In early October, OMNI Health Care was named one of Canada ’s Top 100 Employers by Mediacorp Canada in its annual rankings, and the organization scored top marks in both the work atmosphere and communication and employee engagement categories.

Chief operating officer Candace Chartier recently spoke with Axiom News about the role the news vehicle it publishes on behalf of OMNI, the OMNIway, plays in the organization’s communications strategy.

“We have our structural processes for sharing best practices, like our communities of practice meetings, our Monday meetings and our monthly meetings in the home, but you guys are kind of the foundation that takes those meetings to the next level,” Chartier tells Axiom News.

“You are an integral piece of (communication) because when it comes to storytelling, you’re our vehicle.”

Axiom News has been providing OMNI’s strengths-based storytelling service for more than 10 years, and Chartier says the stories are continually noticed and referred to, both within the organization and outside of it.

“A lot of the feedback I get about our website is ‘I love your stories, I love how you celebrate what happens in your homes,’ and people say it’s a reprieve from other news,” she says.

“You know how the papers are spreading the doom and gloom of what’s happening on a day-to-day basis? You guys are celebrating life with the stories that you’re bringing to the table about us,” she explains.

For OMNI’s team of close to 1,200 employees, the stories are a means of sharing their compassion for the residents they serve while being empowered to continually look for new ways to improve life quality in the 17 homes across Ontario , says Chartier.

“Storytelling gives people the foundation … so that they can step outside of the box and be all they can be,” she says.

Click here to access the OMNIway news service.

If you have questions or comments, please contact 800-294-0051, ext. 24, or e-mail kristian(at)axiomnews.ca.