Corporate

community solutioNs diverSity 5 2014 annual report  |  Workplace Safety & Prevention Services Every day, Sleep Country/Dormez-Vous associates help thousands of Canadians make decisions that will ensure they experience a deep and restorative sleep each night, but attention to health and wellness doesn't end there. Brett Abram, VP of Human Resources at Sleep Country says it's in their organizational DNA. Employees understand that listening, learning and sharing information to keep one another and their customers safe and healthy are critical to success. "We are constantly gathering and exchanging information. We always know what's going on and we are able to deal with issues quickly. There's no bureaucracy—it's a free flowing dialogue," says Abram. "It's not unusual for associates to send suggestions to Dave Friesema, our CEO, directly." Sleep Country/Dormez-Vous keeps the conversation going through many channels, including regional joint health and safety committees, staff champions, town hall meetings, special health and safety weeks, and inclusion in company objectives and performance reviews. Given its commitment to continuous improvement and open dialogue, it's not surprising that Sleep Country has become one of the newest members of the ceO health + Safety leadership network. The Safety Culture Networking and Knowledge Exchanges (NKEs) will be a valuable resource as they continue to look for ways to motivate employees, reinvigorate policies and procedures, and adhere to legislation. Abram looks forward to working with his counterparts to share experiences and ideas. "I am of the strong opinion that health and safety thrive whenever we share. We can't do this alone. The Network provides an opportunity to share and influence, and will help with overall performance." Sleep Country's integrated approach to health and safety is definitely paying off. In addition to a steady decline in lost-time days and hours, injuries and incidents, they regularly get positive feedback from customers about employees taking extra steps to keep them safe. And, last year, they received Retail Council of Canada's Health and Safety Award and were recognized as one of Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures of 2014 by Waterstone. Abram believes this success is due to the fact that taking care of people is baked right into the mission and culture. And, he says, "This is an organization that really gets its vision and mission." rest assured Health, safety and Wellness are top of Mind in tandem

• Cover