Karyl Grasparil appreciates the time she has at the end of her workdays at Manitoba Blue Cross to work out or go for a run with her husband. That’s especially so after several hectic years working as a schoolteacher in the Philippines and Malaysia, where the workday never seemed to end.
“Having defined work hours gives me a chance to build healthier routines in my personal life,” says Grasparil, a business intelligence data analyst. “Our on-site fitness centre is important to me. It helps me care for my physical health and supports my mental well-being by giving me a positive way to process the workday.”
After returning to school to start a new profession, Grasparil did a co-op placement last year with Manitoba Blue Cross as an associate data analyst. When her placement ended, she graduated from RRC Polytech with an honours diploma in data science and machine learning and, last May, was hired full-time.
Employees at Manitoba Blue Cross fundraise for MS Canada, helping to raise awareness for multiple sclerosis.
That same sense of well-being she feels today as a full-time employee was there from the start because of the respect her colleagues showed her.
“Even as a student, I was treated as a full member of the team. My manager mentored me, my teammates collaborated closely with me and colleagues across different departments encouraged me to share my ideas,” says Grasparil.
Manitoba Blue Cross is a not-for-profit organization with more than 350 employees providing health coverage to over half a million Manitobans.
“Our vision is to be the essential health and wellness partner for all Manitobans,” says Benjamin Graham, president and CEO. “You don’t have to be a customer of Manitoba Blue Cross to experience the good things we are doing in the community.”
To encourage giving back, employees are given two paid volunteer days a year. Last year, Grasparil coordinated a collection drive for Koats for Kids in Winnipeg and used her paid volunteer time to help process donations at the charity’s warehouse.
“I’ve seen first-hand that Manitoba Blue Cross does not just talk about community support but really invests in finding ways to help,” says Grasparil. “It’s the kind of place where the work you do inside the office contributes to something much bigger outside of it.”
For example, Manitoba Blue Cross holds an annual bed build with Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP), assembling beds for children and families in need. Last year, there was room for 45 staff to participate, though more were interested. To further support SHP, Manitoba Blue Cross funded a five-year building lease allowing the charity to go from assembling 400 beds per year to over 1,000.
The benefits provider also recently announced a $3-million donation over 10 years to the rescue organization STARS, helping to provide critical care to patients across Manitoba in life-threatening situations. In recognition of this transformative gift, its base has been renamed the STARS Manitoba Blue Cross Winnipeg Base.
“STARS aligns well with our health and wellness goals by supporting people when they need help most,” says Graham.
Inside the workplace, employee well-being is prioritized through resources like a free on-site gym, virtual fitness sessions, LinkedIn Learning, mentorship and leadership training programs, and fully- funded, comprehensive benefits for staff and their families.
As the only benefits provider with a dedicated, on-site employee assistance program facility that can offer in-person counselling services to eligible clients and employees, Manitoba Blue Cross serves as a model for other health benefits providers.
“People here are compassionate. I feel it every day in the work I do and in the way we are encouraged to take care of each other,” says Grasparil.
