Top Employer: Digital Extremes Ltd.

Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers

By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Nov 6, 2017)

Here are some of the reasons why Digital Extremes Ltd. was selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2018):

Digital Extremes' employee social committee manages a busy social calendar, hosting a variety of events throughout the year such as a summer kick-off rooftop party (with karaoke, games, food and drinks), monthly happy hours every last Friday of the month, a children's Christmas party, and a summer family barbecue, complete with live band, bouncy castle, games, and face-painting
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 4 full-time kitchen staff who prepare healthy meals daily and special treats every Friday
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 the option to extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence

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

Employer Background

Industry	Software Publishers
Established in Canada	1993
Major Canadian hiring locations	London ON
Full-time employees in Canada	240
Part-time employees in Canada	1
Average age of employees in Canada	32.4 years
Longest serving employee	24 years

Physical Workplace Rating: A+

Commuter amenities	subsidized parking, secure/sheltered bicycle parking
Workplace features	unique open-concept head office located in London's historic downtown core and designed with employee feedback, workplace features 30 foot open ceilings with exposed beams as well as a number of unique amenities including an in-house theatre, motion capture studio, scooters to help employees move through the office, a full commercial kitchen and dining room (with 4 full-time employees who prepare healthy and free meals daily)
Employee lounge amenities	comfortable seating, fireplace, music, television, video games, pool table, table tennis, classic 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	2 snack stations with freshly baked muffins, apples, oranges, bananas, pretzels, yogurt, bagels and cream cheese, freshly popped and flavoured popcorn, crackers, granola bars, dried fruit and peanuts, special treat days on Fridays, prepared in the kitchen (brownies, cookies, ice-cream cake)
Onsite fitness facility	shared use facility, subsidized membership, treadmills, stationary bikes, stairmasters, instructor-led classes (Body Pump, yoga, spin), rowing machines, weights, sauna, shower facilities
Other nearby amenities	YMCA, GoodLife Fitness, fitness club, Victoria Park, Harris Park, Thames River, daycare, restaurants, shopping mall, Convent Garden Market (operates year round), Budweiser Gardens (home of the London Knights)

Work Atmosphere & Communications Rating: A+

Employee social committee name	DE Social Committee (est. 2006)
Recent social events	summer kick-off rooftop party (with karaoke, games, food and drinks), employee Christmas party (1950's theme last year), separate kids Christmas party with gifts from Santa, monthly happy hour every last Friday of the month, Halloween pumpkin carving contest, summer family barbecue (with live band, bouncy castle, games, face-painting), regular employee 'meet-and-greets' to introduce new employees, ranging from pizza and ice cream nights at the studio to attending professional sports games
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 3 employees out for breakfast every Friday to get to know each employee on an individual level

Financial Benefits & Compensation Rating: 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
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 Rating: 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 sports 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 Rating: 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 Rating: 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
Confidential employee feedback	employees can also provide confidential feedback on their manager's performance
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 and sporting event tickets to Xbox consoles to iPhones and even drones
In-house survey period	in-house surveys are conducted every 12 months

Training & Skills Development Rating: A+

In-house training initiatives	mentoring, in-house training, online 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 $3,500 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 $3,500 in tuition subsidies per year for courses unrelated to current position
Financial bonuses for course completions	yes

Community Involvement Rating: A

Scope of charitable involvement	local
Employee charitable involvement	employees receive paid time off to volunteer
Some of the community organizations supported	Movember (hosted a Super Smash Brothers fundraiser tournament at the studio), Canadian Blood Services and OneMatch, Leukemia Foundation, Outward Bound Canada, Men's Mission of London, Mental Health Walk or Run, Boys & Girls Club of London
Charitable giving	matches employee donations
Community highlight	Digital Extremes' primary focus is to help local families in need. The company sponsored 8 families over the past holiday season, providing donations of food and presents for family members. In addition, the company regularly asks employees for suggestions regarding which charities and initiatives to support, with suggestions welcome at any time during the year. Top suggestions are voted upon by employees.

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
Student opportunities	paid internships, summer jobs, co-op opportunities
Training	subsidies for professional accreditation, orientation program, online training, in-house training, mentoring
Annual tuition maximum	employer pays up to $3,500 in tuition subsidies for job-related courses per year
Typical new grad positions	Customer Support Specialist, Programmer, Technical Game Analyst, 3D Artist
Starting salary	$40K to $45K
Work benefits	health benefits for new employees, flexible work hours, telecommuting, employees receive paid time off to volunteer
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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