Manitoba's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 56
MANITOBA’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
56
University of Manitoba inspires and connects employees
F
or Christel Joyce, no
day is the same in her
job as a service desk
analyst at the University
of Manitoba, where
she helps students, faculty and
staff solve everything from how
to connect their computers to
the internet to processing exams
efficiently so they get results back
quickly.
“It’s kind of boring if you’re just
stuck in one job or one role,” she
says. “It’s nice to take on different
roles. I am always busy and
excited to come to work.”
The university provides
the supports and the
environment where
people can thrive.
They can grow and feel
supported in both good
times and challenging
times.
— Naomi Andrew
Vice-President, Administration
Joyce joined Information
Services and Technology in 2019
after moving to Winnipeg from
Ottawa for her husband’s work.
She started as a service desk
analyst helping to solve technical
issues and since then has added
more responsibilities to her work
with the encouragement of her
managers. She was a longtime
local area safety committee
member before recently joining a
knowledge management team to
help implement a new ticketing
Employees at the University of Manitoba represent the school during the community’s annual Santa Claus
Parade.
system to increase efficiency and
better manage IT service calls.
“We have a good team here. It
would be hard for me to move into
a different department because I
really like where I am now,” she
says.
Naomi Andrew, vice-president,
administration, explains that
throughout the university, the
leadership team’s guidance
encourages collaboration and
ongoing learning at every level.
“Collaboration is essential to our
approach,” she says.
This approach can be seen in
everything from the development
of the university’s new anti-racism
strategy to its annual campus
beautification day. Each spring,
staff and students take time to
come together to plant flowers
across the campuses. And in
December, after collaborating
with both students and faculty,
the university announced an
anti-racism strategy that sets an
ambitious goal of combatting
institutional racism and moving
toward racial justice.
The University of Manitoba
is a leading research institution
with 9,400 faculty and staff. It has
two main campuses, Fort Garry
and Bannatyne, in Winnipeg,
and satellite campuses across the
province.
Just over 21 per cent of the
university’s more than 31,000
students are international,
representing 122 countries. The
campus is also home to more
than 3,200 First Nations, Métis
and Inuit students. Diversity is
equally evident among employees,
helping to foster a growing culture
of inclusion.
“The university provides the
supports and the environment
where people can thrive. They
can grow and feel supported in
both good times and challenging
times.” says Andrew. “We know
that an exceptional employee
experience is the foundation of an
exceptional student experience.”
Employees are offered
comprehensive benefits that
include health and dental, life
insurance, a hybrid pension plan,
employee and family assistance,
tuition reimbursement, and paid
time off.
After completing her
undergraduate and law degrees
at the University of Manitoba,
