OTTAWA – J.L. Richards & Associates Limited (JLR) is thrilled to announce that it has been recognized as one of the recipients of the 2024 Best Places to Work in Ottawa. This reputable award program is organized by the Ottawa Business Journal in collaboration with the Ottawa Board of Trade and Workforce Research Group.
The Best Places to Work program is designed to identify, celebrate, and honour the top employers contributing to the economy of Canada’s capital. Earning this recognition reflects JLR’s commitment to fostering an environment where employees can reach their full potential and have some fun along the way.
A two-part survey was conducted to thoroughly assess each employer. The first part, the Employer Assessment, gathered information about the organization’s policies and practices. The second part, the Employee Feedback Survey, was conducted online and captured employees’ opinions about their workplace experience. The data from both surveys was combined to determine the best workplaces.
JLR’s greatest assets are its people, employee ownership, and culture. When asked why they enjoy working at JLR, employees mentioned factors such as flexibility, work-life balance, family atmosphere, collaborative work environment, interesting and diverse projects, compensation, quality firm providing engineering, architecture, and planning, and mentorship.
The firm empowers its employees to develop their skills through the creation of their own individual training plans, a tailored plan for career development and progression. Furthermore, the popular career mentorship program pairs mentors with mentees from different technical backgrounds to facilitate communication throughout our multifaceted organization, actively sharing and spreading our unique culture. All the while, these programs aim to support up-and-coming talent and inspire senior leaders with new viewpoints.
“We are thrilled to be recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Ottawa. This award validates nearly 70 years of building a great organization with people who care about people,” says Saverio Parrotta, JLR CEO & President. “This award further reflects our dedication to creating a workplace where collaboration, innovation, and personal growth are at the forefront which helps us to improve the lives of the people in communities we serve.”
The Ottawa office embodies a hybrid, activity-based work environment. Operating as architect, engineer, and the client tenant, the JLR team worked together to create a custom-built space, supporting how employees want to work. Offering a hybrid-work week in conjunction with an activity-based work environment resulted in less required floorspace and smaller footprint, while presenting our staff with a modern workspace as well as desired flexibility. This conversion contributed to the reduction of the firm’s carbon emissions. JLR recently announced our own 2030 carbon reduction target, developed by our Environmental Sustainability Committee, which commits to reducing our absolute Scope 1 (direct emissions from operations) and Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased energy) greenhouse gas emissions.
An important priority is to create policy regarding JLR’s social responsibility. Grassroots committee work includes: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Reconciliation Action Plan; and Environmental Sustainability. These committees are responsible for reviewing current practices, analyzing and developing strategies, and preparing plans and documentation to enable leadership to implement initiatives in pursuit of social initiatives.
JLR has the right facilities, people, and technology to make it an exceptional workplace. We are deeply honoured to be recognized as one of the best places to work in Ottawa!
-30-
About JLR
As a Platinum Club member of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, JLR provides high-quality, fully integrated engineering, architecture, planning, and project management services to clients in the private and public sectors throughout Canada and internationally. Proudly 100% employee owned and completely Canadian, JLR has seven offices across Ontario supporting a wide variety of projects within eight key markets. Nearly 70 years of business experience places JLR as a leader in design innovation and delivery of successful projects. JLR recognizes it operates on the traditional territories and lands of the Indigenous peoples that came before us. For information on how JLR can help with your next project, please visit www.jlrichards.ca.
Find @JLRCanada on social media! We are active on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. For up-to-date company announcements, visit our newsroom. JLR is always looking to welcome new talent to our offices across Ontario. Visit www.jlrichards.ca/careers to find out more.
For media inquiries:
marketing@jlrichards.ca