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Riverview Health Centre focuses on staff engagement

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This article was published 10/03/2026 (207 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On a recommendation from staff, Riverview Health Centre Inc. put in place in 2024 a free ride service that taxis employees to the nearest transit hub during select hours. Not only does the service ensure health centre workers can get to and from work safely, it also demonstrates that Riverview is listening to its workers, says Sina Barkman, chief human resources officer.

“We have incredible staff here at Riverview,” Barkman says. “It is important that the senior leadership listens to the concerns of our staff and is responsive to them.”

Riverview is a community hospital located alongside the Red River in Winnipeg’s Riverview neighbourhood. Employing 938 people, it is a multi-program facility with 387 beds that provides person directed care and services to people requiring rehabilitation, palliative care and long-term care.

Senior leaders make a point to check in with staff to hear their concerns and ideas, Barkman says. They visit each team once or twice a year, host town halls and come in some evenings to meet with night staff. This is all part of a culture shift that is underway to enhance staff engagement.

It’s not only the courtesy rides that have been introduced. Uniforms are now optional. Student scholarships for staff and their children have been enhanced. A peer recognition site has been created on the intranet to acknowledge and thank peers. A multi-purpose massage chair has been added to a staff wellness room. Next year, a child care centre for 80 children will open on the site. Many of these enhancements are at the suggestion of staff.

Amanda Schmall, a supervisor of materials management in her 24th year of employment at Riverview, says she has seen real positive change in the work environment. As a member of the Positively Engaging People (PEP) team, Schmall takes pleasure in organizing recreational activities for Riverview staff and residents. From pumpkin carving at Halloween to egg-on-a-spoon races in the summer and an annual spirit week to foster teamwork, the PEP team creates a bright spark in the day, she says.

“These jobs are stressful,” says Schmall. “But there is a sense of community at Riverview. People feel heard and respected. They feel important, because they are.”

For Madison Jennings, a health care aide who has worked at Riverview for seven years, the culture shift is changing the way she and fellow workers speak and interact with residents. “Instead of calling them ‘residents,’ I call them the ‘people I care for,’” she says.

On top of her shift work, Jennings trains other health care aides and serves on a committee that works to make Riverview more home-like and less like a hospital. “We are in their home, and we are working hard to make it a positive environment for them,” she says. “Working in health care is tough and this culture shift gives me hope. It makes me proud and excited to come to work.”

Riverview’s purpose is to “create a vibrant, innovative, and inclusive community that enables each person to live a purposeful and meaningful life,” Barkman notes. “If we don’t take care of our staff, we can’t provide good care. That’s a showstopper,” she says.

“If you are engaged in the work you do, if you feel valued, if you feel respected, and if you feel heard, then you’re going to want to stay at Riverview and you’re going to want to provide that excellent care,” Barkman adds. “First and foremost, we want to keep our staff. But beyond the business case for it, it is the right thing to do. We want our staff to enjoy coming to work.”