Scenic view of the Montreal, Canada skyline in the middle of summer.
Sure, good salaries and fancy titles are still sought after by job-seekers. But company culture has become more important than ever.
In fact, 84% of Canadian employees define success by work-life balance, rather than by climbing the corporate ladder — an upward trend over the past few years, according to a Harris Poll survey conducted on behalf of Express Employment Professionals.
If you're curious to know how Montreal companies stack up when it comes to the well-being of employees, Great Place to Work's latest ranking can provide some insight. It reveals the 2024 roster of Canada's "Best Workplaces for Mental Wellness."
To be eligible, organizations must have at least 100 employees — at least 80% of whom agree that the workplace is "psychologically and emotionally healthy." The best of those are selected using Great Place to Work's Mental Wellness Index.
Of the top 100 workplaces, 12 Montreal companies made the cut. You can find them all listed down below, along with the perks they offer to help elevate employees' mental wellness. All you have to do is polish up your CV and start applying!
Behaviour Interactive
Industry: Entertainment
Address: 500-6666, rue Saint-Urbain
Perks: This global video game developer, known for hit Dead by Daylight, offers employees the ability to choose between 100% remote work, 100% in-office work or a combination of the two. Employees also get reimbursed for expenses related to fitness, gaming, home office and transportation as well as a generous amount of time off: 25 paid days per year for those with less than five years of work experience or 30 paid days off per year for those who have more than five years of work experience. This is in addition to statutory holidays and a weeklong office closure at the end of December.
CGI
Industry: Information Technology
Address: Multiple Montreal officers with headquarters at 1350, boul. René-Lévesque
Perks: Among the largest IT and business consulting services firms in the world, CGI's "ownership" culture allows employees to join a Share Purchase Plan or Profit Participation Plan so they can invest in the company and profit from its success. There's also a super flexible insurance plan that provides $1,775 in credits a year, which can be used for a health spending account, a wellbeing account, offsetting the cost of insurance premiums, purchasing additional CGI shares or contributing to a group RRSP. Members and their families also get access to counselling, support services and telemedicine.
Createch (Talan)
Runners wearing Talan shirts.
Industry: Information Technology
Address: 60, rue Saint-Jacques
Perks: Folks who work for Createch, owned by Talan, can work from anywhere and abide by a "summer schedule" all year long. Vacation ranges from three to six weeks per year and, if you do decide to work from their office — stocked with snacks and goodies — they'll reimburse your parking up to two days a week (or offer public transit discounts). Plus, there are profit sharing and shareholding opportunities.
"With us, no one is a number! Our culture is human and marked by proximity and respect. The management team is accessible and involved with employees. Diversity in all its forms is our norm and we are proud to have many women as part of the senior leadership team," Great Place to Work's company profile reads.
Diff Agency
Industry: Information Technology
Address: 500, rue Saint-Jacques
Perks: This full-service e-commerce agency gives every employee $500 to spend on something that'll boost their mental health, as well as an extra $50 a month for work-from-home supplies and 25% off monthly public transportation. There's also a kitchen full of snacks with a warm lunch provided each Tuesday. Once a month, the team organizes happy hours with activities like board game nights and taco nights and, twice a year, employees get to go on fun outings — for example, to a sugar shack — all in the name of community building.
Kitco Metals Inc.
Industry: Retail
Address: 620, rue Cathcart
Perks: Kitco, a global precious metals authority and retailer of bullion products, lets employees choose to work from home, the office or using a hybrid model. In addition to paid time off, such as vacation days and personal days, they can also get extra days off as a reward for attendance. Remuneration includes a generous bonus program, and there's a profit sharing program where they'll match your RRSP contributions up to 4%, ensuring that members are fully equipped for retirement. Other perks include a variety of on-site events throughout the year and $200 in gift cards for entertainment-related activities.
Larochelle Groupe Conseil inc.
Industry: Information Technology
Address: 1010, rue de la Gauchetière O.
Perks: Larochelle Groupe Conseil is a consulting firm that specializes in maximizing the value of data and driving digital transformation. If you work there, you'll get insurance from day one, 80% of most medical expenses reimbursed, dental coverage, a health credit of $600 per calendar year, travel insurance, including $500 baggage insurance, and a reimbursement of up to $300 for work-from-home equipment. Larochelle covers the full cost of public transportation to its offices, contributes 1% of salary to employee pension plans and pays out a profit-sharing bonus twice a year if conditions are met.
Pharmascience.Inc
Industry: Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
Address: 6111, av. Royalmount
Perks: Quebec pharmaceutical company Pharmascience allows specific groups of employees to work from home three days a week with freedom to choose which days. Team members can also make "micro-adjustments" to their daily schedules to improve work-life balance, as long as they complete their work hours. Depending on their position, employees can benefit from Flex Fridays all year-round, meaning they can leave at 1:30 p.m. on Fridays. If you work at Pharmascience, you'll get reimbursed for professional training and full access to LinkedIn Learning, too.
Plusgrade
Plusgrade employees.
Industry: Information Technology
Address: 2200, rue Stanley
Perks: At Plusgrade, which helps global travel companies develop new revenue streams, there is no such thing as overtime. The company's "flexible approach" means employee success is based on performance and results rather than conforming to daily working hours. There's also a flexible time off policy and both hybrid and remote work are available.
Solutions Beyond Technologies
Industry: Information Technology
Address: 111, boul. Robert-Bourassa
Perks: This professional services firm has a Mental Wellness Committee in place and has launched a series of conferences covering topics including stress, ergonomics and financial wellness. In addition to complimentary fresh fruits, Wednesday bagels, cereals, coffee, themed monthly happy hours, parties — one of which is at Mont Tremblant — and a company soccer team, the workforce gets 70% of their transit expenses covered (Bixi or Opus/EXO), Internet and cellphone fees reimbursed, and access to the Headspace app, fully paid for by Beyond. The company's benefits coverage was also recently increased so that employees and their families could access professional support and team members get sick days and personal days as well as vacation days, plus time allocated to annual training on any subject they want.
Spiria Digital Inc
Industry: Information Technology
Address: 7236, rue Waverly
Perks: Software development company Spiria has a flexible work policy (remote, hybrid or face-to-face) and transparent compensation policy where all payscales are available to all employees. Team members get unlimited time off to "take care" of themselves whether they're used for mental health days, sick days, or to grieve the loss of a loved one.
Tata Communications (Canada) Ltd.
Tata's Montreal office.
Industry: Telecommunications
Address: 1441, rue Carrie-Derick
Perks: Tata Communications, which describes itself on the Great Place To Work website as "a leading player in global communications and enterprise IT service provider," offers employees time off to take care of family members — whether they adopt a baby or have an elderly relative. For instance, primary caregivers can get 100% paid time off for up to 26 weeks. There's also paid time off for holidays, vacations, and sick days along with generous health and welfare/retirement benefits.
Lundbeck Canada Inc.
Industry: Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
Address: 2600, boul. Alfred-Nobel
Perks: Lundbeck, a a biopharmaceutical company focused on brain diseases with an office in Ville Saint-Laurent, reimburses employees up to $500 per year for activities and equipment if it contributes to psychological or physical well-being. This could include fitness memberships, sporting equipment or painting and cooking classes. Folks working from the Montreal office also have access to an onsite gym and subsidized healthy lunch delivered to them onsite.
At Lundbeck, you can choose from a variety of flexible work arrangements and there's a compressed work week (aka "summer hours") all year long, meaning that once employees have completed 35 hours, and all their work is complete, they can begin their weekend at 12 p.m. on Fridays.
In addition to observing all national holidays, Lundbeck Canada typically offers 6 additional paid days-off during its annual holiday shut-down.