For the first time, the University of Northern British Columbia has been named one of BC’s top 100 employers. In fact, UNBC is only one of three organizations on the list outside of the lower mainland. BC's Top Employers is an annual competition organized by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers, recognizing those employers in BC that are industry leaders in offering exceptional places to work.

"We have known for a long time that UNBC is a desirable place to work,” says UNBC president George Iwama. “I’m so pleased that our faculty and staff are receiving this recognition because it is largely their efforts and dedication that make it so. UNBC is a passionate, hard-working community and we are honoured by this affirmation."

The editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers list several UNBC highlights:

• UNBC helps employees balance their personal and working lives with a variety of alternative working options, including flexible hours, telecommuting, compressed and shortened work weeks, reduced summer hours and an earned days-off program.
• UNBC encourages employees to continue their education with tuition subsidies for courses both related and unrelated to their line of work.
• New employees receive three weeks of paid vacation, moving to a maximum of five weeks over the course of their careers.
• UNBC supports new mothers with maternity and parental leave top-up payments (to 100% for 52 weeks) as well as new fathers and adoptive parents (to 100% for 37 weeks).
• New parents can also take advantage of an onsite daycare centre (with 57 spaces) when they are ready to return to work.

"Working at UNBC provides a wide range of comprehensive benefits for all employees, as our inclusion on this prestigious list attests," says Sheila Page, UNBC Director of Human Resources. "Apart from the opportunity to work at a world-class institution on nature's doorstep, UNBC provides employees access to a variety of career goals while enjoying an extremely high standard of living. Employees regularly comment on UNBC’s modern architecture and bright, airy work space, the community atmosphere, our development programs, the extensive benefits packages we offer, and our ongoing commitment to being Canada's Green University,” says Page.

BC’s employers are evaluated using eight criteria: physical workplace; work and social atmosphere; health, financial, and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community Involvement. Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which workplaces offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.

Click for more information and a list of the other nominated organizations.