YWCA Vancouver – Progressive Employers of Canada List

YWCA Vancouver is committed to advocating for social change to promote the full realization of women’s equality. YWCA staff share common values and vision – our work supports women’s equality and making a difference. Staff members are diverse, encouraging individuals and leadership is strong and dedicated. At the YWCA, we foster a culture of respect and value individual choice. We don’t just talk the talk, we walk the talk.

The YWCA treats employees with respect and is committed to offering initiatives, compensation and benefits that retain employees and help them achieve work/life balance. Some of the initiatives and policies in place are:

Personal/life balance coaching
• Health + Fitness Centre: YWCA Vancouver helps employees and their families maintain a healthy lifestyle by providing free use of the YWCA Health + Fitness facilities. Employees are encouraged to use the centre and as an incentive, staff are offered discounts on Health + Fitness services and products.
• Workplace Wellness Initiatives: We offer a number of workplace wellness initiatives for employees. Past initiatives have included pedometer challenges, stretch breaks and healthy eating newsletters. This information is given to employees with the hope they will share it with their families and incorporate mental and physical wellness into their lives.
• Professional Development: Professional Development Workshops are offered to staff on an annual basis. We offer courses such as “Work Life and Family Balance”, “Care for the Caregiver” and “Transforming Through Life Transitions.” We are open to employees needs and suggestions for future workshops.
• EFAP: All staff and their family members have access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program, which offers free confidential assistance for a broad range of personal and work related concerns.

Access to emergency child care
Quality affordable early learning and child care is a priority for parents. Unfortunately, there are very long waitlists for licensed early learning and child care centres, so parents often struggle to find space for their child. YWCA employees receive priority on our early learning and child care centre waitlists, allowing them to return to work knowing their child is being cared for by professional staff who deliver programs that are developmentally appropriate.

In addition to vacation days, YWCA employees receive three personal days, which allows them to take days off when their child care arrangements fall through, or for any other personal reasons. Occasionally staff will bring their child to the workplace when they are unable to find appropriate child care. This is acceptable within the YWCA workplace culture.

Flex-time/Job Sharing
The YWCA supports staff balancing work, leisure and life commitments. Flexible start and end times allow staff to miss rush hour traffic, drop children off at school or coincide hours with partners. The YWCA is open to proposals for flexible work arrangements and many of our staff currently work flex-time schedules.
The YWCA also offers the option of tele-work (working from home) and job sharing (sharing a position with another employee).

Part-time or contract positions
Many of our positions are part-time or contract positions. Some employees choose to work part-time to accommodate their children or to continue their education. We are open to employee needs and if an employee would like to move from full-time to part-time, we collaborate to seek a solution.

Gradual re-entry after maternity leave
Returning to work after maternity leave is often challenging for working moms. YWCA Vancouver is sensitive to the needs of a returning parent when making the transition back to the workplace. Upon agreement with an employee’s manager, staff may return to work on a gradual basis based on their family and child care requirements.

Lactation rooms
As necessary, private rooms and offices can be made available to staff who are in need of a lactation room. In the past, nursing moms have attended meetings and interviews with their babies. If babies are restless, other staff help to care for the baby for short periods of time.

On-site daycare/Information and access to daycare facilities in your area
YWCA Vancouver operates four Early Learning and Care Centres. Employees of YWCA Vancouver receive priority access to the child care centres at whichever centre works best for their family needs.

Maternity and parental leave top-up
Employees who leave for one year maternity leave may be granted an unpaid leave of absence for a further period, to a maximum of one additional year. While YWCA Vancouver does not top-up employees’ salaries while they are on maternity leave, we recognize that the early years of life with children are priceless and offer the additional time as a maternity benefit.

Health benefits
Employees at YWCA Vancouver are offered a competitive benefits package.

The YWCA will continue to encourage broader acceptance of family friendly workplace practices and workplace wellness reforms, offering expertise to organizations seeking to improve productivity, retention, and the working environment. We are proud that our advocacy on these issues is grounded in the commitment within our own organization.

We take a strategic and sustained approach to advocacy, which is fundamental to promoting positive, systemic social change. YWCA Vancouver has consistently advocated for public investment to build a national system of early learning and care that is accessible for all children. This is fundamental to our mission and will continue to be our primary advocacy focus.

Interested in learning more about our organization? Visit us at www.ywcavan.org