Manitoba's Top Employers

Leading Transportation Innovation & Growth Proud to be chosen as one of Manitoba's Top 25 Employers for the 6th consecutive year Photo courtesy of Laird Kay waa.ca 22 atmosphere every day," said Bilcowski. "Right now, our staff is excited about the United Way's Koats for Kids program. Getting the balance right between work and fun makes for a more positive, productive workplace." So too does a focus on wellness. There are two gyms at the airport for staff to use — and plenty of wellness-related initiatives for them to take part in. Wellness initiatives include Wellness Wednesdays, where experts come in and present on some aspect of wellness. "On one occasion, former Winnipeg Blue Bomber Obby Khan from the Green Carrot Juice Company came in and gave a talk about eating healthy," said Bilcowski. "He also gave our employees samples of healthy drinks and shakes." That focus on wellness goes beyond just the physical realm. WAA staff are free to attend financial and mental health workshops. WAA also supports Bike to Work Day and offered a bike maintenance workshop during the summer. "We try to be holistic in the area of wellness, and to look at the whole person," Bilcowski said. That all-inclusive approach extends to work stations. New height-adjustable work stations were recently installed in work areas, and additional lighting was installed in an effort to brighten those areas and promote user-friendliness. Break rooms have also been renovated to ensure the most positive atmosphere possible. "Our goal is to make the work environment as ergonomically-supportive as possible," Bilcowski said. "We know our employees work hard, so we want to make the work environment as healthy as possible for them." All that effort appears to be paying off. "We're quite proud of our high staff retention level," she said. "The staff attrition rate here is extremely low. I think people stay here because of the collaborative culture, and the open lines of communication at all levels. Communication and caring are key — that's something we will continue to build and demonstrate daily." ❚ KEEPING EMPLOYEES CONNECTED By Todd Lewys When it comes to recognition for business excellence, some organizations may see it as acknowledgement they've done more than enough, and should be satisfied. It's even possible for them to become stagnant, since they've got an award-winning formula. WINNIPEG AIRPORTS AUTHORITY'S HABITAT FOR HUMANITY BUILD. SUBMITTED PHOTO H owever, the management team at the Winnipeg Airports Authority (WAA) isn't taking the feat of winning their sixth consecutive Manitoba's Top Employers award for granted, said Kim Bilcowski, the WAA's Director, People and Culture. "While we're excited to have won the award for the sixth year in a row, that won't change our focus," she said. "We will continue our journey to connect our employees to our mission and values in the pursuit of providing the highest possible level of customer service." With that goal in mind, the WAA's management will continue with an initiative that was introduced over the past few years. The goal? To continually improve service for every interaction — whether for travellers, airport visitors or staff. This is because the WAA believes there's no ceiling in the pursuit of excellence. Their leadership team believes that is instrumental to customer service, and rings true to the company's business philosophy. Bilcowski said to do it justice, employees and management need to navigate with the same co-ordinates in an active way. "To succeed as an organization, you always need to know where you're going — you have to know what your mission, vision, values and business strategy are," she said. "Our job as a management team is to keep our employees connected to what we're doing as a business. This ensures they can perform their jobs to the best of their ability." To accomplish that, management goes to great lengths to involve staff in day-to-day operations. Employees receive regular bulletins, are notified via WAA's intranet, and attend quarterly catered staff meetings where management apprises staff about current events at the company. Managers also provide regular department updates to staff members. That's not all, said Bilcowski. "We also conduct regular employee surveys, collect the information, and then actually do something with it. One of the results that came from collecting that information in 2016 was a customized leadership program we launched this year. It's a big deal for us, as listening and acting on employee suggestions makes the workplace better for everyone involved." Team-building activities are also a priority at the WAA. Management regularly hosts team-based activities such as recreational lunches and holiday- themed parties. Other examples of team-building activities include a "pool" party (a favourite of billiards players), employee softball tournaments and a WAA hockey team. Overall, the WAA's management team encourages staff to build their community — externally and internally. The overall idea is to build chemistry in the process of having fun doing different activities together. "As management, our attitude toward employees is 'we know you're working hard, but don't forget to have fun.' For example, during the summer, as in many workplaces, employees had to cover for other staff members who'd gone on holidays. To have some fun during this time, we held scavenger hunts in the terminal and online. We also asked staff to take selfies while they were searching. Overall, the activities encouraged them get to know each other a little better." Additional team-building events have included a plane pull for the United Way, Habitat for Humanity's Adopt-a-Day, and Winnipeg Harvest's Grow a Row. "We work on creating an enjoyable team

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