Mazda Canada employees are on a drive to collaborate

Seven years ago, Erica Zanetti worked for a marketing agency where Mazda Canada Inc. was a client. “I saw the way the Mazda team worked — how they communicated with each other and supported us as their supplier,” says Zanetti. She applied, and when she joined the organization, she realized her experience wasn’t unique. “A supportive culture is something the whole Mazda organization embodies.”

Guided and encouraged by her leaders and colleagues, Zanetti has already begun her third role with Mazda as manager, learning and development. Her manager approached her to apply for a developmental opportunity when a colleague took parental leave. She now manages a learning platform where the team creates and rolls out new, customized learning programs nearly every month.

“Our investment in employee development and growth fosters a workplace where individuals feel empowered, supported and inspired to reach their full potential,” says Mazda Canada president and CEO Amy Fleming.

The company is responsible for the sales and marketing, customer service and parts support of Mazda vehicles in Canada. Headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ont., Mazda Canada has 175 employees and a nationwide network of 163 retail stores.

Zanetti finds Mazda’s supportive culture works both ways. When asked to sit in on a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) committee meeting to collaborate and help support the creation of marketing assets, she was impressed by the work of the group. She decided to join and continue to support DEI initiatives. Now she is chair of the committee.

The committee also gets involved with cross collaborations. One activity for Truth and Reconciliation Day in 2025 was tied to a cross-Canada step challenge going on within the organization; the committee offered a bonus for teams that identified Indigenous territories along the path.

“This is an example of what we call the three C’s: communication, collaboration and co-creation,” says Krista Kelly-Gombocz, director, people and culture. Ideas such as the step challenge often come from employees, and Mazda seeks employee input on nearly everything it does.

“We work together. One hundred per cent of our employees take part in our engagement surveys, and we report back and look for ways to take action on what we hear,” says Kelly-Gombocz.

The Mazda flexible workplace — developed in collaboration with employees and leaders to balance productivity and well-being — allows 90 per cent of roles to be classified as hybrid which can be done from home or office as required. “We draw employees to the office with camaraderie and events rather than mandates,” says Kelly-Gombocz.

There are family-friendly social events such as an excursion to Canada’s Wonderland near Toronto or a Blue Jays game. Employees also come together to volunteer.

Benefits include a wellness fund for each employee that can be spent on physical, mental or financial health needs, as well as a defined benefit pension. An unusual perk is access to an assigned or leased vehicle for fulltime employees.

With all of this, employees take opportunities to show “kansha” — a Japanese word meaning gratitude — to each other. An online platform allows simple messages of thanks, or recognition for someone demonstrating a shared company value. Twenty-six thousand recognition messages have been posted since the platform was rolled out in 2021.

Fleming credits Mazda’s flexible work options and robust health and wellness programs, plus its family-friendly policies and meaningful employee recognition, for encouraging employee engagement and connection. “We’ve built a culture where everyone can thrive.”

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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.

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