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2017 Employee Culture Survey Results

October 25, 2017

The 2017 Employee Culture Survey was developed to assess some of the strengths and weaknesses within the operations of TRCA, as well as the overall culture at TRCA. The survey had one of the best participation rates in recent memory with 415 total responses by survey close. The survey includes results for each question as well as a profile of the respondents by division and seniority.

We are encouraged to see from the results that staff feel that they have a strong understanding of our strategic plan, as well as a strong understanding of how the plan relates to the work we do. The fact that staff feel that TRCA is a leader in innovating within the conservation field is important in maintaining TRCA’s presence at the forefront of the work we do.

Staff also agree that one of our key strengths continues to be the broader TRCA team, a value that is shared in the enabling strategies of our Strategic Plan. Most staff report that they would recommend TRCA as a good place to work, and we are encouraged that our work environment continues to be a motivator for most staff here at TRCA.

While many areas of strength were identified in the survey, there is a view among some staff that TRCA could improve in some aspects of our operation, specifically in the areas of communication, efficiency and resourcing. Staff also highlighted a variety of obstacles as well as opportunities facing the organization, some of which are shared in the attached report.

We have also heard that along with an understanding of the importance of the survey, that perhaps the roll out could be improved in the future. In subsequent years, we will review timing as well as the questions themselves in an effort to get the broadest reach and most reflective responses from staff.

The sections below highlight how the organization is responding directly to some of the concerns raised in the report.

Communication

We have heard that while staff for the most part feel they have sufficient information to do their jobs, communication between divisions and from senior management down to operational levels could be improved. Also, while in general, there is a sense that staff can speak freely with senior team members, there was some residual concern among staff about voicing their opinions. There also seems to be some room for improvement in communicating the role of the Staff Collab project in our operations.

As staff may be aware, the Collab was initiated in part to bring together cross-divisional representatives to support collaboration and decision making. The Project engages staff with a broad range of perspectives and focuses on organizational priorities using distributive leadership. The Collab has now overcome the hurdles of being a startup venture and is now delivering the following:

  • The Innovation committee has run numerous “Innovation Acceleration Workshops” which will feed into a program that will accelerate innovation from internal operations to region-wide strategic initiatives.
  • The Government Relations committee has been meeting with our elected representatives to build the relationships that will continue to support our work. We are building a database to track these relations, and developing a communication toolkit for engagement and a strategy to guide identified priorities.
  • The Tangible Asset Management Committee is performing a gap analysis of TRCA policies and procedures, which seeks improvements and efficiencies in our asset lifecycle planning. The product of this work is a soon to be completed Asset Management Policy and, subsequent to that, a strategy to guide the management of TRCA’s broad asset holdings.
  • The Data and Digital Technology Committee has reached out to every group within TRCA to assess their technology needs in the coming years. Using feedback from this outreach, working groups are tackling priority areas that will reap cross-divisional benefits.

If you have any further questions about the Collab process or on how to get involved, please contact Dana Fountain at dfountain@trca.on.ca.

TRCA believes that staying informed is a joint effort.  Leaders in information management and communication roles within the organization are constantly reevaluating how we share information with Staff, and it is understood that managers need to do their part to pass along key messages to staff. At the same time, staff of all levels need to take ownership of staying informed about the organization’s operations. Along with organization-wide communications, the Hub is a key source of information on ongoing operations at TRCA; Staff should be reviewing what’s new on the Hub regularly to keep up with everything from what’s being served in the Conservation Café to updates on the new Head Office.

As a public organization, there is also a wealth of knowledge about the work we are doing readily available at all times. A great place to start learning about what’s happening across the organization is in the Minutes and Agendas of the Authority and its Committees, as well as the minutes and Agendas of each of the Collab Standing Committees. Information on how to get access to these documents can all be found on the Hub.

Along with internal platforms such as the HUB, TRCA is active on Social Media, with dozens of accounts across multiple platforms regularly sharing what’s being accomplished our various divisions. Connecting to the group you’re interested in is a great way to stay informed.

On the topic of social media, to further promote communication between divisions, an internal platform called Facebook Workplace is being piloted by staff who manage TRCA social media accounts. The platform, completely separate from Facebook and personal accounts, is built upon the Facebook engine with many of the same features. It allows users to create and post within groups, like, comment on and reply to posts, and message one another, among other features. It has been particularly effective at promoting less formal communication and discussion.  Once it is fully evaluated, we expect Facebook Workplace to be promoted to all staff with a TRCA email address.

Staff looking for a broader understanding of who we are and what we do should also be familiar with key documents such as the Conservation Authorities Act, TRCA’s Strategic Plan, TRCA’s Business Synopsis and Rationale, and our Annual Reports. These documents lay out the constitution of the Conservation Authorities, our goals as an organization, the business plan we have adopted to achieve these goals, and finally the ongoing official reporting on how we are performing in achieving these goals.

Efficiency

We have heard that while staff feel they have the right mix of talent to do their work, TRCA could improve efficiency in its work processes, the length of time discussing and making decisions and in the consistency of the types of decisions we make. At the same time, staff are suggesting that they might not have enough human resources to complete their work without overtaxing staff.

TRCA recognizes that it has room to improve on each of these fronts, but at the same time we all need to understand that resources are not unlimited. As members of a team, we need to recognize that it is everyone’s responsibility to review work efficiency and effectiveness in their role within the organization. All staff are urged to bring forward their ideas about how to optimize work flow and processes to their supervisors, and co-workers. While not all of these ideas might be possible immediately, TRCA feels it is healthy to reevaluate workplace practices to make sure we are getting the most out of our time, energy and resources at work.

TRCA also recognizes that as an organization, it needs to take steps to provide a framework to allow for our work processes to improve. The standing committees within the Collab project continue to provide a means to prioritize, communicate and provide resolution on key issues affecting many of us, with input coming from the ground up.

In an effort towards optimizing our work processes, TRCA is currently reviewing work practices through the Operational Effectiveness Working Group. This group has the mandate of pursuing operational best practices and efficiencies, evaluating and improving the overall efficiency of corporate-wide resources, evaluating corporate operational policies and procedures, while maintaining a focus on continuous sustainable improvement needs.

Resources/Staffing

We have heard that staff are seeking some additional resources and support from the organization in both personnel and resources perspectives. We have also heard that staff are seeking new ways to evaluate the work they are performing, and that staff are looking for opportunities to grow their careers within the organization.

At TRCA we believe that it is our Staff that will be the key to our ongoing success and, furthermore, that every staff person should be provided with the tools and information needed to do their job. As some staff may be aware, TRCA has implemented a number of improvements to its performance evaluation program, including both new work-planning systems and employee development planning frameworks. We feel that, over time, these new toolkits will help guide the development of each staff member’s career at TRCA.

In terms of opportunities for growth, TRCA makes every effort to bring opportunities for advancement to the attention of all staff within the organization, and the opportunities are there! For example, staff may not be aware that, in 2016 alone, TRCA created over 50 new positions across the organization. TRCA encourages staff to regularly review posted opportunities on the Hub, the TRCA website and communications from HR. Where staff see a good fit, TRCA encourages those staff to apply for those jobs.

In addition to the above initiatives, TRCA has in the past and is currently offering a number of additional support programs to staff including:

  • the TRCA Mentorship Program
  • The Employee Assistance Program
  • TRCA Job Shadowing Program
  • Online courses in Soft-Skills and professional development.

If staff have any questions about any of these programs, please send a note to Victoria Kinniburgh at vkinniburgh@trca.on.ca or Carmen Lam at clam@trca.on.ca

We would also like to highlight the ongoing Compensation Project which is evaluating not only job descriptions of all staff, but also the accompanying compensation levels in comparison to comparable job markets. As all staff know, this has been a huge undertaking with many hours contributed by writers from across the organization. Human resources staff are working diligently to have the project completed by fall/early winter of 2017.

In response to calls for alternative evaluation models, TRCA will be testing a new 360 evaluation program for certain business units and seniority levels. 360 evaluation utilizes a variety of methods to evaluate a staff person to gain a more holistic insight into their performance. The Human Resources team will be communicating further with the organization as it works through this important pilot project.

Ongoing Feedback

We’ve also heard that staff are looking for additional ways to provide ongoing feedback to the organization. TRCA encourages all staff to share their thoughts on how to improve our workplace with their colleagues and supervisory teams, however we recognize that staff may wish alternative means to provide feedback. TRCA will be evaluating new ways to gather information from its workforce, however in the meantime, and until it’s time for next year’s survey, we have created an online suggestion box that is open for comments or suggestions (anonymously or not) on how staff feel we might be able to improve our work here at TRCA:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5QQ9X8Y

Also, as a reminder, while we hope there is no need to do so, you may recall that TRCA has recently engaged EthicsPoint to handle an anonymous whistleblower hotline for staff who come into knowledge of actual or intended misconduct. More information on that system can be on the EthicsPoint website:

https://secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/media/en/gui/49555/index.html