Manitoba's Top Employers

put your career in focus learn about APTN's current opportunities, in front of or behind the camera. visit aptn.ca/careers 05 BY JIM TIMLICK While Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) has received numerous accolades for its work in front of the cameras, CEO Jean La Rose is just as proud of what the network has accomplished behind the scenes. When the network was launched in 1999 it had just 20 employees. Today, it has a team of more than 160 full-time, part-time and casual employees across the country. More importantly, that team has become a true reflection of the communities it serves. Overall, 65 per cent of APTN staff are of Aboriginal descent while 100 per cent of its senior management team is Aboriginal. It was a far different story when the network began broadcasting. Back then, there were far fewer Aboriginal People with television experience, especially at the middle- or upper- management level. As a result, the network hired non-Aboriginal people to train and mentor new employees. Those efforts helped create a new talent pool that has been critical to the success of the network. "It's a huge source of pride for us," La Rose says. "When you look at areas like news and current affairs… we've built solid investigative news teams that are pretty much exclusively Aboriginal. All of our programming executives and managers are all Aboriginal." "What it says to our communities and the Aboriginal production community is that they are dealing with people who have an understanding of what their stories are, how they need to be told and what are the proper ways to approach telling those stories." Those stories have earned APTN numerous honours including the CAJ Charles Bury Award, the highest award the Canadian Association of Journalists can give, an Amnesty Canada Media Award, two Gemini Awards, and nine Gemini and Canadian Screen award nominations for the series. The network's efforts behind the scenes haven't gone unnoticed, either. This year marks the 10th year in a row APTN has been chosen as one of the province's top 30 employers as part of the Manitoba's Top Employers competition that recognizes exceptional workplaces. "I think what it tells me the most is what we try to create here within the organization is a culture that recognizes and lives on what our Elders tell us are the key principles that we need to act on towards each other which is love, respect, fairness… the seven teachings," La Rose says of being named one of the province's top employers. "When we look at things such as conditions at work, salary, benefits, and pensions and health benefits, we try to look at them in a broader sense." That broader view is reflected by the fact APTN offers its employees benefits that are often not matched by other businesses. For example, the network provides new mothers with maternity and parental leave top- up payments of 93 per cent of their salary for one week and 80 per cent of their salary for 16 weeks. It also extends parental leave payments to new fathers and adoptive parents to 80 per cent of their salary for up to 16 weeks. In addition, APTN employees are eligible to receive financial assistance for training and self- improvement opportunities. Debbie Isaak, APTN's senior manager of human resources, says the network has made a deliberate effort to help employees achieve a better work-life balance. It provides 3.6 weeks of starting vacation allowance to employees and offers flexible hours, and a 35-hour work week with full pay. THIS YEAR MARKS THE 10TH YEAR IN A ROW APTN HAS BEEN CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE PROVINCE'S TOP EMPLOYERS. SUBMITTED PHOTO It also actively involves employees in the decision- making process. An employee engagement committee canvasses staff for feedback, which has resulted in several initiatives including a healthy vending machine in the main kitchen of the network's offices. Employees also played a key role in helping design the workspace at APTN's downtown offices on Portage Avenue to reflect Aboriginal culture "Having that committee makes the employees feel much tighter, more bonded and more cohesive with each other," Isaak says. For Isaak, one of the best measures of how the network is doing as an employer is the length of service of its employees. The average years of service among APTN employees is seven years and 53 per cent of current employees have been at the network for seven years or longer. "One of the reasons people stay here is they know they are supported at APTN," says Isaak, who has been with APTN for 16 years. "We truly care about their health and their well-being and knowing that people have this solid foundation at work. It's like taking care of family." APTN A TRUE REFLECTION OF COMMUNITY IT SERVES

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