Engagement with frontline and operational workers

Summary and next steps

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  Engagement on City-wide corporate staff messages  

  The in-person meetings and survey asked you to tell us what is and isn’t working when it comes to receiving City-wide staff communications, including:

  • Messages from the City Manager or Chief Equity Officer
  • Human Resources updates
  • Other important updates

  The goal is to identify opportunities for better communication, improved process and access to technology.

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  Who we engaged

  From September to December 2022, the project team engaged teams in Arts, Culture and Community Services (ACCS), Real Estate, Environment and Facilities Management (REFM), Parks and Recreation, and Engineering: 

  • Held 26 in-person sessions  
  • Spoke to more than 400 staff 
  • Had feedback from 305 employees, supervisors and managers via online survey  

  They also surveyed 10 municipalities and public organizations. 

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  Summary of challenges we learned from staff

  While the challenges varied by team and the type of work, there were common themes: 

  The way we communicate doesn’t work for everyone  

  • The information is often not relevant to you or your work  
  • You feel isolated and disconnected from the rest of the organization  
  • There is too much information, and emails can be too long or complicated  
  • You would like to see senior leadership more often at your work sites and crew talks, for two-way communication and relationship building  

  You can’t directly access the information you want or need

  • You rely on your supervisor as your main source of information, which is not always effective
  • It’s difficult to access communications on your own, especially if you don’t have a City login or email address  
  • Auxiliary, satellite, seasonal and graveyard staff experience the most challenges  
  • You would like to have more direct access to information 

  There is a lack of technology and tools  

  • There are not enough shared computers, and you lack time to access them  
  • Some corporate phones don’t work the way you need (e.g. no data, frequent password expiry)  
  • Some worksites don’t have Wi-Fi  
  • Many of you use personal phones for work purposes, and you would like to have access to corporate phone discounts 

  Engineering Services – specific challenges 

  A related project examined issues specifically facing Engineering Services staff. Forty Engineering supervisors and frontline staff voted on the top challenges for communications:  

  • The top issue was irrelevant content with 65% voting that subject matter is not always relevant to their operational work 
  • Frontline staff flagged that access to information was another key issue
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  Next steps

  Work underway in 2023 

  Based on this input, the project team is working on:  

  • Focusing on the right topics: We're working to ensure that anything sent to all staff is relevant for everyone. We'll also train office staff on how to better communicate with frontline and operational audiences.  
  • Making sure email fits your needs: We will be improving the format of all-staff emails to include bulleted key points, links to accessible websites when possible and a printable PDF.  
  • Reviewing how to improve Wi-Fi: We're working with Technology Services to see how we can expand Wi-Fi to City work sites without it.  
  • Bringing leadership to you: We're working with departmental senior leadership teams to plan for regular visits to frontline and operations workplaces, to make sure they are well versed in your unique work environment.  
  • Keeping you in the loop on staff perks: We’ve compiled deals on a new webpage, such as discounts for mobile phone plans PNE, fitness and more. 

  Long-term work 

  We think the initial changes will help improve how information reaches everyone.   

  The project is also exploring other long-term options: 

  • Expanding your access: We're looking at what technology solutions are possible, such as making the intranet more accessible and installing digital screens at workplaces. These will take time to explore because they involve licensing, budget and cybersecurity considerations. 

  It's a work in progress. As we pilot changes, we welcome your feedback. Reach out to internalcomms@vancouver.ca, and they'll redirect your query.