Sponsored Content
Winnipeg Airports Authority aims to land the best

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/03/2024 (554 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Teamwork is essential in any organization, but it’s critical for Winnipeg Airports Authority (WAA). Imagine the coordination required to keep the runways at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport clear and safe when a winter storm hits. All employees, whether on the airfield clearing snow or in the garage fixing equipment or in the terminal overseeing operations, need to be informed and able to do their duties while keeping out of each other’s way, ensuring passengers take off and land safely.

“Everyone has to be on the same page,” says Steve Hoel, airfield services co-ordinator. “Every player on the airfield has a job. Everything runs smoothly.”

Fortunately, this is an area where WAA excels, and where it’s striving to get even better. When Nick Hays arrived to take on the position of president and CEO two years ago, he quickly got a sense of the dedication and expertise of airport staff. Ever since, he’s been spearheading an effort to take the organization to the next level.

“We’ve got people who are just so proud about what we do here,” Hays says. “There was huge potential to be unlocked here by creating the right culture where people can be enabled and empowered to do their very best work.”

Beginning in 2022, WAA undertook a cultural assessment with the help of an independent consultant. That fed into a strategic review that included a new vision, a new mission, a set of refreshed values and a strategic plan with seven actionable priorities. Number one among them was a focus on people and culture consistent with the airport’s existing culture of safety for passengers and employees alike.

How that focus translates into specific policies and behaviours is still a work in progress, but Rachael Wessman, who was hired into a new role as a training officer in 2022 to help develop training programs for different areas of operations, is already starting to see the results.

“I’ve worked with a lot of very knowledgeable people but it’s very rare that I’ve worked with people who have all those qualifications plus that additional emotional intelligence and compassion,” Wessman says. “We have a lot of leaders here, leaders who listen, and that’s been something new to me.”

One of the policies WAA brought into place in recent years is flex days with pay – time employees can take off to stay home with a sick child, get their cable fixed or make a trip to a passport office without using vacation or sick time. While some employers have family days, Wessman likes the way flex time includes people who don’t have children.

There is also a more relaxed dress code. Employees can now dress casually if they don’t have any meetings on their agenda. That meshes with an effort to allow employees to express their individuality without fear of discrimination.

Another priority is mental health. The employer provides each worker $1,000 a year to spend on mental health practitioner services if needed. But Hays points out there’s another side to fostering a mentally healthy workplace that WAA is also working on.

“Having a culture of safety, we think immediately about physical safety. And that is very important. But what is sometimes less thought about is psychological safety and mental health as it relates to that,” he says. “We want to make our workplace a safe space where you can say you’re not OK. It’s not a sign of weakness. We want you to know you can go to somebody and not be judged. Instead, you’ll be supported; the organization has your back – that is the culture we want to build.”