About the CCC Certification

The Canadian Compassionate Companies (CCC) certification is a trusted way for companies to demonstrate that they provide a compassionate work environment for their teams. The standards of the CCC certification ensure that companies are implementing best practices in supporting their employees through HR policies, training, and/or other resources, particularly for employee caregivers or those experiencing grief.

Who are employee 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. 

35% of employed Canadians are also caregivers.

Are your HR policies adapted to offer flexibility, support, and accommodations so that your employees have the tools they need to thrive at work?

Half of all employee caregivers are between the ages of 45 and 65 - their peak earning years.

Is your company providing adequate supports for your mid and late career employees, your middle and upper management, who are also a caregiver for an aging parent, or a loved one with a serious illness?

Why your company needs to better support employee caregivers.

When an employee takes on the added responsibilities of being a caregiver, they may be forced to reduce their work hours, some may pass on job opportunities, or they might take a leave of absence. Over 1 in 20 working caregivers will leave their job, and 44% will miss days of work.

This doesn’t just affect the individual employee – employers are feeling these effects as well.  Companies can face increased turnover, loss of skilled and experienced employees, and a productivity loss equivalent to 18 workdays per year. However, these are not costs companies need to bear. With more supportive, compassionate work environments and accommodating policies, your company can more effectively attract and retain top talent, especially among mid and late career professionals. That’s where the Canadian Compassionate Companies certification comes in. 

The CCC Certification represents your company’s commitment to embedding compassion into your organisational culture and into your HR policies. It tells your current and future employees that your company values them as people first, and that you understand that everybody wins when employers provide the right supports for working caregivers.

Benefits of the CCC certification

In addition to the positive impact of your company’s compassionate policies on your organisational culture, the Canadian Compassionate Companies certification offered by CHPCA provides you with the following additional benefits.

Set your company apart through the trademarked Canadian Compassionate Companies certification

As a certified CCC, you will be able to use and display the CCC certification logo that publicly demonstrates your commitment to fostering a compassionate and supportive workplace for all your staff to partners, clients, and future-employees.

Curated resources to support your company’s compassionate policies and programs

CHPCA will provide your team with a list of curated, evidence-based resources to ensure your company is equipped to support all employees, including working caregivers, in these areas:

  • Advance Care Planning
  • Grief and Bereavement
  • Caregiver Support
  • Estate and Future Planning
  • Compassionate Care
    Check-ins

Access to an annual CCC only virtual event

The virtual event provides ongoing support for your team to continue integrating compassion in your human resources policies and in your organisational culture. The event will present the latest research on best practices to strengthen compassionate policies and employee caregiver supports.

This event is also an opportunity for certified CCCs to network, discuss, share, and learn from each other. 

Recognition on the CHPCA website, annual report, and other communications vehicles

Achieving the Canadian Compassionate Companies certification sets your company apart as a leader in building better workplaces for all employees.

CHPCA is proud to showcase all the companies who demonstrate their commitment to meeting the standards of the certification and to supporting their employees, and particularly working caregivers.

Have questions about the CCC certification benefits? Contact us at [email protected].

What it takes to be a certified Canadian Compassionate Company

Your company is eligible for the CCC certification if it meets at least five of the eight following criteria:

 1

Your company has an HR policy that endorses the Compassionate Care Benefit (CCB) and informs employees who may not be aware of this benefit.

2

Your employees’ jobs are protected while they access the CCB, and they are aware of this.

3

Your company provides employees with income top-up benefits over and above the job protected family medical EI Benefits leave offered through the provinces and the Federal EI Program. 

 

 

4

Your company has a caregiver accommodation policy that allows for support and flexibility, within economic reason.

5

Your company promotes Advance Care Planning (ACP) using resources and tools available at advancecareplanning.ca or through your own materials.

6

Your company provides sensitivity training around grief and bereavement, and actively encourages supported and compassionate discourse amongst coworkers, employees, and supervisors.

 

7

Your company provides regular communications that disseminate resources regarding caregiving standards and best practices within the organization.

8

Your company actively encourages staff volunteering within their community by providing a minimum of one paid day’s leave, annually, so employees can volunteer in their community, individually or as a compassionate group activity.

 

 

Show your employees you care

Have questions about the CCC certification criteria? Contact us at [email protected].

Current Canadian Compassionate Companies (CCC)

Corporate Ambassador for the CCC certification

Ross Video, a Canadian Compassionate Company since May 2021 and a world leader in video production technology, is a proud ambassador for the certification program. 

Certified Canadian Compassionate Companies

Resources to help you become a more compassionate company

... Become a CCC to receive a curated list with more evidence-based resources!

Past Announcements

Become a Canadian Compassionate Company

Are you interested in applying?  

Complete our online application with the relevant portions of your Human Resources policies for CHPCA to review for certification. Once the application is reviewed and approved, qualified companies can proudly display the CCC certification logo, as well as receive valuable awareness and educational resources, programs, and information from CHPCA that may be distributed to their employees.

The approval process takes 4-6 weeks. The certification is valid for a term of two years upon approval and receipt of payment, with the opportunity for subsequent certification renewals.

Have any questions? Contact us at [email protected].

Certification Cost

The Canadian Compassionate Companies certification is valid for two years, after which it is renewable upon verification that your company continues to meet the certification criteria.

Category

# of Employees

Business

Non-Profit *

Small

0 – 99 employees

$1,000

$200

Medium

100 – 499 employees

$2,500

$500

Large

500+ employees

$5,000

$1,000

* Includes government bodies, education institutions, and hospitals

Have any questions? Contact us at [email protected].