BC's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 48
48
BC’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
Job security and growth at FortisBC lower the stress
S
o many jobs these
days place unexpected
demands on employees.
Natalie Morris spent 10
years as an elementary
school teacher and vice-principal.
She found it fulfilling but the
after-hours meetings and emails
from parents wore her down. She
wanted to try out her skills in a
different milieu and, just under
three years ago, landed a job with
FortisBC as a people development
advisor, helping craft training
for the energy utility’s more than
2,700 employees.
“I found a huge improvement in
my work-life balance since leaving
the education system and landing
here,” she says.
Bringing people
together and
connecting them, to
me that’s what our
culture of belonging
really is about.
— Natalie Morris
People Development Advisor
Balance is a big part of
FortisBC’s appeal, agrees Brandon
Weel, operations manager,
Interior South, based in Kelowna.
Employees are expected to show
up for work and get their tasks
done but are also encouraged to
have time just for their families.
They can relax knowing they have
secure, long-term employment
and competitive pay and benefits
— right into retirement.
Natalie Morris, people development advisor, at FortisBC.
Having a strong pension plan
is a huge benefit for employees,
Weel says, adding that it helps
ensure “that we are able to still live
a nice, comfortable life after our
careers at FortisBC.”
Weel, who started with the company as a distribution apprentice
15 years ago, is a living example
of how entry-level employees
with drive can rise to leadership
positions.
Employees can ask for a career
development plan, and the people
development team can coordinate
learning plans to help employees
reach the next level.
“They work wonders,” he notes.
“I actually just completed an intensive program called Advancing
Leadership Development at
FortisBC."
The 10-month immersive
program brings leaders from
across the organization together
to improve their leadership competencies while sharpening their
business acumen.
As an educator, Morris appreciates FortisBC’s commitment to
employee growth and wellbeing. One of the company’s core
development offerings is Insights
Discovery, a psychometric assessment that helps employees better
understand their own personality
type and how it can contribute to
the team.
“Having that understanding has
really changed things for me. I feel
like I’ve learned so much about
myself, how I interact with people,
my blind spots,” Morris says. “I
encourage everyone in the organization to take that workshop.”
She’s also helping develop
new training opportunities. “I’ve
been tasked with revamping
our program for people who’ve
been promoted from individual
contributor roles to leadership
roles for the first time,” she says.
“We’re rebranding and launching
this program in February called
Leadership Fundamentals, and it’s
going to be five days to give them
all the information they need to
hit the ground running.”
The low turnover and often long
tenures at FortisBC foster strong
relationships inside and outside
the workplace and contribute to
the company’s culture of belonging, Weel says. Robust programs to
help employees get through times
of need are paired with expectations for accountability.
“If you see something that is not
appropriate, you correct it and
