January 16, 2008
Three credit unions – Windsor Family, Kawartha and Spectra --  have made the list of the top 25 Best Small Companies to Work for.

The survey, reported in the Globe and Mail, is conducted annually by Hewitt Assocites and Queen’s University.

Windsor Family Credit Union, based in Windsor, ON, placed third on the list, while Kawartha Credit Union, based in Peterborough, ON, placed fifth.  Spectra Credit Union of Estevan, SK, was 15th.

About 70 companies with 50 to 399 employees took part in the extensive survey. Hewitt  Associates does a similar survey of larger organizations and several credit unions have appeared on that list.

"In each case, companies made the list because of a subtle combination of many factors usually connected to a clearly articulated philosophy of where their people fit into the organization's culture and direction," says survey co- ordinator Einar Westerlund, director of project development at the Queen's School of Business at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.

"Good companies are led by business leaders who connect their people to the business and have a way of making results more intimate for employees and showing how employees' jobs are important to the big picture," Westerlund adds.