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Red River Mutual celebrates a culture of caring

A recent thank-you letter confirmed that Brent Barker had made the right choice when he joined Red River Mutual as an insurance claims adjuster three years ago. The letter came from a client who had filed a typical claim. “They were underinsured, and we helped take care of them,” Barker recalls. But he was unprepared for the effusive thanks offered by the client.

“It was a glowing report about how we had helped them through a bad time. It felt great to be working in an environment where you get to help people like that.”

For more than 20 years, Barker worked as an independent claims adjuster — a freelancer who investigates insurance claims for companies across Manitoba and beyond. He made the switch to Red River Mutual, becoming a full-time employee with the company, to find more stability in his life. “Working independently for billable hours was a grind,” he admits. “Moving to Red River gave me the opportunity to work 9 to 5, to have benefits and start living a more scheduled life.”

But there was something else that his new employer offered that reduced stress even more: a work culture focused on helping clients and fellow employees. “The philosophy at Red River is to find a way to pay a claim and not try to nickel and dime our clients,” says Barker. “They really try to move claims forward, which makes it feel less adversarial and reduces stress. We’re trying to help, and that feels good.”

From humble roots in Altona, Man., Red River Mutual has grown to be one of Canada’s largest policyholder-owned insurance companies, currently serving over 80,000 policyholders across Western Canada. Founded in 1875, the company is celebrating 150 years in business this year.

Brenda Gibson is Red River Mutual’s president and CEO, a role she took on a year and a half ago after 18 years with another insurer. She says working for a mutual insurance organization, where policyholders are owners of the company, is an eye-opening experience for many.

“At a mutual organization we have the opportunity to focus on what’s good for our customers, our partners and employees, and to make sound, long-term financial decisions,” she says. “Our business is grounded in the community, and it’s about community members coming together to help each other.”

Gibson says that same spirit of community permeates the workplace at Red River Mutual. “It’s the nature of the insurance business that you are there for people in a time of need. That makes us feel proud about the work that we do, to know that we are helping Canadians and Manitobans.”

The company offers strong benefits and a hybrid work environment that allows employees to choose what works for them, says Gibson. Recently, Red River Mutual has instituted more robust policies around employee mental health and workplace inclusion and has instituted an internal philosophy called the Red River Mutual Experience.

The Red River Mutual Experience centres on building a positive work environment for other employees, regardless of who deals directly with the public. “If you focus on customer service, you are excluding people in the office who don’t work directly with the customers or our broker partners,” says Gibson. “By focusing on the Red River Mutual Experience, everybody can own the experience that’s created. It has a direct influence on the organization.

“If you help create a great work environment, employees will be happy when they pick up the phone. And you can feel a smile through the phone.”