Keane , Inc.

Location: Halifax, N.S.
Number of employees: 565
Who are they: a U.S.-based IT firm that provides application, infrastructure and business process outsourcing services.
What makes them great: tuition subsidies for courses taken at outside institutions (to $5,250) and a variety of in-house and online training programs; academic scholarship program for children of employees who pursue post-secondary education (to $5,000 per child); retirement planning assistance, contributions to a matching RSP plan and phased-in work options; variety of alternative work arrangements including flexible hours, telecommuting and shortened and compressed work week options.

NB Power Holding Corporation

Location: Fredericton, N.B.
Number of employees: 2,369
Who are they: a provincial Crown corporation and public utility that provides electricity to more than 370,000 residentsin the province of New Brunswick, Atlantic Canada and along the eastern seaboard.
What makes them great: variety of alternative work arrangements including flexible hours, shortened and compressed work week options, telecommuting and reduced summer hours; offers fertility drug treatments through its health benefits plan and provides employees who are new mothers with maternity leave top-up payments (to 93 per cent of salary for 15 weeks) as well as parental leave top-up for new fathers and adoptive parents (to 93 per cent of salary for 10 weeks); operates an onsite daycare facility; subsidies for tuition and professional accreditation, in-house apprenticeship opportunities and online training programs; provides compassionate leave top-up payments to employees who are called upon to care for a loved one (to 93 per cent of salary for six weeks).

Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union

Location: St. John’s, N.L.
Number of employees: 120
Who are they: a Canadian credit union with 56 locations across Atlantic Canada.
What makes them great: generous yearend bonuses and contributions to a matching RSP plan (up to eight per cent of salary); extended health benefits plan for retirees, with no age limit and shared premiums; covers the full cost of tuition for courses at outside institutions (with no annual maximum) and maintains an annual academic scholarship program (to $3,000) for employees’ children; gives new employees three weeks of paid vacation, increasing to four weeks after three years on the job; paid time off for employees to volunteer in the community and manages its own charitable foundation to raise funds for charities across the province.

North Atlantic Refining Ltd.

Location: Come By Chance, N.L.
Number of employees: 505
Who are they: a subsidiary of the Korea National Oil Corporation and a crude oil refinery.
What makes them great: complete health benefits plan that includes extended coverage for employees into retirement, with no age limit; start new employees with three weeks of paid vacation time, moving to a maximum of five weeks for long-serving employees; career planning services as well as in-house training initiatives and tuition subsidies for courses at outside institutions; retirement planning assistance along with contributions to a defined benefit pension plan and a matching RSP plan.

Réseau de santé Vitalité

Location: Bathurst, N.B.
Number of employees: 4,947
Who are they: provider of health care and services to nearly 250,000 people.
What makes them great: subsidized memberships to an onsite fitness facility, complete with treadmills, weights, stationary bikes and instructor-led classes; retirement planning assistance, phased-in retirement work options as well as a defined benefit pension plan; new mothers and fathers (including adoptive parents) receive maternity top-up payments; new employees receive three weeks of paid vacation, increasing to a maximum of five weeks for its longest-serving employees and considers previous work experience when setting vacation entitlements for new employees.

Sports Direct Inc.

Location: Halifax, N.S.
Number of employees: 55
Who are they: an online media organization for sports statistics and news from a gaming perspective, and publisher of sports gaming site.
What makes them great: maternity leave top-up payments for new mothers (to 75 per cent of salary for 17 weeks) and extended health plan coverage during their leave; tuition subsidies for job-related courses as well as subsidies for professional accreditation; financial rewards including signing bonuses for some, bonuses for employees who refer a candidate that is successfully hired by the company (to $1,000) and year-end bonuses available to all; share purchase plan available for all employees.