By Todd Lewys – For the Free Press

In an era where people tend to change jobs often, it’s unusual for organizations to retain employees for long periods of time.

Yet, that’s what the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba has managed to do over the past decade or more.

There’s more than one component that contributes to their in-credibly low voluntary turnover rate of 1.4 per cent, says the WCB’s Director of Human Resources, Katherine Wyrostok.

“We have a number of initiatives in place that are designed to make the Workers Compensation Board an attractive, empowering place to come to work every day,” she says. “Our primary focus is on four things — security, wellness, engagement, and growth. Those factors are the focus of WCB Does, which is our recruitment and re-tention brand.”

Wyrostok adds that if employees are healthy and happy, chances are good they’re going to enjoy their work, and thus be that much more productive.

“To help employees stay as healthy as possible, we offer not only on-site fitness initiatives, such as yoga, fitness boot camps and our annual wellness fair, but fitness purchase plans as well,” she says. “Being active energizes people, makes them feel better about them-selves, and just promotes better all-around health. If you feel good, it’s easier to cope with everyday life and work.”

Equally important is work-life balance, adds Wyrostok.“While we expect our employees to work hard, we also realize that

they need balance. That’s why we provide them with programs like earned days off, attractive vacation time and maternity and paternal leave top-ups that allow parents to take extra time to be with their babies,” she says. “Employees can also tap into a computer purchase plan if they need a computer, or a pay deduction plan that allows them to purchase tickets to sporting events or culture-oriented events. We want our employees to know we support them in enjoying their time off, and in becoming well-rounded people.”

Darren Oryniak, a 27-year employee at the WCB and the current vice-president of Human Resources, says that engagement and growth are constantly promoted by management to maintain a dy-namic work atmosphere where employees are stimulated by what they do.

“The best way to keep people engaged is to present them with work that’s interesting,” he says. “To that end, we always give people the opportunities to take on new challenges. Take me, for example. In my 27 years with the Workers Compensation Board, I’ve held

nine different positions. Allowing people to shift to another position to take on a new challenge keeps them involved and prevents boredom. Many people go through five or six different jobs during the course of their career here.”

Personal growth is also fostered by encouraging employees to pursue educational opportunities.

“We believe strongly in sponsoring employees to better themselves — we’re very supportive of contin-ued learning, and have developed strong learning and development that they can access easily. I believe allowing employees to grow through shifting to new jobs and by dedicating themselves to learning new skills and gaining new knowledge during the course of their career is why our retention rate is so strong.”

Oryniak said communication is another reason why the WCB is such a thriving, positive workplace.

“Our senior management has long realized that for an organization to be successful, it’s essential to keep the lines open so there’s a constant flow of com-munication,” he said. “Things like an annual “kickoff"”, where the Executive Management Team lets staff know the plans for the upcoming year, and regular employee surveys let our staff know they’re appreciated and are being heard. Other events such as long-service awards, recognition initiatives and customer service appreciation day also allow senior management to show its support.

Management’s effort to hear employees doesn’t end there, either.

“We try to do as much as we can face-to-face,” says Oryniak. “So the doors of our management team are always open. We also constantly update employees on organizational initiatives, and have several commit-tees where employees are encouraged to participate and contribute ideas to different areas of the organi-zation. We want our employees involved in helping make things better here. The only way to do that is to listen to what they have to say.”

Although the organization offers many benefits to its employees, it's the work itself that brings about the most satisfaction for staff.

“The reason our organization runs so well is because of the highly trained and dedicated professionals who do such important work helping injured workers and employers of Manitoba,” says

Oryniak. “They work very hard and are committed to providing the best service that they can, which is how we all achieve such high job satisfaction.

“Ultimately, how our employees feel is how our customers are going to feel. If your employees feel healthy, secure, challenged and engaged, it stands to reason that your organization is going to be successful.”

2012

Manitoba’s TOP Employers 2012 13

Retaining top employees key to success Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba an attractive, empowering place to work

WCBdoes.com

who offers you a career with...

security • wellness • engagement • growth

Personal growth by pursuing educational opportunities is encouraged at the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba. Employees have an opportunity to grow by shifting to new jobs and dedicating themselves to learning new skills and gaining new knowledge during the course of their career.