's employee engagement program is rated as above-average. 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. Carswell rewards exceptional performance with cash bonuses (available to all employees), annual merit pay increases, additional days off, and on-the-spot recognition awards, such as gift certificates or team lunches. Carswell sponsors its own in-house employee satisfaction survey. (Surveys are conducted every 12 months); Carswell hires an outside consultant to conduct confidential employee satisfaction and engagement surveys. (These surveys are held every 12 months).

Carswell's training and skills development program is rated as above-average. Employees receive tuition subsidies for courses related to their position. (The employer provides up to $1,000 in subsidies). Employees may also receive tuition subsidies for courses unrelated to their current position. (The employer provides up to $1,000 in tuition subsidies for non-related courses). Carswell supports employees' ongoing career development with: subsidies for professional accreditations; in-house training programs; online training programs; formal mentoring program; career planning services; Carswell's learning and development offerings include instructor-led courses at Thomson University, the parent company's in-class learning program), the Learning Centre library, which includes thousands of online courses and electronic books, paid attendance at professional development conferences, and in-house language clubs, including a French club at the Toronto office and an English club at the Montréal location. Carswell also operates a two-year leadership internship program, which was introduced in response to suggestions from an employee feedback survey in 2002. Impressively, since the program's introduction, over 80% of employee participants have been promoted into leadership positions.

Carswell's community involvement program is rated as above-average. Carswell supports local, national and international charitable initiatives, including the Salvation Army, the Canadian Red Cross, and AIDfund, an independent fund of the Reuters Foundation that provides assistance to victims of international humanitarian crises. Employees take part in the selection of charitable groups assisted each year. Employees receive paid time off to volunteer with their favourite charitable organizations. Employees also receive 1 paid day off to volunteer. Last year, employees donated over 394 hours volunteering with charitable projects. Approximately 15 charitable and community organizations were supported last year. At the head office, Carswell and its employees hold fundraising drives and donate the proceeds to a variety of local initiatives every year, including for the Salvation Army's Markham-Eglinton Breakfast Club and the CNIB's Braille Literacy and Digital Library. The company also sponsors the popular Bay Street Hoops Tournament, which is a Toronto-based charity basketball tournament.