Manitoba's Top Employers

Drive your career forward. 16-071-12-01 2017 Top Man. Empl._Free Press_Nov.8-16.indd 1 2016-11-08 12:50 PM 15 already regarded as one of the best in the province. "It showed us that there was a definite opportunity to get better," said Leppky. "The survey, which was done for us by IBM, identified opportunities to increase employee engagement and enablement." In short, employees at MPI wanted to feel they were viewed as key contributors in the corporation's success. They also wanted to be given the tools and knowledge that would enable them to be key contributors. The management team at MPI took the survey to heart, knowing they needed to continue working directly with staff to build on the excellent programs and employment opportunities already in place. "One of the first things we did was provide opportunities for staff to contribute to initiatives such as corporate culture where staff, using their discretionary time, meet and discuss ideas to make their workplace a great place to work." Leppky said. With a strong internal culture, the survey also identified that participating in bettering the communities in which staff work, live and play was also a top priority. "Our workforce is intimately involved with the United Way — an involvement that's grown year over year. We have a large committee of volunteers who are proud of where they work and who love to get involved in the community," Leppky said. That dedication led to record giving to the United Way last year — which also meant having a little fun along the way. "Our staff 's favourite activity was a chili cook- off with over 40 participants, who cooked up different recipes and served them in our new and improved lunch room for other employees to sample," Leppky said. "The lunch room is a bright, updated and eco-friendly area where they can enjoy their surroundings and sit and talk with each other in a comfortable, contemporary atmosphere." Another form of engagement comes from MPI's Chief Executive Officer, Dan Guimond, who makes a point of allowing plenty of "face time" for employees via two initiatives. "He just finished his second tour of an engagement initiative called 'Discussions with Dan,' where he visits service centres across the province to field ideas and answer questions from staff members," Leppky said. The other initiative is called "Breakfast with Dan." "That involves Dan sitting down to breakfast with 15 to 20 employees in a boardroom so they can ask him questions in a casual environment," she said. "It's very important to Dan to be accessible to our employees. He wants them to know they're free to reach out to him at any time." MPI is committed to creating a diverse community in their workplace, as well as recognizing the contributions of longtime staff members. With almost five per cent of its team choosing to stay for more than three decades, MPI is proud to display such strong workforce retention promise among a variety of age groups ranging from under age 25 to over age 61. The corporation continually grows and trains staff so they can graduate to different positions as they gain experience in how the corporation works. "About 13 per cent of our promotions and approximately 78 per cent of management opportunities are filled from within," Leppky said. "There's a lot of good stuff going on here. We try to engage employees, the work environment is good, there's an emphasis on the well-being of our employees. All those things contribute to a workplace that empowers our staff to flourish and provides a consistently high level of customer service day in and day out." ❚ MPI: WHERE EMPLOYEE OPINIONS SPUR INNOVATION By Todd Lewys Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), celebrating its fourth consecutive year as one of Manitoba's Top Employers, is still dedicated to striving to boost the day-to-day and overall job satisfaction for the corporation's more than 2,000 employees. MPI EMPLOYEES ACROSS THE PROVINCE PARTICIPATE IN VARIOUS UNITED WAY CAMPAIGN EVENTS, INCLUDING THE 2016 UNITED WAY PLANE PULL. MPI PHOTO E ven after being recognized with this important designation for many years now, we are still looking for ways to improve our staff experience. We want to empower our employees to help shape their workplaces and our corporate goals," said Shannon Leppky, MPI's Vice- President of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer. The non-profit Crown Corporation is dedicated to working with Manitobans to reduce risk on the road through providing automobile insurance, driver and vehicle licensing services as well as being active road safety partners with many local groups and organizations. Being a province-wide employer with claims and service centres in 13 communities across Manitoba, the challenge of ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to have their voice heard is an important tenet of MPI's engagement strategy. To do so, back in early 2015, MPI reached out to their workforce through an employment engagement survey with the goal of harnessing the group's ideas and fostering inclusiveness. "We wanted to work on evolving our corporate culture. The theme of the survey was accountability, collaboration and innovation," said Leppky. The survey yielded an employee engagement score of 68 per cent with an 86 per cent participation rate. While solid, the score showed there was room to make improvements to a workplace that was The corporation continually grows and trains staff so they can graduate to different positions as they gain experience in how the corporation works. "

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