Canada's Top 100 Employers (2025) Magazine - Flipbook - Page 34
34
( 2025 )
SPONSOR CONTENT
Henkel empowers employees with global opportunities
W
hen Tina Sanbalian
was first interviewing
for a human resources
job at Henkel Canada
four years ago, what really excited
her about joining the multinational
company was the attention and
investment Henkel was willing to
put into developing and supporting
employees.
Sanbalian was particularly
impressed by Henkel’s Triple Two
philosophy, which is driven by the
conviction that enabling employees
to have a broad and diverse work
experience strengthens the entire
business. One Triple Two initiative,
called “Grow”, allowed Sanbalian
to spend about three months in
Australia last year: 10 weeks in
Sydney working with the consumer
brands business, and three weeks
in Melbourne with the adhesives
division.
“Henkel invests in resources to
not only develop employees,
but also retain employees.”
— Tina Sanbalian
Senior Manager, Human Resources
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime
experience,” says Sanbalian, an HR
specialist who is now senior manager
of human resources in Canada. In
addition to allowing her to increase
her knowledge about Henkel’s
lines of business, the Australian
assignment exposed Sanbalian to
another HR team and colleagues in a
new country and region. “It not only
pushed my professional development, but my personal development
as well.”
Another way Mississauga, Ont.based Henkel Canada – a unit of the
German adhesives and consumer
products giant – gives employees
more flexibility in where and when
they work is through its Smart Work
initiative. Through the program,
staff are offered the ability to work
up to 30 calendar days each year in
another country.
Henkel has a “huge focus on learning and development,” Sanbalian
says. Among other initiatives,
the company provides excellent
onboarding, as well as internal
and external training programs for
personal growth and enhancing
leadership skills.
“Henkel invests in resources to not
only develop employees, but also
retain employees,” Sanbalian says.
“Once employees come through the
door, we dedicate a lot of time into
onboarding and training because we
don’t want them to leave.”
Pierre Dupuis, Henkel’s general
manager for consumer brands in
Canada, says managers are focused
on encouraging employees to take
advantage of the breadth and depth
of the global corporation.
“We have a lot of opportunity
within Henkel Canada if you want
to move around and experience
different parts of the business,” says
Dupuis, who has been at Henkel for
14 years.
As part of its “big-time investment” in developing its employees,
Dupuis says, Henkel prioritizes
listening to its employees’ needs.
This is achieved through regular
development conversations held
throughout the year, allowing the
company to adapt based on the
feedback received.
HENKEL.COM/CAREERS
To support development, Henkel encourages employees to
volunteer in the community.
“I always ask, ‘Is there something
we could do differently? Is there
something we are not providing? Is
there something else you would
prefer to be doing?’” he says. “We
gain greater perspective and insights
by fostering a culture where employee feedback is encouraged.”
Henkel also takes mental health
“very seriously” through the year,
Dupuis says. “We have two weeks
dedicated to mental health where
we offer an assortment of resources,
$
1,500
mental health practitioner benefit
including speakers on different
aspects, to help create greater awareness and understanding of how to
manage mental health issues.”
Sanbalian says this approach and
attitude is born from a culture of
caring.
“Henkel listens to its employees,”
she says. “From an HR perspective,
it makes my life so much easier
working for an organization that sees
the value in people and cares about
people.” ¢
12
weeks, parental leave top-up pay
(adoption included)
