Learning and Development

Regardless of the mix of activity, we believe that the foundation for good employee development is the effective assessment of strengths, as well as areas for improvement or continued skill and competency building. We support a wide range of internal and external learning and development opportunities based on the following model:

Below are some examples of our current programs:

• Tuition Reimbursement Program – We provide financial assistance to qualifying permanent full-time employees completing courses/programs at accredited educational institutions that lead to an accredited degree, diploma or certificate, and relate to the employee’s immediate position or a position within a reasonable career path. In 2012, 54 employees participated in this program, resulting in more than $40,000 of financial support from the Company for their development.
 
• Building Business Acumen – We believe that better understanding of our business leads to better engagement. We offer team-based learning about the Tim Hortons business model where employees run a company and experience what it’s like to work with investors, develop new strategies and products, and assess the impacts of shifts in the marketplace. In 2012, 6 sessions were offered with 76 employees participating. We also developed a customized financial and business acumen program for our Operations team that was completed by 88 employees.
   
  In addition to our Supply Chain 101 e-learning module, we launched a module for our New Product Introduction process, and plan to launch a module on our New Restaurant Development process in 2013. These help our employees gain a valuable understanding of our core business processes.
 
• Lean Apprentice Program – Lean is our continuous improvement methodology to drive operational excellence and innovation. This program provides corporate employees with the opportunity to develop new skills, become specialists in Lean, and implement improvements in cost, quality, and/or capacity across the organization. In 2012, we had 17 active apprentices in this program as well as one graduate.
 
• Supply Chain Passport Program – Through a combination of classroom training, on-the-job experiences, and cross-functional projects, this program brings employees from different areas within our Supply Chain together to encourage communication, collaboration, and teamwork. Since its launch in 2009, 80 participants have graduated from this program.
 
• Leadership Development Retreats – We host an annual gathering of all senior leaders across the organization to focus on business planning, leadership competencies, and team development.

Diversity and Inclusion

We foster an inclusive workplace and we’re proud to offer a respectful and friendly work environment. Corporately, we have chosen to focus our diversity efforts in three areas: gender diversity, generational diversity, and cultural diversity.

Generational Diversity

Like all industries, ours will face new challenges in recruiting, rewarding, managing, training, motivating, and retaining a multi-generational workforce. We recognize the benefits of generational diversity and are committed to supporting our leaders through ongoing learning to elevate awareness.

Cultural Diversity

To foster an understanding of cultural diversity within our Company, we have educational resources available to corporate employees and restaurant team members, including a Cultural Diversity e-learning module.

Additionally, we have made a commitment to maintaining meaningful, structured, and long-term partnerships with the Aboriginal community. For more details, please see the Aboriginal Relations section of this Report.

Employee Benefits

To attract, engage and retain great people, we are committed to providing a multi-dimensional rewards program including base pay, benefits, incentive pay opportunities, learning and development opportunities and a great work environment.

The following table outlines the benefits available to our permanent and non-permanent employees.

Benefit Type	Permanent Full-Time and Part-Time Employees	Non-Permanent Employees on a Contract Term of > 6 Months
Group Benefits Plan	•	•
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)	•
Maternity/Parental Leave Benefits	•
Fitness Subsidy	•
Tuition Reimbursement	•
Referral Program	•
Eligibility for Humanitarian Award	•
Sick Leave	•
Personal Days	•	•
Service Awards	•
Incentive Pay	•
Discount Programs for Leading Products and Services	•	•

All permanent corporate employees are eligible to join our Company defined contribution pension plan after completing one year of continuous service. Participants are required to contribute a minimum 2% of base earnings on a bi-weekly basis, and the Company will contribute 5%. Participants also have the option to contribute a further 1% that the Company will match. Additional voluntary contributions can be made provided that the total contributions are within the limits of the Income Tax Act (Canada).

To further drive engagement and ownership, we have given employees the opportunity to own common shares in the Company through our Employee Direct Share Purchase Plan (EDSPP). Employees can make contributions through payroll deductions to the EDSPP that will then purchase Tim Hortons shares on their behalf.

In 2012, a one-time $500 (gross) purchase of common shares was made for the benefit of 331 new employees (after 3 months of employment). The total value of these share purchases was $165,500.

Wellness

We know that healthy and happy employees are productive employees, so our goal is to ensure that wellness is available to everyone. In support of this, we offer a number of health and wellness awareness activities throughout the year such as employee fairs, seminars, and “Fit Tips” that focus on various topics such as nutrition, physical fitness, mental health, and financial health.

Standards of Business Practices

Our Information Technology Security Policy outlines the appropriate use of corporate systems, networks, and technologies. As part of our regulatory requirements to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley and PCI standards, all employees must learn about and agree to follow the security policy either via e-learning modules or instructor-led training sessions. In 2012, we achieved 100% compliance for all of our active employees.

Training: Restaurant Owners and Team Members

Our mission at the University is to “Provide world-class learning and performance development processes, leading-edge training and education solutions that drive superior restaurant performance.”

Our programs offer a focused approach and allow for individual customized and interactive learning. Our flagship Tim Hortons University program is our seven-week orientation program for new Restaurant Owners and Managers. During their seven-week program, our new Restaurant Owners and Managers learn about the following topics:

Why It’s Great to Be a Restaurant Team Member

It is important to us that new Restaurant Team Members feel welcomed in the workplace from day one and that they have a satisfying experience while working at our restaurants. We know that happy, engaged Restaurant Team Members help lead to happy and satisfied guests!

We have conducted focus groups where Tim Hortons Restaurant Team Members shared what they value in their employment experience. Based on the feedback received, we developed our Team Member Promises that demonstrate our commitment and loyalty to our Restaurant Team Members and create the foundation for an exceptional experience and environment where they feel recognized and appreciated.

Our Restaurant Team Member Promises statement is as follows:

WE PROMISE TO: