Environics Communications Named #2 on the List of Canada's Best Workplaces for the Second Consecutive Year

Toronto, April 6, 2009 - For the second year in a row, Environics Communications has earned the #2 ranking on the list of Canada's 75 Best Workplaces. Generated by the Great Place to Work® Institute, the 2009 "Best Workplaces in Canada" list was published today in The Globe and Mail. With a large increase in entries this year the Best Workplaces list has grown from 50 to 75, accepting submissions from more than 200 companies.

"We have built a culture where camaraderie and excellence come together. Team members trust each other, take pride in accomplishments and celebrate our collective successes," said Bruce MacLellan, president, Environics Communications. "At the same time as achieving our positive culture, we have recorded 14 consecutive years of revenue growth. Building a great workplace is entirely consistent with building a great business."

In addition to the overall list, Environics Communications has ranked #1 on the 2009 list of Canada's Best Workplaces for Women. For an organization to be eligible for this list at least 50 per cent of employees must be women and at least 50 percent of executive positions must be held by women. Rankings are determined by the Trust Index © score for all women that completed the survey.

The Great Place to Work model is based on the concept that a great workplace is measured by the quality of three interconnected relationships within the work environment:

• The relationship between employees and management
• The relationship between employees and their jobs/organization
• The relationship between employees and other employees

With more than 20 years of experience in the field, the Great Place to Work's employee survey approach gathers feedback on Canadian companies, which provides an accurate measurement of relationships and overarching culture. Environics team members completed the Best Workplaces survey, giving the company near-perfect marks for friendly environment, training and development, management trust and openness, celebration of success, community support and overall fairness, among other criteria.

Notable programs at Environics include annual profit-sharing for all employees, company-paid trips on key anniversary dates, an annual company retreat, generous professional development funding, and a fun, relaxed culture.

"We are pleased to be included on this prestigious list of great Canadian companies and will continue to provide our clients and talented communications professionals with the best services and programs in the industry," added MacLellan.

This list of "Best Workplaces in Canada" is compiled for The Globe and Mail's Report on Business by the Great Place to Work® Institute Canada. The competition process is based on two criteria: two-thirds of the total score comes from a 57-statement survey completed by a random selection of employees, along with their open-ended comments about their organization; the remaining one-third of the score comes from an in-depth review of the organization's culture, including an evaluation of HR policies and procedures.

This offers a rigorous representation of the organization from an employee perspective, and an overall portrait of the workplace culture. Together they provide crucial data relative to the five trust-building dimensions of a great place to work: credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie.