Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver

Number of employees:  80
Head office: Vancouver
Quote: “When a unique opportunity to work during the Olympics came up for me, my manager and my leaders were completely accommodating and recognized this for the amazing opportunity it is, instead of blocking me from it”

If my company were a celebrity, it would be: ELLEN DEGENERES
“She is well-respected by her industry peers and the community at large. She is charitable, environmentally conscious, generous to her staff and approachable”

Things you can’t put a price on – teamwork, camaraderie and support in times of crisis – are what the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver employees rave about. The 90-year-old realtors association, which established Canada’s first multiple listing service, had sufficient reserves to withstand what , for it, proved to be a short-lived recession. Despite what was going on in the rest of the world, the board was able to proceed with planned pay increases. Naturally, while staff are grateful for the 100 per cent company-funded pension plan and extra paid holidays, the little things are welcome too: free parking, the occasional ice cream truck visit and some leeway when it comes to office hours. “We are allowed to be sick and are not given a hard time over it,” says one employee. “They treat us like adults and assume we will make time up. If we happen to be running late, we do not have to stress and speed, risking lives."