Posted on Tuesday, February 6th, 2024
Dear Colleagues,
I wish to extend my deep appreciation and congratulations to each of you as we announce that Algonquin College has been named a National Capital Region’s Top Employer for 2024. This makes the 11th year in a row that the College has been recognized for this accomplishment.
This is a meaningful achievement for our institution. One of the foundational goals in the College’s Strategic Plan is to be recognized as an exceptional place to work by our employees and the community — and because of all your contributions, we have been recognized again!
Our award was driven by several key initiatives focused on supporting our employees’ well-being as well as on creating an inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible workplace. We wanted to highlight those for you:
Employee Psychological Well-being
Algonquin College continues the journey to support the psychological well-being of its employees. We have created a baseline analysis for measuring psychological safety through the work of the Psychologically Safe Workplace — Mental Well-being project.
To further strengthen and support mental health of Algonquin College employees, the College undertook steps to certify a trainer under the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s the Working Mind — Train the Trainer program. The Working Mind is an evidence-based program designed to promote mental health and reduce the stigma around mental illness in the workplace. Watch for details as we embed this program in our Employee Learning offerings! Click here to read more about the Working Mind program.
Finally, the College’s Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) is a key benefit, and ongoing enhancements to the program continue to be made to support employees. In September 2022, the program was re-launched to include all College employees, both full-time and part-time. The inclusion of part-time employees into the program creates an opportunity for all our people to have the same access to these supports. The EFAP provides a great new platform that enhances the employee experience and the services provided.
Maintaining Our Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility:
Highlighting this year’s continued momentum towards a culture of inclusion in the work environment, the IDEA Blueprint lays out three areas of strategic focus: Capacity Building, Robust Conversations and Workforce Recruitment. Each focus area has clear tactics and success indicators. Achieving these will help us to realize the benefits of having an Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable and Accessible (IDEA) College work environment.
Among the College’s many other IDEA accomplishments are the Indigenous Wayfinding and Representation Project, the new all-gender washroom standards and gender diverse washrooms, the launch of free menstrual products on campus and the Multi-Year Accessibility Strategy which outlines activities for improved accessibility through to 2026.
More than anything, this award speaks to the efforts of each one of our employees. It is your continued dedication to our learners, your colleagues and the entire College community that drive our unique, inclusive and dynamic culture. You inspire the College to keep building on our strengths and finding ways to do better.
Most importantly, thank you to everyone at the College who makes this such an incredible place to work.
Kind regards,
Diane McCutcheon
Vice President, Human Resources
Posted on Tuesday, December 5th, 2023
The 2024 Multi-cultural Calendar is now available for download!
Could you please update the NEW HR website with this information?
Don’t miss another important cultural event or day of significance! The digital calendar overlays and integrates right into your existing Outlook calendar.
It’s time to get your 2024 Algonquin College Human Resources Multicultural Calendar.
Click the link above to download the digital calendar and access instructions.
Calendar Landing Page on the Inclusion & Diversity Website.
https://www.algonquincollege.com/diversity/2024-diversity-calendar/
Instructions to Download:
https://multiculturalcalendar.com/ecal/downloadOutlook.php?lang=en&s=c-algonq&year=2024
Posted on Tuesday, February 7th, 2023
Ottawa Citizen
Published Feb 06, 2023
Read the full article on pages 16 and 17 here
Posted on Thursday, October 6th, 2022
The following email is being sent on behalf of Diane McCutcheon, Vice President, Human Resources on October 6, 2022.
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Dear Colleagues,
The College reviews the calendar on an annual basis to determine when closure will take place for the holiday break period in December. The College will close on Thursday, Dec. 22nd at the end of the day and reopen on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. While it has been customary for the College to close at noon on the last day before the holiday, this year the College is offering employees a full day on December 23 to show its appreciation for all the hard work, dedication and resilience from our employees, and to acknowledge the importance of mental health and mental wellness.
Important dates to note:
End of Fall Term
- Dec. 17 – End of 2022 for most post-secondary programs
- Dec. 20 – End of 2022 for most Full-Time Online programs (September intake)
- Dec. 21 – Grades due to Registrar’s Office
- Dec. 22 – 2022 Fall Semester grades available via ACSIS
Winter Term
- Start Jan. 2 for initial apprentice programs
- Start Jan. 9 for most post-secondary programs
The holiday season is a time when employees may also wish to take additional vacation days to extend the holiday period. Please note that, should employees wish to schedule additional time off, this must be pre-approved by their Manager.
Have a safe and enjoyable holiday season.
Posted on Thursday, February 3rd, 2022
Dear Colleagues,
I am proud to announce that Algonquin College has been named a National Capital Region’s Top Employer for 2022, making this the ninth year in a row that the College has been recognized for this accomplishment.
Now celebrating its 22nd year, Canada’s Top 100 Employers is an annual competition organized by MediaCorp Canada Inc., which awards exceptional workplaces on both a national and regional basis. Algonquin College has won an award in the National Capital Region category every year since 2014.
This is a meaningful achievement for our institution. One of the foundational goals in the College’s Strategic Plan is to be recognized as an exceptional place to work by our employees – and because of all of your contributions, we have been recognized again.
Through the COVID-19 pandemic, the College continues to focus on the health and safety of our employees and learners. Our award was driven by a number of key initiatives focused on supporting our employees during these challenging times.
Focus on Employee Learning and Resources:
Learning and Teaching Services offers innovative training and resources for faculty needing to transition to virtual learning activities at a high level of excellence. The Centre for Organizational Learning also provides resources for all College employees through various learning sessions, workshops, programs, conferences, activities and one-on-one support.
Employee resource sites keep employees up-to-date about matters relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes a Human Resources Employee Toolkit with tips for making remote work (and working at home with children) a success, as well as access to wellness resources in a stressful time. The Communications department maintains a Coronavirus Information page that continues to be updated with the latest news affecting the College community through the pandemic.
Leveraging Technology to Integrate and Collaborate:
Virtual activities also allow the College to engage, encourage and inform employees. One unexpected result of the pandemic is that employees from all three campuses (Ottawa, Perth and Pembroke) are able to participate in one another’s events virtually. They also have access to many student activities and events.
Maintaining Our Commitment to Inclusion and Diversity:
At Algonquin College, we strive to anticipate our employees’ needs and meet challenges head on. We were the first college in Ontario to adopt an equity, diversity and inclusion policy. We demonstrate our ongoing commitment to Truth and Reconciliation by embedding Indigenous knowledge in everything we do as an organization.
More than anything, this award speaks to the efforts of each and every one of our employees. It is your continued dedication to our learners, your colleagues and the entire College community that drives our unique, inclusive and dynamic culture. You inspire the College to keep building on our strengths and finding ways to do better.
In a time of unique challenges, I am proud that the College continues to build on its record of accomplishment for engaging the strengths of our employees, offering opportunities for further performance and professional growth – building a vibrant, resilient and diverse workforce.
Most importantly, thank you to our employees working on-campus and remotely for your hard work, continued focus on learners and our people, and for preserving our community.
Kind regards,
Diane McCutcheon
Vice President, Human Resources
Posted on Monday, January 16th, 2023
Full-time employees with eligible dependent child(ren) or spouses enrolled full-time in the Winter 2023 semester in a ministry-funded program at Algonquin College are eligible to apply for partial tuition reimbursement.
To apply, please complete the Employee’s Application for Partial Reimbursement of Tuition Fees form and the Authorization for Release of Student Information form. Both forms are available here.
Forms should be sent to ACPenBen@algonquincollege.com by January 23rd, 2023. Late applications will not be considered.
Posted on Friday, September 16th, 2022
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
The following email is sent on behalf of Maureen Castella, Senior Manager, Total Compensation, Human Resources
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Note to People Leaders regarding Upcoming Federal Declaration of Statutory Day Off (September 19, 2022)
We have been receiving questions regarding yesterday’s federal announcement that advised that Monday, September 19 will be designated as a federal statutory holiday in recognition of the service for Queen Elizabeth II.
The federal announcement applies to federal employees only. As Algonquin College is a provincial employer, we abide by decisions made by the Premier of Ontario. The Premier’s Office has declared that Monday, September 19 will be a provincial day of mourning in lieu of a provincial holiday. A moment of silence may be observed at 1:00 pm.
The College will be open for regular business on Monday, September 19, 2022.
