Manitoba's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 44
MANITOBA’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
44
Riverview Health Centre focuses on staff engagement
O
n a recommendation
from staff, Riverview
Health Centre Inc.
put in place in 2024
a free ride service
that taxis employees to the nearest
transit hub during select hours.
Not only does the service ensure
health centre workers can get
to and from work safely, it also
demonstrates that Riverview is
listening to its workers, says Sina
Barkman, chief human resources
officer.
“We have incredible staff here
at Riverview,” Barkman says. “It is
important that the senior leadership listens to the concerns of our
staff and is responsive to them.”
Working in health
care is tough and this
culture shift gives me
hope. It makes me
proud and excited to
come to work.
— Madison Jennings
Health Care Aide
Riverview is a community
hospital located alongside the Red
River in Winnipeg’s Riverview
neighbourhood. Employing 938
people, it is a multi-program
facility with 387 beds that provides
person directed care and services
to people requiring rehabilitation,
palliative care and long-term care.
Senior leaders make a point to
check in with staff to hear their
concerns and ideas, Barkman
says. They visit each team once or
twice a year, host town halls and
Employees at Riverview Health Centre make holiday cards during the 12 Days of Thanks staff
appreciation event.
come in some evenings to meet
with night staff. This is all part of
a culture shift that is underway to
enhance staff engagement.
It’s not only the courtesy rides
that have been introduced.
Uniforms are now optional.
Student scholarships for staff
and their children have been
enhanced. A peer recognition site
has been created on the intranet
to acknowledge and thank peers.
A multi-purpose massage chair
has been added to a staff wellness
room. Next year, a child care
centre for 80 children will open
on the site. Many of these enhancements are at the suggestion
of staff.
Amanda Schmall, a supervisor
of materials management in
her 24th year of employment
at Riverview, says she has seen
real positive change in the work
environment. As a member of the
Positively Engaging People (PEP)
team, Schmall takes pleasure in
organizing recreational activities
for Riverview staff and residents.
From pumpkin carving at
Halloween to egg-on-a-spoon
races in the summer and an annual spirit week to foster teamwork,
the PEP team creates a bright
spark in the day, she says.
“These jobs are stressful,” says
Schmall. “But there is a sense of
community at Riverview. People
feel heard and respected. They
feel important, because they are.”
For Madison Jennings, a health
care aide who has worked at
Riverview for seven years, the
culture shift is changing the way
she and fellow workers speak and
interact with residents. “Instead
of calling them ‘residents,’ I call
them the ‘people I care for,’” she
says.
On top of her shift work,
Jennings trains other health care
aides and serves on a committee
that works to make Riverview
more home-like and less like a
