The Canada's Top 100 Employers project is a national competition to determine which employers lead their industries in offering exceptional workplaces for their employees. The 2012 winners were announced on October 7, 2011 in The Globe and Mail.
As may notice, Accenture and KPMG are there, but your beloved company is not on this year's list.
As a matter of fact, CGI was among the winner in 2006 and before, and yours truly is to blame. I was weak, sometimes it happens, and I took drastic measure to ensure the "exceptional workplace" would be a thing of the past. I called the head of each business unit, inquiring about frivolous activities, perks, minutes paid that are not billable to a customer, anything that impacts the bottom line. One BU leader dared to tell me that he was bringing a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts every Friday so that this staff could schmooze over company-paid coffee and company-paid fried pastries. In fact, he was eating one as he spoke to me.
I went ballistic.
Rumors go that this guy never ate a doughnut since '06, even at home. He claims they give him cramps ever since.
Guess what, on Dec 29th 2006 - the year CGI was among those Top 100 employers, our stock closed at 8.13. As of now, it trades at 18.82. We cleaned the barn, and our spreadsheets are now spotless.
Who's right, that wimpy contest from the Globe and Mail for weak people-oriented companies, or my iron-clad balance sheet that keep pushing upward our stock price ?
You decide. Well, not really, but you get the idea.
