Employee Engagement Action Planning

October 23, 2020

I am pleased to share an update on our employee engagement journey that was set in place in the spring of 2020, with the launch of our employee engagement survey.

The survey, which launched using a third-party service provider McLean and Company, received an astounding 84% completion rate, which is a 33% increase from the last survey conducted. TRCA’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT), utilizing information compiled by McLean, identified five priority engagement drivers that would have the greatest impact on employee engagement based on the survey data, these drivers include:

• Learning and Development
• Relationships – SLT, Divisional, Manager (includes communications)
• Rewards and Recognition
• Work life Balance
• Benefits

With this information in hand, TRCA’s SLT delivered four Virtual Town Hall (VTH) sessions with over 400 employees in attendance, describing TRCA’s overall engagement results, action plans and providing time to address frequently asked questions from staff. Following the VTH sessions, the Senior Management team (SMT), in conjunction with SLT, each delivered Division specific engagement results and led team exercises focused on how to improve each individual team’s engagement.

Following the Divisional sessions, the Human Resources (HR) team held twelve employee engagement focus group sessions with over one hundred voluntary participants. These sessions were held to gain additional insight into how TRCA can enhance employee engagement.

Based on all the insight gathering exercises, data mining and recommendations, the HR team identified several action areas tied to the five priority engagement drivers (listed above). SLT identified initiatives with the highest impact on the greatest number of priority drivers. Although best practice suggests that organizations identify three to five actions of focus, our SLT, knowing the criticality of employee engagement, has committed to improving ten actionable areas. Some actions represent quick wins while others will take longer to implement, especially given our current COVID-19 environment and fiscal climate.

Each of the ten engagement initiatives have been assigned an Engagement Initiative Scorecard on the Staff Hub, that outlines the following aspects:

• Description and goals
• Scope
• Deliverables
• Measurements of success
• Project team members
• Project timelines
• Progress updates

In addition to the ten new actionable initiatives, TRCA’s SLT identified that there are ten supplementary actions currently in process that are directly aligned to recommendations put forth by staff through the engagement insight gathering process. SLT has committed to continuing the pursuit of these initiatives, which further support improving engagement. You can find a list of these ten supplementary actions here.

Traditionally, TRCA staff have been receiving updates from my CEO Update page or through memorandums to staff from myself or Human Resources. TRCA’s SLT is committed to providing ongoing updates on the progress of each of the employee engagement initiatives, therefore we have created a dedicated Employee Engagement section on the Staff Hub for all future updates and progress on these initiatives.

In the spirit of increased and frequent communications, we will be focusing on making the Staff Hub a useful and interactive resource for all staff. Going forward, our focus will be on providing frequent and accessible updates on employee engagement, including:

• Each scorecard / area of engagement will have designated Champions who will be clearly identified on the Staff Hub. Staff are encouraged to connect with these Champions with project questions or feedback.
• Providing updates on the Staff Hub which will include means for employees to receive further information from Champions.
• Providing interactive content over a number of digital platforms.
• Encouraging conversations about employee engagement in divisional / business unit staff meetings as some of your peers may have the same questions.

Beyond the Staff Hub, there will be forums such as VTH’s, team exercises, lunch and learns, etc. centering around employee engagement. As I had indicated at the commencement of this process, our pursuit for increased employee engagement is a journey that is lived-in real-time and will continuously grow with our daily actions and behaviours. I, along with the SLT and SMT, remain committed to this journey and are excited to see how we can continue to grow and improve our organization through our shared efforts.

Sincerely,

John MacKenzie, M.Sc.(Pl) MCIP, RPP
Chief Executive Officer
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)