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Competition was fierce for designation as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2012, but the University of Toronto came through, making the list for the fifth time.

 It was a record year for submissions as more than 2,700 employers started the Mediacorp competition’s application process and the number of completed applications increased by 15 per cent over last year. Mediacorp’s editors reviewed profiles of more than 75,000 employers across the country before inviting 12,500 of them to apply.  The list of winners appears in the Oct. 7 issue of The Globe and Mail and online in the employer review section at .

Membership on the list is based on evaluation of each organization on eight criteria: health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; physical workplace; work and social atmosphere; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement.

Among  the reasons  the editors named  ��������οwere its efforts in supporting employees who are new mothers with generous maternity leave top-up payments,  generous parental leave top-up benefits for new fathers and adoptive parents and the inclusion of same-sex partners in its benefits program. 
 
“We are very pleased to be recognized this way,” said Professor Angela Hildyard, vice-president (human resources and equity). “For those of us who work here, this news reinforces what we already believe about U of T:  that it is a rewarding place to do meaningful work. We strive to create a collegial and engaging work environment and while there is always room for improvement, we know from our employee survey results, the number of job applications we receive, and awards like these, that we’re on the right track.”

Here are some more reasons ��������οwas selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers for 2012:

• The university manages onsite daycare facilities at each campus location; employees can take advantage of them when they are ready to return to work;

• ��������οencourages ongoing employee development through subsidies for tuition and professional accreditation and a range of in-house and online training options. It even manages an academic scholarship program for children of employees who pursue post-secondary education;

• ��������οallows employees to maintain a healthy balance between work and their personal life through a variety of alternative work options including flexible hours, telecommuting and reduced summer hours;

• The university helps employees plan for life after work with phased-in retirement work options, retirement planning assistance and with generous contributions to a defined benefit pension plan; and

• Retiring employees can also take advantage of a health benefits plan that extends into retirement with no age limit.