Top Employer: Digital Extremes Ltd.

Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2017)

By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Nov 6, 2016)

Here are some of the reasons why Digital Extremes Ltd. was selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2017):

Digital Extremes' unique head office is located inside a renovated historic building in London's downtown core and features an in-house theatre, a stocked employee lounge and game library, and a full-sized commercial kitchen and dining room, with two full-time chefs who prepare healthy (and free) meals daily for employees
Digital Extremes provides generous maternity and parental leave top-up payments for employees who are new mothers (to 80% of salary for up to 32 weeks) and offers an option to extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence
Digital Extremes lets everyone share in the company's success with year-end bonuses and profit-sharing -- and offers referral bonuses as an incentive for employees to help recruit candidates in their network (up to $2,000)

Digital Extremes developers on a panel at the gaming convention PAX East

Employer Background

Industry	Software Publishers
Major Canadian hiring locations	London ON
Full-time employees in Canada	232
Part-time employees in Canada	2
Average age of employees in Canada	32.8
Longest serving employee	23 years

Physical Workplace A+

Commuter amenities	subsidized parking, secure/sheltered bicycle parking
Workplace features	unique (and recently expanded) open-concept head office located in London's historic downtown core and designed with employee feedback -- features 30 foot open ceilings with exposed beams as well as a number of unique amenities including an in-house theatre, motion capture studio, a full commercial kitchen and dining room (with two full-time chefs who prepare healthy, and free, meals daily for employees)
Employee lounge amenities	comfortable seating, fireplace, music, video games, pool table, table tennis, Pac Man pinball machine, mini putt greens, movie and game library (over 100 titles for work or leisure)
Onsite cafeteria	healthy menus, special diet menus
Snacks available	two snack stations with apples, oranges, bananas, pretzels, yogurt, bagels and cream cheese, popcorn, crackers, granola bars, dried fruit and peanuts
Onsite fitness facility	shared use facility, subsidized membership, treadmills, stationary bikes, stairmasters, instructor-led classes (Body Pump, Yoga, Spin Class), rowing machines, weights, sauna, shower facilities
Other nearby amenities	YMCA, Goodlife Fitness Citi Plaza, fitness club, Victoria Park, Harris Park, daycare, restaurants, Covent Garden Market (operates year round), Budweiser Gardens

Work Atmosphere & Communications A+

Employee social committee name	DE Social Committee (est. 2006)
Recent social events	summer kick-off rooftop party (with open mic performances, music food and drinks), employee Christmas party (with Las Vegas theme last year), separate kids Christmas party with gifts from Santa for all, monthly happy hour every last Friday of the month, Halloween pumpkin carving contest, summer family barbecue (with live band, bouncy castle games and face-painting) company-sponsored basketball, soccer and volleyball teams, periodic pub nights, bowling
Cultural aspects	employee sports teams, casual dress (e.g. jeans) daily, music while working
Employee communications	intranet site, company newsletter, traditional/email suggestion box
Other in-house communications	the company's President takes three employees out for breakfast every Friday (helping to get to know each employee on an individual level)

Financial Benefits & Compensation B+

Outside salary surveys	participates in outside salary surveys every 12 months
Employee salary reviews	individual salaries are reviewed every 12 months
Long-term savings	matching RSP
Long-term planning	retirement planning assistance, life & disability insurance
Profit-sharing plan	available to all employees
Year-end bonuses	available to all employees
Referral bonuses (max)	new employee referral bonuses (up to $2,000) for some positions
Signing bonuses	available for some positions

Health & Family-Friendly Benefits B

Health plan premium	as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 100% of the premiums
Minimum hours worked for coverage	20 hours per week
Waiting period for coverage	90 days
Dental coverage	routine, restorative, orthodontics
Traditional coverage (e.g. prescription drugs)	yes
Additional coverage	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)
Fitness club subsidy	up to $300 each year
Other health plan information	fitness club subsidy can be used for most health-related activities, from personal trainer services to recreational hockey league fees
Maternity top-up (mothers)	up to 80% of salary for 17 weeks
Parental top-up (mothers)	up to 80% of salary for 15 weeks
Parental top-up (fathers)	up to 100% of salary for 2 weeks
Adoption top-up	extended parental leave to unpaid leave
Alternative work options	flexible work hours, telecommuting

Vacation & Personal Time-Off B+

Vacation allowance	new employees receive 2 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job
Vacation jump	vacation increases after 2 years of employment
Maximum vacation allowance	employees move to a maximum of 4 weeks of vacation over their career
Previous experience	considers previous work experience when setting annual vacation for new employees
Personal paid days off	employees can schedule 8 personal days off each year, as needed
Unpaid leave of absence option	yes
Additional time-off information	vacation increases to 4 weeks annually after only 4 years on the job

Employee Engagement & Performance B+

Employee performance reviews	employees receive individual performance reviews every 12 months
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	individual performance bonuses, individual and year-end bonuses, employees can win additional days off and paid weekend getaways, regular draws for everything from concert tickets to Xbox consoles to iPhones and even drones
In-house survey period	in-house surveys are conducted every 12 months

Training & Skills Development A+

In-house training initiatives	mentoring, in-house training, online training, paid internships, subsidies for professional accreditation
Tuition subsidies (related to job)	yes
Annual tuition maximum	employer pays up to $3,500 in tuition subsidies per year
Tuition subsidies (unrelated to job)	yes
Unrelated tuition maximum	employer pays up to $3,500 in tuition subsidies per year
Financial bonuses for course completions	yes

Community Involvement B+

Scope of charitable involvement	local
Employee charitable involvement	employees receive paid time off to volunteer
Some of the community organizations supported	ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Men's Mission of London, London Food Bank, UWO Robotics Team Sponsorship, Seaforth Community Hospital, Untied Way, Drop Zone Challenge for Easter Seals
Charitable giving	matches employee donations
Community highlight	To encourage employee giving, Digital Extremes surveys employees over the holiday season about their favourite charities, with employees voting for their favourite 2 or 3 charitable organizations and the company following-up employee giving with matching donations.

The Career Directory

Digital Extremes Ltd. has been selected for The Career Directory, our guide to entry-level recruitment for recent college and university graduates.

Digital Extremes employees in 'Grease' costumes for the company's 50's themed holiday party

Highlights for New Grads

Industry	Software Publishers
Major Canadian hiring locations	London ON
Full-time employees in Canada	240
Part-time employees in Canada	1
Student opportunities	paid internships, summer jobs, co-op opportunities
Training	subsidies for professional accreditation, orientation program, online training, in-house training, mentoring
Tuition subsidies (related to job)	yes
Typical new grad positions	Customer Support Specialist, Programmer, Technical Game Analyst, 3D Artist
Starting salary	$40K to $45K
Work perks	health benefits for new employees, flexible work hours, telecommuting
Vacation allowance	new employees receive 2 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job

Academic fields recruited

Bachelor of Arts
- Graphic / Fine Arts
Bachelor of Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Mechanical
Bachelor of Science
- Computer Science
- Mathematics

Recruits at these schools

Fanshawe College

Sheridan College

University of Waterloo

Western University

Digital Extremes Ltd.

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