Dave McGirr’s office door is always open. The vice-president of NorthernTel wants to make sure his employees feel comfortable with presenting him with new ideas to provide better service for customers.

“One of the things that’s extremely important to me, personally, is the open-door policy,” he said.

“It’s important to have a close relationship with employees to understand what their needs are from a business and family perspective and what their views are in terms of supporting clients. That relationship is paramount to our success.”

Communication between management and workers seems to be paying off. Employees of the company participating in an annual survey conducted by human resources company Hewitt Associates rated Northern Telephone as one of the 50 Best Employers in Canada.

“When someone goes to look for a place to work, you look at the salary, the benefits package and if there’s an opportunity for a development. Northern Telephone is a leader in those areas,” said Norma Hughes Howard, the company’s manager of communications and public affairs.

“If there’s a course that you want to take outside of the company at a local university or through distance education, we offer employees financial support to take that course. We also have in-house training that is second to none.”

Founded in 1905, NorthernTel has stood the test of time, celebrating its 100th year in business two years ago. These days the company has 200 employees working out of offices in Timmins and New Liskeard.

It provides telephone, cellular and Internet service to 66,000 customers over 83,000-square kilometres in Northeastern Ontario, from Hearst to Latchford to Timmins to Virginiatown.

Sometimes a community is just too small and remote for NorthernTel to inexpensively install high-speed Internet or cellular service.

When this is the case, the company will often work in conjunction with the Northeastern Ontario Network (NEOnet), a not-for-profit, government-funded information technology development organization, to install the technology.

The company has also recently started offering its business customers a service that eliminates the need to hire in-house information technology experts. NorthernTel trouble-shoots any technology problems the business may encounter with their Internet, telephone or cellular service.

McGirr said employees are offered competitive salaries, which are comparable to what tradespeople in other industries would earn. They also receive yearly bonuses based on customer satisfaction surveys and financial results.

The average age of employees at NorthernTel is approximately 35, although there are many long-term employees, said Hughes Howard.

Because of the advance in technology, many young people with degrees and diplomas in areas like electronic technology and engineering are being hired, she said.

“It’s great to see some young folks coming through the door,” said Hughes Howard.

“There was one kid in particular who shadowed someone in the bring your Grade 9 to work day. That same student came back and worked for about three years as a summer student, got a university education, and is now a full-time employee.”

Worker safety is incredibly important to NorthernTel. All employees are expected to complete a certain number of safety training days per year as part of the company’s accident prevention plan.

There are also many perks. Each December, there is a company-paid Christmas party and kids’ Christmas party.
Employees with 25 years of service, whether they’re still working or retired, are invited to a yearly banquet.

The children of NorthernTel employees can apply for a post-secondary school bursary. The company also provides a bursary at every high school in Northeastern Ontario for students entering post-secondary programs that may lead them to a job at NorthernTel.

Employees also have the satisfaction of knowing they’re giving back to the community. Last year, the company gave $55,000 to the Porcupine United Way. The money was raised through employee donations and fundraising efforts, and then matched by NorthernTel.