Vancity – Progressive Employers of Canada List

We are pleased to be able to feature Vancity on the Progressive Employers of Canada list.

Connect Moms, in conjunction with momcafe and Martin Group International, provided the below criteria as a guideline for possible programs or initiatives that may exist at Vancity.

Please describe any programs or initiatives that support the needs of working moms at Vancity.

- personal/life balance coaching;
Vancity offers an Employee Assistance Program through an external provider that is available to provide professional assistance with a wide range of personal and work-related concerns that employees might face, including all types of family matters. The external provider has counselors who specialize in child and teen issues.

- access to emergency childcare;
Vancity provides employees with ‘Care Days’ that can be taken to attend to a range of matters such as emergency family illness childcare, elder care and personal care.

- flex-time;
Vancity offers employees the opportunity to work a compressed working week in two forms – a 9-day fortnight, or a compressed 4 day week.

- job cooperatives / job sharing
Job sharing is available

- part-time or contract positions;
Part-time employment is available and fixed-term contract positions also exist.

- gradual re-entry after maternity leave;
Whilst there is no formal policy for this, it is sometimes the case that employees who were previously full time will return on a part-time basis, and in some cases will return to full time hours after a period of time.  Business and operational requirements are taken into account and Managers will apply their discretion to each case.  A gradual return to work policy can come into play post-mat leave for medical reasons

- lactation rooms;
Vancity doesn’t currently have any designated lactation rooms, although there are meeting rooms which could be reserved for this purpose. With mat leaves being a year there has not been a request for space for that reason.

- health benefits;
Vancity provides a flexible benefits scheme including medical coverage, dental insurance and a health spending account. Parents can customize their benefits based on child’s/family’s needs and the benefits can be changed each year.

- miscellaneous.
Vancity has a “guaranteed ride home” program for those employees who take alternative transportation to work  and need to return home via transit and/or taxi due to unforeseen situations (illness, family emergency, or unanticipated over-time). The intent of the program is to encourage more employees to use alternative transportation options by providing assurance that they can return home in case of emergency.

Along with Vancity’s many supportive polices for working parents, Vancity’s CEO, Tamara Vrooman, is the first female CEO of the credit union and a mom. Very inspiring for all working mothers.

As the head of Canada’s largest credit union, Tamara considers her role as a continuation of her career in public service as Vancity extends its financial success to facilitate positive social and environmental change. Her accomplishments have been recognized with the 2007 Knowledge and Leadership Award from the Association of Women in Finance; inclusion on Canada’s Top 40 Under 40™ and the 2003 Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for outstanding contributions to public service in B.C. To review Tamara Vrooman’s complete biography, please visit the Vancity website at www.vancity.com. Other articles featuring Tamara Vrooman -

Why Vancity hired Tamara Vrooman