2015 Employee Engagement Survey

In February 2015, Algonquin College undertook its second Employee Engagement survey with a new partner — AON Hewitt. The results were communicated via a Town hall with President Cheryl Jensen in June 2015 and the Tiger Team started soliciting feedback and gathering further information from a variety of sources within the College community. The report from the Tiger Team highlighted three areas for further focus and action: Career Management, Performance Management, and the Hiring Process.

To view the full report visit Tiger Team Employee Engagement Recommendations.
Each College department held an Employee Engagement session in which employees could review their areas’ results and provide input into drafting action plans specific to their department. To view the themed report visit Departmental Sessions Themed Results. A further update regarding departmental action plans and progress is set for June 2016.

President Jensen, ACET (Algonquin College Executive Team) and ACLT (Algonquin College Leadership Team) firmly believe in furthering employee engagement across the college to make Algonquin College an even better place to work for all of our employees.
To further the importance of employee engagement, the College has undertaken the following initiatives taking into consideration employee feedback and the release of the June 2015 results.

Activities to date:

  1. Part-time Pay Taskforce: To explore part-time pay at the College — reports can be found at Part-Time Pay Task Force Information.
  2. Department Employee Engagement Action Plans: Developed in fall 2015, the themed report can be found at Themed Departmental Report. Departments have identified areas of focus and/or goals such as implementing an “Employee of the Semester” award, creating a mechanism for faculty to share information and existing resources between colleagues and across various departments, formalizing and communicating a cross-training plan to develop employee skillsets, incorporating operational needs and career development planning and creating a “Departmental Wall of Fame.”
  3. Employee Relations Plan:To continue to build and maintain productive union management relations within a culture of pro-active and respectful joint-problem solving to support all employees and promote student success. The plan focuses on professional development for managers, creating opportunities to collaborate with our union partners and increasing the capacity of the College to work together on the central focus of student success.
  4. Recognition of long service part-time employees:An annual event to celebrate, recognize and value our long-term part-time employees. Further details and communication will be forthcoming closer to the date.
  5. Open Forum on Credential Requirements for AC Employees: VPHR and SVPA hosted an opportunity for all employees to discuss credential requirements, the impact of the requirements and discussion around building a way forward for both the College and employees to collaborate. More details…
  6. Creation of a Cross-College Mobility Task Force: Taken into consideration the findings and recommendations of the 2015 Tiger Team, performed an environmental scan of existing career-management resources; and recommended changes regarding employment mobility. We are pleased to share with you the Employee Career Mobility Task Force Report. (College Network access required)
  7. Creation of Cross College Part-time Task Force: Taken into consideration the findings and recommendations of the 2015 Tiger Team, explore opportunities for performance development and mentorship for PT employees. We are pleased to share with you the Part-Time Task Force Report. (College Network access required)
  8. Employee Engagement Departmental updates: Update on actions taken and departmental progress will be communicated to the College Community in June and November of 2016.
  9. Support Staff Performance Development Program: A collaborative effort between employees, managers, and union representatives to provide a clear, objective, supportive and meaningful view of employee performance and development. The program is under development with a plan to pilot in the coming months.

As we move forward with these important initiatives, we will keep you informed about the progress made and next steps.
For additional information, please visit the Employee Engagement site to view full reports, upcoming events and other communications.

Thank you,

Cathy Frederick
Vice President, Human Resources