What company you work for matters. Each one is different. Are you passionate about the company’s product? Do their corporate values align with your own personal values? Do you enjoy collaborating with your coworkers?
Sometimes, what makes or breaks a job is the physical space in which one works. A dark, dreary isolating office area will inspire few, for example, while bright natural light and opened-up working spaces may boost morale.
Even though many knowledge workers are working remotely or on a hybrid basis, most workers are still in the office at least occasionally, and some remain in-office a majority of the time, whether on orders of company policy or of their own volition. It has been posited that the perfect workweek for tech talent is three days in the office—a good estimate that will vary by company and individual.
Whether the ideal number is one or five days per week in the office, we know it’s above zero. Data has shown that exclusively remote teams can function at a decent level but are often more fragile, less collaborative, and less deeply committed to projects and peers than teams who can engage in-person even occasionally.
Whether a worker is in the office one or five days per week, the space in which they perform matters. Does it foster collaboration with peers, especially cross-team? Does it promote productivity in an organic way? Does it allow for mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing?
Most of the best Canadian workplaces for knowledge economy career growth have you at your desk, in your seat, at least some of the time. Perhaps that is no coincidence.
Last year, we reported on international companies looking to expand their footprint in Canada through establishing an office and hiring local tech talent, including American tech titans Snowflake, IBM, and SAP. Since then, more notable companies have launched impressive new offices across Canada.
Let’s highlight some of the coolest new offices to open in Canada so far in 2023.
Deloitte Summit
It sounds like a grand annual event, or perhaps the jagged peak of an obscure mountain deep in the French alps.
But nay, it is an architectural astonishment in downtown Vancouver: Deloitte’s slickest office space yet.
Inspired by Vancouver’s natural landscape and the shape of a Japanese lantern, the 350,000 square foot building is composed of a system of four-story cubes stacked around a central concrete core, spanning 24 floors.
Deloitte Canada opened its new BC headquarters, Deloitte Summit, at 410 West Georgia Street in February.
The glassy skyscraper is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies and spaces to boost collaboration, discover world class solutions, and foster high-performance, according to Techcouver editor-in-chief Robert Lewis, who toured Deloitte’s new offices.
To maximize collaboration, productivity, and to prioritize connection in those “in-between” moments at the office, the building offers 18 different types of workspaces, moveable furniture and walls, no private offices, and Deloitte’s signature Green Staircase, located in the centre of the building.
Deloitte Summit functions at the highest level of sustainability and is targeting LEED Platinum certification according to real estate developer Ian Gillespie of Westbank.
Thomson Reuters Innovation Hub
Toronto-based global technology company Thomson Reuters this month announced the opening of a new centre in the downtown area of the city.
Located at 19 Duncan Street, the new centre has been designed to meet the demands of “the future of work.”
Situated amongst the company’s legal, tax, corporate, government, and academic customers, the new centre is set to serve as a “major product innovation hub” for the Canadian company, according to a statement.
The hub, adorned by the historic Southam Press Building’s heritage façade, boasts an environment focused on sustainability and the intersection of people and technology, according to Mary Alice Vuicic, chief people officer for Thomson Reuters.
The new centre features a range of dedicated spaces for team collaboration, including project team rooms, quiet rooms, wellness rooms, and an outdoor meeting space. Additionally, an adjoining residential tower features a fitness area.
The centre aims to unite teams from Reuters’ news bureau, editorial, sales, and corporate functions alongside hundreds of technologists, product managers, engineers, and product designers under the leadership of David Wong, Chief Product Officer, and Shawn Malhotra, Global Head of Engineering.
Projects for Wong and Malhotra’s unified team to work on include further leveraging the power of AI.
Thomson Reuters has decades of experience innovating artificial intelligence products such as Westlaw Precision and Document Intelligence. Toronto’s product innovation hub will continue to harness the power of AI, according to a statement from the firm.
Within Canada, Thomson Reuters currently employees roughly 1,300 people. The company is actively hiring for three dozen roles in Canada, many of which are technology-related positions.
Nokia on the Harbourfront
Nokia Canada announced in January the opening of a sustainable and modern office in downtown Toronto’s Harbourfront community.
The new office, as well as the recently announced R&D center in Ottawa, are part of Nokia’s ongoing efforts to expand its presence in Canada and support increased demand from Canadian customers and partners.
“This vibrant workspace exemplifies the best in a hybrid workplace and was designed to encourage collaboration and inspire the next wave of innovation,” stated Jeffrey Maddox, President of Nokia Canada.
As part of Nokia Canada’s flexible work model, many of the company’s Toronto-based employees have the option to work remote, hybrid, or office-based.
Located at 100 Queens Quay East, the new office provides a modern, hybrid workplace where teams can come together and share ideas in person, while also taking advantage of collaboration technologies that enable virtual teams to work together.
These employees have roles in software development, customer service, and sales, and help support Nokia’s expanding global customer base, as the company continues to roll out new product innovations. The team is focused on supporting growing demand for Nokia’s 5G, high speed broadband, mission-critical routing, optical, and private wireless solutions.
…And More!
In 2022, an impressive $65 million raised by Pigment in a Series B+ funding round led by IVP and Meritech Capital built on a $73 million Series B round in 2021, led by Greenoaks and other investors.
The rapidly growing France-based software company earmarked some of this capital for a strategic expansion into Canada.
Pigment announced in April that it is opening an office in Toronto. This move comes as Pigment’s fourth office, adding to existing locations in Paris, London, and New York.
With customers and employees already based in Canada, this expansion will allow Pigment to strengthen its position in a market that “has significant growth potential from both a business and talent perspective,” according to a statement from the firm.
The Canadian team will be led by Andrew Cudmore and Vanessa Brangwyn, who previously worked together at Achievers.
Pigment will continue to expand its employee base in Canada throughout 2023, according to a statement, “tapping into the wealth of tech talent already concentrated in Canada,” which leads the G7 as the most-educated workforce.
And in January, Seattle unicorn Highspot announced that they’re expanding into Canada with their fifth international office in Vancouver.
Highspot is a sales enablement platform that increases sales team productivity. The company raised a $248 million Series F last year and has since been recognized across leading industry awards such as Forbes’s Cloud 100, Forbes’s America’s Best Startup Employers, and PEOPLE’s 100 Companies that Care.
With attention to hiring and developing early career talent, Highspot also announced an expansion of its Accelerate apprenticeship program into Canada, establishing a working relationship with Vancouver’s Simon Fraser University.
None of this is to forget Indian multinational technology consultancy Wipro, which that same month announced the opening of its Wipro-AWS Launch Pad Centre in Toronto.
Joining a global network of Wipro-AWS Launch Pad Centres, this location enables customers in Canada to accelerate their move to the cloud and build industry leading solutions leveraging Wipro and AWS expertise.
Fuelling tech innovation already afoot in the region, the Wipro Launch Pad Centre will allow clients to experience the “art of the possible” in digital transformation. It features demonstrations of enterprise-grade solutions developed by Wipro and AWS alongside experts. Wipro engineers, designers, and consultants in Canada work with clients to innovate, collaborate, and deliver scalable cloud solutions.
