Following the feedback from our last employee engagement survey, I am pleased to announce our new informal recognition program “STAR!” (Special Thanks and Recognition), launching on Monday, March 20, 2017.

STAR! is a result of priorities established following our employee engagement survey, and will provide employees with the ability to offer virtual appreciation to one another through a website or a mobile app. More details about the fun, creative ways to celebrate and encourage each other will follow in Communique.

Since the survey was completed, the Employee Engagement Committee has been focusing on three priorities: communications, change management and recognition. Some of the notable cross-college actions to address these priority areas include:

• Distribution of Communique, the college’s online newsletter, every day at 4:00 p.m.
• Development of “effective communications” modules in collaboration with HR’s Learning & Development team and the Centre for Teaching & Learning.
• Creation of a Change and Improvement division within HR, focusing on assisting staff and teams in navigating change and working with employees to use a change management framework. 
• Administration of a “recognition survey” to gain a better understanding of what type of recognition our employees wanted.  Results showed that improving both informal and formal recognition programs was important. In turn, this led to the development of the STAR! program, a new format in recognizing employees at the President’s Breakfast and a revised Long Service Awards program. 

We know there is also great work being done within schools and departments to recognize employees and implement changes driven by respective employee engagement survey results.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the Employee Engagement Committee and its communications and recognition task forces, along with all of our leaders and employees for their hard work to support one another. Your efforts are helping to create a culture that inspires and engages our employees and ultimately provides exceptional experiences for our students.