Canada's Top 100 Employers (2025) Magazine - Flipbook - Page 26
26
( 2025 )
SPONSOR CONTENT
Learning is a career-long pursuit at Carleton University
W
hen Laura Wilson
reflects on her
career at Carleton
University, she
describes it as a journey of learning
and growing.
She remembers her first-day-ofschool jitters starting her new job 11
years ago, but she didn’t have to worry – she received a warm reception
from her new team.
“As soon as I walked in the door,
everyone was just so kind that I instantly felt welcome,” recalls Wilson,
who recently became director, business operations.
“We’re a learning
organization, so whenever
I’ve had interactions with
employees and they would like
to follow pursuits of learning,
it is always encouraged.”
— Jerry Tomberlin
Interim President
and Vice-Chancellor
While today she is settling into
her new senior role, on that first day
she was the supervisor of student
accounts.
The journey from supervisor to
director included several different
positions made possible by the
strong support she received from the
university and her bosses along the
way.
“My boss at the time was just so
happy to teach me and share knowledge,” says Wilson. “He taught me so
much and really mentored me.”
The unofficial mentorship was
indicative of a broader culture of
knowledge-sharing that Wilson has
experienced at the university.
“In universities, it’s very easy to
become siloed,” says Wilson. “But at
Carleton, I find that if there’s interest
in learning about other departments,
people are very open to that.”
The ability to learn and grow
within the organization is by design,
explains interim president and
vice-chancellor Jerry Tomberlin.
“We’re a learning organization, so
whenever I’ve had interactions with
employees and they would like to follow pursuits of learning, it is always
encouraged,” he says.
“We have opportunities for learning in the university both formally
and not, including free tuition and
also many professional development opportunities that people can
pursue.”
One such initiative is Carleton
Leader, an initiative that develops a
shared sense of leadership through a
community of collaborative leaders
across the institution.
The program engages leaders and
emerging leaders from Carleton’s
academic and professional services
groups in an interactive and reflective process.
“Taking that dedicated time away
from the day-to-day and really
taking the time to invest in creating
relationships with people was such a
huge thing. It was so valuable,” says
Wilson. “I learned a lot about myself
in terms of what kind of leader I was
or could be.”
Another career stepping stone
came when she filled a one-year
maternity leave in a different department thanks to the university’s
Career Development Assignment
program.
Under the program, employees
Employees at Carleton University are encouraged to pursue their
passions with free tuition for courses offered by the organization.
can explore a new position while
having their permanent role held for
them.
“It’s just such an amazing thing
that Carleton offers,” says Wilson.
“I never would have taken that if my
job wasn’t held, because why would
you give up a permanent job for a
year-long position?”
Free tuition – another perk for
employees – also gave Wilson the
chance to pursue a personal passion
of hers and, with the support of her
bosses, she was able to earn a bachelor of arts in English literature.
“That was really great, to have the
flexibility to be able to keep taking
courses even though they were technically during work hours,” she says.
Empowering our community to
CHALLENGE
what’s possible
100%
employer-paid
retiree health premium
Beyond career and learning
opportunities, the university emphasizes health and wellness through
its employee benefits, including its
healthy workplace initiative, which
encourages physical activity or
healthy habits like leaving one’s desk
to walk or play a sport during lunch.
Health and wellness are another
part of the bigger picture when it
comes to employee satisfaction at the
university, according to Tomberlin.
“I think the vast majority of our
employees really are engaged and
love to be here,” he says. “And if you
love to be here, you do a better job,
which is so important – especially
when it comes to students, researchers and education.” ¢
400
jobs available last year
