the hr excellence - cdn.ymaws.com · welcome to the 16th annual hr excellence awards tonight’s...

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Welcome to the 16th Annual HR Excellence AwardsTonight’s event is your annual showcase of the great work of CPHR members and the HR community beyond. As we continue to advance the HR profession in our province, the HR Excellence Awards is an opportunity to recognize the achievements and share some best practices of our industry’s leaders.

Thank you for joining us this evening. Your support for the dedication, talent and hard work of Manitoba’s HR professionals and business leaders is what makes this evening so special.

This year, we showcase nominees in four Professional Excellence Award categories and three Business Excellence Award categories. Two CPHR Manitoba Scholarships will also be awarded this evening. Valued at $1,000 each, the scholarships recognize full time, post-secondary students, one in a Degree program and one in an Accredited Certificate or Diploma program, with outstanding portfolios of academic, leadership, extra-curricular and human resource activities.

The Professional Excellence Awards recognize individuals who apply their expertise and knowledge to achieving their organization’s objectives at various levels in their careers. The Rising Star Award recognizes HR professionals in the first five years of their career, while the HR Professional of the Year recognizes Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHRs) who excel at the operational level. The HR Executive of the Year Award recognizes executive-level practitioners for their strategic influence within their organization. The HR Patron of the Year is a unique award, recognizing executives who endorse, support or champion the HR function within their organization.

The Business Excellence Awards recognize Manitoba businesses that have harnessed the power of HR to advance their business goals. Tonight’s nominated organizations have successfully demonstrated leadership in human resource programs or services by creating, developing and implementing initiatives that have resulted in significant and measurable benefits to the organization.

Congratulations to all our nominees and award recipients!

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The Gala Menu

The Evening's Agenda

Cocktail Reception—

WelcomeMaster of Ceremonies—

GreetingsCPHR MANITOBA

Nish Verma, Chair, CPHR Manitoba Eileen Kirton, Chair, Awards Gala Nominations Committee

PROVINCE OF MANITOBA

Honourable Blaine Pedersen, Minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade —

Presentation of AwardsPROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS

CPHR Manitoba Scholarship Award Rising Star Award HR Professional of the Year Award —

Dinner—

Presentation of AwardsPROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS

HR Executive of the Year Award HR Patron of the Year Award

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Employee Development, Relations & Total Rewards Award Health, Wellness & Safe Workplace AwardOrganizational Strategy & Engagement Award —

FIRST COURSE

Mixed GreensWith mandarin oranges, sun-dried cranberries and toasted almonds drizzled with citrus vinaigrette—

ENTRÉE

Wild Mushroom Chicken SupremeTopped with sauteed wild mushrooms in a port wine sauce, served with red skin garlic mashed potatoes,seasonal vegetable medley ,orange and honey glazed carrots —

DESSERT

Chocolate Tiger Cake

—

DINNER WINE

Cono Sur Bicicleta — Viognier Cono Sur Bicicleta — Pinot Noir —

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Professional, Applied andC o n t i n u i n g E d u c a t i o n

Rising Star Award

Health, Wellness & Safe Workplace Award

People First HR Services is a People Corporation company

Organizational Strategy & Engagement Award

2018 HR Excellence Award Category Sponsors:

Employee Development, Relations & Total Rewards Award

HR Executive of the Year Award

Decor & Design Sponsor:

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Event Video Experience Sponsor:

Supporter Sponsors:

Corporate Table Sponsors:

Wine Sponsor:

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The following pages showcase each of the nominees of the Professional Excellence Awards.Congratulations to all nominees!

The Professional Excellence

Awards

C P H R M A N I T O B A S C H O L A R S H I P A W A R D S

R I S I N G S T A R A W A R D

H R P R O F E S S I O N A L O F T H E Y E A R A W A R D

H R E X E C U T I V E O F T H E Y E A R A W A R D

H R P A T R O N O F T H E Y E A R A W A R D

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Candace is a recent graduate of the University of Winnipeg, Professional, Applied and Continuing Education (PACE) Human Resources Management Diploma program.

Prior to entering the Human Resource Management Diploma Program, Candace worked for over 15 years as a Coordinator of Volunteers for non-profits throughout Winnipeg. Her extensive knowledge and experience in this field made her decision to pursue her HR Diploma a natural fit.

She has established Speaker’s Bureaus for several of the organizations she worked for. By developing proper training programs and manuals, she ensured individuals were well prepared to speak about the organizations and their services to various community groups. Following this passion herself, Candace is a current member of PACE Champions Toastmasters Club, actively pursuing her Competent Communicator and Competent Leadership designations.

Passionate about helping people attain their personal goals and reach their full potential, Candace is looking forward to beginning her HR career and one day becoming an instructor in University of Winnipeg PACE’s HR program.

Candace aspires to achieve her CPHR designation in the hear future once entering the HR field.

NOM INE E Candace Gower NOMINEE Nyasha Giesbrecht

Nyasha Giesbrecht is a student at the University of Winnipeg, pursuing a 4-year degree in Business Administration with a double concentration in Human Resource Management & Organizational Behaviour, as well as Marketing.

This year she has had the opportunity to take on the volunteer role of Director of Human Resources, through the University’s Business Administration Students’ Association (BASA). Through her experience with BASA, Nyasha has creatively and independently applied the knowledge acquired throughout her University education. She has gained valuable experience and has developed many strategic relationships.

In addition to being a full-time student, Nyasha is also an Insurance Broker. Diligent and versatile, she has developed key business and professional skills within the industry, demonstrating leadership and ambition.

In 2017, Nyasha was invited to join the Golden Key International Honor Society, University of Winnipeg Chapter, for being recognized as part of the top 15% in her program.

Upon completion of her studies, Nyasha plans to pursue a career in Human Resources and become a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR).

CPHR Manitoba Scholarship Award — FOR ACCREDITED CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA PROGRAM STUDENTS

For a full-time post-secondary student enrolled in an Accredited Certificate or Diploma Program with an outstanding portfolio of academic, leadership, extra-curricular and human resource activities.

CPHR Manitoba Scholarship Award — FOR DEGREE PROGRAM STUDENTS

For a full-time post-secondary student enrolled in a Degree Program with an outstanding portfolio of academic, leadership, extra-curricular and human resource activities.

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NOM INE E Tina Hamzic NOMINEE Brittany Pedden

CPHR Manitoba Scholarship Award — FOR DEGREE PROGRAM STUDENTS

For a full-time post-secondary student enrolled in a Degree Program with an outstanding portfolio of academic, leadership, extra-curricular and human resource activities.

Rising Star AwardFor impressive accomplishments and results in the first five years of human resources experience.

Tina Hamzic is a student at the University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business, completing her Commerce (Honours) degree, with a major in Human Resources and International Business.

Through her work as a Volunteer Resources and Disaster Management Coordinator with the Red Cross, Tina was responsible for the workforce planning, recruitment, selection/placement, orientation, engagement, recognition and evaluation of volunteers. She was part of the Manitoba Wildfires 2017 response, where she scheduled people for over 200 positions a day to assist 7,000 people who had been evacuated from their homes.

Tina has spent the past year developing a greater understanding for the conditions that affect workers in intense situations. Through her work with the Red Cross she has applied the knowledge gained from her studies as well as first-hand experience to provide the best conditions for employees to work in. Tina is dedicated to the work and the community at large and looks forward to making improvements to worker relations in any capacity she can.

Discovering her passion for humanitarian work through her volunteer role with the Red Cross, Tina has aspirations of pursuing a career internationally.

Brittany Pedden, CPHR, is a Human Resources Advisor with Payworks.

Since joining Payworks, Brittany has led a key initiative, developing and implementing a Respectful Workplace Policy and Program for the entire organization. This project took over 12 months from beginning research to the roll-out and will have a lasting impact as Payworks continues to grow and become more diverse.

Brittany has found time to give back to the HR community through volunteering with the Asper School of Business at a number of their events including mock interviews, ResuMania events, and Explore Careers in HR series. She also volunteers with Red River College as an alumni, participating in their SyncHRonize workshop and annual Directions Conference.

Dedicated to continuous learning, Brittany achieved her CPHR designation following graduation and is working towards completing the Payroll Compliance Practitioner Certification. She is also taking part-time courses towards a second degree in Labour Studies and is beginning a Professional Masters in Industrial Relations program at Queens University in September 2018.

Sponsored by:



NOM INE E Victoria Rody

Victoria Rody, CPHR Candidate, is a Human Resources Business Partner at Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI).

Since joining MPI in 2013, Victoria has demonstrated vast potential to develop into a well-rounded HR professional, and a leader within the profession. She strives for personal excellence in her daily work and interactions with others, rarely letting an opportunity pass to improve herself or help someone else improve. Victoria truly exemplifies what it means to be an HR Business Partner, building a strong relationship with the client group and VP she supports.

Victoria is a mentor to the junior team members in MPI’s HR department. She consistently models professional behavior and takes it upon herself to make time for coaching and mentorship.

Victoria is currently working towards achieving a conflict resolution certificate and her CPHR designation.


NOMINEE Rachel Weessies

Rachel Weessies, CPHR Candidate, is an HR Generalist at Acuity HR Solutions.

Rachel began her journey with Acuity as a co-op student, joining the company full-time two years ago. In the past two years, she has become an integral part of their team, playing an active role in key projects with their clients, communicating directly with CEOs, CFOs and business owners. She has built credibility with top leaders and has become their coach and trusted resource to support them in leading their teams.

Rachel excels in her intuitive understanding of the Human Resource profession, and the impact that it has on organizations. She recently completed a training course to become a Certified Coach, which will enable her to coach Acuity’s clients to more effectively resolve performance and behavioural issues, develop skills and support them in coming to their own conclusions and best-practices.

Rachel recently became a CPHR Candidate after passing the National Knowledge Exam (NKE), achieving the national top score, and looks forward to achieving her full CPHR designation in the near future.


Sponsored by:Sponsored by:



NOM INE E Julie Gray

Julie Gray, CPHR, is a People Solutions Business Partner at Assiniboine Credit Union (ACU).

Julie is an integral part of the People Solutions team at ACU. Her commitment to the company’s mission, vision and values drives her to recruit candidates who mirror these same values. In her drive for continuous improvement, Julie demonstrates leadership in putting her hand up for change; asking the hard questions; asking what if; and asking why not from her business partners rather than accepting the status quo. She seeks to understand business objectives and connects talent management to its purpose. Her leadership style is best described as visionary.

Julie serves as a Business Partner to ACU leaders, and acts as an in-house HR Consultant, providing generalist HR support to all. She partners with leaders in coaching, supporting strategic initiatives in their business and departments, and approaching crucial conversations with team members.

Over the past two years at ACU, Julie has proactively led numerous high-level and challenging recruitments, producing high value candidates that embody the brand and culture, with the strong desire to succeed and grow ACU.

HR Professional of the Year AwardFor developing, championing and implementing an initiative, program or project that clearly and measurably demonstrates a positive impact in the organization.

NOMINEE Jodi Carradice

Jodi Carradice, CPHR, is the Senior Vice President and CHRO at the Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company.

Jodi’s team of 74 supports 50 locations in Canada and the US with 3,250 employees. Her visionary leadership has played an integral role in establishing the ‘One Wawanesa’ initiative to ensure the organization is well-positioned for future growth and renewal. Working closely with the President & CEO, Jodi led the project that included a redesign of the overall corporate structure; the adoption of a career development focussed succession planning model; and enhanced communication about the company’s strategic direction. ‘One Wawanesa’ has shifted how the company operates, creating a commitment across the enrterprise to work together to deliver the best possible experience to every customer, broker and employee. The result has been stronger links between teams everywhere, actively sharing ideas and knowledge, and communicating frequently and transparently to make Wawanesa an even better place to work.

Jodi is a great example of a progressive, business-oriented human resource professional who is having a significant impact on her organization, on its success and on the people working there.

HR Executive of the Year AwardFor leadership and implementation of strategic responses to address economic, societal, technological, political or demographic trends that could impact the organization and human resources practices.

Sponsored by:



NOM INE E Beth Millard-Hales

Beth Millard-Hales, CPHR, is the Director, Employee Relations and Development at The North West Company (NWC).

Beth has played a pivotal role in driving maturity of the NWC’s HR Delivery Model and demonstrated exceptional leadership in business strategy, programs development and change management. She is an organizational architect who translates business strategy into effective HR services and people programs. By working closely with the NWC’s leadership and HR teams, Beth has been instrumental in ensuring consistent delivery of day-to-day HR work to meet commitments to business partners while, at the same time, creating capacity to develop value-added people programs that support business growth. In recognition of her ability and impact during the past 3 years, Beth’s HR accountabilities have expanded to include Employee Relations, Instructional Design, Training Programs Administration, HR Service Delivery, Health & Safety and HR Effectiveness. She has fueled an incredible amount of inspiration and innovation, which has resulted in many key initiatives over the past two years including the HR Connect Service Center, HR Connect Portal, an employee survey, and a revitalization of the performance management process.

Beth’s greatest impact on HR is her passion for her team’s development to ensure that they have the capacity and capabilities to deliver high quality work. She possesses incredible business acumen with the ability to translate business strategies into impactful HR strategies and programs.

NOMINEE Richard Neill

Richard Neill, CPHR, is the Director, Human Resources & Corporate Communications at the Wynward Insurance Group.

As the Vice President, Human Resources & Corporate Communications, Richard is a key member of the Executive Team and is the sole member of the HR team. He acts as a business partner in developing strategic HR initiatives in concert with the company’s key goals and initiatives.

Richard joined Wynward in December 2015 with the opportunity to build and create the HR function within a 95-year-old organization that had not included an experienced HR professional prior to him coming on board. Over the past two years, Richard has developed an HR Strategic Plan that has had lasting impacts across the organization including sourcing & recruiting, employee turnover and retention, employee engagement, benefits and their talent pool. Without the approach taken in the creation of the plan, as well as the buy-in and support in the execution of the key strategic initiatives, the credibility that the HR function has garnered within the organization would not be at the level it has reached.

Richard actively demonstrates a personal, enthusiastic commitment to the company and its mission, vision, values and strategies.






NOM INE E Stephanie Zamora

Stephanie Zamora, CPHR Candidate, is the Director Human Resources & Organizational Development at Marymound. She is the first Indigenous person to sit on Executive Management in Marymound’s history.

Stephanie’s role is to lead the implementation of human resources strategies and services aligned with and in support of achieving Maryound’s strategic goals and priorities. She provides overall organization and administrative guidance to Marymound.

Stephanie’s role involves creating, monitoring, developing and implementing Indigenous recruitment initiatives. She recognizes the struggles and through that knowledge is able to address the challenges such as: access to a qualified candidate pool, access to young people, and addressing educational barriers before they become barriers. Developing a culturally proficient organization was one of the first steps to ensuring this initiative would be successful.

Marymound has increased its number of Indigenous employees to 15% of their 400 staff with a goal of reaching 40% by 2019. They are still on their journey, but they have realized very positive results.

Stephanie is committed and deeply passionate about this initiative. As a leader she believes the most important thing she can do is listen and utilize everyone’s gifts. She strives to have a diverse team with strength in many areas.

NOMINEE Greg Juliano

Greg Juliano is the Associate Vice-President (Human Resources) at the University of Manitoba.

A lawyer by profession, Greg oversees the human resource requirements of the institution's 9,000 faculty and staff, including those organized into six certified bargaining units and numerous non-certified employee groups.

Greg’s leadership has been instrumental in improving the work environment at the University of Manitoba, guiding Human Resources through a shift towards a client-centered culture that has raised the profile of Human Resources and fostered a stronger sense of community. Greg has inspired change through his ability to translate values of the university community into actionable goals and engaging human resources as champions of community, collaboration, and change.

Since taking the role of Associate Vice President, Greg has been focused on improving the work environment at the University of Manitoba including many initiatives such as the Respect Campaign, Wellness in the Workplace and implementing the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA).

Greg has a reputation across campus for being a good listener. He truly takes a consultative approach and actively listens to problems to help create solutions that fit each unit or individual’s needs. He is prepared to adjust plans as necessary and is supportive of his staff taking the same approach.


HR Patron of the Year AwardFor an executive who endorses, supports or champions the HR function within their organization.

Sponsored by:


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The following pages showcase each of the nominees of the Business Excellence Awards. Congratulations to all nominees!

The Business Excellence

Awards

E M P L O Y E E D E V E L O P M E N T , R E L A T I O N S & T O T A L R E W A R D S A W A R D

H E A L T H , W E L L N E S S & S A F E W O R K P L A C E A W A R D

O R G A N I Z A T I O N A L S T R A T E G Y & E N G A G E M E N T A W A R D

NOM INE E Klaus Lahr

HR Patron of the Year AwardFor an executive who endorses, supports or champions the HR function within their organization.

Klaus Lahr recently retired from his role as the President & CEO of the RBC Convention Centre.

Klaus is a native of Germany, where he was educated and trained in the Hotel & Hospitality Industry.

With the support of the three levels of government, Klaus led The RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg through a major expansion of its 40-year-old facilities. He championed this project for more than 12 years and was instrumental in its successful completion. Part of this initiative was an almost year-long collaboration with the Human Resources department on succession planning and organizational structure. Part of the restructuring was development of a new executive team consisting of the President & CEO, and four directors.

With a new building and processes, standards of service needed to evolve from simply providing customer service to providing a memorable experience. A new Guest Service Promise, ‘We Create Outstanding Experiences — Every Event. Every Guest. Every Day.’ was adopted. This culture shift included an informal rewards program to recognize staff that demonstrated behaviour in going above and beyond for our guests. Klaus has not only supported this initiative at all stages, he personally demonstrates this philosophy every day.

GHY International was founded by George Henry Young in 1901, as one of the first brokerage houses in Western Canada. Over one hundred years later, GHY manages more than $5 billion of cross-border trade annually through their Canadian and U.S. brokerage operations, working with more than 1000 importers and exporters.

GHY has made significant progress in all areas of their business since the initial strategy and implementation of their CARE culture in 2015, which was nominated for an HR Excellence Award that year.

The third step of “Creating a Culture of Care” involved great efforts to ensure the realignment of training, processes, values and practices to help integrate CARE into daily operations. Taking GHY’s culture of CARE to the next level has required an immense amount of leadership and innovation from the HR team. The company’s strategic direction continues to include keeping associates engaged and accountable, more effective and more knowledgeable.

As a result of CARE, measurable benefits have been seen in many areas including employee development, relations and total rewards. Over the past two years, the rebranded corporate culture has created intentional leadership and mentoring experiences, increased engagement with associates, increased productivity and employee satisfaction, reduced turnover and has ultimately resulted in associates providing unparalleled customer service.

Payne Transportation Ltd. is a full load common carrier operating in all 10 provinces, 2 Territories, and 48 states plus Alaska. With a workforce of 203 of the best commercial truck drivers, supported by a team of 45 skilled transportation experts, they are a wholly owned subsidiary of one of the largest transportation logistics providers in Canada, the Mullen Group Ltd.

In order to thrive as an industry leader, Payne Transportation must understand the trends and variables that shape their business and remain focussed on the road ahead. When it comes to employee development, continuous growth and evolution is key. Focussing on retention strategies through investing in their employee’s development is a major contributing factor to their success and the reason why the average employee has been with the company for over ten years. Flexibility, opportunity, empowerment, continuous learning and open communication are all factors that have led to their success over the past 18 years.

At Payne, every opportunity to invest in their employee’s personal development is taken advantage of. A happy employee is a productive and long-term employee.

NOM INE E GHY International NOMINEE Payne Transportation

Employee Development, Relations & Total Rewards Award — SMALL/MEDIUM BUSINESS CATEGORY

For fostering a collaborative work environment, supporting employees to continually improve and/or creating an effective total rewards structure.

Employee Development, Relations & Total Rewards Award — SMALL/MEDIUM BUSINESS CATEGORY


Sponsored by: Sponsored by:

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Bison Transport is a Canadian transport company based in Winnipeg, operating one of the largest and most modern fleets in the industry.

Bison Transport developed Macro 14: Secure the Terminal as part of their Learning & Development program in 2016. This platform was designed for team building, knowledge acquisition, knowledge testing and interdepartmental communication. Using the escape room concept and Bison programs, teams of five work their way through puzzles and challenges using operations-related skills and Bison knowledge. A pilot was launched in May 2016, followed by the full launch in Winnipeg and Calgary. The successful launch resulted in Macro 14 being added to Bison’s regular L&D programming. Due to popular demand, another escape room idea is now in its infancy and will make it to Bison Transport terminals 2018 or 2019.

NOM INE E Bison Transport

Motor Coach Industries (MCI) is North America's leading manufacturer of intercity coaches serving charter and tour operators; line-haul and scheduled-service operators; transit agencies; and conversion companies in the U.S. and Canada.

MCI developed LEAD in 2014 to invest in their employees and prepare them for future leadership opportunities within the company. The training not only develops future leaders, but also reinforces and supports MCI’s desire to be a respectful, diverse and tolerant workplace.

Since 2014, 54 employees have enrolled in the program, with 23 staff graduating with LEAD certificates to date. MCI recently kicked off their 5th cohort in March 2018. By providing this program to key individuals, MCI is now better positioned for future changes in leadership.

LEAD represents a strategic investment in employee development, contributing to MCI’s goal to be a great place to work and an employer of choice for talented people.

NOMINEE Motor Coach Industries

Employee Development, Relations & Total Rewards Award — LARGE BUSINESS CATEGORY


Employee Development, Relations & Total Rewards Award — LARGE BUSINESS CATEGORY




Manitoba Cooperative Honey Producers Ltd. (MCHP) was established in 1954 to sell quality Canadian honey throughout the world. MCHP honey is sold and marketed by the Bee Maid Honey brand.

MCHP began the creation and implementation of their safety program in May 2013 in response to the lack of a formal safety program. The organization fully supported the development of a safety program to meet the requirements of Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act W210 and the Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Regulation.

The safety program was formally finalized in May 2014. However, it is an ever evolving, growing and changing initiative. It currently includes monthly ‘layered safety audits’ involving multiple individual employees and management, safety talks with employees delivered by safety committee volunteers on a regular basis and visits from a health & safety consultant.

The program has resulted in a healthier, safer work environment, better communication throughout the organization, and becoming compliant with Manitoba Workplace Safety & Health Regulations.

NOM INE E Manitoba Cooperative Honey Producers Ltd.

Health, Wellness & Safe Workplace Award — SMALL/MEDIUM BUSINESS CATEGORY

For helping employees stay healthy, well and safe, protecting them and the organization, using all measures at their disposal.

Birchwood Automotive Group is Manitoba’s largest automotive dealership group, with 21 franchised operations in Winnipeg, Brandon, Steinbach and North Dakota. The company employs over 1,200 people and is regularly recognized by industry associations as one of Manitoba and Canada’s best employers.

Women in Automotive Leadership (WIAL) began as a vision in 2016 to create a network for women working at Birchwood to help them gain knowledge as to how the automotive industry is, and can be, an impactful career choice for them. WIAL has two levels: Leaders of Today and Future Leaders of Tomorrow.

Using inspirational role models, networking meetings and leadership-development workshops, WIAL is developing, inspiring, and assisting women to reach their full potential. The program has had a profound impact at Birchwood as well as recruitment efforts to attract potential talented female candidates.

Since WIAL’s implementation, there has been an increase in female demographics in all areas of the organization including executive, management, team leader, sales and technical roles. WIAL has created a sense of belonging and pride for women in the organization.

This program has been a game changer for women who work, and want to work in the automotive industry.

NOMINEE Birchwood Automotive Group

Organizational Strategy & Engagement Award — LARGE BUSINESS CATEGORY

For bringing strategic HR leadership perspectives that enhance organizational productivity, morale and culture, support business success and increase the value of human resources.




Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) is a non-profit Crown Corporation that has provided basic automobile coverage in Manitoba since 1971.

MPI’s Be Heard corporate engagement surveys conducted in 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 have resulted in a corporate environment where employees feel heard, engaged and enabled in shaping their own success and that of the corporation as a whole.

Like many organizations, MPI adopted the approach of surveying employees to set standard benchmarks and measurements. They were seeking to specifically measure employee engagement and enablement relative to an overall culture strategy designed to support strategic corporate objectives.

91 per cent of employees participated in the 2016/2017 survey, with all 14 dimensions of the survey increasing between the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 surveys. 100 per cent of all management through executive (nearly 140 leaders) have actions plans in place from the latest survey.

Behavioural changes - made by employees at all levels from frontline to executive - have changed the culture at MPI. The prevailing perspective of skepticism shifted to one of anticipation, with a significant five per cent overall increase in employee engagement.

NOM INE E Manitoba Public Insurance

Red River College (RRC) is Manitoba’s largest institute for applied learning with nine campuses across the province.

Cheers for Peers is an innovative, peer-to-peer recognition program introduced in the fall of 2016, responding to a significant gap in employee satisfaction with rewards, recognition and engagement. The program is overseen by the Staff Awards and Recognition Committee (SARC), a group of 24 employees and managers from across the organization who foster a culture of employee recognition and engagement.

The Cheers for Peers experience starts like this: Employees write a heartfelt paper note on a Cheers for Peers Pad to a colleague that celebrates ‘going above and beyond.’ The note references a specific action or behaviour, and is aligned to one or more of the College’s values. Employees get points for both receiving and giving notes.

Over the past 16 months, an astonishing 2,780 cards have been shared, recognition has increased by 33%, and the accessibility of recognition by employees has increased by 30%.

RRC has joined the ranks of best-in-class organizations that now offer their employees an innovative tool for recognition and reward that is simple, is aligned to their organizational values, and allows anyone to participate.

NOMINEE Red River College






People First HR Services is a People Corporation companyPeople First HR Services is a People Corporation company


The North West Company owns a rich enterprising legacy as one of the longest continuing retail enterprises in the world, with many of their stores in Northern Canada and Alaska serving their communities for over 340 years. North West has become a leading retailer to underserved rural communities and urban neighbourhood markets, offering a broad range of products and services with an emphasis on food.

A significant initiative at North West was the implementation of their employee survey in 2016. Incorporating lessons learned from a previous employee engagement survey, the 2016 survey went beyond the traditional employee engagement approach by evolving a survey framework which gained insights not only on employee engagement but also looked at aspects that drive and improve employee experiences at North West.

The initiative was launched under a campaign entitled ‘We Are North West’ which was developed to increase unity among all employees in the organization; developing an awareness that they belong to the larger North West company brand. The campaign mobilized employees and managers to encourage all North West employees to amplify their voice, and as a result this drove survey participation to 82% (up from 60% participation in 2014) and exceeded their participation target of 75%.

The initiative success was underpinned by unified organizational alignment, strong project management and a clear change management plan. North West achieved 100% compliance with action plan creation and implementation, and continue to provide quarterly updates on action plan progress.

NOM INE E The North West Company

Founded in 1877, the University of Manitoba is Western Canada’s first University.

In March 2015, a new team was hired to manage the university’s Recognition and Awards programming, including their annual Awards of Excellence program, service awards, and developmental supports to recognize leadership. The introduction of a new team presented an opportunity to revamp programming through an initiative focused on fostering a stronger sense of community, increasing service focus, creating employee engagement, and impacting employee satisfaction. With the support of HR leadership, the revamp initiative started in 2015 by identifying creative strategies to improve programming, add more informal events to support community building, and increase service – all while reducing costs.

The result has been an increase in Awards of Excellence applications, the development of new engagement events, increase in service gift selection rates, increase in participation at service recognition events, and introduction of more informal engagement activities.

NOMINEE University of Manitoba



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Sponsored by:



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Awards Gala Nominations Committee —

Eileen Kirton, Chair Stephanie AbrenicaWendy Funk David Grad Hayley MinukJanelle RobinMichael Torres Michelle WhyardBliss Yang

Awards Committee —

Melanie Bready, Chair John Kliewer Karen Post Warren Sawatzky Sherri West

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the hr excellence - cdn.ymaws.com · welcome to the 16th annual hr excellence awards tonight’s...

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