Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 16
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CANADA'S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS (2025)
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Toronto-based ADAPTOVATE starts new employees at four weeks of paid vacation and organizes events so employees can connect outside of work.
Small but mighty
Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers now offer benefits that rival larger organizations
O
nly a few years ago, there was a
clear difference for job seekers
between Canada’s Top Small &
Medium Employers (2025) and
large enterprises. Big organizations,
especially those on Mediacorp Canada’s
top employer lists across the country,
normally had all the bells and whistles
— good compensation, a full range of
health benefits, long maternity leave
top-ups, solid vacation allowances, and
more. SMEs — not so much. They
attracted talent with their warm, family-like atmosphere, flexible work environment and the chance to get ahead more
quickly in a smaller workplace of fewer
(usually a lot fewer) than 500 employees.
But not these days, says Kristina Leung,
managing editor at Mediacorp. “Increasingly, our SME winners look very similar
to the regional and national winners in
terms of the benefits the provide,” she
says. “For instance, roughly 23 per cent of
this year’s SME winners offer more than
three weeks of starting vacation allowance.
There’s also a higher representation of
employers with flexible time-off policies,
meaning they don’t have a formal cap on
their annual vacation allowance.”
Salary top-ups used to be one of the
clearest dividers. Now, though, “almost
three-quarters of our SME winners offer
maternity or parental leave top-up, which
is pretty incredible,” says Leung. “When
we started the list 12 years ago, the number
was around 40 per cent.”
SMEs are also focusing on professional
development, wellness, mental health
coverage and giving back to the community, she notes. “They’re offering much the
same value proposition as larger employers who are also in the game of recruiting
and attracting talent.”
So, what’s the difference now? Well, that
warm atmosphere at Canada’s Top Small &
Medium Employers (2025) is still there.
“Where we see a distinction on a more
qualitative level is culture,” says Leung. To
start with, everyone tends to know
everyone, and the boss’s door is usually
open. “And they can offer perks that are
harder to do at larger organizations — time
off as a reward, for instance. Travel is
another thing.” Some SMEs have been
known to fly the entire staff to a sunny
destination as a reward for good results.
All of which is good news for Canadian
employees, who now have more choice
when it comes to finding excellent
employers. SMEs account for 64 per cent
of Canada’s private-sector labour force and
- wait for it - 99.7 per cent of its companies.”
– Berton Woodward
