An Oakville research-based pharmaceutical company, Nycomed Canada Inc., was ranked third out of 50 on Great Places to Work Institute Canada's 2008 Best Workplaces in Canada, which was announced recently in The Globe and Mail. More than 24,000 companies across the country participated in the survey and Nycomed, with more than 220 employees, made it to the top.

"It provides us a bit of confidence that we are doing the right thing for the people, who at the end of the day enable the success of the company," said John Suk, CEO of Nycomed Canada. "Secondly, in this day in age, the traction and retention of talent is a key thing. This helps strengthen that and it also attractive for employees."

The top two companies that surpassed Nycomed on the list are D.L.G.L. Ltd. from Québec and Environics Communications Inc. from Toronto, making Nycomed the top Oakville company. The only other Oakville business to make the list is Becton Dickinson Canada Inc., which was ranked 21st.

The survey's results were based on cultural evaluation and employee opinions. One-third of the scores were based on culture: pay and benefit programs, ethnic diversity and values. The remaining percentage was based on an employee "trust index" survey.

"Culture is one of our primary strategies here," said Suk. "We always say that culture trumps strategy. If you have a great strategic plan for a company, but you don't have great culture, you're not going to be able to implement it."

Nycomed's values are its core strengths, according to Suk. The company revolves around integrity, motivation, empathy and courage, "strong human values most people can relate to."

"But I think the most important one that you start with is trust, mutual trust. You trust the employees to do a great job and you empower them to do it, you let them do it and get out of the way. I think that's key and it's reciprocal," said Suk.

Employees of Nycomed expressed their opinions through a survey that comprised of 57-scale question and two open-ended questions. The questions were based on credibility, respect, fairness, price, and camaraderie.

Nycomed's standings show the company has created an environment where people feel respected and are happy to work at, according to Suk.

"Our greatest assets are the employees," he said. "You can't be successful without good employees. They can do a lot to undermine the company if they are not happy, if they are being unfairly treated or do not feel respected."