HealthPartners – How Partnerships in The Bio-economy Make Healthy Workplaces and Canadians

Stories of workforce shortages appear in Canadian media almost daily, and companies in the bio-economy are feeling the pinch acutely. A shortage of qualified workers means that, on average, there are two open job postings in life sciences companies for every candidate. The competition for talent has never been fiercer – and because employees can afford to be more selective than ever about where they work, workplace culture and corporate citizenship are becoming increasingly important differentiators.

According to research conducted by Imagine Canada, Canadian employees – particularly those with the highest levels of education, income, seniority and specialization, attribute great importance to the community contributions and corporate citizenship of their employers. Those who work at a company that they believe is highly committed to their community are 1.5 times as likely to report intending to stay at their employer for the next two years; 1.9 times as likely to be extremely or very satisfied with their job; and 2.6 times as likely to recommend their employer.

The implication of this is clear: not only will a practice of corporate philanthropy and workplace giving strengthen your corporation’s overall reputation, it will help you attract and retain the talent you need to succeed.

BioTalent Canada knows this and is collaborating with HealthPartners to invest in the health and well-being of Canadians. Every spring, BioTalent holds a workplace giving campaign to raise money for HealthPartners. These amounts are then distributed among its 17 member charities – patient organizations like the Canadian Cancer Society and the Kidney Foundation who, together, are the biggest funders of health research in Canada after the federal government. By funding lifechanging patient supports, advocacy and research into chronic and acute conditions that affect nearly every Canadian, BioTalent also gains a competitive edge that helps it remain a certified Great Place to Work.

“Our charitable campaign really solidifies our team spirit,” says Rob Henderson, CEO of BioTalent Canada. “We celebrate its launch by coming together to hear a testimonial from someone who has benefitted from the work HealthPartners charities do. This is a great reminder that we can really make a huge difference on real lives. From there, our employees can choose whether they wish to make a one-time gift or have an amount drawn from every pay cheque – either way, it’s easy for the employee to donate to a great cause and at no cost to us as the employer to host the campaign. It’s a real win-win-win!”

Since its inception in 1988, HealthPartners has raised over $200 million for the 17 national patient organizations it represents. To find out how your organization could host its own charitable campaign in the workplace, contact Jennifer Mahendran at [email protected] today.

Article provided by Health Partners