Employee profiles

When Joe Hernandez came to Canada for the first time in 1985, he had been told the country was as cold as the North Pole. “I had left El Salvador because of political turmoil, and I didn’t know anything about Canada,’’ he says. “When I got off the plane in Toronto, they gave me a very big coat, and I looked like an Inuk! Then, I boarded another plane for Vancouver. I was so hot!”

He was surprised by the climate of his new home: “They had told me that Toronto was colder than Vancouver and that it doesn’t snow that much in Vancouver… however, by 3 a.m., I heard noise in the street… people were shovelling snow! That was my first contact with it.” Joe became a member of the Transat team in 2006. He had been in the travel business since 1986: “I’ve been around for quite some time,” he says he with a smile.

Joe serves as Performance Management Manager, a job that requires him to multitask. “I manage worker time and attendance, training staff for various airport positions. I also conduct health and safety classes.” What he likes the most about his job are the people he works with: “People make it interesting,” he enthuses. He also enjoys the problem-solving aspect of his job. “I also have to coach people. I like to do it with analogies. It’s fun, and helps them learn better.”

He continues: “I am very honest. I believe in people. I give them breaks. To be successful, one has to understand others.” In fact, Joe prides himself on his sense of humour:  “I like to make people laugh. When there is music on, I’ll dance and try to sing the song… even if I don’t know the lyrics! My friends laugh about it.”

On a more personal level, Joe used to write short stories and post them on a Spanish website, a hobby he hopes to resume following his retirement. His favourite hobby? “I like playing golf with the in-laws but my biggest hobby now is my 20-month-old baby!’’