Centurion runs pulse surveys every two weeks for employee engagement — here's what they're learning
Centurion Asset Management runs anonymous employee pulse surveys every two weeks to collect and act on employee feedback. That cadence alone sets the real estate investment trust (REIT) apart from most employers, where annual engagement surveys remain the norm.
But for Laura Salvatore, Centurion's executive vice president of human capital, the frequency is the point and what also led them to be recognized as one of BPM’s Top Employers this year.
"The answers are completely anonymous because we want honest feedback and questions to our employees every two weeks," she said. "It's a different question each time, geared to measure job satisfaction, engagement, opportunities perceived for learning and development, growth, support from their managers, coaching, and really just to get a better understanding of whether they feel as though they belong."
Surveys lead to company's success
The surveys feed a loop that Salvatore describes as constant evaluation. Centurion's workforce spans multiple generations, each with different expectations around scheduling, development, and workplace flexibility.
“Because of that, I would say our culture is constantly evolving, constantly improving. And that, I think, is really a key driver of our success,” she said, noting results from their latest internal survey found 93 per cent of employees said they find the leadership team approachable. Trust scores sit at 89 per cent, and 97 per cent said the workplace is physically safe.
For Salvatore, those numbers give Centurion's HR team concrete benchmarks to protect and areas to probe further when scores dip.
REIT structure drives financial incentives
Still, no survey program is without friction as employee comments submitted through BPM's survey that measured Top Employers flagged a lack of RRSP matching and frustration with recognition practices.
While Centurion doesn't offer a formal RRSP program, the organization leans on its identity as a REIT to create financial incentives tied to the business itself.
Moreover, employees can invest in Centurion Apartment REIT with the minimum investment threshold waived and no redemption fees. For employees in key strategic roles, a deferred incentive program converts a portion of annual bonuses into phantom or nominal shares, linking individual compensation to the trust's performance.
“This isn’t to say that we won't have something more in the future and not to say that there aren't other things in the works, but certainly two things that do exist today,” noted Salvatore. "No workplace is perfect. It's always a work in progress.”
A focus on continuous learning
Where Centurion puts particular weight, though, is learning and development as Salvatore underscored the Centurion Learning Academy gives employees around-the-clock access to more than 100,000 courses covering both technical and interpersonal skills. The platform sits alongside a mentorship program, career progression tracks with stretch assignments and job shadowing, and standard education reimbursement.
“We're really focused on continuous learning. We see learning and development as a real benefit that we offer to our employees,” she said. “It's something that we're deeply committed to and we have a really vast program in that respect.”
Salvatore pointed to January as evidence the investment is paying off, noting the company promoted 45 employees that month – roughly 10 per cent of its workforce, and 53 per cent of those promoted were women.
That number connects to a broader push on diversity and inclusion, which ranked among Centurion's highest-scoring categories in BPM's employer survey. The company runs an employee-led diversity and inclusion committee that selects a new awareness topic each month. Two months ago, it launched an employee resource group for women, driven in part by feedback from new mothers returning from parental leave.
"Coming back is hard because you're dealing with a lot," Salvatore said. "It's hard being away from your family. After being off for a year, everything's changed. Everything feels so different and there's a lot of self doubt that comes into play."
Centurion’s total rewards platform
According to Salvatore, Centurion evaluates its offerings through a total rewards lens rather than focusing on group health benefits alone. Learning and development, along with employee recognition, factor into that broader picture.
The company runs quarterly recognition programs, including a Rise Award for employees who exemplify Centurion's core values and an Employee Innovation Award that invites staff to submit process improvements or site-level ideas and then a winner is selected each quarter.
Still, Centurion structures its core benefits offerings around three pillars: financial, physical, and mental well-being. On the financial side, the company runs education programs on budgeting, saving, and debt management.
The organization also runs physical well-being challenges on a rotating basis like walking and hydration challenges designed to keep health visible without making it feel like a compliance exercise.
Meanwhile, the traditional group plan covers dental, vision, and paramedical services. On the mental health side, Centurion has pushed its psychologist coverage to the maximum its benefit provider allows.
"It really is something that we believe in, that we feel that our employees should have access to, and in their family members as well," she said.
