2024 mid-term progress report
Strategic Priority: Workplace culture
Indicators:
Interim Report: where we are and where we are headed
Annual training and development plans
- 91% in 2023
Why this matters?
Ensuring the Health and Safety policies are reviewed, and training is completed annually is critical for the safety and wellbeing of all staff. This is the percentage of completed assignments in the training platform Citation Canada (formerly HR Downloads).
What does this mean?
The use of the Citation Canada training functionality has increased to include onboarding and policy acknowledgements as well as all corporate-assigned training. In 2024, we have tripled the amount of training flowing through the digital platform. This is a new metric that is being measured as part of the HR KPIs. Further annual development plans are slated for 2025, and HR is working with leaders to connect development plans and future learning opportunities.
Employee satisfaction and engagement
- TBD (can we say activity is planned for 2025?)
Why this matters?
Improving employee engagement is crucial for fostering a productive and positive work environment. Engaged employees are motivated and committed to the organization's goals and strategic plan.
What does this mean?
A comprehensive plan is underway to use a variety of methods and measures to get a comprehensive understanding of employee satisfaction and engagement, focusing on creating a work environment where employees feel valued and involved.
Union negotiations
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100% of collective agreements ratified so far this term were negotiated without labour disruption (2023)
Why this matters?
Positive working relationships between management and unions are crucial to creating a positive work culture. Successfully negotiating collective agreements in a collaborative manner, avoiding job actions, is important in maintaining staff morale and service delivery for the community.
What does this mean?
Three of four collective agreements have been ratified since 2022. Ninety-eight employees are covered by these collective agreements. The final agreement, impacting 18 staff, is up for renewal on December 31, 2024, and is scheduled for negotiations in early 2025.
Interim Report
where we are and where we are headed
Council recognition of the importance of a positive work culture in their strategic plan was a significant step in creating good staff-council relations that are vital to municipal government. Integrated training sessions for senior leadership and Council on media relations and procedural operations provided a shared understanding that is the foundation for trust and accountability.
The organization has implemented a number of positive changes as a result of organizational reviews, including implementing pay equity and market study recommendations in 2023. Our goal was to be in the 70th percentile within 5 years, and we are making progress toward this target.
Our working conditions, including tools, benefits and flexible working arrangements have resulted in the ability to attract great talent, and a higher return rate of employees in temporary contracts, such as seasonal workers and students. HR has implemented an exit interview process and retention data monitoring to identify and report on trends in employee movements.
There has been an increased focus on succession planning and employee development, demonstrated by recent internal promotions. While a fulsome leadership training program is in the works, succession plans in some areas are identifying future leaders and providing training to support employee growth and prepare for the future. Accredited Professional development credits for staff with regulated education requirements is supported by management along with support for continuing and upgrading competencies. A cyber security training program was introduced to support staff and protect the organization which includes ongoing training modules. Annual corporate training has been delivered through our digital HR system. Training and development plans for all staff will be worked on as part of the 2025 objectives.
We will continue to focus on Employer of Choice strategies in 2025 including an employee engagement survey, training and leadership activities and formal succession planning.