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Johnston Group invests in employees and the community

Jaime Chinchilla’s role as the first full-time diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) advisor at Johnston Group is a testament to the Winnipeg-based employee benefit company’s focus on fostering an inclusive workplace.

“The company made a commitment to become even more inclusive by dedicating a full-time resource to diversity and inclusion,” says Chinchilla. “Before, there was a DEI committee, but by bringing me in they were formalizing that effort.”

Since assuming the company’s inaugural DEI position, Chinchilla has helped establish a new governance system that incorporates employee resource groups. This ensures staff have input into how the company recognizes various aspects of diversity. The company has also opened channels of communication for employees to raise concerns or lodge any complaints related to discrimination or perceived microaggressions in the workplace.

“We’re proud of the fact that we’ve had this channel for three years,” says Chinchilla.

Other DEI initiatives include safe spaces for employees to discuss issues that matter to them, celebrations of different cultures, and promoting cultural understanding, according to chief operating officer Jennifer Bjarnarson. She points to events such as Diwali celebrations, and lunchtime presentations on truth and reconciliation.

“We have a very inclusive, collaborative and community-oriented culture.”

Caring and support for others is a cornerstone of Johnston Group’s culture, she says, and this manifests in a variety of different ways. There’s a mentorship program, and most senior managers have at least one mentee. There’s also a strong focus on supporting women – Bjarnarson notes that she and the company’s vice president of human resources are leading the charge to make Johnston Group an employer of choice for women. To that end, in 2025 Johnston Group is introducing two additional paid leave days for female employees, meant to provide flexibility in managing women’s health issues.

Johnston Group’s impact is also felt beyond the workplace. The company is making a difference in the wider community thanks to a deeply ingrained culture of giving back, says Bjarnarson.

“We support over a hundred organizations within the community,” she says. One example of the company’s generosity is its week-long United Way campaign, during which Johnston Group matches donations up to a certain amount. Bjarnarson notes that this spirit of giving extends beyond monetary donations.

Employees volunteer with many community organizations and participate in community events such as the Pride Parade, where the company has a float. Some staff take part in the float, some volunteer at the parade, and others show up to support and cheer on their co-workers.

The feeling of community is pervasive, says Bjarnarson. “Even our boardrooms are named and affiliated with some type of local organization,” she says. For example, there are United Way and Habitat for Humanity boardrooms that have been physically designed by each respective organization.

Beyond cultivating an inclusive work environment, promoting community involvement and investing in staff, having fun is also deeply embedded within Johnston Group’s culture.

This tone is set from the very top. Bjarnarson recalls a story from the first time she met CEO David Johnston, who established the family-owned business in 1983.

“He made a comment that nobody gets out of bed saying, ‘Gee whiz, I can’t wait to get to work,’ so let’s have fun while we’re doing it,” Bjarnarson says. “And I think the fun part definitely resonates here.”