"Whether employers are hosting company social events that include friends and family or implementing a profit-sharing plan, there's an idea of togetherness – that when they strengthen the community, they're inherently strengthening their own organization and people, that everyone is in this together."

That sense of community is front and centre for Cooke Aquaculture Inc., a family owned and managed company that has operated a sustainable aquaculture business in Atlantic Canada since 1985. Headquartered in Saint John, it's seriously committed to the communities where it's located, supporting hundreds of community and charitable initiatives.

"We generally operate in smaller communities which means our workforce makes up a large portion of the population," says Joel Richardson, vice president, public relations, for the Cooke Inc. family of companies that includes Cooke Aquaculture. "That also means our employees are major contributors to community life – we're organizers of fundraisers and events, we're coaches, in-school mentors and more.

"We even had to establish a website for the intake and processing of donation requests from groups in our community, which are reviewed weekly by a sponsorship committee," he continues. "Truly, the strength of our company is our people and the people of Atlantic Canada are kind, hard-working and proud."

  

Cooke Aquaculture has also established formal social committees at many of its locations, holding events such as National Hot Chocolate Day, Pancake Tuesday breakfast and National Employee Appreciation Day. There's even a dedicated barbecue trailer with all the equipment needed to host an event that site managers or community groups can book for summer occasions.

As an employer, the company is supportive of its people continuing their professional growth through internal and external courses, including college and university level programs, and industry-specific learning opportunities. Additionally, it offers a wide range of services through its health benefits package that includes coverage for mental health practitioners and also maintains a wellness platform for employees that's available to family members as well.

"Atlantic Canadian companies are competitive with other areas of Canada when it comes to family-friendly initiatives," says Leung. "The winning companies offer generous benefits, such as maternity and parental leave top-up for new mothers, fathers and adoptive parents as well as health plans tailored to the needs of each employee and their family. That gives them an edge in competing for top talent."

Leung also points out that, along with a growing workforce as people continue to move to the region, there's diversification of industry with an increasing prominence of technical companies, as well as traditional resource-based organizations and the public sector. Companies such as Dash Hudson, a social media management platform, add a fresh dynamic to the region. Headquartered in Halifax's downtown core, the company just celebrated its 10th anniversary.

"We had an East Coast kitchen party to celebrate Dash Hudson's birthday," says Jill Hennigar, vice president of operations. "Local musician and songwriter Joel Plaskett played and everyone wore a whole lot of plaid!

"We find Halifax is the perfect city, just big enough to provide all the trappings for a balanced life by the ocean. We're surrounded by universities so have seen great success hiring here. Maritimers are hard workers who care."

The company supports hybrid work for employees as well as flexible start and end times so that parents can pick up kids from school and attend soccer games or other important events. Employees receive personal days on top of their vacation time to allocate as they see fit.

Flexibility at Dash Hudson also takes a leading-edge approach in allowing employees to work from outside of their province or country. The company recently launched a remote work process where employees can apply to travel and work remotely for a period of time. So far, that's included South America, Europe, Asia, the United States and locations across Canada. 

"People want their personal lives and work to fit together in a more flexible way than the traditional clock-in, clock-out system of the past," says Hennigar. "We encourage employees to know what flexibility means at Dash Hudson and how they can work with their managers to take ownership of their schedules."

With modest but continued economic growth forecast for 2024, according to the Atlantic Economic Council's annual Atlantic Economic Outlook, the future looks positive for the region's Top Employers.

"The tech sector in Atlantic Canada continues to grow, which is inspiring to see," says Hennigar. "There are many great businesses across Atlantic Canada supporting the development of our community, and we're happy to be a part of that."

– Diane Jermyn

From the official magazine announcing Atlantic Canada's Top Employers (2024), published on March 26, 2024. All rights reserved.