When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Intuit Canada’s Mississauga office reacted quickly – so quickly, in fact, that nearly 95 per cent of its employees were working from home within 72 hours.
“When you have an innovative company with cutting-edge systems and a culture that’s agile and flexible, you’re able to make transitions seamlessly,” says David Marquis, country manager of Intuit Canada. “Things move fast in the software technology space, and we’re used to adjusting.”
Culture is paramount at Intuit, a global technology platform known for products like TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, Mint and Mailchimp that help consumers and small businesses do their taxes, accounting and marketing and overcome their financial challenges.
It’s employee-focused, says Marquis, and based on five key values: Integrity Without Compromise, Courage, Customer Obsession, We Care and Give Back, and Stronger Together. And it permeates everything the company does. “The culture is the reason I joined,” says Marquis. “And it’s not just words on a wall. People talk about the values and bring them up in meetings.”
Reiss Simmons, talent acquisition manager for Canada, Brazil and Mexico, agrees. “The values really resonate with me. Intuit has the things you’d expect from a tech company: it’s forward thinking, with an innovative environment and a modern approach. It’s the culture that makes it unlike others.
“There’s a strong focus on supporting employees, and you really feel like it’s a priority,” says Simmons. “We put a lot of emphasis on hiring top talent, but also on building their capabilities and their careers.”
Intuit provides new employees with a buddy, as well as targeted training and monthly conversations with their managers to discuss their progress, plus yearly reviews.
“If you want to move to a different team, that’s a big step when you look at it over a year,” Simmons says. “Breaking it down makes it more digestible. You can establish priorities and milestones each month, and it helps you grow into that different role.”
To support its We Care and Give Back value, Intuit offers employees 40 hours every year to spend volunteering for various groups, including community programs for disadvantaged youth and National Girls Learning Code Week. It also matches their charitable donations up to $6,250 per year.
“Giving back is a core value, so it’s not just a once-a-year thing,” says Simmons. “It’s been challenging during the pandemic, but there’s a lot of energy around these programs.”
Building diversity in the tech world is another priority. Intuit has several internal programs, including Tech Women at Intuit, which helps women engineers, product managers and designers advance in male-dominated fields. This year, the company expanded the number of universities it drew co-op students from, resulting in a 50-50 male-female split, compared to 75-25 in the past. It also sponsors events like Grace Hopper, an annual conference that highlights the contributions of women in the tech industry.
“There’s a lot more to do, but we’re committed to making progress,” says Marquis. “We’re hoping to pull in a lot of new talent by moving our office to downtown Toronto in summer 2022, and the focus on women in tech is going to be a huge part of it. It’s a key focus for us.”
