Canadian Compassionate Companies

The Canadian Compassionate Companies (CCC) certification represents your company’s commitment to embedding compassion into your organizational culture and workplace policies. It demonstrates that your company values employees as people first.

About the CCC Certification

Biennial CCC certification is a trusted way for companies to demonstrate that they provide a compassionate workplace to current and future employees, particularly for employee caregivers and those experiencing grief.

Apply to be a CCC Company

Why your company should be a Compassionate Company

35% of the Canadian workforce are also caregivers. Employee caregivers, or working caregivers, are people who take on an unpaid caregiving role for someone with increased health needs, while remaining in the labour force.

100% of employees are going to experience grief at some point in their work life.

This doesn’t just affect the individual employee – employers are feeling these effects as well. Research shows that creating a flexible, compassionate workplace positively impacts employees and employers and is a sound investment.

As a CCC company you will:

Decrease staff turnover and reduce cost of replacing employees
Increase productivity and employee engagement
Reduce sick leave and sick time payments
Improve service delivery and quality
Enhance recruitment

Eligibility Criteria

Certification requires your company meet at least five of the following nine criteria:

Have a workplace policy that supports the Compassionate Care Benefit (CCB) and makes sure employees know it is available.

Ensure employees know their jobs are protected while accessing the CCB.

Share resources and information on caregiving standards and best practices on a regular basis.

Offer a caregiver accommodation policy that provides support and flexibility within reasonable economic limits.

Encourage staff volunteering by offering at least one paid day off each year.

Have a workplace policy that supports Bill C-220 (employees can take up to 10 days – 7 unpaid – following the death of an immediate family member) and employees know it’s available.

Provide grief and bereavement sensitivity training and foster compassionate, supportive conversations in the workplace.

Promote advance care planning using resources from advancecareplanning.ca or your own materials.

Offer income top-up benefits beyond the standard family medical leave provided through provincial and federal EI programs.

CCC Certification Benefits

Promotion: Your company is promoted as a CCC company on our website, in our annual report, across our social media channels and newsletter.

Differentiation: The CCC certification badge on your website, collateral and social media shows your company is committed to compassion.

Business Resources: Curated resources to support your company’s compassionate policies and programs.

How to Apply

Complete our online application.

Upload relevant portions of your workplace policies.

Note: Approval takes approximately 4-6 weeks. Certification is valid for two years and is renewable for organizations who continue to meet certification criteria.

Apply to be a CCC Company