Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER November 13, 2017 32 FEATURES/NEWS TEAMBUILDING Going the extra mile to help others BigSteelBox employees come together with Care Forward Program By Peter Tonkin L ast spring, Richard, a Big- SteelBox employee, came in to work and was notice- ably distressed. His manager reached out right away to see what the trouble was. Richard explained that when he left his home for work that morn- ing, he discovered that his truck was not in its typical parking space. He immediately called the po- lice and commenced the search for his vehicle, but he soon learned his truck was found in a ditch just outside of town, burnt to the ground. Richard was beside himself, unsure of what he was going to do. He was dependent on his ve- hicle for everything from driving to work in the morning, to taking his kids to school and after-school activities. To make matters worse, several items that were left in his car were now gone as well, including his young son's car seat. Richard went about his regular day's work and did it with the best attitude he could muster. But after hearing about his ordeal, Richard's colleagues at BigSteelBox knew they needed to do something to help. Helping each other BigSteelBox — a mobile storage provider in shipping containers with headquarters in Kelowna, B.C. — isn't just a company that works in the moving and stor- age and industry. It's also a fam- ily. When family members are in need, we are there to help each other out, no questions asked. at's why Richard's colleagues felt he would be a perfect recipi- ent of the Care Forward Program, so they immediately submitted a request for assistance to the Care Forward Committee. e Care Forward Program is unique to BigSteelBox and falls outside of the realm of employee benefits. Employees can opt to contrib- ute a small portion from their monthly paycheque to the pro- gram, with BigSteelBox matching every donation. e program is a way for staff members to show one another they care and support each other, particularly in times of need. And it's a direct example of BigSteel- Box's values, one of which is "We love our family." e idea for the program came from an employee in 2015 who had read about a similar idea about how to create an outstand- ing company culture. Some companies create tradi- tions like pizza days or have ping- pong tables in the break room. e staff members at BigSteelBox decided an employee benevolent fund would be much more mean- ingful and beneficial, and would help their colleagues in a more impactful way. The program works in two scenarios: • Temporarily support people in paying necessary expenses that, due to financial constraints or circumstances beyond their con- trol, they are unable to pay. is includes expenses such as rent, bills, car insurance or children's items. • To help people pay for expenses that have come about suddenly or unexpectedly, are very costly and beyond the employee's means. is includes costs that arise after the death of a family member or are associated with unforeseen health issues. e staff at BigSteelBox have always felt strongly about sup- porting each other, particularly through hard times. The Care Forward Program provides us with a formal process to do just that. At the end of Richard's ter- rible day, he was told he had been nominated to be a recipient of the Care Forward Program. He was presented with a cheque for $1,500 to put towards the cost of purchasing a new vehicle. Benefiting from support Since the program's inception two-and-a-half years ago, numer- ous BigSteelBox employees from across Canada have opted to take part in the program, and many have benefitted from it. To date, $16,700 has been distributed to employees in need. While employees can request help from the Care Forward Com- mittee in confidence, it's often their peers who are responsible for nominating them to receive the funds. This act of nominating one another demonstrates how much staff members care about their colleagues' well-being and happiness. To this day, Richard still reflects upon what an honour it was to be the recipient of such a selfless act of compassion when he was in need. He always says that working for a company that genuinely cares about him makes all the difference when it comes to putting in a hard day's work. BigSteelBox isn't just a work- place where employees come to clock in and clock out. We are a family. And what makes employees strive to go the extra mile is they know we are here for them in the times that matter most. Peter Tonkin is an HR manager at Big- SteelBox, a mobile storage provider in shipping containers based in Kelowna, B.C. For more information, visit www. bigsteelbox.com. thing where complaints are being made about employees because the perceived standard of care is not what the family members would want — but it's not abuse." e worry is this approach be- comes an easy way for the gov- ernment to wash its hands of any problems by saying, "Don't worry, there's cameras there, that'll take care of everything," said Jeff Beg- ley, president of the union Fédéra- tion de la santé et des services so- ciaux (CSN) in Saint-Donat-De- Montcalm, Que. "I think a lot of our members are going to look at it and say, 'We don't need a camera that's looking at me all the time.'" On the other hand, if something happens and the video surveillance shows the employee did nothing wrong, it will be another indication she's doing a good job, said Begley. "In most cases, the problem isn't the people that work there, the problem is the services aren't avail- able that people need, so hopefully some residents or their representa- tives… when they see on the videos part of the problem is we never see anybody come into the room be- cause there's not enough people working there, hopefully we'll be able to sit down with the patient and confront the employers to say, 'Let's look at the real problem and try and find solutions.'" Thus far, employees haven't been saying they want to chal- lenge the new rules — yet, he said. "It's a bit of a wait-and-see mindset, and the other thing is we've reassured our members that if there's negative things that are not intended by the law that hap- pen, then we will be with them if we have to do grievances or what- ever, a political organization, to denounce what's happening, then we'll do it, we'll be ready to do it, so that's hopefully reassuring for most of our members." ankfully, some of the con- cerns raised by the union have been addressed, said Begley, such as removing the possibility of identification so workers can't be recognized if someone posts a video on social media. But it's still unclear what will happen if the surveillance cap- tures improper care because of a lack of resources, and that leads to sanctions against the employee, he said. "I don't think this is any magic bullet; it may give some residents peace of mind, and it may, if some- body has bad intentions, then it may at least get them thinking, 'I'd better be careful.' And if it does just that, that's not a bad thing, that could be a good thing. But I'm not waiting for enormous results." More complaints possible QUEBEC < pg. 6 Credit: xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx Employees at BigSteelBox in Kelowna, B.C., in 2016. While employees can request help in confidence, it's often their peers who are responsible for nominating them to receive the funds.

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