OMERS reviews

4.1

78% would recommend to a friend

(433 total reviews)

Blake Hutcheson

86% approve of CEO

75% positive business outlook

OMERS has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 433 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The OMERS employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Finance industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

433 reviews
1.0
Aug 29, 2018

Director

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Golden Handcuffs - you get paid way too much to just walk away from a horrible environment Extreme work life balance - bordering on the absurd

Cons

No appetite or desire of shifting into the 21st century as a business in the administrative world Bad employees never leave as they are paid close to double the market rates and HR is never supportive in terminating them for cause. Nepotism across all levels of senior management - VPs hiring nephews, parents and children working together, husband and wife on same teams Complete lack of morals at the VP and above level Core values are a smoke screen, ultimately if you do not "fall in line" then you are exited without cause Not open to any new ideas, so don't even bother suggesting them. Instead, suggest that they move to an old process that used to exist 5 - 10 years prior and you will be praised.

1.0
Oct 2, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Because it used to be government run there are still some vestigial public sector perks that provide employees with the best salaries and benefits in the province (world?). If you can hunker down there like a bot-fly larvae and take advantage of them, while ignoring the chaos and ineptitude swirling around you, it may just be reason enough to stay. I can't guarantee your sanity will remain intact. If you are a business admin. or MBA student, you can't beat this place for practical hands-on experience on what NOT to do in today's business world. OMERS is, by far, much better than any university or college course in providing employees with such in-depth, critical knowledge of how top heavy, indecisive, bloated, backward-thinking and siloed business structures are detrimental to pension members and general all-around business progress. A couple of years here and you can walk away with a full understanding of what to avoid doing in your next career. Think of it as 'tough love' for your career.

Cons

Another poster mentioned the sheer number of senior management at OMERS. I would have to agree. It seems as though someone came to the conclusion that there is a direct correlation between the number of VP's at OMERS and high member satisfaction. The more VPs they hire the more happy the members are. Errr, not so much. Might want to rethink that one. Not only do the VPs seem to breed like gnats on a warm summers evening, but they stick around like an anti-biotic resistant rash. As already mentioned, typically this is achieved by taking the work/ideas/creativity of junior employees and claiming it as their own. When re-org time comes (typically every 2 or 3 years) the VPs hang around while the creative and hard-working juniors are shown the door ("thanks for all the ideas sucker, don't let the door hit your behind on the way out"). Either the CEO is unaware of this, or simply doesn't care. It's likely a good thing they keep the Directors and VP's after all, since the majority of them would find it hard to settle into another career that didn't include a job saying "would you like fries with that order" or involving hand puppets or a pack or Crayola's. No sense ruining two businesses eh? Let's keep that stuff corralled shall we? While we are on the topic of proliferation, let's discuss the HR team. If you choose to accept a job here please understand TWO things: ONE, you will never have a problem finding someone from HR. I think OMERS has successfully spliced human and rabbit genes when it comes to their HR team. You can't swing a stick without hitting at least 4 or 5. TWO, almost certainly the LAST thing they have on their mind is the moral and ethical treatment of you as an employee. If you cause a stir, make a wave, or air a legitimate grievance, it's bye bye employee. HR is like those nice hand-towels your parents put in the guest bathroom...they look great and seem as though they serve a purpose, but are never ever really meant to be used for anything. If you are seriously thinking about working here, then I can only recommend it if you are A) up to your eyeballs in gambling debts that need to be paid off (i.e., pay is good), or you are B) an entrepreneur who wants to learn all the "do not's" before you start your own company (because you get all that and more).

1.0
Aug 23, 2019

Confused and Misdirected

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Has a great history of focus on the pension promise and its dedication to service excellence, compensation and benefits, teamwork, trust and integrity.

Cons

The future does not look so good, for pensioners, members and especially for employees. The senior leadership has left its employees confused as to what the core values are, since they don't demonstrate them. I can't say that the organization is going in the right direction, with ridiculous spending and HR practices. Failed projects get tucked under the rug and those responsible get a pat on the shoulder.

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Glassdoor has 579 OMERS reviews submitted anonymously by OMERS employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if OMERS is right for you.