Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 48
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CANADA'S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS (2025)
Lawrie has a culture that treats everyone as family
L
ast May, Hamiltonbased Lawrie Insurance
Group was awarded the
Community Impact Award
by the local chamber of commerce
for initiatives that are enriching
both the community and the
lives of its employees. It was a
much-appreciated acknowledgement of the culture that Lawrie
prides itself on having — one
that touches everyone: clients,
employees and the local communities. “It all ties together in terms
of our core values,” says president
and CEO Bob Lawrie, “and our
purpose each and every day.”
The importance Lawrie places
on community involvement
trickles down to employees. “We
all have our causes that we’re
passionate about in the community,” says Neva DeMiglio, a human
resources business partner. “And
the organization allows for a lot of
volunteer opportunities.”
A dedicated Lawrie Cares
community team helps to promote
and streamline some of those
initiatives, but employees are encouraged to volunteer with places
near and dear to them.
Those can range from stuffing
Christmas stockings and backpacks with school supplies for
local schoolchildren to hygiene
kits for mission services and food
and clothing drives for families in
need. “Causes that are important
to our clients are also something
employees support,” she adds,
“so it really brings everything
together.”
Lawrie also partners with nearby Mohawk College, and more
than 30 per cent of employees are
Mohawk grads. “We’ve started
doing more and more co-op student support and really doubling
down on bringing in future leaders of tomorrow,” says Lawrie.
The company has set up
bursaries for Mohawk students,
honours past Mohawk grad employees with student awards, puts
on job fairs, provides opportunities for networking and more. “We
get letters from students who say
they’re getting opportunities they
wouldn’t have been able to get
without the support of the bursaries,” he adds. “So, we’re really
proud of that.”
Lawrie is equally committed
to investing in the growth and
development of all its employees.
In her four years at the company, DeMiglio has grown from a
contract HR administrator role to
a permanent HR coordinator, and
now into a business partner role,
all while Lawrie provided financial
support to complete her HR courses. “They provide great support
with tuition reimbursement,” she
says. “They care about making
sure people feel they have a career
here, and not just duties in a job.”
The head of her department
made sure DeMiglio had exposure
to opportunities, as well as the
necessary coaching and training.
“If you’ve got a question, you really feel like you can go to anyone,
and people are always jumping in
to support you,” she adds. “I think
the work environment here is
really unique, actually.”
That kind of supportive culture
starts at the top. “Our continuing
goal is to remain fiercely independent and grow organically,”
says Lawrie. “And that ties into
investing in our people, investing
in training, development and
education — the whole person.”
“THEY CARE ABOUT MAKING SURE PEOPLE FEEL THEY
HAVE A CAREER HERE, AND NOT JUST DUTIES IN A
JOB.”
— Neva DeMiglio, Human Resources Business Partner
Lawrie Insurance Group supports employees pursuing further education and other training and development
opportunities.
