Top Employer: Aboriginal Peoples Television Network Inc. / APTN

Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2019) and Manitoba's Top Employers (2019):

By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Nov 8, 2018)

Here are some of the reasons why Aboriginal Peoples Television Network Inc. / APTN was selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2019) and Manitoba's Top Employers (2019):

APTN celebrates longstanding employees through a number of awards, including a customized Star Blanket for 10 years of service and framed birch bark biting art for 15 years of service -- the organization also established a dedicated committee to focus on increasing long-term employee engagement
APTN provides new mothers with maternity and parental leave top-up payments (to 93% of salary for 1 week, followed by 80% of salary for 16 weeks) and extends parental leave payments to new fathers and adoptive parents (to 80% of salary for 16 weeks)
APTN incorporated employee feedback in the design of its workplace -- the interior walls are painted in an Aboriginal colour scheme, the boardroom table is designed to reflect the traditional medicine wheel, and the studio space features vessel artifacts representing Indigenous cultures

APTN employees participating in a learning session

Employer Background

Industry	Television broadcasting
Established in Canada	1999
Major Canadian hiring locations	Winnipeg MB, Ottawa ON, Vancouver BC, Montréal QC
Full-time employees in Canada	138
Workforce engaged on a contract basis	4%
Average age of employees in Canada	44 years
Longest serving employee	18.6 years

Physical Workplace Rating: B+

Commuter amenities	secure/sheltered bicycle parking
Workplace features	the downtown head office was painted using an Aboriginal colour scheme of blue, red and yellow, and features a custom-made boardroom table that reflects the traditional medicine wheel, kitchen areas on each floor equipped with single-serve coffee makers and distilled water coolers, 2 full kitchens in the studio areas, new Flavia 500 hot beverage machine (specialty coffees for only 50 cents), sit-stand workstations, religious observance room, self-serve lunchroom
Employee lounge amenities	comfortable seating, music, television, book swap and quiet reading area, puzzles
Other nearby amenities	YMCA, GoodLife, SNAP Fitness, Air Canada Window Park, Japanese Gardens, Central Park, The Forks National Historical Site, daycare, restaurants, shopping mall, Millennium Library, University of Winnipeg, Metropolitan Entertainment Centre, Bell MTS Place

Work Atmosphere & Communications Rating: A

Employee social committee name	APTN Social Committee (est. 2001)
Recent social events	children's Christmas party, holiday brunch, Halloween costume contest and 13 Days of Halloween trivia contest, Valentine and Easter treats, holiday tree up all year and decorated to reflect each season
Cultural aspects	business casual dress, music while working
Employee communications	company newsletter

Financial Benefits & Compensation Rating: B+

Outside salary surveys	participates in outside salary surveys every 24 months
Employee salary reviews	individual salaries are reviewed every 12 months
Long-term savings	defined-contribution (DC) pension
Additional financial benefits	northern living allowance (reviewed annually), special housing allowance for Iqaluit-based employees, discounts on company merchandise

Health & Family-Friendly Benefits Rating: A

Health plan premium	as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 100% of the premiums
Minimum hours worked for coverage	21 hours per week
Waiting period for coverage	90 days
Family coverage option	yes
Dental coverage	routine, restorative, orthodontics
Traditional coverage (e.g. prescription drugs)	yes
Other health plan information	employee assistance (EAP) plan, semi-private hospital room, physiotherapy, medical travel insurance, homecare, medical equipment and supplies, massage therapy, nutrition planning, podiatrist, osteopathy, chiropractor, alternative coverage (e.g. accupuncture, naturopathy)
Additional health and wellness information	EAP offers an extended component for family members (EFAP), BEST Doctors
Maternity top-up (mothers)	up to 93% of salary for 1 week
Parental top-up (mothers)	up to 80% of salary for 16 weeks
Parental top-up (fathers)	up to 80% of salary for 16 weeks
Adoption top-up	up to 80% of salary for 16 weeks
Additional family-friendly benefits	extended parental leave to unpaid leave
Alternative work options	flexible work hours, telecommuting

Vacation & Personal Time-Off Rating: A

Vacation allowance	new employees receive 3.6 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job
Vacation jump	vacation increases after 5 years of employment
Maximum vacation allowance	employees move to a maximum of 5 weeks of vacation over their career
Personal paid days off	employees can schedule 2 personal days off each year, as needed
Unpaid leave maximum	3 months
Additional time-off information	after 5 years on the job, employees move to 21 days of paid vacation, after 8 years, employees receive 24 days of paid vacation (the maximum vacation allotment)

Employee Engagement & Performance Rating: B

Employee performance reviews	employees receive individual performance reviews every 12 months
Managers receive performance review training	yes
360° feedback option	as part of the review process, performance feedback is also solicited from co-workers and other managers familiar with each employee's work
Exit interview	exit interview option is available for departing employees
Performance recognition	on-the-spot rewards, peer-to-peer recognition awards, long-service awards which include a customized Star Blanket (to celebrate 10 years of employment) and framed birch bark biting art (to celebrate 15 years), established a dedicated committee focused on increasing employee engagement throughout the year
In-house survey period	in-house surveys are conducted every 24 months

Training & Skills Development Rating: A

Career planning	in-house career planning services, online employee skills inventory
In-house training initiatives	mentoring, in-house training, online training, leadership training, paid internships, subsidies for professional accreditation
Related tuition subsidies	employer covers up to 100% of tuition per year
Annual tuition maximum	employer pays up to $1,800 in tuition subsidies for job-related courses per year
Unrelated tuition subsidies	employer covers up to 100% of tuition per year for courses unrelated to current position
Unrelated tuition maximum	employer pays up to $1,800 in tuition subsidies per year for courses unrelated to current position
Unique training & development programs	work experience program to recruit Indigenous high school students for internships, work experience program offered in partnership with the Adam Beach Film Institute

Community Involvement Rating: B+

Scope of charitable involvement	local, national
Employee charitable involvement	employees are involved in selection of charities, employees receive paid time off to volunteer
Some of the community organizations supported	United Way, Alpha House Project, Christmas Cheer Board, Broadway Neighbourhood Centre, Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, I Love First Peoples
Community highlight	APTN encourages employees to volunteer and support Indigenous groups and organizations in the community. Additionally, APTN maintains a Community Connections website to support ongoing communication between First Nation, Inuit and Métis individuals and organizations from across the country.

Recognized as one of Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2019):

By Kristina Leung and Richard Yerema, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Jan 17, 2019)

Here are some of the reasons why Aboriginal Peoples Television Network Inc. / APTN was selected as one of Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2019):

APTN recently partnered with the Canadian Association of Journalists to provide a paid 12-week placement with APTN Investigates -- the selected journalist had the opportunity to produce a full-length piece of original investigative journalism that aired on the program and was also screened at the Canadian Association of Journalists awards
APTN manages an unpaid apprenticeship / work experience program for high school and post-secondary students of Aboriginal descent -- upon program completion, participants may also apply for paid internship opportunities
As part of the broadcaster's relationship with the Journalists for Human Rights organization, APTN accepts up to 4 interns per year who are dedicated to reporting indigenous content

APTN staff working together

Highlights

Industry	Television broadcasting
Major Canadian hiring locations	Winnipeg MB, Ottawa ON, Vancouver BC, Montréal QC
Full-time employees in Canada	138
Student opportunities	summer jobs, co-op opportunities, paid internships
Related tuition subsidies	employer covers up to 100% of tuition per year
Annual tuition maximum	employer pays up to $1,800 in tuition subsidies for job-related courses per year
Career development	in-house training, online training, in-house career planning services, mentoring, leadership training, online employee skills inventory
Vacation allowance	new employees receive 3.6 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job
Unique initiatives	paid work experience placements for Adam Beach Film Institute students, scholarship program for First Nation, Inuit and Métis students

The Career Directory

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network Inc. / APTN has been selected for The Career Directory, our guide to entry-level recruitment for recent college and university graduates.

New Grad Jobs at APTN

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APTN staff on 'Bear Witness Day'