Can I tell you what I think makes NAIT great?

NAIT's executive director of Human Resources, Clayton Davis, shares his thoughts on why NAIT is a great place to work and what makes us a top employer.

Can I tell you what I think makes NAIT great?

Published on February 20, 2019
 

I’m so proud to announce that for the 8th consecutive year, NAIT has been named one of Alberta’s Top Employers

Mediacorp chose NAIT as a top employer for a number of reasons. Here are just a few of the reasons they selected this year:

  •  focus on employee well-being, including employing a dedicated Mental Health Coordinator and hosting professional development days like well-being day
  • array of options for employees to stay fit, including a salt-water pool, climbing wall, arena, personal training services and more
  • maternity leave top-up payments for employees who are new mothers

We know that there are a lot of great benefits and perks gained by working at NAIT and it’s awesome to be recognized for those things year after year. 

Receiving this award makes me very proud of what we’ve accomplished here at NAIT – it’s a reflection on how hard we work to create a positive employee experience for every single one of our team members. 

Beyond the tangible benefits of working at NAIT, I believe there is something even greater that makes us a great place to work and that allows us to stand out from other organizations – our people! 

Our people make NAIT great

I say this year after year, but I really do believe that it’s our people that make us a top employer. 

Here’s why.

Several times throughout the year I have the opportunity to attend celebratory events – retirements, long service and other recognition events – and what I always notice and remember (aside from the amazing food, of course) is the stories that I hear guests share.

The stories aren’t about the work that they did, or the benefits we offer or the cool facilities they have access to – they are always about people. Colleagues who influenced their career. Friends who have made them laugh every day. People who just generally made their experience at NAIT enjoyable and memorable. 

Those are the memories that stick with people right to the end of their career.

So, when I say that people are what make NAIT a great employer, I mean it. It’s people who make you feel supported, respected and valued. It’s people who support you in achieving your goals and it’s people who celebrate with you when you’ve accomplished them. 

It’s also people who have made NAIT what it is today. Everyone who works here plays a role in achieving our vision to be the most relevant and responsive post-secondary institution in Canada and one of the world’s leading polytechnics. They are essential to NAIT.

Our values

When I reflect on our values, which really drive what we do in HR and across the polytechnic, I can see people reflected in each of them.

  • Respect starts and ends with people.
  • Accountability is about people holding each other to their actions and commitments.
  • Collaboration cannot be achieved without people.
  • Support is what people offer each other and what they need.
  • Celebration is centred around people coming together.

I want to take a minute to talk particularly about our value of respect. 

We launched our Respect at NAIT training program to the NAIT community in October. Naturally we weren’t quite sure what the response would be about another training module on a topic that we often believe we know quite a bit about already – respect in the workplace.

To say my team has been blown away by our completion rate of Respect at NAIT to date is an understatement. To date, more than 72% of staff have completed the training program. The feedback has been incredible. Many employees have shared what they’ve learned, and I’ve heard even more stories about how important it was to be reminded that what you say and do to others matters.

To me, that speaks volumes about our collective ownership of our values and our desire to continue improving who we are as a community and how we relate to one another.

Looking forward

It’s easy for us to become complacent after being named Alberta’s Top Employer 8 years in a row, so I want to commit to all of our staff that we will never stop trying to provide you with a positive employee experience. An experience that is respectful, supportive and filled with opportunities for personal and professional growth. An experience that helps you achieve balance and keeps you fulfilled and engaged.

We need to keep evolving as an organization, and as an employer, and I look forward to continuing this journey with each and every person who works at NAIT in the years ahead.

To steal the words spoken by our President and CEO Dr. Glenn Feltham during our Long Service and Employee Recognition Awards Ceremony in January:

“You guys rock.”

Clayton Davis 
Executive Director, Human Resources

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