Manitoba's Top Employers

MANITOBA'S TOP 25 EMPLOYERS 2015 17 B eing involved in a collision is never fun, but the good news is that when you call Manitoba Public Insurancetoreportyourclaim,thepersonbehind thevoiceontheotherendofthelinereallycares. "There's an amazing group of people here," said MaryAnnKempe,vice-presidentofbusinessdevelopment, communication and chief product officer for MPI. "One of the things we did a few years ago was we connected with our employees and really asked them, 'why do you want to work at MPI? What was it about MPI that pulled you tous?' "Andwhattheytolduswas,'makingadifference.'" Manitoba's sole provider of automobile insurance was namedoneofManitoba'sTop25Employersforthesecond consecutive year, and Kempe said that caring attitude, whichtranslatesintotop-notchcustomerservice,iscrucial tothecorporation'ssuccess. "Somanyofouremployeesarefrontlineworkerssothey reallyhavepersonalconnectionswithcustomerswhohave experienced a loss, either physical damage or personal injury and they can see the tangible results of their work withthosepeople,"Kempesaid. "The fact that employees are making that connection to comeandworkforusspeaksreallywellforthecorporation. They want to make a difference, they're interested in serviceandwe'reveryserviceoriented." MPI is committed to ensuring its employees are well trained and encourages professional self-development programs. From bodily injury case manager, to adjuster to first-year clerk, staff are routinely upgrading their skill sets tomatchtheever-changingneedsofManitobans. Leadership is important at MPI and Kempe said the corporation knows that developing strong leaders today is criticalforsuccessmovingforward. "We have a huge focus on leadership development at MPI,sonotonlydowedotraining,there'saconnectionfor challenging work," she said. "We talk a lot about culture. We bring our leadership team together twice a year to connectthemtothebusiness,toconnectthemtothelarger directionofthecorporation. "Wealsobringoursupervisoryteamtogether,sothere's ahugefocusonleadershipdevelopmentandthatformeis aboutpreparingfortomorrow." MPI has 'well over 100' employees who've been with the corporation for more than 30 years, a sure sign that it's a great place to work. There are so many long-term employees that Kempe laughed that only the new 30-year clubmembersareinvitedtothecelebration,becausethere arejusttoomanytoinvitethemall. "We have the largest 30-year club that I've ever experienced in my many years of being in human resources,"shesaid. And MPI employees aren't only dedicated to their jobs – they're also committed to making a difference within their community. Many MPI staff members volunteer their time to Operation Red Nose, the Christmas Cheer Board, HabitatforHumanityandparticipationintheCorporation's UnitedWaycampaign. "Wehaveanamazingcultureofcommunitycontribution," she said. "We're just finalizing our United Way campaign, whichwasonceagainatremendoussuccess." Another feature which distinguishes MPI as a Top Employer is its pension plan and health benefits. MPI, which has service centres throughout all regions of the province, employs approximately 1,750 permanent and termfull-timeemployees. ByDonnaMaxwellforTheFreePress MANITOBAPUBLICINSURANCE MPIemployeesdriventomakeadifference MaryAnnKempe,vice- presidentofbusiness development, communicationand chiefproductofficer forMPI(bottom left),andotherMPI stafftakepartinthe Corporation'sUnited Waycampaign. MPIphoto Driveyour careerforward.

• Cover