Canadian Tire – “Great culture with limited promotional opportunities internally”

Pros

The corporate culture is definitely the best thing they have going for them. The location and the people are fantastic.

Cons

Unfortunately, the pay and promotional oppotunities are quite limited. They've struggled keeping good people, as top talent seeks a job elsewhere because of the huge difference in pay. Also, their promotional structure is very limited for lower level employees, I was not confident that I could get promoted within a 2-3 year period and earn more pay. They emphasize cross-functionality, but do not necessarily offer an increase in pay. Category Analysts in marketing, for example, are encouraged to seek a job in another function with same pay and responsibilities after a 2-year period. This has its advantages and disadvantages.

Advice to Senior Management

Clear promotional paths. Better pay, closer to industry standard (ie. Sears, Home Depot). They are slowly losing their strategic advantage - their people.