OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioTalent Canada is proud to announce that it has been named to the 2021 list of Best Workplaces for Mental Wellness. In addition, the organization has also been named a Great Place to Work in Ontario for the second consecutive year. Both awards come from Great Place to Work®.
According to a 2020 Stats Canada surveyi, 20 percent of Canadians had symptoms of depression, anxiety, or posttraumatic stress disorder because of the pandemic in 2020. Employers that recognize the continued importance of employee mental wellness and take action to support employees demonstrate a level of compassion much needed today.
“BioTalent Canada and its Board of Directors has always placed a big emphasis on the mental health of its employees,” says Rob Henderson, President and CEO of BioTalent Canada. “Instead of becoming complacent when the pandemic hit and assuming everyone was less stressed because they worked from home, our organization became more agile and proactively reached out to staff for their input on how we can bolster mental wellness support.”
BioTalent Canada’s management team has worked hard to foster an environment that destigmatizes mental health concerns. There’s no doubt that many of the reasons it was named to the 2020 list of Best Workplaces for Mental Wellness are the same as those that led to the Great Place to Work in Ontario distinction.
“Management always emphasizes that its priority is the wellness of the team,” says Luciana Santos, Project Coordinator at BioTalent Canada. “We recently had a virtual walk on a beautiful and sunny day, we had karaoke, musical bingo, stretching sessions, coffee and tea sessions. These activities are really nice way to provide a mental break for the team.”
Since the pandemic started and work-from-home became the norm, BioTalent Canada’s executive team has tried to do the little things right. Organized—albeit virtual—coffee breaks, an impromptu early jump on the weekend when the sun is shining, team building activities are all designed to provide a much-needed mental break.
“We are continuously reminded, through the words and actions of upper management, that the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of the team is the organizations top priority,” says Colleen Hayes, Outreach Manager at BioTalent Canada. “Stress-free employees come before unreasonable deadlines, just as a mental break comes before a moveable meeting.”
Both lists—Great Place to Work for Mental Wellness and Great Place to Work in Ontario—are based on direct feedback from employees of the hundreds of organizations that were surveyed by Great Place to Work®.
“GPTW distinctions help to legitimize BioTalent Canada as an HR thought leader,” says Henderson. “We can back up our words to Student Work Placement Program and other wage subsidy applicants that the recommendations we make for retaining talent work are best in class.”
Rob Henderson is available for comment. Select BioTalent Canada staff are available for comment upon request.
About BioTalent Canada
BioTalent Canada supports the people behind life-changing science. Trusted as the go-to source for labour market intelligence, BioTalent Canada guides bio-economy stakeholders with evidence-based data and industry-driven standards. BioTalent Canada is focused on igniting the industry’s brainpower, bridging the gap between job-ready talent and employers, and ensuring the long-term agility, resiliency, and sustainability of one of Canada’s most vital sectors.
Recently named one of the 50 Best Workplaces in Canada with 10-50 employees and certified as a Great Place to Work® for 2021, BioTalent Canada practices the same industry standards it recommends to its stakeholders. These distinctions were awarded to BioTalent Canada following a thorough and independent survey analysis conducted by Great Place to Work®.
For more information, please visit biotalent.ca.
About Great Place to Work®
Great Place to Work is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services, and certification programs, GPTW recognizes the world’s Best Workplaces in a series of national lists including those published by The Globe & Mail (Canada) and Fortune magazine (USA). Great Place to Work provides the benchmarks, framework, and expertise needed to create, sustain, and recognize outstanding workplace cultures. Visit us at www.greatplacetowork.ca or find us on Twitter at @GPTW_Canada.
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i https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210318/dq210318a-eng.htm
