IBEX

It's Herddle Time 

You don’t have to dig too deep to discover the motivating factor for a positive work environment at IBEX, a payroll services company in Winnipeg.

“I wanted to be able to enjoy my work,” Darryl Stewart, Head of the Herd and owner of IBEX, says of why he created the company’s corporate culture. “I wanted to create an environment where people would want to come to work every day and achieve their potential.”

The philosophy at IBEX is simple: Make it the greatest place to work and the team will deliver.

“That’s how we get the job done,” says Stewart.

The culture being fostered at IBEX is the result of more than just great ideas. It’s about turning ideas into action. From the daily Herddle at 10:12 every morning to the Climbing Higher meetings held every Monday and the Grumpy Goats meetings on Fridays, every member of the Herd has the opportunity to contribute to the direction of the company.

The Herddle (an ibex is a type of mountain goat that travels in herds, hence the variety of Herd references) is a quick, five-minute assembly to share news items, state daily goals and ends with the “Go IBEX” cheer. The purpose of Climbing Higher is to track performance against written goals and is an opportunity for everyone to get involved in the bigger picture. Because profit sharing is another important element of the culture, staff can help identify cost savings and promote ideas on how to increase efficiencies in the workplace.

Department managers gather every Friday at the Grumpy Goats meeting to discuss “the kids” - as in baby goats. The theory is that, by identifying the individual gifts of the kids and what they bring to their jobs, they’ll apply those gifts to their jobs and work hard to accomplish their goals.

“We want to make sure each employee is being challenged as much as possible,” says Stewart. “For the company to succeed, we need to be challenged, we need to be comfortable in our roles.”