Crescent Point Energy

It’s nice to have a boss who plays Santa Claus in July. That’s what Crescent Point Energy Inc. president and CEO Scott Saxberg did when he gathered his employees last year and handed out substantial bonuses, telling staff: “If you haven’t figured it out, I’m here to give you some money.”

The reward for hard work was a real surprise to most staff, but particularly Tina Osiowy, who had been with the company for only a few weeks at that point.

“It ended up being a huge chunk of my annual income,” says Osiowy, who as facilities engineer builds the company’s above-ground sites where oil and gas is processed. “They just don’t want anyone left out.”

Profit sharing is just one of many perks at the energy company, which has about 6 billion barrels of oil and gas-equivalent reserves in Western Canada.

From May to September, most employees work an extra half-hour per day to get Friday afternoons off; this summer,they got a new fully stocked, in-house gym; and employees of the publicly funded company receive generous amounts in stock shares.

It’s no wonder the company receives hordes of applications whenever there’s a job opening.

“It helps to work for a company that you are really proud to work for,” says Trevor Ross, a senior joint venture representative who has been with the company for three years. “Some of the perks help and they pay really well.”

And, oh yes, employees are well-fed at the company’s bistro, where a chef serves free daily breakfast; later in the day it’s a cool place to hang around the beer fridge and play foosball.

But it’s not all about financial and healthy perks. Osiowy says she appreciates that employees are given plenty of room to grow within the company. “Whatever I want to take on, whatever growth I want, I’m supported 100 percent — that’s my biggest thing,” she says.

As well, taking breaks is not only supported at Crescent Point, it’s encouraged. “I worked for an engineering company before and they wanted to chain me to the desk,” Osiowy says. “Here, if you stay at your desk over lunch, everyone kind of looks at you, like, ‘Are you sure you don’t need the break?’”

Even the boss is treated to a perk or two.

A birthday cake was rolled out for Saxberg’s 40th birthday. Out of it popped a Marilyn Monroe look-alike, decked out in the famous white dress, singing “Happy Birthday Mr. President.”

“He’s really young at heart,” Ross says.

crescentpointenergy.com

Key Employee Benefits
Flex hours; fully subsidized bistro; in-house gym; generous annual bonuses and a stock plan; Christmas week off; team events (curling, baseball, bowling, golf); health spending account.

Why it’s the Best Place to Work
The forward-thinking management of Crescent Point encourages their employees to be innovative.

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