Manitoba's Top Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 34
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MANITOBA’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2025)
At Manitoba Blue Cross, the ‘heartbeat’ is its people
I
n 2009, Amanda Slater
joined Winnipeg-based
Manitoba Blue Cross as a
claims adjuster right out of
university. The organization
was the provider for her family’s
health benefits, so she knew it
had a good reputation. Before
she applied for the position, she
happened to drive past the head
office building at night. “It was all
lit up and looked so impressive,”
she says. “I thought, that would be
a cool place to work!”
Back then, Slater was simply
hoping to find an employer that
would keep her busy and help
her get by financially. “Little did
I know that this ‘in-between’ job
would lead to a long, fulfilling
career and a team that feels just
like family,” she says.
Over the years, Slater has
benefited from taking industryrelated courses and educational
programs covered in part or fully
by the organization’s tuition
reimbursement program. That
led to promotions, including her
most recent in 2022, to a business
analyst in the project management
office. “This training proved
invaluable,” she says.
Manitoba Blue Cross offers unlimited LinkedIn learning and any
job-related courses, free of charge.
All employees, from new hires to
senior leaders, also benefit from
internal mentorship. “We invest
in our people because they’re the
heartbeat of our organization,
and we want to retain them,” says
president and CEO Benjamin
Graham.
Graham is most proud of the
organization’s culture of caring
and its long history of community
service. For its 50th anniversary in
2024, Manitoba Blue Cross partnered with the non-profit Sleep in
Heavenly Peace to make 50 beds
for children in need. The capacity
for volunteers was 70 employees,
but three times that number
raised their hands to help.
“It was fantastic,” says Graham,
who helped cut, sand and stain
Employees at Manitoba Blue Cross make 50 beds for local children in support of Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
wood for the bed frames. “We’re
part of this province’s fabric, so
it’s important to us that we give
back. And it’s a way for our people
to connect outside of work for a
worthy cause.”
No matter how the day
begins, I have colleagues
who will lift my spirits
and remind me that any
challenge is manageable
with the right support.
— Amanda Slater
Business Analyst
Another point of pride is the
organization’s employee assistance
program (EAP). “We think it’s the
best in the province, if not the
country,” says Graham. For various
reasons, Slater has turned to the
EAP for counselling, including for
support when her family’s 14-yearold dog, Abbey, passed away just
two weeks after her second child
was born.
“I’ve worked here almost my
entire career, and our EAP has
seen me through countless personal milestones,” says Slater. “I’ve
received compassionate mental
health care and expert guidance during some of life’s most
vulnerable moments. I genuinely
don’t know if I would be where I
am today without having had that
support.”
A holistic approach to wellbeing is a priority, illustrated not
just by a robust benefits plan and
EAP, but also through an on-site
lounge and a free, fully equipped
fitness centre. “We’re committed
