Pancakes and More Help Make Hyundai Auto Canada One of the Best Places to Work

Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. is one of the best places to work in Canada, according to a list published by Great Place to Work Institute. What makes it impressive is that Hyundai is the only automotive manufacturer—excluding Mercedes-Benz Financial Services—within the top 50 recipients to receive the title of "Best Workplaces in Canada – Large and Multinational Organizations," i.e. companies with more than 1,000 employees.

This year's list received more than 400 registrations, and more than 80,000 employees participated in the 2018 Best Workplaces in Canada survey. Competition scoring is based on two criteria. Two-thirds of a score comes from confidential employee survey results and the remaining one-third comes from an in-depth review of the organization's work culture. Both assess things like credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie.

While all this looks good on paper, how does it benefit the employees? Hyundai Auto Canada offers them tuition assistance, flex hours, and access to a variety of wellness-oriented programs like on-site yoga classes, and a game room. The company also offers a subsidized cafeteria and arranges for weekly fruit delivery for every employee.

Managers and those higher up the corporate ladder get to drive the latest Hyundai vehicles, plus other related benefits including a gas card, winter tires, and the cost of insurance and maintenance. They can choose their vehicle model, trim, and even color and can choose a new vehicle every 7,500 miles. Additionally, employees can lease up to two vehicles at a reduced lease rate, with all of those incentives. For head-office staffers, maintenance is done on-site while they work.

As part of their annual team building event, every individual is given $100 to do an off-site activity with their team and the best part, it is during a workday. Past examples include a day at a cottage, go-karting, golfing, Segway tours, tree-top trekking and kayaking. The company also has theme days like Twin Day, Cowboy Day and Superhero day, when they get to dress appropriately, or inappropriately.

Hyundai Auto Canada also has an Annual Appreciation Week, with each day representing one of their five core values, people, customer, challenge, collaboration and "globality." And each of those days, the human resources team gives back by making everyone pancakes.