The study is really all about employees. An organization only makes it onto the Best Small & Medium Employers list if its employees think it's a great place to work. Employee opinion is the predominant factor in determining an organization's overall score, so employees play a part in deciding whether a company earns the status of being one of the best.

An organization's talent pool is one of its most crucial resources for success. Top talent is becoming increasingly scarce and mobile. Confronting this reality means that being a Best Employer – whether small, medium or large – is no longer a "nice to be," it's a strategic imperative. If you are not able to attract and retain the talent you need to be successful, you may lose them to the competition. This impacts your organization directly and its bottom line, along with your ability to sustain and grow your organization.

Participants are welcome from all industries and regions in Canada, whether from the public or private sector, whether "for profit" or "not for profit." Participants must have at least 50 and no more than 400 full-time or full-time equivalent employees. For more information about participating in the study, please refer to the requirements.

There are a number of excellent reasons to participate. These include:

• The ability to benchmark against your competitors and potentially others in your specific industry
• The opportunity to get a current snapshot of your employees' engagement and satisfaction levels
• The chance to identify specific options to target improvements in employee engagement and overall organizational results
• A complimentary highlight report on your organization's overall results
• The option to purchase further specific in-depth information about your organization
• National exposure and the opportunity to showcase your organization as an "employer of choice" to your employees, your shareholders, your customers and with readers across the country

In order for your results to be truly representative and reliable, and to ensure you qualify as a BSME contender, the surveys submitted by your employees must meet a specific response rate threshold.
Learn more about the requirements

There are a number of excellent reasons to participate. These include:

• Employee Opinion Survey: 20-25 minutes per person
• Leadership Team Survey: 20-30 minutes per person
• HR Survey: An average of 1-2 hours (may vary depending on the number of people having to complete it)

Your employees responses reside on a secure server at Hewitt Associates where all identifiers are removed.

The identity of any participating organization that does not make the list is never published or released in any manner.

Even if the organization doesn't make the list, the employees will have provided valuable information that the employer can use to develop an action plan. In the long run, both the employer and the employees will benefit from the data collected in the study. The organization will become a better place to work with employees who are more engaged. And if you don't make it one year, you may be on the list the following year!

No, there is no cost to participate.

All participants receive - at no cost - a standard highlight report capturing the major engagement dimensions of their organization. This report is provided to you after the Top 50 BSMEs are highlighted in PROFIT Magazine close to the start of each new year.

There is an opportunity to purchase further, in-depth company analysis, which is provided by Queen's Centre for Business Venturing (QCBV) at Queen's School of Business. The fee for this is based on your requirements. Many companies rely on these additional reports for critical input into their strategic and operational plans. Many companies have found that 'bundling' the purchase of several reports has been a cost-effective way of receiving.