Webnames.ca offers a fitness/lifestyle benefit to ensure that employees stay in good health with regular outdoor activities or exercise programs. The benefit reimburses the employee for such things as gym memberships, ski lessons, yoga classes, etc. In the past, depending on whether the staff wanted it or not, a nurse has been brought in to offer staff annual ‘flu vaccines.

Access to emergency childcare:

We have allowed people to bring school-age children into the office when they have been in a pinch when schools had Pro-D days or were closed for holidays. Young children cannot be accommodated for any length of time due to the disruption to our call centre. Webnames.ca does offer Family Responsibility Leave. Employees can take up to five days of unpaid leave in each employment year to attend to the care, health or education of a child in the employee’s care, or to the care or health of any other member of the employee’s immediate family.

Competitive Compensation:

An extensive benefits package includes medical, extended health, dental, life insurance, life insurance, paid sick days and above average vacation allotments.

Besides competitive salaries, year-end performance bonuses are paid out to employees at all levels from customer support to senior management.

Staff are encouraged to continue education and training both inside and outside of work hours. We schedule frequent lunchtime training sessions as well as offer $1000/year education benefit to all staff. For more senior staff, we pay for any relevant external courses within budget.

Flex-time:

Webnames.ca offers employees the opportunity to start their work day between 6 and 9:00am. It is also possible for some positions to work from home.

Job cooperatives / job sharing:

This has never been requested, but Webnames.ca is open to accommodating its employees where possible.

Part-time or contract positions:

Webnames.ca has hired contract workers or part-time workers based on fit for the company and staff.

Gradual re-entry after maternity leave:

Webnames.ca looks at this on a case-by-case basis. Employees who were previously full time returned on a part-time basis, and in some cases returned to full time hours after a period of time. It is also possible for some positions to do some work from home.

Lactation rooms:

Webnames.ca doesn’t currently have any designated lactation rooms, although there are meeting rooms/private offices which could be used. In our experience, mothers have taken the full year maternity/parental leave and no longer require this space.

Health benefits:

Webnames.ca provides extended medical coverage and dental insurance for both individuals and families. BC Medical is also paid by the company for families. Life insurance coverage provides employees extra peace of mind for their families.

Social events:

A number of social events include families such as the annual Webnames.ca summer barbeque.

Webnames.ca Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Cybele Negris, has also been featured in our Mom Spotlight.

Among Coast’s numerous workplace practices and programs, and to support a balanced lifestyle, they offer part-time and a variety of work schedules, tele-commuting options for some roles, and where feasible, they even have job-sharing opportunities. In addition, full time employees start with three weeks of company-paid vacation, but if the work team can manage it, staff can buy up to two more weeks of employee-paid vacation through their Self Funded Vacation Program. Coast also offers a 10-Month Leave Program that allows employees (based on operationally feasible situations) to take up to two months off from work (e.g. during the summer break to be with their young children).

Five personal leave days are afforded to every employee for instances such as: the care of a sick child or immediate family member, Doctor’s appointments, moving, studying for and/or writing an exam, attending a child’s school event, unable to get to work on a snowy day etc.

There is also a flexible benefits program where employees can choose benefit coverage levels that are right for their own personal situation. Plus, they have a Health Care Spending Account as part of this program which allows staff to put money aside (without taxes) to be used later for health-related things such as orthodontic or vision care (if the coverage level does not pick up the full cost) and many other things.

The employee and family assistance program is available to everyone and has extensive offerings, within a broad range of personal and work-related areas, including family and parenting, alcohol and drugs, smoking cessation, eldercare concerns, legal concerns, relationships, grief, health, and stress.

Plus there are other programs like providing an information package to expecting parents with resources to help them; naturopathic services, health coaching services, a nutrition program, health information services (nurse line), home care access, just to name a few.

Benefit offerings in other areas are generous, such as the banking benefits. Staff are eligible for discounts on foreign currency exchange, personal bank accounts, home insurance, credit cards, safety deposit boxes, mortgages and loans as well as our computer loan and career wear loan programs. This one benefit alone can help employees save thousands of dollars annually.

To encourage higher life-long learning, Coast offers its own “Coast U” – an in-house, progressive, educational entity that provides learning opportunities to help staff develop in their current job and prepare them for advancement. They’ll even help employees take courses at outside institutions by subsidizing the cost.

The following excerpts are from the nomination forms submitted by staff:

“I have been with Coast Capital Savings for 7 years this coming June. This is the longest I’ve been with any one employer and I believe it’s largely due to: always interesting work, great people that I work with and for, the company has strong ethics and values which align to my own personal value system, and it’s a very employee-friendly environment from the perspective of offering employees ample choice in career opportunities and in how to manage one’s work and personal life balance.”

“I’ve worked for Coast Capital for the last 10 years and I have found this company incredibly supportive and accommodating to my own situation. Over the years, my manager and the company overall with its many programs and workplace practices has afforded me the opportunity to truly balance work and my personal life – but also have a thriving and rewarding career in the process.”

Our story started in 1899 with the hiring of our first female employees and continued on to naming the first female vice-president in 1943. We continue our journey by removing barriers and committing to make IBM the first employer of choice for women. As the number of women entering the workforce has increased continually and dramatically over the past two decades, so has IBM’s commitment to understanding their needs and providing services that make it possible for them to be productive while fulfilling family and personal obligations. IBM offers a full range of flexible work schedules ranging from work at home, compressed workweeks as well as the ability to adjust their start / stop times (Individual Work Schedule) by up to two hours before or after normal start times.

IBM’s dedication to attracting and retaining its women employees is undiminished. Through the many programs, initiatives, and benefits described above, IBM offers flexibility, supportive leadership, and innovative programs that recognize the dynamic needs of working mothers. We believe these key programs provide a foundation for our women and our ultimate measurement is for women employees, particularly working mothers, to aspire to both an executive/professional life and a family.

Flex-Time/Job Sharing/Part-time/Gradual Transition
Flexible Work Options: TD’s Choice @ Work flexible work options program offers a wide range of choices to enable employees to work with their manager towards creative solutions to best meet work and personal obligations.
• Flexible Place: provides the option of working at a location other than the employees’ regular TDBFG workplace, including their home, for all or part of the week.
• Flexible Time: a variety of options are available to change when employees work – this may mean altering start and end times; keeping weekly hours the same but changing the number of days worked; or reducing the number of hours worked.
• Job Partnership: we have an established process to help employees identify partners with whom they wish to share one job.
• Part-Time: We offer part time positions and are working to create more part-time positions at more senior levels”
• Gradual Transition: allows an employee to gradually return to normal duties from childcare and disability leaves. A gradual transition from work, such as leading up to retirement, can also be considered. The transition time from a childcare leave is up to a maximum of 90 days, and for other leaves we are open to explore accommodation based on individual circumstances.
TD also offers a Staying Connected Process: People Managers and employees are encouraged to stay in touch during an employee’s leave of absence if the employee chooses this option. We recommend processes to transition to a leave, connect while away, and successfully return to work. We recently enhanced our technology processes to be better able to offer many employees on a Leave access to email and the intranet while they are away. We have extended our TD Pulse (our global semi-annual employee survey) program to employees on leave.
Onramping
In partnership with a leading University, TD is developing a program that will assist women who have been out of the workforce for several years and wish to re-enter the labour market into permanent mid-management level employment. The program will employ a variety of teaching methods including individual counseling, self reflection exercises, group work, classroom discussions, case studies, and peer coaching to update participants on new concepts and practices in business. The program will be facilitated by the University faculty and some program segments will offer TD guest speakers and TD related case studies.

Commencing in the Fall of 2010, the program will be offered once a year and will ideally include 25-30 participants.

For more information please visit our Career information site at http://www.td.com/careers>Opportunities>Back to Business
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
TD offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides 24 hour / 7 day a week access to information and confidential consultation. Employees have access to professional and confidential resources to help them and their immediate family members resolve issues impacting their personal and work life including personal well-being, relationship issues, family issues, addictions and workplace challenges. This is a confidential and voluntary service available to employees and their immediate family at no cost.
The following extended information services are also available through TD’s EAP program:
• Financial Services Support – a consultation service that puts employees in touch with skilled financial advisors who can help create an action plan to deal with specific financial issues (e.g. credit/debt management, bankruptcy, financial emergencies, etc.).
• Health Information Services – immediate access to a Registered Nurse who will provide personalized assistance to address symptoms, advise on action that should taken and to answer any health-related questions and concerns.
Family-Friendly Benefits Plan
TD’s Benefits Plan is structured to provide flexibility to employees when choosing benefits coverage in order to meet their individual and family needs. All employees receive a core level of benefits coverage at no cost and may choose to purchase additional benefits coverage. TD provides employees with benefit credits to help offset the cost of additional benefits coverage based on the coverage they select and the number of dependents they cover – providing additional support for those with families. The Benefits Plan offers a wide array of coverage and choice, including Health, Dental, Disability, Life, Critical Illness, Emergency Travel Medical and Accident coverage. All employees receive a core level of benefits coverage at no cost and may choose to purchase additional benefits coverage.
In addition to providing benefits to active employees, benefits are also extended to employees on leaves of absence, including, but not limited to, disability-related leaves and Canadian Armed Forces leaves of absence.
Wellness Tools & Initiatives
We offer a number of wellness resources:
• Wellness website which includes a series of on-line videos (video library) on a variety of topics such as time management, mental health, nutrition, elder care, and childhood illnesses that can be accessed 24/7 from work or home.
• Mental health resources including Feeling Better Now, an interactive information and support tool.
• An employee assistance program (EAP).
• Ergonomic training.
• Child care and leave of absence policies.
• Flexible work arrangements (Choice @ Work).
• Annual on-site flu clinics.
• We recently introduced wellness-related discounts to employees encompassing gym memberships and weight loss programs that employees can access in many communities across the country.
• In 2010 a new wellness initiative was introduced that provides eligible employees with access to Best Doctors® – a consultation service with access to world-renowned doctors for serious illnesses
Wellness/Quiet Rooms: TD has a number of quiet and wellness rooms, as well as offices and meeting rooms which could be reserved for the purposes of lactation, religious observance, etc.
Another way we promote work/life balance is through TDBFG’s Volunteer Policy. We support our employees who choose to volunteer their talents and their time, and offer paid time off work for employee volunteer activities that take place during regular work hours. This gives employees the opportunity to go out and support their communities without impacting their personal time.
For a current list of opportunities at td, please visit http://www.td.com/careers

Our culture is deeply aligned to our vision, our engagement practices, the processes we embed across our organization and the pursuit of our brand promise – the future is friendly.

Our brand promise not only underpins our business strategies and drives our customer experience initiatives, but also our programs for – and relationship with – team members.

Learning, development and recognition

One of our strategic business priorities is elevating the engagement of the TELUS team through exceptional learning and development opportunities, as well as a strong recognition program:

• In 2009, we invested $30 million in training and development. Our award-winning program includes more than 6,700 virtual courses and 20,000 online books. In 2008, for example, more than 280,000 online courses were completed and 10,400 team members accessed online books.

• In addition to our compensation program, which includes the TELUS Employee Share Purchase Plan and profit sharing performance bonus program, our recognition program includes:

o Bravo  encouraging recognition at all levels of the organization through e-cards and Bravo points, which are redeemed for items in a vast online catalogue, including gift certificates to restaurants and spas, electronics and life experiences such as wine tours and ballroom dancing lessons;
o TELUS restricted share units and share options for high performers; and
o TELUS Celebrates Friends and Family – a year-round program recognizing team members for their contributions and honouring the support provided by our family and friends. The program awards monthly prizes and offers discounts for family activities such as theatre productions, TELUS World of Science admissions and local ski resort passes.

Enabling team members to work when and where they are most effective

We also attract and retain the best talent by enabling team members to work when and where they are most effective. Through our Work Styles program, thousands of team members work from home or another remote location, improving their work-life balance and reducing our company’s impact on the environment.

We give where we live

Team TELUS Cares, our national charitable giving and volunteering program, encourages team members and retirees to give back and improve the communities where we live, work and serve. The program consists of five initiatives:

• Employee Charitable Giving Program, which enables TELUS team members and retirees to donate to more than 48,000 registered charities with TELUS matching their donations dollar for dollar. In 2009, through the generosity of team members, retirees and TELUS dealers, we collectively gave $7.1 million to local charities across Canada – more than any other Canadian corporation.
• Dollars for Doers, which converts volunteer hours into donations for team members’ and retirees’ charities of choice. In 2009, more than 6,300 team members and retirees volunteered 466,000 hours, resulting in a $735,900 donation to charities across Canada. Since 2000, team members and retirees have volunteered more than 3.1 million hours in communities across Canada.
• TELUS Community Ambassadors, a program that enables TELUS team members and retirees to volunteer in communities across Canada and touch the lives of more than 50,000 Canadians each year. The program consists of 18 service clubs, involved in a range of causes such as Kits for Kids – backpacks filled with school supplies for students in need.

• TELUS Day of Service, a day when employees, families and friends give back to their communities. Our fourth annual TELUS Day of Service took place on May 30, 2009. More than 9,000 employees, families and friends participated in 175 volunteer activities in 23 regions across Canada, recording 27,000 volunteer hours in just one day.

Employer of choice for all

In early 2009, TELUS created our Diversity and Inclusiveness Council, and 12 team members with different backgrounds began working together to create and support diversity initiatives across our organization.

Both the council and our Diversity team in Human Resources were busy in 2009, involved in a number of projects to strengthen our commitment to be an employer of choice for all. For example:

• Last March, TELUS became a corporate partner of Pride@Work Canada, an organization that supports the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in workplaces across the country. Our participation in this national organization supports our vision of a diverse and inclusive environment where all team members work together, unified by our TELUS values and our respect for each other.

• In 2009, an LGBT employee resource group was launched at TELUS. Already the group has 50 members and chapters in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

• This year, the Diversity team is developing a diversity and inclusiveness online awareness program to be offered to all team members.

As well, in 2006 TELUS created its women’s network called Connections. Today, Connections is a national initiative supporting the professional development of women at TELUS. It’s a strong part of our commitment to help women in our organization, including team members in frontline positions, realize their full potential. Today, Connections has about 3,000 dynamic members across the country who connect with each other at networking events, volunteer together in their communities and participate in leadership development opportunities. A pilot virtual mentoring program was recently launched to explore innovative ways to support women in their career and personal development.

A wide range of flexible benefits

TELUS provides team members with a wide range of benefits, including:

• Provincial health care
• Extended health coverage
• Vacation and personal well-being days
• Short-term disability
• Long-term disability
• Supplemental employment insurance
• An annual life balance account of $500 to spend on items and activities to improve work-life balance
• Additional credits to purchase additional benefits coverage or apply to their salary
• Maternity leave benefits: a 70 per cent top-up of EI/QPIP benefits to provide in total 70 per cent of a team member’s gross base pay (including regular sales commissions) for 17 weeks

A virtual personal assistant for professional and management team members
TELUS management and professional team members can take advantage of the personal services available at Thirsty Muse to help balance life and work. Thirsty Muse can help manage a range of tasks, such as dropping off library books and booking airfare and accommodations.
A national partnership with Kids & Company

To help our working parents, TELUS has a partnership with Kids & Company, Canada’s leading provider of corporate-sponsored child care in Calgary, Waterloo, Toronto, Ottawa, Ajax, Winnipeg, Mississauga, Montreal, London and Halifax. Kids & Company will guarantee children of TELUS team members a spot within six months of registering.

Healthy Living

Supporting the health and well-being of our team members is a critical component of our culture and business success over the long term. We want to foster a culture that inspires and enables team members to lead a healthy lifestyle and prevent chronic illness.

Healthy Living at TELUS includes a variety of health and well-being programs:

• Leadership, team and family support (e.g. in person, phone and online counselling)
• Wellness and health promotion (active living fairs, nutritional information sessions, on-site fitness centres and discounts to leading fitness centres across the country)
• Healthy Measures – registered nurses measure body mass index and provide blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose tests at confidential, on-site screening clinics
• Health and wellness practitioners (e.g. nutritional counselling)
• Active Living classes and services, such as yoga, Pilates and massage therapy
• Healthy food choices and nutritional information in our cafeterias

Promoting a healthy work-life balance for all employees is a key priority for Habañero Consulting Group. To help with this, the company offers an $800 yearly fitness allowance that employees can use for gym memberships, sports lessons, or other healthy options. Habañero also works with several business and life coaches who provide a variety of workshops for employees.

Access to on-site daycare or emergency childcare

Many employees have children, and Habañero supports a multitude of childcare options for employees. No formal on-site or emergency childcare exists; however, on occassion, small creatures can be seen roaming the hallways, overtaking a parent’s computer screen, or indulging in treats in the kitchen. Based on some best practices gleaned from some of the other employers on this list, Habañero is also at this time exploring the idea of partnering up with \”nanny on call\” services to provide parents with emergency child care if needed.

Flex time, job co-ops, job sharing, part-time, contract positions

In support of employee work-life balance, Habañero offers a range of work options depending on what’s best for an individual’s personal life and career. Some employees have opted for reduced work weeks, some flex their time, some work remotely or from home, and some work part-time. We also employ contractors on an as-needed basis, and some past contractors have since become employees.

Health benefits and maternity/parental leave top-up

Habañero offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and extended health. (The benefits package also includes an annual employee fitness credit, an employee technology allowance, and RRSP matching.) Also, when employees are on maternity or parental leave, Habañero continues to pay their benefits premiums. Upon return from maternity leave, the company offers a return-to-work bonus the equivalent of one-month’s salary. Habañero also believes in flexible sick day time where that time can be used by an employee to look after themselves, a partner, a child or a parent.

Other perks

Habañero offers a unique work environment and a culture that can’t be beat. This is part of the reason our employee retention rates are so high. There are some key activities that contribute to making Habañero a great place to work: the company provides lunch for all employees every Friday and encourages everyone to eat together; we offer cake or dessert on the first Friday of each month to celebrate employee birthdays; we have regular company parties and celebrations, both planned and impromptu; we enter a company team in both the Vancouver Sun Run and the bi-annual VACC Bike to Work Week; and we participate collectively in charity events such as the United Way Day of Caring, United Way Employee Giving Campaign, Bowling for Big Brothers, and assorted other drives and campaigns.

Position – Client Management

Company – Nannies on Call

Contact info – 604-734-1776

Website – www.nanniesoncall.com

E-mail to: susan@nanniesoncall.com

Our company offers extremely flexible office hours; and the ease to switch days to accommodate family needs.  Nannies on Call gives complimentary Nanny Plan memberships and access to our nannies on call for their families.  Many of our moms have the ability to use our program and phone lines at home and a playful, safe and entertaining space in the office should they need to bring their children to work. 

Thank you for considering my submission for Nannies on Call.

Over the past several years, PwC has shown a true commitment to supporting working moms and their families. They have introduced many programs and benefits that directly support working mothers who are employed by the Firm.

Below we detail many of the programs and benefits, whether through formal policy or as informally practiced by members the firm, that foster a supportive work environment at PwC.

Family Leaves:
The firm supports parents while on maternity and parental (including adoption) leaves of absence.

Family leaves of absence relate to:
• mothers taking leave following the birth of a child
• either mothers or fathers taking leave to adopt a child
• fathers taking leave following the birth of a child

During family leaves of absence, PwC provides continuation of insured benefits and retirement programs.

In addition, through the firm’s Periodic Absence Policy, adoptive parents and fathers are eligible to take an additional one week of paid leave within the first year of the birth or adoption of a child. If this additional paid week for parental or adoption leave is combined with other paid time off (of up to three weeks of paid time off) available through the Periodic Absence Policy, staff have the potential to take up to one month of paid time off to be with their new child.

Maternity Leave Top Up
The Firm tops up the Employment Insurance maternity leave benefits for a maximum of 17 weeks to a level equal to 100% of the base salary less EI/QPIP benefits paid. This provides working mothers with an added source of income and financial security.

Adoption Assistance
In recognition of the additional cost associated with adopting a child, PwC reimburses certain expenses associated with the adoption up to $10,000 per child. This benefit is paid regardless of whether or not individuals take a formal leave of absence.

Pilot Maternity Leave Transitions Program
In a select group of our offices, PwC is piloting a program which offers increased support to women during the various transitions of a maternity leave. Specifically, women going on, currently on, returning from a maternity leave can request to participate in the program, which pairs them with an \”experienced buddy\” – another PwC mom that has experienced the transitions of maternity leaves before. This experienced buddy can help a new PwC mom by providing informal mentoring, sharing ideas for managing the birth of a new child, and can also provide advice on ways to contintue managing one\’s career along side the changes brought about by the birth of a new child. Our hope is that all PwC mothers will receive the support they need and good advice on ensuring that they are able to manage work and home responsibilities in a fulfilling way. PwC has developed guides, both for new PwC moms and their experienced buddies which provides a wealth of tips and advice to navigate the many new challenges at home and at work.

Flexible Work Arrangements
PwC is committed to helping individuals achieve their professional and personal goals. Founded on respect for individuals, flexible work arrangements help us foster both creativity and effectiveness while working to achieving work/life flexibility. The firm supports non-traditional ways of working, where practical. Types of flexible working arrangements available include:

Flexi-time – refers to flexible work hours in which you have some choice in the pattern of daily work hours, generally staggering the start and end times of the workday while still working a regular length workday and incorporating core business hours of 9:00am to 3:30pm.

Reduced Hours – A reduced hour arrangement which is less than the full-time (37.5 hours per week) work equivalent.

PwC Offsite – This work arrangement is designed for staff who work at home on a regular basis for fewer than 3 days of their work week.

PwC@Home – This work arrangement is designed for staff working at least 3 days per week at home or more. For individuals who work from home the firm reimburses the following:
installation of a business telephone line;
monthly telephone service for the business telephone line
long distance business phone calls from home office;
Purolator and postal charges for work-related items
travel to the PwC office and client premises

Job Sharing – Job sharing is a work arrangement that allows two individuals to jointly fulfill the responsibilities of one full-time position.

Flexible Work Arrangement Toolkits
The firm provides Flexible Work Arrangement toolkits that offer guidance and support to staff who are considering a flexible work arrangement, and to the managers who have staff and teams either requesting, or currently on, flexible work arrangements.

Briefcase Moms
In 2007, PwC launched Briefcase Moms, a program which aims to bring mothers together to address the practical and emotional issues of being a working parent, and allows them to share their experiences on how to achieve work/life flexibility. Sessions were hosted by facilitator and well-known author Lisa Martin, who has coached thousands of women to uncover their own work/life solutions. In addition to Lisa facilitating the sessions, senior PwC women participated by sharing their own personal stories about how they have succeeded, both as a professional and as a parent. Women in several offices across the county have participated in the program.

New Parents Information Seminar
Acting on input received during the Briefcase Moms program as well as related requests, the New Parents Information lunch and learn was created and piloted in our Vancouver office and was made available across the country in 2008. It gives practical advice to birth mothers and fathers and adoptive parents when they are preparing to take a family leave, as well as information on firm benefits and resources available to new parents. Topics covered include preparing for leave; things to know while on leave; and information on PwC’s ongoing support, such as benefits, resources, and flexible work arrangements

Briefcase Parents
Building on the success of Briefcase Moms, several offices have held Briefcase Parents sessions, helping dads also achieve success in both their personal and professional lives. In some offices, women who have participated in the formal Briefcase Moms program, have shared the learnings with allstaff, including singles, helping to foster an open dialogue around work-life flexibility and its associated challenges.

Briefcase Moms Alumni Sessions
In some offices, women who have attended the Briefcase Moms program get together for periodic lunch sessions, and engage in discussion on various topics relevant to working moms. It is an opportunity for shared learning and most importantly, a chance for women to continue to build their informal support networks at PwC. We also hold these sessions for women who have not attended the Briefcase Moms program, but for any PwC moms. For example, at some sessions participants view a PwC-produced video about the challenges, and rewards, of work and motherhood. This video has been the basis for great conversations not just about the challenges of work and motherhood, but also allows participants to reflect on the fulfilling reasons they work.

Child Care
To help improve staff’s ability to maintain work/life flexibility and better manage the needs of their dependents with their work requirements, the firm offers a Back-up Child Care and Back-up Family Care Benefit. The Back-up Child Care Benefit aims to alleviate the stress and financial impact associated with Back-up Child Care when emergencies arise with a regular child care provider. The Back-up Family Care Benefit is designed to address staff needs if their regular care arrangements are disrupted or emergency care is required for other eligible family members (e.g. parent, grandparent) who do not qualify for the Back-up Child Care Benefit.

The firm also provides access to Kids & Co. daycare located in many cities nationally. This organization provides full-time, part-time or emergency back-up childcare.

Work/Life Flexibility
The Firm has numerous programs in place to support working mothers and help them achieve a healthy work life balance. Some examples included among these are:
• Access to 3rd part counseling and support services,
• A fitness benefit for all staff,
• Briefcase Moms, as previously discussed

Family Support Services
Through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider, the firm provides a Family Support Service. Professionals help staff cope with the stress, guilt, and sense of being overwhelmed, that are often associated with care giving responsibilities. Specialists provide one-on-one telephone consultation on such items as assessing, identifying and locating caregiving services, adopting and multiple birth services, schools, educational services and special needs programs. Depending on the individual situation they may also provide targeted resource packages on such things as planning a family, maternity/parental leaves, building strong blended families, etc.

Access to an employee assistance (EAP) program:
In addition to the EAP services specified above, the firm provides all staff with access to an EAP which is a voluntary, confidential service providing support to a broad range of issues that may affect one’s work and personal life. Service provided includes:
- Marital and family problems
- Anxiety
- Domestic violence
- Interpersonal relationships
- Grief
- Depression
- Drugs and alcohol
- Effective communication
- Legal consultation, e.g. marital separation issues, real estate issues
- Financial consultation, e.g. loss of income, debt consolidation
- NurseLine, e.g. personalized health information by Registered Nurses
- HomeCare Access, e.g. immediate access to a full range of home care services

The EAP Resource and Referral service also provides articles, information packages and links to resources relating to a wide range of parenting topics including:
- Preparing for a new baby / parenting
- Adoption
- Single parenting
- The impact of divorce / separation on children
- Sibling relationships
- Education from kindergarten to High School
- Choosing a college / university
- Advocacy and special needs

Additional supports

Life Event Checklists
The firm, through our internal website, has created checklists relating to various life events. The checklists are designed to help staff quickly and easily understand the resources and programs available to them through the firm and actions they should consider undertaking (e.g. adding a new child to their benefit coverage).

We are both working mothers who have been employed by PwC for a substantial portion of our careers (30 years collectively). PwC continues to support us and all of its staff members by offering progressive programs to help balance work and family commitments. Both of us consider ourselves fortunate to have benefited personally from PwC’s family-friendly offerings described above. We feel that PwC is a leader in embracing such a positive and progressive approach to workplace and family life and strongly believe that PwC merits inclusion on the 2010 Progressive Employers of Canada list.

Julia Daciuk (8 years of service)
HR Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers (416) 869-2457

Andrea Karidakis (22 years of service)
Talent Management Specialist, PricewaterhouseCoopers (416) 814-5722