October 23, 2006
Media contact: Kim Lawrence
604-864-4611
or 604-504-7441, local 4611
Cell: 604-302-6257
kim.lawrence@ucfv.ca
Survey names UCFV #1 employer in Western Canada
Taking the true pulse of a workforce has always been challenging. In recent years, private companies have built an industry on fee-based surveys, signing up employers and providing them with the tools to market those surveys to their employees. Understandably, the results are often skewed. That’s why UCFV is especially proud to have been named top employer in Western Canada in an anonymous survey conducted online this past summer, without any employer sponsorship.
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Diane Griffiths, associate vice-president of employee
services at UCFV, with the Top Employer award. |
Toronto-based Market Yourself Smarter and the Collin Baer Group asked employees across the country to rank their employers, without fear of consequences. The survey was distributed nationally in June, and was divided between Eastern and Western Canada, resulting in two Top 10 lists. Its objective was to provide a voice to Canadians in the workplace by letting them comment anonymously on their employer’s ethics, trust, support, and transparency. A total of 69 companies were nominated, 31 of them in Western Canada.
UCFV is in good company in the rankings. The top organizations in the West are (in order):
- University College of the Fraser Valley
- Urban Systems
- Flight Centre Canada
- Pacific Western Brewing Company
- Schlumberger Canada Ltd.
- Rocky Mountaineer Vacations
- Vancity
- Ethical Funds Company
- Credential Financial Inc.
- British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)
- TransCanada Pipelines Ltd.
“We’re thrilled to be recognized in this way,” says UCFV president Skip Bassford. “UCFV draws top faculty from around the world and, while our beautiful location is an asset, the real draw is our focus on teaching excellence. What matters to us most is that our students have access to a great learning environment...and that means having happy and fulfilled employees. UCFV is large enough to offer variety yet small enough that our faculty can give students personal attention and provide learning experiences in a hands-on environment.”
“The competition for excellent faculty is fierce,” adds Diane Griffiths, associate vice-president of employee services, “and smaller public institutions cannot compete with the salaries offered top-level candidates at major universities. Where UCFV wins is through its open, collegial work environment, 30 years in the making. People can connect easily with each other across the usual boundaries of discipline and function. They are able to take the risks and build the teams necessary to deliver innovative programs that are responsive to the needs of our students and communities.”
Griffiths says that when faculty are asked why they chose UCFV, they consistently report that even during initial interviews, they sensed it was a place they would feel accepted and encouraged to grow as teachers, scholars and individuals. “They say that people at UCFV care about each other and our students,” she notes, “and that it shows.”
Griffiths, who has herself been employed at UCFV since 1988, notes that, “UCFV doesn’t ask employees to check their personal lives at the door when they come here. We value the life experiences they bring to the institution, and we actively support them in achieving the kind of balance that enables a full life both at and beyond the workplace.”
“We put a lot of effort into the complete package we offer faculty and staff,” adds Bassford. “Our benefits programs – which include tuition breaks for employees and their families, professional development allowances, excellent health care, and training and development opportunities – are attractive to many candidates, especially those with families.”
UCFV hires year-round. Check out job postings for locations across the Fraser Valley at www.ucfv.ca/careers. Learn more about UCFV at www.ucfv.ca/aboutUCFV .
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