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Efficiency Manitoba offers a purpose-driven culture

Dori Chudobiak was one of the first five employees hired to help create a new Crown corporation, Efficiency Manitoba, in 2019. It was set up as an independent organization to promote energy efficiency and achieve significant electricity and natural gas reductions through consumer incentives and expert guidance. Operations commenced in April 2020.

“It’s a unique opportunity, setting up an organization from the ground up,” says Chudobiak, vice-president, corporate performance and engagement. “We definitely wanted to set ourselves up in a way that we would be living our guiding principles” – things like keeping it simple and putting people first.

Of course, Efficiency Manitoba had one big challenge right out of the gate; it was starting up amidst the first, hugely disruptive wave of the pandemic. For its first two years, it operated mostly virtually while adhering to public health restrictions. To Chudobiak, however, that only contributed to its uniquely forward-thinking and continuously adapting culture.

“We had an opportunity with the pandemic to be really considering the future of work,” she says. When health restrictions eased and the organization designed its office space in Winnipeg, it did not simply opt for a traditional format with dedicated workstations for each of its 95 employees. It optimized the workplace for today’s needs and expectations.

“We absolutely can have every one of our employees in the office on a given day, but we don’t have unutilized space associated with assigning a workstation to every employee,” Chudobiak says. Employees feel a sense of ownership about the office, too. They were asked for their input on everything from the number and size of meeting rooms to wall colours and furniture selection.

“Employee fingerprints are all over the construction of and how we use our office space.”

For Gabrielle Cochingco, Efficiency Manitoba’s flexible work environment was a big draw when she first joined as a co-op student from the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba in 2021.

“I was helping take care of my dad at the time and it was important that our whole family stay healthy,” says Cochingco, who landed a permanent position as an energy efficiency analyst after she graduated. Today, she volunteers on Efficiency Manitoba’s social committee, which puts on events meant to get employees from across the organization together and foster strong relationships.

What’s kept her committed to Efficiency Manitoba is the way its mission and activities align with her personal values.

“My work is making a difference for our province, for sustainability, for underserved markets, and it makes me enthusiastic and motivated about the work I do,” Cochingco says. “Work isn’t just work when it’s tied to the community I live in.”

Of course, there are other upsides to working there too, such as a nine-workday schedule, which means employees generally get every other Monday off. It allows employees to schedule necessary to-dos like home maintenance, self-care and appointments on a weekday without worrying about the impact on work.

Chudobiak is gratified to see that, after five years, Efficiency Manitoba still has the co-operative, nimble, can-do culture she and her colleagues aimed for from the start. The provincial government expanded Efficiency Manitoba’s mandate last spring, and the organization is designing and implementing the added responsibilities and continuing its valuable work for and with Manitobans.

“We’ve hired everyone for what they bring to the table and how they fit into the team,” she says. “It’s pretty incredible what smart, hard-working, dedicated people can do individually and together when they put their minds and hearts to it.”