In a market where the demand for talent is greater than the supply, big brands like Shopify and Instacart have become leaders in attracting and retaining top talent in Canada. Alongside the success of their products, these companies gained their competitive advantage by investing in their employer brands and positioning themselves as employers of choice in the areas of total compensation, career development and workplace culture.
Recognizing that earlier stage companies don’t have the same budgets as these large players, we dug into the digital employer brands of Shopify and Instacart to learn more about the affordable and unique benefits they offer to maintain their competitive edge. The following employer brand scan will help you measure how your company compares in the market and give you some quick-win ideas that can be tailored to and introduced into your organization. In doing so, it’s important to remember that top-performing talent programs are thoughtfully designed and add intrinsic value for employees while remaining authentic to your brand.
Total compensation is the collection of cash compensation, benefit and monetary-reward programs offered to employees, including work-life integration plans that give employees the flexibility to choose when and how they work. The highest-rated compensation programs provide flexibility to meet individual needs and evolve to remain competitive in the market.
Shopify | Instacart | ||
Work-life integration |
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Unique health & wellness benefits |
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Other benefits & perks |
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Top-performing employees want to be recognized for their work and have the opportunity to develop their careers. Programs that enable this are critical to retaining top talent. These can include internal and external learning resources, career and succession-planning programs, and regular performance reviews. Without these types of structures, you increase the risk of losing top performers to organizations that publicly invest in their employees.
Shopify | Instacart | ||
Learning & development |
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Career growth & advancement |
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Performance reviews & feedback |
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Awards & recognition |
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Other |
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Culture is the shared set of values, goals and behaviours of an organization. More and more, employees are looking to join organizations in which they feel connected to their work, have a positive impact on the causes they care about and work in an environment that provides a true sense of belonging. Top brands share this sentiment with employees through effective branding, internal employee programs and corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Shopify | Instacart | ||
Employer mission & values | Mission: Make commerce better for everyone
Values:
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Mission: Create a world where everyone has access to the food they love and more time to enjoy it together
Values:
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“Why work with us” statement | Our team spirit looks a lot like entrepreneurial spirit. We’re astrophysicists, high school dropouts, salsa dancers and business owners. The path to Shopify is never a straight line, but the common thread is our ability to thrive on change, operate with trust and celebrate the diverse perspectives of our people in all that we do. | At Instacart, we believe that great people are the ingredients for success. We like to think that we are like a potluck, everyone brings something new, different and flavourful to the table. Our mix of thoughtful, inventive and neighbourly employees work together to deliver our common goal, to make grocery shopping accessible to everyone and give valuable time back to our customers. We believe that just as meals are best shared together, success is best shared together. If this excites you, then Instacart just might be the place for you. | |
Events & team bonding |
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Diversity, equity and inclusion |
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Corporate social responsibility |
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Your employer brand is your reputation as an employer. It’s what candidates see when they look you up online and ask around about you. Investing in your employer brand directly impacts your brand awareness and ability to attract talent. Shopify, Twitter and Instacart all have active employer brands across various channels that tell their stories as employers.
Shopify | Instacart | ||
Top communication channels |
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Employee reviews | “Good advancement options for dedicated people. Long work hours but good remuneration. Working from home is quite comfortable. Colleagues are supportive.” –Indeed
“Everything you hear about the culture is generally true. They meet expectations of their mission internally and externally.” –Shopify employee interview |
“Great compensation and exceptional culture.” –Glassdoor “Growing company with innovation in the grocery delivery industry. It is fun to work on interesting problems.” –Glassdoor |
Have you identified other talent competitors for your company? Research them online (in places such as career sites, Glassdoor, LinkedIn and Comparably) to see what they are offering to attract and retain talent.