IMCD Canada was commended as a physically safe place to work – a company characteristic that received the highest rating in the Great Place to Work survey. “Safety: It’s My Responsibility” is IMCD Canada’s Health and Safety mission statement and a cornerstone for which it conducts business. It is a high priority for IMCD Canada to emphasize the importance of environmental, health and safety awareness among all employees, customers, and also the public. 

Physical safety in the workplace has been directly affected by the implementation of the hybrid work model. The hybrid model allowed only 50% of the office staff on site and in the building on a given workday. This reduction in capacity created a safe workspace such that employees had room to navigate in hallways, meeting rooms and lunchrooms, without having to contend with a full contingent of employees on site. Moreover, the office workspaces had additional mobile barriers available, if needed. 

For our operational staff team members, we continued to protect the warehouses by restricting office staff from entering the warehouse areas unless authorized to do so. Although, IMCD Canada looks forward to the day when this is no longer a necessity, the protection of the team on the warehouse floor has always been a number one priority in mitigating the risk of infection to our essential team members from any office staff members.

Opportunities abound 
Earning the Great Place to Work certification was not a surprise for Puneet Rahil, Information Systems and Applications Manager, IMCD Canada. “IMCD is a place where you wake up in the morning and you feel good about going to work. You actually look forward to your workday.” She further reflected on the company’s corporate culture, which fosters a dynamic and friendly environment. 

“I've been with IMCD for almost two and a half years. I work in a male-dominated field but as a female, I’ve never been treated differently – I’m very appreciative of that. I have the same access to opportunities as everyone else on my team. IMCD is a very inclusive workplace,” commented Puneet. Puneet’s experience is an example of IMCD’s entrepreneurial spirit put into action. IMCD Canada provided her with the right environment for success when she sought growth opportunities, “I reached out to my leaders and was provided with a pathway and opportunities to grow within my role.”   

Puneet continued to mention, “IMCD embraces different cultures. We are always celebrating our diverse cultures and supporting the causes that are important to employees. I really love that about IMCD.” IMCD Canada's Wellness and Social Committee plays a key role within the organization, as Puneet revealed.
 


Diversity fosters a welcoming culture 
Diversity was the highest-ranking score IMCD Canada received in the Great Place to Work evaluation. As Vice President, Human Resources at IMCD Canada, Litsa Chagigiorgis has been with the company for seven years and leads the department’s efforts. Litsa stated, “IMCD promotes fair and consistent practices to produce the best hires and brightest individuals to represent our company. This ultimately generates diversity within the company.” 

The Wellness and Social Committee is structured to promote a diverse, inclusive and welcoming environment for employees. Litsa mentioned, “Celebrating different cultures with activities that are focused on sharing creates a learning atmosphere and an opportunity for our employees to be actively involved. We have individuals from all departments participate in the Committee so that we can hear what our people want. I think this is a differentiator within the IMCD Canada culture,” and displays how the company exercises IMCD Values of collaboration and freedom to act. 

Being certified as a Great Place to Work means a lot to Litsa because it is an employee-based accreditation. “It’s such an honor! For me, this is directly related to the trust employees have in IMCD. We have a great group of people that create a collaborative environment that fosters teamwork and allows for development. We ensure employees have the tools they need to succeed in all aspects of job.” 

Communication goes a long way
As part of the company’s values of integrity and trust, IMCD Canada developed a comprehensive communication plan to keep people informed and safe throughout the pandemic. Litsa explained, “Communication was key. We didn't always have all the answers but we wanted to make sure that our employees were confident, safe and comfortable during the pandemic. Whatever information we had at that time, we felt it was important to keep everyone updated.” She explained that they strive to do this in all areas of the organization because people are and will always be our greatest asset. 

A very important aspect of feeling safe at work is knowing that a company is financially stable. At IMCD, financial discipline is an important value. Litsa explained, “we were able to retain all of our people in all of our departments. Thankfully, we didn't impact anyone in terms of layoffs or downsizing; we were able to maintain our workforce. We all came together, worked hard and did what had to be done to tackle the pandemic together.” 

As a Great Place to Work, IMCD Canada has been able to provide a workplace of growth, stability, diversity and inclusion. Which is why Puneet added, “I can see myself still working here for a long time because I know we have a future together. The most important thing I’ve learned is that when the company works as one team, we’re able to go through anything. We’ve demonstrated that by working together and supporting each other, we can keep our operation stable and running.”