Awards
Awards
Admiral Insurance – A Great Place to Work
Halifax’s Admiral Insurance has been named the eigth best workplace in Canada by the Great Place to Work Institute Canada.
It is the third year the UK based company, which opened the Halifax office in 2007, has been recognized as one of the top employers in the country.
Admiral is also one of the best workplaces for women in the country.
Vice President, Alexander MacDonald said, “We firmly and wholeheartedly believe people who like what they do, do it better and as such we go out of our way to ensure coming to work at the Admiral Group is enjoyable.
“Admiral is proud to offer an honest and open culture. Every member of staff is treated as an equal, achievement is rewarded and recognized, and, most of all, coming to work is fun.
“This achievement is a credit to our incredibly talented and dedicated employees who strive each and every day to deliver the best customer service experience possible and to supporting our commitment to creating an outstanding workplace culture.”
Jose Tolovi Neto, Managing Partner at Great Place to Work® Institute Canada said, “Great Place to Work® Institute would like to recognize and congratulate Admiral Insurance for its success in creating a great workplace culture.
“Admiral Insurance has been ranked on our 2013 list because employees told us they trust management, have pride in their jobs, and enjoy the people they work with.
“Employees at Admiral Insurance care about their work, their organization, and their community. Management was also recognized by employees as being highly credible”.
The list of “Best Workplaces in Canada” is compiled by Great Place to Work® Institute Canada. The Great Place to Work Institute defines winning companies as those organizations where “employees trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do and enjoy the people they work with.”
The competition process is based on two criteria: employee survey results and in-depth review of the organization’s culture, including an evaluation of HR policies and procedures. This offers a 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.
This year’s the Great Places to Work Institute saw over 57,000 employees across Canada participate in the 2013 “Best Workplaces in Canada” survey.
One of Nova Scotia's Top Employers 2009
In the movies and on television, the insurance industry is typically portrayed as staid, conservative, and not very exciting. At Admiral Insurance Services, their employees will tell you the polar opposite; the experience is anything but typical. The company who recently celebrated its first year of operation in Canada has been selected as one of Nova Scotia’s Top Employers. 
At Admiral, the philosophy is simple – “people who like what they do, do it better,” says Vice President Alex MacDonald. “If we treat our employees well, they in turn will treat our customers well.” It makes for a winning combination.
As soon as you walk in the door, you notice we have a culture that’s unique,” Dee McLean adds. “In addition to delivering fresh fruit to our staff daily, we have a ‘Ministry of Fun’. Each month one of the teams is responsible for contributing to a positive work environment through hosting fun activities and competitions in the office.”
Admiral is clearly a company whose focus is firmly centered on its’ employees; the staff work together in small teams within a relatively flat organizational structure. There are frequent surveys of the employees for their feedback, which the Company works hard to put into practice. Their staff enjoy great incentives, including health benefits from day one, a good vacation package, pension plan, and stock options.
“You’re a person here, not a number,” says Mandy Markie. “If you have a personal or health issue, they understand and will help you. I really like our “Buy a Book” program where you can purchase books that will assist you in your career – you bring in the receipt and they’ll cover the cost.”
Developing their staff is very much part of the focus of the Halifax office these days as it has grown from an office of 26 to over 150 employees in little over a year. “As we continue to grow as an organization there are ongoing career opportunities for our staff,” says Amanda Penney PS Manager. “In the past year, we’ve had many employees who started as customer care representatives move into management positions.” As part of Admiral’s commitment to developing their staff they offer an Educational Sponsorship program. The employees also have the opportunity to participate in in-house training programs both at home and abroad.
Chris Mann, Sales Team Manager, is one of those employees “I’m a recent graduate and, when I interviewed for a position with Admiral, they told me there were opportunities to advance my career” Chris says. “In this company, if you work hard, you can progress rapidly. Admiral does a lot of promoting from within and, with our headquarters in the United Kingdom; there are opportunities to travel. I’m originally from Ontario – moved here to get my education and choosing Admiral has given me the opportunity to stay and work in Nova Scotia.