At True North, happy employees equal happy guests

Early in the season, management at Winnipeg-based True North Sports + Entertainment — owners of the Winnipeg Jets and Canada Life Centre, among other properties — met with its 1,800 casual employees to discuss how to elevate the guest experience. But the meeting soon shifted into a forum for employee ideas.

As a result, “we came up with the idea of the One Thing survey – what’s one thing we can do to improve guest experience? – and we got so many ideas from that,” says chief people officer Dawn Haus, senior vice-president of culture and guest experience. “They were very passionate about their ideas. If we don’t listen to that, what kind of message does that send?”

At True North, guest experience and employee experience are intrinsically linked. “Giving good service to our customers is at the heart of what we do, and it all starts with giving good service to our employees,” Haus says. “If you treat your people well, they’ll treat your customers well.”

As president John Olfert says, True North is “in the business of making memories, celebrating moments — and this isn’t just for our fans and guests.” He adds: “We can see how our employee groups bond together as teams, celebrate their own unique memories, and this translates to the experiences guests have in our venues and at our events.”

When it comes to employee experience, True North doesn’t differentiate between full-time and casual employees. “It's the same values that we communicate to everybody,” explains Kyle Phillips, director of guest experience, “and just having everyone consistently aligned on that is really, really good.”

One of those values is commitment to the community. There’s the formal work done through the True North Youth Foundation, the organization’s charitable arm whose mission is to make a difference in the lives of underserved youth in the community. Phillips spends every other Wednesday morning, for example, volunteering through the foundation to teach young kids how to skate and play hockey.

“We invite children that wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to play,” he says. “Just knowing what kind of impact we can have in the community and being even a small part of that, is a big rewarding piece for me.”

Participating in the foundation’s work is something that many True North employees feel strongly about, Haus says. But there are plenty of other opportunities to get involved. One day last fall, for example, 130 employees went to community organizations such as food banks and shelters, making sandwiches, donating blood, and much more.

“It’s heartwarming to see how we all come together to do our jobs every day, then take our energy and efforts and make a difference in the community,” she adds. “When you’re hard-working and you want to make a difference, this is a great environment to be in.”

There’s lots for the True North community itself as well, including the annual skate for employees and family. There are karaoke and game nights, viewing parties in the arena, casino events, award and recognition ceremonies, as well as department-specific get-togethers throughout the year.

Employees can take advantage of various training programs for personal or professional development. There are programs to help people learn how to give great service to customers, how to better support themselves or co-workers, and more. And there are plenty of perks for employees, such as discounts on tickets, Phillips notes.

“They’re just all great ways to keep people engaged and happy,” he adds. “True North really embraces the team that they have; they strive for them to be great people and to support them in great ways.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing the winners of this year's Manitoba's Top Employers competition, published March 11, 2025 in the Winnipeg Free Press. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, who did not write or review the content.