University of the Fraser Valley

UFV makes BC’s Top Employer list for a decade running

UFV makes BC’s Top Employer list for a decade running

Awards and recognition, Current, HR Highlights, Human Resources, Newsroom
UFV employees celebrate and end the year’s hard work with an annual holiday reception.

The University of the Fraser Valley has once again been named one of BC’s Top Employers, marking its tenth consecutive year of recognition. This achievement is particularly exciting as UFV approaches its 50th anniversary.

B.C.’s Top Employers is a competition that recognizes employers in BC that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. It is a subset of the annual Canada’s Top Employer competition.

Working at UFV gives employees the opportunity to take part in significant cultural events such as the National Truth and Reconciliation Day.

“Being recognized as a top employer is not just an honour, it’s a testament to our commitment to fostering a supportive, inclusive, and rewarding workplace culture where every individual can thrive and make a difference,” says Jackie Hogan, UFV’s CFO & VP Administration.

“As we move forward, we hope to build upon this achievement, ensuring that UFV continues to be known as a great place to work and learn.”

Reasons cited for UFV’s inclusion in BC’s Top Employers in 2024 include:

  • UFV supports its new families with generous maternity and parental leave top-ups, along with the opportunity for employees to extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence and phase-in their return to work when they are ready to come back
  • UFV’s flexible health benefits plan provides employees with a $1,000 health spending account that can be used to cover additional medical or dental expenses or transferred to their personal registered savings accounts
  • UFV encourages employees to adopt healthy lifestyles through a number of initiatives, including monthly health awareness campaigns, fitness classes, weight loss programs, and subsidized memberships to its fitness facilities offering drop-in sports, personal training and a range of fitness classes
Almaz Butev enjoys the collaborative environment at UFV.

Employees also have access to an on-campus fitness centre and gym in Abbotsford, and Not Myself Today, an initiative of the Canadian Mental Health Association that seeks to build a greater awareness and understanding of mental health, reduce stigma, and foster a safe and supportive work culture.

Almaz Butaev joined UFV last July as an assistant professor teaching mathematics and statistics. Moving from Cincinnati, Ohio, Almaz was drawn to UFV’s sense of community. With experience at larger research focused universities, he was surprised to see how individuals at UFV weren’t afraid to share ideas.
“Typically, you have a collection of strong individuals pursuing their own career goals. What I’m feeling here is that you don’t have just a bunch of individuals, but a whole, connected fabric,” he explains.

Almaz also noted how UFV doesn’t feel like a traditional, rigid corporate structure, “I’m interacting not just with my department head and my colleagues: every month I see people from other departments at faculty meetings, including upper management. I feel supported from everybody: from my department, my colleagues, the dean’s office, from HR, every single office I’ve interacted with has been helpful.”

UFV celebrates and recognizes staff and faculty for their service.

The BC’s Top Employers competition is run by Mediacorp Canada, which manages the well-known Canada’s Top 100 Employers project and the Eluta.ca job search engine, now used by over 5.4 million Canadians annually. In addition, Mediacorp hosts the nation’s largest annual conference for senior-level HR professionals. Founded in 1992, Mediacorp is Canada’s largest publisher of quality employment-related periodicals. BC’s Top Employers for 2024 are listed here.