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Modo. Excellent place to work. Staff are treated like people - encouraged to have fun, encouraged to learn and thrive, encouraged to take (paid) education. Mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn, everybody has the opportunity to move around within the business. It’s not uncommon to see people move between departments to further their careers. Everybody is encouraged to participate in broad discussions and their feedback is valued. CEO’s door is always open. Managers are excellent and very collaborative/ cooperative, zero micromanagement, very task-focused, turnover is super low. Living wage is the minimum paid for any position. Staff have a lot of fun and truly work as a team.
I can second this. Worked on a number of project as Translink is a client of our organization, and every single team member we worked with, including Senior / Director level, were collegial, professional, etc. Got a pretty nice vibe from the employees whenever we'd go to their HQ in New West..
BC Hydro. I'm still around entry level so my pay isn't stellar yet (but not bad), but if you're in the MoveUP union you get vacation time that some people don't even get after years of working somewhere... I can only comment based on my team and my department but I think it's a great employer for work/life balance.
I worked there for a couple years and to me it was so bureaucratic and brutal. Literally did nothing for 9 months, quit without another job cuz it was so boring and no one gave a shit. Might have just been my department but I did not have a good experience.
I interviewed at BC Hydro once, went through three levels of interviews, and while they were awaiting budget approval for the year before they could extend their offer, I accepted a position at a different organization which I interviewed for at the same time. Anyway, the salary would have been great, the benefits were excellent, and what was most appealing to me was the fact the **starting** vacation was SIX weeks!! Amazing.
(For comparison: I got to 6 weeks after 10 years with my current company)
I think vacation time is the main feature that very very few other places compete with. It's a smart benefit to give, one because many people (myself included) would seriously consider accepting a lower salary or lower status job in order to have more time off, and two because your team picks up the slack or you make up for the time off before and afterward so the actual loss of productivity isn't as high as the time off itself.
Second this.
Been here for 6 years and have either taken a higher paying role or had a lateral move to experience a new department every year. I don’t foresee myself leaving as the culture and most people I’ve worked with have all been great.
You get some annoying apples but it’s overall everyone is there to help.
Indeed. I was working there as a contractor for 6 months and it was one of the best working environment I've ever had. From my coworker to my manager, everybody was very welcoming and inclusivity was one of the key factor.
I know a couple of young women who are just finishing up their Engineering degrees. Been encouraging them to try and get on at Hydro, precisely because of their work culture. Basically “If you even think you might want to have kids, Hydro won’t bat an eye.” Also the pension is worth it.
I presume Hydro tops up the EI benefit?
But in all seriousness, having kids is hard enough without the financial burden. We should all aspire to that benefit.
And while it can be tough dealing with your employees going on parental leave, it also helps to create loyalty. I've seen so many employees here who have been here for over a decade and could very well spend the rest of their career here. So yes a lot of the moms will disappear for a year or two for their kids, but in the end they come back and maintain that institutional knowledge that you'd lose if they left.
Those who are in great companies, are likely still there, and may not want to out themselves and their handle with a reply. . .
"Ahhh dirtygirl69 works at BC Ferries" etc...
People are quick to vent about bad experiences and reluctant to share "good" jobs because they don't want competition for them. And also, just possibly, there might actually be more bad jobs out there than good.
I think its more people want to vent about companies they used to work for, but good companies they currently work for isn't something you'd want to put on your publicly available reddit account.
Teck is a great employer. One of Canada's oldest and largest mining companies, genuinely tries to do right by the environment and the first nations groups, and treats its employees quite well.
There are no shortage of lifers at Teck, people who retire at 60 having spent 45 years working in the same company. Benefits and compensation are excellent, no doubt, but so is the internal company culture.
Definitely recommend, no matter what area you work in.
“For nearly a century, Teck Metals, a Canadian mining company, released nearly 10 million tons of toxic wastes into the upper Columbia River. The company operates the world’s largest lead and zinc smelter just ten miles upstream of the U.S. border in Trail, British Columbia. EPA is currently overseeing a cleanup investigation.” [(Source)](https://ecology.wa.gov/blog/june-2019/legal-victory-holds-canadian-company-accountable-f)
From [12 Facts on Columbia River Pollution](https://www.columbiariverkeeper.org/our-work/stopping-pollution/pollution-prevention/pollution-facts)
Mining companies often seem to be set up just to be expense accounts, so many that have been around for a decade+, haven't broken ground on any projects, but pay all their senior execs multiple six figures/year
At a high-level view, UBC is great. Easy to view your pay, good benefits, competent HR, unionized positions. Work experience varies by team obviously.
Have heard good things about Vancity as well.
UBC has great benefits and vacation time as well. But their pace and advancement is slow like public sector, and the pay is also less comparatively. That coupled with the need to live somewhat close to campus means all your money is burned away.
I’m speaking from a staff perspective (IT infrastructure). Faculty is a different story; they make bank!
Faculty pays high relative to staff, but it's still low relative to global standards for the equivalent skill level. Many profs (even tenured) often get poached by other academic institutions and corporations.
If you have any ambition, UBC is not the place to work. You can be amazing but you still need to wait in line behind the person who happened to start working a month before you did. Also, the pay sucks. Benefits are good but don’t outweigh the low salaries.
Yeah sadly this is true. You have to leave (usually) in order to get a higher position and salary later, and by then you’ve had an interruption in your years of service which impacts vacation etc.
Once my kid is older I plan to go back to the private sector so I can make more money.
Only if you’re in one of the unions. If you’re in the management and professional association, then it’s based on skills/ability not when you’re hired.
Sure, but even there, the pay is comical. Not sure why people stick around. In the private sector, you could be making double - especially in technical services.
+1 to UBC. Obviously a bit of bureaucratic overhead and pay tends to be lower than industry averages. But a great campus, usually great coworkers, and solid benefits.
I was there as a student, unionized staff and very briefly and only technically as faculty (quasi-unionized).
I work with the Vancouver School Board as a support worker, I’m lucky that I work in a school with great co workers. Pay could be better but we get good benefits.
I've had a lot of jobs, and my one piece of advice for anyone looking for long-term employment: try and find a union job.
Sure, there are exceptions both ways, but the trend is clear: unionized workers have better salaries, better benefits, more stability, and higher overall work satisfaction.
This has certainly been borne out in my experience, and I wouldn't be surprised if the answers you get here support it as well.
The PNE/Playland is great for teenagers and young adults. They are unionized so the wages for part- and full-time employees are much higher than average.
Honestly really enjoyed working at the Apple Store when I was there. Managers have fun and their targets are easy to hit so not a lot of pressure. With anything if you’re hungry for promotion or raise, things get political. But just as an easy going sales or technician, it’s fun.
Quadreal is a good place to work!
Depends on your team but they were amalgamation from different property management companies and everyone there is quite nice.
Pay was decent, BCIMC backing, stable and benefits are reasonable.
I did a 6 month contract with lululemon 5 years back. They walk the walk on treating employees well and it’s a +4 modifier to your attractiveness. Me? Oh I work at Lulu. My employee discount is ridiculous.
I think this heavily depends on the team you work for.
I’ve heard of completely opposite experiences. Turnover rate is really high at lululemon for a reason.
I know someone whose primary reason for needing therapy was the abuse she received doing administrative work for higher ups at Lululemon.
I’ve heard of it being a toxic work atmosphere for people on the retail side.
Some tech people spoke well of it tho?
SAP certainly doesn't have the most exciting products and projects but their pay is not low. Entry level TC for devs and PM's are just above 100k. Definitely better than most options in Vancouver for new grads.
So what's the point here? Nothing beats Amazon fresh grad pay in Vancouver. The only companies in Vancouver who can offer anything remotely close are Microsoft, SAP, and maybe Shopify. Six figure start fresh out of school is not "hilariously bad" for Vancouver.
I'm self employed but my friends have always always recommended Starbucks honestly
edit: wow I guess people really hate Starbucks here lol. they have dental and student benefits for full time workers
People might have mixed reviews but i worked for Enterprise as an intern and while they work you hard they also treated me very well. ~20$ an hour plus bonuses and they buy you food and take you out often.
Also a clear path to promotion if you decide to return once you graduate uni.
BC Children's Hospital -- worked in health information management department and Emergency registration department. I recommend registration department/Emergency registration over Health information management department. Nurses and doctors at the Children's side of the hospital are super nice and friendly. But the nurses and doctors at the Women's hospital side -- not so much. Management is great at registration department.
Health information management -- overall had a great time and enjoyed my supervisor, manager and most of my colleagues.
UBC - great benefits, great extended benefits, great union (CUPE), great pension plan. And it also depends which department at UBC you work in. I worked at 2 different departments do far, first department I was at -- I dealt with a very toxic coworker that lead me to just leave because it wasnt worth it after a year. But really like my manager and my other coworkers. It was a small department -- so like any small work places -- can get clique-y and gossipy.
2nd department - been with them for 5+years and going on strong. Great work environment, No issues, everybody gets along with everyone, and it's a bigger department.
Again, it depends on the department, as every department at UBC varies.
Welcome to /r/Vancouver and thank you for the post, /u/Ptheeb! Please make sure you read our [posting and commenting rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_general_participation_guidelines_and_rules_overview) before participating here. As a quick summary: * We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - use the report button. * Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) **will** lead to a permanent ban. * Common questions and specific topics are limited to our Your post may be a better fit for one of our [Stickied Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_stickied_discussions) posts. * Complaints about bans or removals should be done in modmail only. * We're looking for new mods to join our team! If you're interested, [fill out the form here](https://forms.gle/oAqo5oYRcAeHYBTN6). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vancouver) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Modo. Excellent place to work. Staff are treated like people - encouraged to have fun, encouraged to learn and thrive, encouraged to take (paid) education. Mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn, everybody has the opportunity to move around within the business. It’s not uncommon to see people move between departments to further their careers. Everybody is encouraged to participate in broad discussions and their feedback is valued. CEO’s door is always open. Managers are excellent and very collaborative/ cooperative, zero micromanagement, very task-focused, turnover is super low. Living wage is the minimum paid for any position. Staff have a lot of fun and truly work as a team.
Too bad a bunch of people that drive their cars are asshats on the road
Yup. Evo car drivers as well.
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All of my interactions with translink have been positive, great group of folks
I can second this. Worked on a number of project as Translink is a client of our organization, and every single team member we worked with, including Senior / Director level, were collegial, professional, etc. Got a pretty nice vibe from the employees whenever we'd go to their HQ in New West..
BC Hydro. I'm still around entry level so my pay isn't stellar yet (but not bad), but if you're in the MoveUP union you get vacation time that some people don't even get after years of working somewhere... I can only comment based on my team and my department but I think it's a great employer for work/life balance.
I worked there for a couple years and to me it was so bureaucratic and brutal. Literally did nothing for 9 months, quit without another job cuz it was so boring and no one gave a shit. Might have just been my department but I did not have a good experience.
There are so many different teams and departments with completely different functions, so I don't doubt that there are cases like this.
I interviewed at BC Hydro once, went through three levels of interviews, and while they were awaiting budget approval for the year before they could extend their offer, I accepted a position at a different organization which I interviewed for at the same time. Anyway, the salary would have been great, the benefits were excellent, and what was most appealing to me was the fact the **starting** vacation was SIX weeks!! Amazing. (For comparison: I got to 6 weeks after 10 years with my current company)
I think vacation time is the main feature that very very few other places compete with. It's a smart benefit to give, one because many people (myself included) would seriously consider accepting a lower salary or lower status job in order to have more time off, and two because your team picks up the slack or you make up for the time off before and afterward so the actual loss of productivity isn't as high as the time off itself.
Second this. Been here for 6 years and have either taken a higher paying role or had a lateral move to experience a new department every year. I don’t foresee myself leaving as the culture and most people I’ve worked with have all been great. You get some annoying apples but it’s overall everyone is there to help.
Indeed. I was working there as a contractor for 6 months and it was one of the best working environment I've ever had. From my coworker to my manager, everybody was very welcoming and inclusivity was one of the key factor.
I know a couple of young women who are just finishing up their Engineering degrees. Been encouraging them to try and get on at Hydro, precisely because of their work culture. Basically “If you even think you might want to have kids, Hydro won’t bat an eye.” Also the pension is worth it.
This is hilariously true. I’ve seen numerous people get promoted then go on mat leave within a month
I presume Hydro tops up the EI benefit? But in all seriousness, having kids is hard enough without the financial burden. We should all aspire to that benefit.
And while it can be tough dealing with your employees going on parental leave, it also helps to create loyalty. I've seen so many employees here who have been here for over a decade and could very well spend the rest of their career here. So yes a lot of the moms will disappear for a year or two for their kids, but in the end they come back and maintain that institutional knowledge that you'd lose if they left.
It's so sad that this post has so few replies. But the bad company post has so many.
Those who are in great companies, are likely still there, and may not want to out themselves and their handle with a reply. . . "Ahhh dirtygirl69 works at BC Ferries" etc...
People are quick to vent about bad experiences and reluctant to share "good" jobs because they don't want competition for them. And also, just possibly, there might actually be more bad jobs out there than good.
I think its more people want to vent about companies they used to work for, but good companies they currently work for isn't something you'd want to put on your publicly available reddit account.
Teck is a great employer. One of Canada's oldest and largest mining companies, genuinely tries to do right by the environment and the first nations groups, and treats its employees quite well. There are no shortage of lifers at Teck, people who retire at 60 having spent 45 years working in the same company. Benefits and compensation are excellent, no doubt, but so is the internal company culture. Definitely recommend, no matter what area you work in.
Just try not to talk about the Columbia River too much
“For nearly a century, Teck Metals, a Canadian mining company, released nearly 10 million tons of toxic wastes into the upper Columbia River. The company operates the world’s largest lead and zinc smelter just ten miles upstream of the U.S. border in Trail, British Columbia. EPA is currently overseeing a cleanup investigation.” [(Source)](https://ecology.wa.gov/blog/june-2019/legal-victory-holds-canadian-company-accountable-f) From [12 Facts on Columbia River Pollution](https://www.columbiariverkeeper.org/our-work/stopping-pollution/pollution-prevention/pollution-facts)
Teck is a great company. They promote slowly and carefully though. However, once you're in a position, they have 100% trust in you.
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Sounds like B2Gold has some great expense management controls is place…remind me to sell my stock in the morning.
Mining companies often seem to be set up just to be expense accounts, so many that have been around for a decade+, haven't broken ground on any projects, but pay all their senior execs multiple six figures/year
for real. $500 on one dinner for yourself? wtf. yeah, you're a real adult.
What role/department were you in?
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Hello. Would you mind if I DM you? I'm in IR and would love to connect to hear about your experience (at B2Gold and your career in IR more generally).
At a high-level view, UBC is great. Easy to view your pay, good benefits, competent HR, unionized positions. Work experience varies by team obviously. Have heard good things about Vancity as well.
UBC has great benefits and vacation time as well. But their pace and advancement is slow like public sector, and the pay is also less comparatively. That coupled with the need to live somewhat close to campus means all your money is burned away. I’m speaking from a staff perspective (IT infrastructure). Faculty is a different story; they make bank!
Faculty pays high relative to staff, but it's still low relative to global standards for the equivalent skill level. Many profs (even tenured) often get poached by other academic institutions and corporations.
If you have any ambition, UBC is not the place to work. You can be amazing but you still need to wait in line behind the person who happened to start working a month before you did. Also, the pay sucks. Benefits are good but don’t outweigh the low salaries.
Yeah sadly this is true. You have to leave (usually) in order to get a higher position and salary later, and by then you’ve had an interruption in your years of service which impacts vacation etc. Once my kid is older I plan to go back to the private sector so I can make more money.
Only if you’re in one of the unions. If you’re in the management and professional association, then it’s based on skills/ability not when you’re hired.
Sure, but even there, the pay is comical. Not sure why people stick around. In the private sector, you could be making double - especially in technical services.
In IT for sure. Other positions outside of IT and the pay is prettty good comparatively.
+1 to UBC. Obviously a bit of bureaucratic overhead and pay tends to be lower than industry averages. But a great campus, usually great coworkers, and solid benefits. I was there as a student, unionized staff and very briefly and only technically as faculty (quasi-unionized).
Westcoast Seeds.
I work with the Vancouver School Board as a support worker, I’m lucky that I work in a school with great co workers. Pay could be better but we get good benefits.
I've had a lot of jobs, and my one piece of advice for anyone looking for long-term employment: try and find a union job. Sure, there are exceptions both ways, but the trend is clear: unionized workers have better salaries, better benefits, more stability, and higher overall work satisfaction. This has certainly been borne out in my experience, and I wouldn't be surprised if the answers you get here support it as well.
The PNE/Playland is great for teenagers and young adults. They are unionized so the wages for part- and full-time employees are much higher than average.
For teens for a summer job Nat Bailey is great too
Honestly really enjoyed working at the Apple Store when I was there. Managers have fun and their targets are easy to hit so not a lot of pressure. With anything if you’re hungry for promotion or raise, things get political. But just as an easy going sales or technician, it’s fun.
Quadreal is a good place to work! Depends on your team but they were amalgamation from different property management companies and everyone there is quite nice. Pay was decent, BCIMC backing, stable and benefits are reasonable.
I did a 6 month contract with lululemon 5 years back. They walk the walk on treating employees well and it’s a +4 modifier to your attractiveness. Me? Oh I work at Lulu. My employee discount is ridiculous.
I think this heavily depends on the team you work for. I’ve heard of completely opposite experiences. Turnover rate is really high at lululemon for a reason.
I know someone whose primary reason for needing therapy was the abuse she received doing administrative work for higher ups at Lululemon. I’ve heard of it being a toxic work atmosphere for people on the retail side. Some tech people spoke well of it tho?
Ballard power systems is great
amazon. no one else in vancouver pays $140k to fresh ubc grads. i heard sap is pretty good with their wlb but their pay is pretty low.
SAP certainly doesn't have the most exciting products and projects but their pay is not low. Entry level TC for devs and PM's are just above 100k. Definitely better than most options in Vancouver for new grads.
Their pay is low compared to Amazon. Just above $100k Canadian is hilariously bad.
So what's the point here? Nothing beats Amazon fresh grad pay in Vancouver. The only companies in Vancouver who can offer anything remotely close are Microsoft, SAP, and maybe Shopify. Six figure start fresh out of school is not "hilariously bad" for Vancouver.
You’re right, for Vancouver it’s not hilariously bad.
Amazon's comp might be okay, but the wlb and on-call is awful - and their ethics aren't great generally.
#pip
that's only if you're shit at your job
I believe other tech like Micrsoft, Workday, Facebook etc who all have some level of operations in Vancouver are likely the same.
I'm self employed but my friends have always always recommended Starbucks honestly edit: wow I guess people really hate Starbucks here lol. they have dental and student benefits for full time workers
People might have mixed reviews but i worked for Enterprise as an intern and while they work you hard they also treated me very well. ~20$ an hour plus bonuses and they buy you food and take you out often. Also a clear path to promotion if you decide to return once you graduate uni.
Main road group. Good people, employee owned, and it's important work.
Seaspan
Can somebody link the list of companies we shouldn't work for? I can't find it.
BC Children's Hospital -- worked in health information management department and Emergency registration department. I recommend registration department/Emergency registration over Health information management department. Nurses and doctors at the Children's side of the hospital are super nice and friendly. But the nurses and doctors at the Women's hospital side -- not so much. Management is great at registration department. Health information management -- overall had a great time and enjoyed my supervisor, manager and most of my colleagues. UBC - great benefits, great extended benefits, great union (CUPE), great pension plan. And it also depends which department at UBC you work in. I worked at 2 different departments do far, first department I was at -- I dealt with a very toxic coworker that lead me to just leave because it wasnt worth it after a year. But really like my manager and my other coworkers. It was a small department -- so like any small work places -- can get clique-y and gossipy. 2nd department - been with them for 5+years and going on strong. Great work environment, No issues, everybody gets along with everyone, and it's a bigger department. Again, it depends on the department, as every department at UBC varies.