If your job hast you feeling like an under appreciated cog in the machine, you may want to consider a company that puts its people first.
A global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures recently ranked Canada’s 2022 Best Workplaces, taking a look specifically at Inclusion and Mental Wellness.
Great Place to Work says that to earn a spot on the lists, at least 90% of employees must agree they are treated fairly at work—inclusion—and at least 75% of employees must agree their workplace is psychologically and emotionally healthy—mental wellness.
Fintech.ca broke down some of the financial technology firms on the list * * LINK? * * and what makes them inclusive and considerate as an employer.
Wagepoint
“Of all the awards we have won, this one feels the most special,” says CEO Shrad Rao. “I set out to create a place where people feel included and accepted, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, etc. And, it’s one thing when you believe you’ve created that space, but a whole other thing when the people who are meant to be experiencing the feeling of ‘acceptance’ actually validate it, and anonymously at that.”
“For us, it’s not a cliche when discussing company culture,” believes Fallon Collett, Wagepoint’s People and Culture Manager. “It means remembering that we are people before we are employees, and making every decision in the business, and with each other, from that place, every single day.”
By focusing on building an inclusive and mentally healthy team, Rao and Collett say that Wagepoint is better-equipped to grow and serve another important group of people—its customers.
The fully remote company says that in addition to personal time and wellness leave, “all Wagepointers are entitled to use up to 20 vacation days per year.” Moreover, Wagepoint’s mentorship program provides opportunities for employees to develop cross-company relationships leading to growth and personal development.
Wagepoint was founded in 2012 in Kitchener.
Tally
On a mission to make people less stressed and better off financially, Tally launched the first automated debt manager to help Americans manage and pay off their credit card debt—the most widespread financial issue in the U.S.. totalling $1 trillion.
To date, Vancouver-born Tally has paid off $1 billion of credit card debt, saving people millions of dollars in interest, and late fees.
As an employer it provides financial support to help employees have well-functioning home offices or workstations, the company notes. In 2020, staff were given a stipend to improve their work-from-home setup, which was renewed in 2021, according to Tally.
Another mental wellbeing perk offered is Tally Wellness Days. These are bonus all-company holidays that are designed to encourage employees to take time to disconnect and recharge.
“This was in response to employees feeling burnt out, but not taking time off because they couldn’t really travel far during the pandemic,” the company says. “Tally wanted to ensure employees did take time, even if they were staying at home.”
AptPay
Toronto-based AptPay is a fintech that enables for real-time payments for partners globally, “powering business-to-business and business-to-consumer disbursements through a frictionless, simple, and secure platform.”
As a newer and smaller company relative to Wagepoint or Wave, AptPay says their work culture and employee experience is being “fostered constantly.”
“AptPay is constantly exhibiting and practicing the core values of our team,” the founders affirm, adding they are in the midst of signing an employee benefits package and are dedicated to giving back to the community.
Moves
Moves is an all-in-one financial app built exclusively for gig workers. Launched in 2021, the app is already swimming in accolades and the startup has some fresh capital.
“Moves is uniquely positioned to solve many of the challenges gig workers are encountering,” said Laura Lenz of OMERS Ventures.
The Moves Collective, for example, “is a brilliant solution to a persistent issue for gig workers, who traditionally don’t share in any of the value they have helped create.”
The Toronto company, which employees 33, says it is flexible with honour-based personal days, which are not capped, and is always looking at which perks to add to satisfy worker needs.
Wave
Canadian invoicing anchor Wave Financial also made Canada’s 2022 Best Workplaces according to Great Place to Work.
Founded in 2010 by Kirk Simpson and James Lochrie, Wave provides accounting, invoicing, payroll and payments software on its platform used 400,000 small businesses each month.
Toronto-born Wave was in 2019 acquired by H&R Block.
Wave scored highly for as a place for Hybrid Work, as well as an employer for Today’s Youth.
Briza
Briza last year raised $10 million to connect insurance to the world, offering a multi-carrier commercial insurance API that allows developers to collect data, generate multiple quotes, bind policies, and collect payment in minutes.
As an employer, the Toronto insurtech boasts an unlimited vacation policy that allows employees to take as much leave as they need.
“Employees need time to rest and enjoy themselves outside of work,” the startup says. “Putting a cap on this important time doesn’t help our effort to achieve high levels of employee satisfaction and productivity.”
Briza offers employees “flex hours” in addition to being a virtual-first company.
“We understand that life can get complicated and we want to accommodate that as much as possible,” Briza notes. A work-from-home stipend is provided.
Payment Source
Payment Source provides alternative payment solutions to organizations of all sizes and has solutions for retail environments across Canada.
The Toronto employer’s Continuous Learning Program provides employees the opportunity to participate in a number of various programs, activities, and initiatives that help them to develop skills and acquire knowledge to further their career.
Financial gains are shared by everyone through an Annual Bonus tied to company performance, and the company emphasizes its accepting culture.
“Payment Source celebrates and welcomes the diversity of all of our employees,” the company stated. “We are committed to providing a supportive work environment and a corporate culture that encourages equal opportunities for all.”
Payment Source formed a Diversity and Inclusion Committee in 2021, when it also won Great Place to Work’s Best Workplaces for Inclusion and Mental Wellness.
VirgoCX
Founded in 2018, VirgoCX is committed to making crypto trading safe, easy, and affordable for Canadians. The Toronto cryptocurrency trading platform is dedicated to streamlining the trading experience and empowering clients with advanced technology, superior liquidity, and best-in-class security.
The company pays tuition for employees if they take professional development courses related to their roles. It also offers a gym membership discount.
In addition, “Our employees have a lot of flexibility to decide their work schedule,” the startup notes.
VirgoCX recently raised $10 million to advance its roadmap.
