The interviews have been done, your background checks are 
complete, and the job offer has been accepted and signed. It’s your first day on the job at Edon Management. You might be feeling a range of emotions: nervous, excited, or maybe relieved to have finally landed employment.
Now what?
It doesn’t matter if you’ve been hired as a cleaner, an operator, a building supervisor, an office administrator, or a director – no one gets thrown into their position without support.
Edon, with just under 500 employees, has hired 83 people in the past 12 months across Alberta. It’s a testament to its growth and success, and a good time to talk about the company’s onboarding process.
It is Edon’s goal to make sure each employee understands what the company does – providing worry-free building solutions to clients – but also learning its workplace culture, code of conduct and ethics. And of course, we’ll also fill you in on what you’ll be doing in your new role.
Day 1 – Orientation
On Day 1, new employees will be greeted by a Human Resources representative and given an orientation session. New hires will learn about the services Edon provides to clients, through a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation. There is an overview of Edon’s commitment to its many clients, the wide variety of properties the company works with, and the major programs and services offered, including safety and quality management. The training helps new hires understand the steps Edon takes to achieve a high quality of service through all levels of the operation.
From there, every new hire receives an internal safety orientation and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) training, the national safety standard for any workplace that deals with hazardous materials. WHMIS training takes about an hour to complete and is followed by a short quiz that earns you a signed certificate of completion.
The next 90 days
Once orientation is completed, training becomes aligned specifically to your individual role. Each position has a 90-day training document, detailing all of the information related to the job. This is a tailored training checklist for each role, and the document helps support both the manager and the new employee, so that nothing is missed. When the 90 days is completed, every employee should have a solid understanding of what the expectations are in their role.
Work-life balance
We are all busy people and Edon recognizes that our lives extend beyond the workplace. Supporting that idea, the company offers flexible work hours for a host of positions. For example, an employee, because of a particular home situation, may need to work earlier or later in the day, and the company makes every effort to accommodate these requests. When it comes to vacation time, Edon offers three weeks’ holidays for most positions, as well as paid personal time. The basic entitlement in many Canadian workplaces is two weeks.
Growing with the company
Edon is also committed to helping employees who want to further develop their skills and advance their careers. Managers are encouraged to have ongoing conversations with their staff regarding employment goals and objectives. For anyone wishing to pursue career development, this process can happen during the twice-a-year Performance Assessment and Training (PAT) review, a good time to set career goals, objectives, action plans and outcomes, with regular check-ins and follow-ups.
If an employee wishes to earn a certificate or diploma that dovetails with their career aspirations, Edon offers a tuition reimbursement program–as long as the course is related to their current role.
For example, if an Edon building operator wants to get a 4th Class Power Engineer Certificate, they can work out with their manager how to accommodate school hours. Once the certificate is complete, the employee will be reimbursed 50 per cent of the cost. The remaining 50 per cent is paid once the employee has completed two years in that role. The same would apply to a property administrator, for example, who wanted to work towards their property management designation (RPA, FMA, or CPM). These types of advancements apply to many roles within the company.
Edon is willing to support employees who may want to move into different roles or take on more duties, such as a building operator who would like to transition into a supervisory position.
“We do support a lot of people with career growth, taking on more responsibility,” says Nichola Belsheim, Human Resource and Payroll Manager. “If people have the potential, we want to support that. It’s good for them, it’s good for us and that helps with employee retention.”