10 best places to work in the North: from workplace wellness to creative, high-energy work environments, Northern Ontario employers reveal their secrets to retaining and attracting employees.

For employees at Lucidia Studios, developing creative juices is not just about rewarding innovation--it's about providing a relaxing and playful environment for its workforce.

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At Lucidia, this usually translates into cranking out tunes at office workstations or kicking back with a good game of foosball in the company lunchroom.

"We're known as the place to be," beams Lou Derrer, the 45-year-old principal of the Sault Ste. Marie-based company. While Derrer would be considered an up-and-coming youngster in many corporate boardrooms around North America, at Lucidia, Derrer says he is teased about his age all the time. The average employee at the company is about 28 years old and most of the company's recent hires range between 22 and 23 years of age.

The promotion of young, playful energy is one of the main draws of the company, says Derrer. He says that his company is one of the most popular coop placement destinations for high school and college students. Energy, he says, has everything to do with it.

Lucidia Studios, a Web design company, and its sister company, Lucidia Technologies, a technical services and business solutions company, are both involved in the creative services industry and the company's owners, Derrer and Jeff Elgie love every moment of it.

Established only a few years ago, the company has been able to attract and retain some of best talent in the industry to the North.

"We have been able to attract account executives at one of the top companies in Canada to our company and accept a pay cut by coming here," he says.

One of the best advantages of getting these creative people to Lucidia, Derrer maintains, is the established network of contacts and contracts they bring. Without disclosing names, Derrer says he has been able to get the attention of major hotels and other companies through people he has hired recently.

"We're not getting Coca-Cola here, but we have very significant contracts and they're not necessarily household brand names," he says.

According to Derrer, the only issue Lucidia Studios and Lucidia Technologies have with employee retention is that too few people are leaving in order to meet the demands of an ever-growing waiting list.

The secret of the company's success, he contends, is that they have embraced the needs of the newer generation of northern workers.

"Especially with youth today, there's a lot more involved in getting a job than just money. They are highly motivated by lifestyle. It's about living the way you want to live," he says.

Embracing this approach, he says, will yield more productive workers and a better work environment.

"People who enjoy their work are generally more passionate about their careers and what they do," Derrer notes.

Besides embracing an "open concept" for their work environment, Lucidia has also committed itself to bringing its employees aboard a broad profit-sharing program. Lucidia does not offer a traditional basket of employee benefits, such as medical and dental coverage. Rather, it focuses on making productivity work for their workers. A significant amount of company revenue, Derrer says, goes back to their employees.

"It's why our employees don't watch the clock all day. It's not in their best interests," he says.

Profit sharing is not the only tangible reality that binds the tightly-knit group together. Lucidia also hosts constant activities for its employees, including spring outings that have involved five-day canoe trips north of the Sault and hiking trips at Lake Superior Provincial Park. The group also holds overnight stays at resort lodges and is constantly organizing after-work dinners and socials.

www.lucidiastudios.com

BY JOSEPH QUESNEL 

Northern Ontario Business