Nexen has been named to the list of Canada's Top 100 Employers for 2012.

October 11, 2011

Nexen has been named to the list of Canada's Top 100 Employers for 2012. This national competition determines which employers lead their industries in offering exceptional workplaces for their employees. This is Nexen’s fourth time being recognized by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, with previous awards in 2011, 2005 and 2006.

This year, Nexen received top marks for our:

• wide range of financial rewards available to all employees, including year-end bonuses, profit sharing, and share purchase plans;
• ongoing employee development through generous tuition subsidies (to a maximum of $35,000), financial bonuses for some course completion and subsidies for professional accreditation;
• exceptional workspace including free membership to 7,000-square foot onsite fitness facility;
• flexible health plan including fertility drug payments and maternity leave top-up payments; academic scholarship program for children of employees who attend post-secondary institutions; and
• paid time off for employees to volunteer with community organizations and employee donations to registered charities are matched dollar for dollar.

“This award shows Nexen is on the right track in terms of the programs we offer employees,” says Quinn Wilson, Vice President, Human Resources. “Knowing the reasons we’re valued means we’ll drive continued focus in those areas.”

Employers are evaluated by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers using eight criteria: physical workplace; work atmosphere and social events; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications focused on how employers capture feedback from their employees; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement. Nexen received six out of eight grade A’s within these categories, including four A+’s. Read more about Nexen’s Top Employer scorecard.

“We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished but recognize there’s much more to do to ensure Nexen is a great place to work and a best-in-class employer,” says Quinn. “Our objective is to create an environment and culture that enables each employee to have an employment relationship that benefits them both personally and professionally. Initiatives are underway in key areas.”

One of the initiatives is strengthening our performance management systems. “In many organizations, performance management is a leadership-driven activity,” says Quinn. “At Nexen it is a two-way street between employee and manager. We’re training managers to use the performance management process more effectively so it is truly a productive and beneficial process for both management and the employee.”

Another focus is career development. “The competency models we use to coach and develop people are developed by a combination of managers and employees,” says Quinn. “Inherent in this process is having the employee voice at the table, not just leadership. We want to empower staff to develop skills and advance their long-term careers.”

Nexen is also implementing Fair Process Leadership training across the organization. Fair Process is a five-step engagement model that supports increased transparency around decisions. “Our objective is to have no less than 85% of employees take this training. They will hold us accountable for engagement.”

More than anything, communication is critical, says Quinn. “We continuously solicit employee feedback through pulse checks, surveys, focus groups, and town halls. We’re increasing face-to-face communication with senior management. It’s important to understand that this initiative is driven by our culture. At Nexen, two-way communication is important because we value our employees, not because a subject matter expert came in and decided we should to this.”

Canada’s Top 100 Employers is one of many ways Nexen is assessed as an organization. In the past we have been recognized as an Alberta Top 100 Employer, Top Diversity Employer, Top 50 Employer in Canada and Top 30 Employer for Health and Pension Plans in Canada. On September 22, we won the 2012 Canada Top 100 for young people award.