Moderated Discussions with Employees Summary Report

July 2023

Table of Contents

• Executive Summary
• Section 1 - Highlights of the Research
• Section 2 - Workload Management
• Section 3 - Work-Life Balance
• Section 4 - Employee-Identified Topics
• Section 5 - Other advice to address workplace satisfaction at Finance
• Section 6 - Next Steps and Wrap-up
• Appendix Session 1 - Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Group
• Appendix Session 2 - Executives
• Appendix Session 3 - Administrative & Internal Services
• Appendix Session 4 - Economists
• Appendix Session 5 - French Group

Executive Summary

Following the recent Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) & Finance Canada Pulse Survey results, workload management and work-life balance were identified as areas of concern for the Department. Sheffe Consulting was contracted to conduct employee discussion groups to help Finance better understand employee experiences in these areas. The Department also wanted to hear from employees on other issues impacting workplace satisfaction. From July 11-13, a total of five discussion groups (three in person and two virtual) were held with 72 employees. Participants included employees from equity deserving groups, executives, economists, administrative and internal services. A separate session was provided for employees who preferred to participate in French.

Section 1:  Highlights of the Research

According to the 2020 PSES and 2022 Pulse results, workload management and work-life balance have declined at Finance from previous years. More than half of executives cannot complete their workload during regular working hours. Only 11% of employees strongly agree they have energy at the end of their workday and only 24% strongly agree they can balance work demands with their personal life. Less than half (42%) strongly agree that they are happy working at Finance.

Employees in the discussion groups agreed that the research results oadly aligned with their personal experience. When asked what could be contributing to low workplace satisfaction, employees identified five main themes: senior management and leadership, workload and resources, communication, and collaboration, return to office and hyid work.

Section 2: Workload Management

All participating employees agreed that workload management is a top issue for the Department and identified improving communication as one way of helping address it. Administrative and internal services personnel and economists both emphasized trust and flexibility, including the importance of allowing remote work options. Executives highlighted the importance of shifting the Department culture away from being "lean" as a badge of honor and emphasized the need to prioritize the long-term health of the Department (i.e., by reviewing workflow and aligning staffing to strategic priorities).

Section 3: Work-Life Balance

All participating employees also agreed that work-life balance is a top issue for the Department. All groups identified constant connectivity as a significant driver of the persistently low score, and most also identified workload and lack of resources as contributing factors. Most groups identified flexibility (i.e., work schedule, hyid, or remote work options) as an opportunity to address this.  The French-speaking employee group and the equity, diversity and inclusion employee group also highlighted a Right to Disconnect policy as a tool that could promote work-life balance. Executives and economists emphasized the importance of respecting employee boundaries (i.e., avoiding weekend requests unless they are genuinely urgent).

Section 4: Employee Identified Topics

Employees were given the opportunity to identify and discuss additional topics impacting their workplace satisfaction. Returning to the office was an important issue for some staff, but it was not the only one. Employees also identified management behaviour, employee development, leadership and management style, communication, and culture of the Department as impacting workplace satisfaction. Each group discussed one or two of the topics identified by their group.

Section 5: Other Advice

Employees had the opportunity to identify additional topics impacting workplace satisfaction that were not discussed in their session. These suggestions aligned into the following themes: human resources, senior management, return to office; training, development and career progression; succession planning, and constraints on providing fearless advice. In particular, the equity, diversity and inclusion employee group emphasized that the Department should not shrink from negative feedback, but rather keep going. They also highlighted the need to inculcate genuine values of inclusion “not just a box check” and suggested specific ways to do this.

Section 6: Next steps and Wrap-up

Employees were informed that a summary report would be provided to senior management to use in creating an action plan. Several employees expressed appreciation for being consulted and the effort made to create a safe space and protect anonymity. This positivity was balanced with the reflection that feedback has been provided previously and no action seen to be taken, so visible action from the Department will be needed to maintain confidence in the discussion group exercise. All employee groups expressed interest in receiving a copy of this report. 

Background and Overview

The Department of Finance of the Government of Canada enlisted the services of Sheffe Consulting to conduct employee discussion groups to help Finance better understand employee experiences in a few key areas highlighted through the recent Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) & recent Pulse Surveys. Workload management and work-life balance have been specifically identified as areas of concern for the Department. The Department also wanted to hear from employees on other issues that are impacting workplace satisfaction. Five discussion groups took place, with three in-person sessions held in Ottawa on July 11 and 13, 2023, and two virtual sessions conducted over MS Teams on July 12, 2023.

The session was designed to:

1. Review summary results from the 2021-22 Wellness Metrics
2. Discuss areas of concern and the reasons for the results
3. Provide input on how workplace satisfaction could be improved.

Co-facilitators Jennifer Larson and Vickie Lemire from Sheffe Consulting delivered the sessions and members of the Sheffe Consulting team produced this Summary Report.

Broad themes identified from the feedback are included in the body of this report, while a complete transcription is included in Appendix B. While some input was themed for the summary, the input itself is transcribed in the Appendix as captured during the session on flip charts or digital white board, although it’s important to note that editing of spelling and grammar has been completed to assist in the readability of the report. Any responses received in French have been translated to English and included with all other responses, to maintain anonymity. In some cases, participants provided input to a poll. In that case, exact poll results are provided.

Jennifer conducted the in-person portion of the English sessions while Vickie delivered the in-person portion of the French session and produced the on-line sessions. This report is a record of input to be used by the senior management team as they work with their teams to create an action plan to address workplace satisfaction in the Department.

Jennifer and Vickie kicked off each session by welcoming participants, delivering a land acknowledgement, highlighting the session objectives, providing an overview of the agenda, and proposing agreements for working together. Participants were informed that participation was anonymous, that the session was not being recorded beyond the content of the flip chart or digital white board and their comments would not be attributed.

Here is a summary of employee RSVP’s for each session with final attendance numbers:

Section 1 - Highlights of the Research

Employees were provided with a link to the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) 2022 and 2023 Pulse Survey results in advance, and Jennifer outlined a summary of the research highlights below, which were provided by the Wellness Team.

Noteworthy Findings

2020 PSES (Annex B)

• Workload management and work-life balance indicate an overall decline 12% to 15%) from previous years
• More than half (53%) of executives cannot complete their workload during regular working hours; notably higher than other groups.

June 2022 Pulse Survey (Annex C)

• Results pertaining to Wellness-related questions indicate an overall decline (2% to 9%) from previous survey (April 2021).
• Only 11% of employees strongly agree that they have energy at the end of their workday.
• Only 24% of employees strongly agree that they are able to balance work demands with their personal life.
• Less than half (42%) of respondents strongly agree that they are happy working at FIN (compared to 56% in 2021).

2021-22 Exit Interviews (Annex D)

• Work-life balance and workload management are key areas where the department can improve.
• Lack of advancement opportunities is the factor most identified as prompting respondent's decision to leave (33%)
• Promotions account for the second highest reason for departures (35%).

An anonymous digital polling tool was used to collect employee reflections on the research highlights.

Most staff in all discussion groups agreed that the research results broadly align with their personal experience, with the Executive and Administrative and Internal Services groups reported the highest level of affinity with the findings.

To what extent do the aggregate results align with your peronal experience? (1=Low 10=High)

1- EDI = 6.5
2- Executive= 7.8
3- Administrative & Internal Services= 7.8
4- Economist= 6.3
5- French= 5.1

Employees were then asked what they thought was behind the drop in workplace satisfaction. Input by each group is transcribed in the Appendix. Broadly, the factors identified by the groups as contributing to the low workplace satisfaction ratings can be grouped into five themes.

• Senior Management and Leadership
• Workload and Resources
• Communication and Collaboration
• Return to Office and Hybrid Work
• Other Factors

Apart from Workload, these themes were not on the agenda for the sessions. However, the input that was shared on the discussion topics often connected back to these themes and one group chose Return to Office as their additional discussion topic.

Section 2 - Workload Management

The groups were asked to identify their 'pain points' when it comes to managing their workload. Here are the themes that arose from each group. Complete results from each group are in the Appendix.

Workload 'Pain Point' Themes by Group

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

• Collaboration and Communication
• Productivity and Time Management
• Workload and Expectations

Executives

• Lack of Control and Work-Life Balance
• Resource Allocation and Team Management
• Lack of Clarity and Direction

Admin/Internal Services

• Approval Processes and Documentation
• Work Environment and Flexibility
• Timelines and Urgent Requests
• Resource Allocation and Support Services

Economists

• Workload Management and Time Constraints
• Resource Constraints and Prioritization
• Communication and Documentation
• Administrative Overload

French

• Resource Constraints
• Decision-Making and Prioritization
• Inefficient Work
• Communication

All groups were then asked what could make workload management better. All groups identified improving communication as a way of helping address workload.

Executives would particularly benefit from establishing consistent processes, effective planning and prioritization, and optimizing resources to align with priorities. This group also highlighted the importance of recognizing and shifting cultural perspectives on being "lean" as a badge of honor.

For employees from equity deserving groups, promoting work-life balance, providing efficient tools and processes, improving collaboration, and fostering a supportive and feedback-driven work environment would help with workload management.

Administrative and internal services personnel and economists both emphasized trust and flexibility, including the importance of allowing remote work options and trusting employees to make decisions about when to come into the office based on their work and team needs. Gaining a better understanding of work cycles and workflow efficiency to optimize productivity and reduce stress was also highlighted.

Examples of specific ideas provided by employees to address workload include:

• Greater willingness by senior management to push back on unrealistic timelines
• Reduce the number of portfolios or responsibilities assigned to the Minister
• Ability to say no to meetings when necessary
• Clearly indicating when people log off
• Allocating resources to specific aspects of work, such as creating French versions
• Increased hiring and investment in technology
• Access to improved IT and automation of repetitive tasks
• Centralization and reduction of trackers
• Integration of Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA&) into analyses

Section 3 – Work-Life Balance

All groups were asked whether the survey data showing that only 24% of Finance employees strongly agree they have balance between their work and personal life aligned with their personal experience and to what they would attribute this persistently low number.

All groups identified constant connectivity and the blurring of the boundaries between work and personal life as a significant driver of the persistently low score. Most groups also identified workload and lack of resources as an influence.

Executives and economists also identified the absence of a post-budget reprieve in high volume of work, especially during non-Budget season periods as a significant influence, while Administrative (Admin) and Internal Services employees noted that return to office affected work-life balance planning and created a variety of family challenges, including limited childcare options and difficulty finding alternative accommodations for last-minute office visits.

When asked what could make work-life balance better, most groups identified flexibility in work schedule, hybrid, or remote work options.  The French employee group and the equity, diversity and inclusion employee group also identified a Right to Disconnect policy as an important way to support work-life balance. Executives and economists emphasized the importance of respecting employees’ time and boundaries, including avoiding weekend requests unless they are genuinely urgent and setting clear expectations about availability and when people should be accessible.

Work-Life Balance 'How it Could be Done Better' Themes by Group

EDI

• Right to Disconnect
• Resource Allocation
• Personal Autonomy and Balance
• Senior management to push back against demands from higher levels

Executives

• Hybrid Work and Flexibility
• Respect for Time and Boundaries

Admin/Internal Services

• Remote Work and Return to Office
• Resource Allocation and Workload Management
• Work Planning and Processes
• Team Dynamics and Culture

Economists

• Flexibility and Resources
• Expectations and Boundaries
• Management Support and Modeling
• Time Management and Processes
• Communication and Meeting Management

French

• Right to Disconnect Policy
• Flexibility in Office Hours
• Overtime Compensation
• Setting and Knowing Limits
• Improved Work Planning

Examples of specific ideas provided by employees to address work-life balance included:

• Aligning with a government-wide 40% hybrid work model
• Implementing a policy or guidelines for disconnecting from work outside of working hours
• Respecting boundaries in communication tools like MS Teams; avoiding unnecessary urgency
• Establishing the ability to say no without fear of negative consequences
• Reducing the number of meetings
• Utilizing Team Charters to establish agreed-upon norms and foster a positive team culture
• Modeling work-life balance and shorter work hours by senior management, Deputy Ministers and Assistant Deputy Ministers
• More frequent small-group check-ins on work-life balance

Section 4 - Employee-Identified Topics

Time was allocated for employees to identify and discuss additional topics impacting their workplace satisfaction beyond workload and work-life balance. Participants themed the responses and the 1-2 topics identified by the most participants were discussed during the session. Topics that were identified but not discussed are listed by the employee group in the Appendix under 'Other Topics to Discuss'. The following topics were identified and discussed in more detail:

Top Employee Identified Topics Identified by Group

EDI

• Management Behaviour
• Employee Development

Executive

• Leadership & Management style

Admin/Internal

• Communication

Economists

• Return to Office

French

• Culture of the Department

Highlights of the input for each topic are included below. Complete input for all topics can be found under the related employee group in the Appendix.

Management Behaviour (EDI)

What specific issues pertaining to this topic are you most concerned about? What are your 'pain points'?

• Inability to accept others disabilities/needs/ personal boundaries
• Lack of trust
• Becoming aggressive under stress
• Lack of respect

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it better?

• Genuine -open-door policy (Assistant Deputy Ministers level & above)
• Improve top down communication
• Clearly identify priorities

Employee Development (EDI)

What specific issues pertaining to this topic are you most concerned about? (the 'pain points')

• Lack of clarity of expectations for advancement
• Lack of consistency on promotion across dept
• No dip in workload for training

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it better?

• Being given time for training
• More consistency and transparency
• Right to disconnect for training
• Having dedicated flexible training budget

Leadership & Management Style (Executive)

What specific issues pertaining to this topic are you most concerned about? (the 'pain points')

• Mandate unclear
• Too many priorities
• Too many trackers
• Lack of decisions being made
• Loss of compressed management approach
• Communication lost in void
• Premature announcements

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it better?

• Make incoming Deputy Ministers aware of issues
• Deputy Ministers & Assistant Deputy Ministers meet with people more, including young staff
• Build out vision
• Realign resources
• Have a priority setting discussion to paint a picture of where we want to go
• Take advantage of small size - involve staff at all levels

Communication (Admin/Internal Services)

What specific issues pertaining to this topic are you most concerned about? (the 'pain points')

• What upper management considers relevant/important is not always relevant for employees
• Many layers of meetings; may be cut out of the  information flow
• Corporate information needs to be downloaded better
• Tone and timing
• No follow-up
• Would be helpful to be able to attend to explain thought processes
• Occasionally a lack of respect exhibited in communication
• In relation to certain subjects (return to office, etc.), advice was given on some occasions to not put things in writing

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it better?

• Real feeling that employee feedback is being considered and acted upon
• From feedback to action
• Taking employee feedback into consideration Better transparency from the top down
• Be honest and explain why we are doing things. Better communication re: return to office approaches to enhance consistency...
• Re-designed information bulletins that contain only detailed information
• Instead of Deputy Minister sending message to whole Department; trickle it down to Assistant Deputy Ministers/ Director General level to share through a meeting with staff
• Improved translation on documents
• Better information provided to employees

Return to Office (Economists)

What specific issues pertaining to this topic are you most concerned about? (the 'pain points')

• Inconsistency in messaging and lack of clarity
• Lack of substantive rationale for Return to office
• Lack of flexibility
• Lack of clarity what counts towards in-office
• Inconsistency between teams and branches
• Having to be in office when just remote meetings
• Information Technology systems are not set-up for return to office
• Negative Quality of Life effects
• Worst of both worlds, commute and no ability to disconnect

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it better?

• Drop 50% in office requirement to 40%
• Greater flexibility
• Ensure health breaks between meetings
• Consistent messaging
• Focus on performance rather than presence
• Limit meetings to days in the office
• Allow on-site just when it makes sense
• More technology for hybrid
• Reliable tech in boardrooms
• Improvements to quiet rooms and board rooms
• Clearer work boundaries and expectations
• No required "make-up days" due to missing days from sickness/ vacation
• Family-centred Return to Office policies
• Recognition of commuting time
• Right to disconnect
• Social contract for office etiquette

Culture of the Department (French)

What specific issues pertaining to this topic are you most concerned about? (the 'pain points')

• Promotion/appointment
• Lack of transparency in decision-making
• Work environment (hybrid)
• Policy vs. Department → mandate, priorities
• Lack of transparency
• Less communication/ transparency
• Minister's office
• High turnover in senior management
• Disconnection from colleagues (less social)
• Making decisions without really understanding the subject
• Lack of clarity in messages "the socks don't follow the boots"

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it better?

• Promotion of services/tools offered
• Improving employee integration
• Communication of senior management
• Social activities
• No "one size fits all" solutions
• Choose a common face-to-face day
• Networking
• Promoting best practices for meetings

Section 5 - Other advice to address workplace satisfaction at Finance

Finally, participants were asked if they had any other advice to share, including whether there were additional topics they did not get a chance to discuss, how managers could provide better support for individuals or suggestions for more programs or supports to address an area of concern.

Flexibility was provided during this portion of the session. Some groups focused on the three questions, while others provided input that was not directly related to the questions. Input for each question has been collated and summarized in the table below. Additional input from each group is summarized in the next table. The complete input from each group can be found in the group's section of the Appendix.

Other Advice

Any topics you did not get a chance to discuss that could help address workplace satisfaction at Finance?

Human Resources

• We don't have enough time or people to do all the things expected of us
• We are not competitive vs other Departments
• New generation isn't looking for the same things
• Staffing optimization vs strategic priorities
• Seems like once someone is ready to leave that's when management decides to promote - need to understand cost of hiring/training new employees vs holding back promotions
• Seems like Department is keen to rely on those who will kill themselves to get things done instead of truly looking at structure/jobs and whether the Department has the right resources
• Employee onboarding as a whole has suffered since the pandemic
• Limited vacations
• Attribute value to time senior managers spend on supporting human resources and employees
• Place value and protect time to do this work
• Support for leadership development - 360 degree and coaching

Senior Management

• Perceptions and actions of senior management - confidence in senior management dropped more than other areas - why not ask about this?
• Lack of action on other issues already flagged over numerous years contributes to this decline
• We've had a number of surveys and employee forums on similar issues already, but there's been a profound sense among employees that management doesn't really listen / act on those comments
• Lack of discussion / transparency on how decisions are made based on employee feedback & what is implemented as a result
• Seeming unwillingness on part of senior management to hear unvarnished employee opinions, which usually requires an anonymous forum
• Management sometimes seems to prefer meetings where individuals do not feel comfortable speaking up, or if surveys are distributed, they do not include questions about topical issues or pain points

Return to Office

• In addition to lack of transparency, I had issue with the reasons themselves being illogical and more costly to employ
• Flexibility in determining work from home days
• More conversation on how we can use the in office days
• Intentional use of in office time and effective and purposeful
• Demonstrated capabilities work from the office in a pandemic, why not now?
• Sense that return to office is to support local businesses; messaging was not good
• Environmental impact, commuting, traffic, time, childcare

Training, Development & Progression

• I know what is expected of me, but not clear on what I can expect from the Department (development, training)
• Development programs stopping at level 6 equal more non-advertised promotions coming up - people dissatisfied and moving
• Lack of training (development and progression)
• Progression program / career plan
• Language training - increasing requirements while decreasing access to training

Succession Planning

• Losing corporate knowledge to retirement
• Succession planning needs to be looked at
• Prioritize the long term health of the organization
• Long term ability to deliver

Constraints on Providing Fearless Advice

• How constrained we are in providing " fearless advice" (a decline)
• Perhaps there has also been an increase in the politicization of our advice

Change Management - It could be done better

Budget Cycle - It as invaded ⅔ or more of the year, not just constrained to February to March

How could managers provide better support for individuals?

• Mental health to be included in performance reviews and accountability
• Better appreciation for the intensive work involved in certain tasks (funding tables)
• Take action on comments from employees. Issues raised in recent surveys are the same issues that have been raised since COVID

 If you could add one more program/support to address an area of concern, what would it be?

• 360° evaluation
• Not myself today programs (PSPC - Public Services and Procurement Canada): pulse check, mental health
• Feedback exercise (bring this back)
• Build upward feedback into performance management process (inputted by participant, full phrase not provided)
• Skip-levels- monthly (quarterly?) analyst - Director General bilaterals
• Move towards more merit based competition and promotions
• Set up training programs
• Practical training on hybrid tools & trackers
• More clarity on support available for language training
• Work from out of country (i.e Bank of Canada policy re: work from out of country (short term)
• Introduce mentoring
• Reinstate social activities
• Anonymous complaints/suggestions process
• Priority Town Hall / Department's vision

Additional Input by Group

EDI

• Don't view the topics in silos
• Don't shrink away from negative feedback - keep going
• Genuine values of diversity / inclusion; not a box check
  • Make it mandatory
  • i.e. Management of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion training isn't practice
  • Real life - no one cares about what they learned- don't apply in practice
  • Less theory and more scenario based in person training
  • Need facilitators to support this
  • Unconscious bias training
  • Create culture where leadership invites input for delicate situations
  • Set targets & commit to doing something
  • Invite input from people with lived experience
  • Unwillingness to have an equity hiring target in some depts
• Assigned desks is working - keep this
• Physical space at finance is quite good
• Work predictability
• People need time to plan
• Bring affected groups into all discussions (i.e. space)

Executives

• Renew corporate committees → way forward from here
• Resourcing is a huge problem
• Need cross cutting on policy files (what we actually do)
• Go back to big picture government thinkers

Admin/Internal Services

• Those who are seen get rewarded/recognized. Others who are not invited to the table but work on the products are often forgotten.
• Policy branches do the work that is the "meat and potatoes" of our Department...sadly that means that the work done by Corporate Services doesn't always get the same attention in terms of resourcing and importance at the executive table
• Unwillingness to seek resources/funding for corporate/internal services

Economists

• No additional input provided

French

• Lack of French translation
• Office temperature too low

Section 6 - Next Steps and Wrap-up

Facilitators thanked the group for being part of this process and reiterated that the input would be summarized into a report without attribution to individuals. Many employees expressed the desire to see the report or be promptly informed about forthcoming actions.

Groups were asked to provide feedback to close the session. Highlights of the feedback are below:

One thing you liked

• Well organized
• Open conversations
• Very collaborative
• Participant driven
• Felt safe expressing my true concerns (safe space)
• Appreciate knowing the anonymity of the process

One thing you would change

• More time

Appendix Session 1 - Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Group

Highlights of the Research

To what extent do the aggregate results align with your personal experience?

On a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), the average is 6.5.

What do you think is behind the drop in employee satisfaction?

• Senior management's styles and approaches
• Pay centre issues - resulting in overtime not being compensated
• Issues with implementation of return to office. Perhaps also issues regarding advancement for younger employees
• Work from home policies. Lack of communication about Departmental priorities
• Management being overly untrusting, throwing people under the bus when mistakes happen
• Bullying and too many demands
• Returning to the office
• Expectations are becoming greater and greater but resources stay the same
• *Redacted*, policies implemented top-down with no consultation, pandemic demands impacting work-life balance
• Return to office mandate coming suddenly. Strike action. Lack of forward communication from senior management
• Unrealistic and unclear expectations

Workload Management

What are your 'pain points' when it comes to managing your workload?

• Unsatisfied when collectively working on a file
• Distractions; MS Teams vs in office
• Bottleneck, procrastination, blame
• Holds grudge
• Clear expectations of upcoming work
• Director review bottleneck
• Inadequate resources & tools
• Changing priorities
• Too many meetings
• Unrealistic timelines
• Unclear top down communication

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it look better?

• Leave
• Efficient tools
• Less broken telephone
• Greater understanding of constraints
• Ability to say no to meetings
• For new employees clear understanding of processes
• Advice regarding things to look ahead to
• Inviting constructive criticism. No consequences for Full Time Equivalent staff

Work-Life Balance

What do you attribute this persistently low #?

• 24% sounds about right
• Too many summer projects
• Increased micromanaging
• Right to disconnect has been lost with remote work
• Commuting time
• Out of office hours
• Communication

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it better?

• Right to disconnect be seen as standard
• Clarity on right to disconnect
• Personal autonomy and balance
• More resources
• Senior management was encouraged to disagree with the Deputy Minister, Minister's Office etc.

Other Topics to Discuss

What are the top 1-2 issues that impact your workplace satisfaction at Finance?

Employee Development

• Training: Allocation of time during work hours to attend, awareness during PMA convos about training
• Timeliness
• Promotion opportunities
• Clarity of competencies & training
• No summer 'trough' after the budget 'peak'

Return to office

• Change brought by remote tools and other issues (e.g. lack of predictability)
• Return to office

Management behaviour

• Inadequate communication
• Lack of clear expectations from mgmt
• Bullying from *Redacted* (inputted by participant, full phrase not provided)
• Telework, micromanaging comments, lack of trust
• Feeling siloed on our work (how it all fits with government agenda)

Employee Development

Specific issues pertaining to this topic are you most concerned about? What are your 'pain points'?

• Lack of clarity of expectations for advancement
• Lack of consistency on promotion across dept
• No dip in workload for training
• Being given time for training

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it better?

• More consistency and transparency
• Right to disconnect for training
• Having dedicated flexible training budget

Management Behaviour

Specific issues pertaining to this topic are you most concerned about?

• Inability to accept others disabilities/ needs/ personal boundaries
• Lack of trust
• Becoming aggressive under stress
• Lack of respect - profanity towards folks

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it better?

• Genuine open door policy (Assistant Deputy Ministers level & above)
• Improve top down communication
• Clearly identify priorities

Other Advice

Other topics you didn't get a chance to discuss that could help address workplace satisfaction?

• More conversation on how we can use the in office days
• Intentional use of in office time & effective and purposeful
• Assigned desks is working - keep this
• Not myself today programs (Public Services and Procurement Canada): pulse check, mental health
• Work predictability
• Physical space at Finance is quite good.
• Include employees in discussion
• Feedback exercise (bring this back)
• Build upward feedback into the Performance Management Program process
• Make managers accountable for mental health
• Don't shrink away from negative feedback - keep going
• Not view the topics in silos
• People need time to plan
• Bring affected groups into all discussions (i.e. space)
• Mental health to be included in performance reviews & accountability
• Flexibility in determining Work from Office days
• Genuine values of diversity/inclusion not a box check
  • Make it mandatory i.e. management of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion training isn't practiced
  • Real life - no one cares about what they learned- don't apply in practice
  • Less theory and more scenario based in-person training
  • Need facilitators to support this
  • Unwillingness to have an equity hiring target in some depts
  • Unconscious bias training
  • Create culture where leadership invites input for delicate situations
  • Set targets & commit to doing something
  • Invite input from people with lived experience - i.e gathering at bar

Evaluation

One thing you liked

• Very collaborative & Forms efficient & clear
• Good discussion group
• Hearing from others
• Open conversations
• Participant driven
• Open discussion most useful to me
• Starting with small group discussion
• How the people that participated were welcoming including facilitators
• The structure
• Felt safe expressing my true concerns (safe space)

One thing you would change

• More time (2 hours)
• More time for group discussion
• Need more time for each topic
• Adding a time slot for cross-cutting suggestions & pain points
• Need more time. Follow-up discussion
• Pooling Executives and non-Executives as many issues relate to management
• More time
• The boards/ Post-its were a bit confusing
• More time would have been better

Appendix Session 2 - Executives

Highlights of the Research

To what extent do the aggregate results align with your personal experience?

On a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), the average is 7.8.

What do you think is behind the drop in employee satisfaction?

• Advice and analysis seems to be less valued
• *Redacted*.
• Less respect for ideas and personal time Increases pressure on the director level to be super analysts.
• *Redacted*.
• A lot of change management - especially surrounding hybrid work approach
• Difficulty adapting to hybrid environment
• *Redacted*.
• Lack of engagement with senior management *redacted*.
• Desire to sustain crisis level of effort
• More loyal implementation going on than fearless advice

Workload Management

What are your 'pain points' when it comes to managing your workload?

• Asks outside regular hours with urgent deadlines - we can't control our own schedule
• Pace/crisis level of effort/ hard to step away on weekends etc.
• Executives only contingency in a Department that keeps teams lean
• We are the coal face trying to protect our team
• No easy way to re-allocate urgent work across teams
• No prioritization no trade offs
• No direction equal spinning wheels
• Issues with processes - not consistent

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it look better?

• Interface with Minister's Office
• Planning & Prioritizing
• Optimizing resources to priorities
• Establish limits on pipeline of ASM (inputted by participant, full phrase not provided)
• Resources for aspects of work e.g. French version
• Consistency re: process
• Culture change → Finance "Badge of honor"
• Finance is operating "lean" it's a "Badge of honor"

Work-Life Balance

What do you attribute this persistently low #?

• Does impact negatively: health, time to be active, strains relationships
• Yes, but we've chosen this!
• Inability to disconnect work is ever present and easily accessible
• No longer a reprieve post budget → seems like cycle runs all year
• Prioritization is a necessity. No pushback is a problem

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it better?

• Align with government wide 40% hybrid Flexibility
• Schedule meetings with advance notice (respect)
• Prioritize work
• No weekend requests (save truly urgent) Boundaries need to be respected - only valued added work should be eligible for crisis treatment

Other Topics to Discuss

Beyond workload management and work-life balance, what are the top 1-2 issues that impact your workplace satisfaction at Finance?

Leadership/ Management style

• Principled approach to leadership (fairness)
• Feeling valued/recognized for my work
• Feeling devalued
• Lack of appreciation of advice
• Pride/value in our work
• *Redacted*.
• Inability to get decisions
• Constant crisis posture (self-made)
• The fight is gone, acceptance of poor outcomes
• Cohesion within teams
• Interaction or exposure to senior leaders
• Can't share vision that's not shared with us

Leadership and Management Style

Specific issues pertaining to this topic are you most concerned about? The 'pain points'?

• Mandate unclear 'uber line Department'
• Too many priorities
• Too many trackers
• Premature announcement
• Lack of decisions being made
• Communication lost in void
• Loss of compressed management approach

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it better?

• Deputy Minister meeting with people more
• Give young staff exposure to Deputy Minister policy hear their file discussed first hand
• Assistant Deputy Ministers could replicate this at branch level
• Make incoming Deputy Minister aware of issues - understand challenges
• Take advantage of being small dept - involve staff at all levels
• Build out vision - active change management - realign resources
• Priority setting discussion
• We are midstream on a change what Finance thinks it is vs. what it is - need to realign
• Paint a picture of where we want to go
• Awards program - don't just focus on the big projects
• Department has been called on to change to more proactive - left some things unaddressed
• Public Service Employee Survey results are a year behind - things are worse than they seem
• Historically, this is what worked

Other Advice

Any topics you did not get a chance to discuss that could help address workplace satisfaction at FIN?

• New generation isn't looking for the same things
• Staffing optimization vs strategic priorities
• Renew corp committees → way forward from here
• We are not competitive vs other Departments (specific to tax policy for staffing)
• Resourcing is a huge problem
• Attribute value to time Senior Managers spend on supporting Human Resources & employees
• Place value & protect time to do this work
• Support for leadership development - 360 degree & coaching
• Need cross cutting on policy files (what we actually do)
• Go back to big picture government thinkers
• Losing corporate knowledge to retirement
• Succession planning need to be looked at
• Prioritize the long term health of the organizations
• Long term ability to deliver

Evaluation

One thing you liked

• Well organized, covered a lot of issues
• Interactions with other Executives
• Interactive voting/feedback tool
• Group discussion
• Focus on just one topic allowed for more deep dive
• We all came up with the same diagnosis
• Good discussions, focused communication
• Liked working with strangers, sufficient time for each topic

One thing you would change

• Tell people how things will work before they arrive
• There are no easy answers
• Would be useful to have these sessions in branch-specific contexts
• More time (or prepare in advance)

Appendix Session 3 - Administrative & Internal Services

Highlights of the Research

To what extent do the aggregate results align with your personal experience?

On a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), the average is 7.8.

What do you think is behind the drop in employee satisfaction?

• return to office mandate (X3)
  • 50% return to office rather than 40% and unrealistic work demands
  • Having to return back to the office, while others don't
  • Return to Office mandate of 50% of work days
• Inflexible return to office, lack of concern for workload imbalance for corporate employees
• Disconnect between employees and higher management
• The perfectionism bias in the Department can make saying no difficult…
• A large number of 'urgent' evening and weekend requests from upper management
• The Department is increasingly doing more, with the same or less number of people

Workload Management

What are your 'pain points' when it comes to managing your workload?

• Number of approvals that items have to go through. You almost need to create two documents to send up. Different options are required, so two completely different options are prepared.
• Many people are more productive at home but that is not an option for every day.
• Too many "side of the desk" jobs
• Constant altering timelines
• Evening/weekend urgent requests end up not being that urgent, when they only look at it a few days later or even weeks later!
• Being required to be in the office even when it creates inefficiencies (lack of meeting rooms being available for both teams meetings with others and collaborative meetings so as not to disturb others).
• Communication can be an issue on time-sensitive files. There is a need for people to identify backups when they are out of office, etc.
• Difficulty in lining up support services (Communication, V&E, Internal Audit) with the budget cycle to reduce pressure on frontline staff. (V&E inputted by participant, full phrase not provided)
• Creating objectives/tasks for employees with little regard for resourcing required

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it look better?

• If we had a better idea of what senior management was thinking, we could focus our efforts
• Changes: let people work from home and trust them to come in when it makes sense for their work/team
• A true sense of urgency needs to be established.
• have a better understanding of each employee's tasks and whether it is truly possible to complete them
• Identifying backups
• Have realistic expectations of employees work output so as not to create undue stress or force them to not meet expectations
• Better understanding work cycles in the dept.

Work-Life Balance

To what would you attribute this persistently low #?

• Because we have our devices at home now, we are more accessible than we were before
• Since COVID, easier to reach people resulting in the expectation to always answer phone calls even during off hours
• Longer commute times due to unreliable Light Rail Transit
• Longer work hours to keep up with increased workload; suggestion to have more adjustable time schedules
• Fewer daycare options for parents
• For appointments, fewer places offer evening appointments
• Bus / train is unreliable and take longer now than when the transitway was the option
• In a standalone position, no coverage if I'm away. It's obvious to management if absent. Small children, so pressure on the home front as well
• Last minute going into the office meaning having to find alternative accommodations for family members
• Lack of appointment availability since the pandemic (assumption people work from home)
• Supporting senior executives; they work all hours so sometimes feel obligated to work extended hours
• Requirement of 50% return to office affecting work-life balance planning
• Return to office means making up hours at home on at-home days
• lack of daycares / after school care available since pandemic

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it better?

• More standardized work planning processes - to help ensure 'side of the desk' projects are truly necessary
• Ability to say no - without fear work or promotions will be affected
• Use Team Charters to establish agreed upon norms or ways of working - help build team culture
• Better resourcing - some positions are doing more than one job
• Have a true understanding of workload and enough people to do the job
• Guidance on return to office was 'between' 40-60% - why are we 50 vs 40 when we've proven we can do the work remotely?
• The Treasury board mandate was 40% return to office, Finance was 50% - can we match what everyone else is doing in the city?
• Respect boundaries with Teams - i.e. if status set to do not disturb; avoid use of Teams as a way to reach ppl if they don't reply to phone / email - creates urgency to respond
• Manage workload in a way that respects other people's time
• Understand some people have different End of Day; Need to respect this when it comes to 'urgent' requests - have a better threshold for what is 'urgent'
• Flex hours can be a solution - need to make sure people who start earlier also are able to end earlier

Other Topics to Discuss

What are the top 1-2 issues that impact your workplace satisfaction at FIN?

Communication

• Lack of communication from upper management. Why, how, strategy
• Communication and the ping-pong effect
• Lateral communication between groups (quality, language being used)
• Multiple layers of management for reviewing. Ping-pong effect. Going back and forth.

Understanding work & workload

• Lack of true understanding of the work and the workload

Transparency regarding the return to office

• Lack of transparency around the reasons why they wanted us back in the office

Communication

Specific issues pertaining to this topic are you most concerned about? The 'pain points'.

• Disconnect - they try to communicate but what upper management considers relevant / important is not always relevant for employees
• There can be many layers of meetings, and if you are not involved in a 'particular layer', you may be cut out of the information flow.
• Assistant Deputy Ministers that is more transparent is helpful, corporate information needs to be downloaded better, Tone and timing could be better, no follow-up on items
• For example, it would be helpful to be able to attend to explain our thought processes, when our supervisors may not have that awareness, etc.
• There is occasionally a lack of respect exhibited in communication.
• In relation to certain subjects (return to office, etc.), advice was given on some occasions to not put things in writing

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it better?

• Instead of Deputy Minister sending msg to whole dept; trickle it down to Assistant Deputy Ministers/Director General level to share through a mtg with staff - ppl would feel closer to upper mgmt and comfortable sharing feedback
• Real feeling that employee feedback is being considered - we get a lot of info, sometimes asked for thoughts, seems nothing is done with it
• Better transparency from the top down, re-designed info bulletins that are not as long and contain only detailed information, improved translation on documents, better foll (inputted by participant, full phrase not provided)
• It is Important to have information to be provided to employees
• We shouldn't hesitate to be honest and explain why we are doing things. Better communication needed re: return to office approaches to enhance consistency....
• Taking employee feedback into consideration. From feedback to action

Other Advice

Any topics you did not get a chance to discuss that could help address workplace satisfaction at Finance?

• return to office - in addition to lack of transparency, I had issue with the reasons themselves being illogical and more costly to employ
• Seems like once someone is ready to leave that's when management decides to promote - need to understand cost of hiring / training new employees vs holding back promotions
• Seems like Department is keen to rely on those who will kill themselves to get things done instead of truly looking at structure/jobs & whether Department has right resources
• Those who are seen get rewarded/recognized. Others who are not invited to the table but work on the products are often forgotten
• Our policy branches do the work that is the "meat and potatoes" of our Department...sadly that means that the work done by Corporate Services doesn't always get the same attention in terms of resourcing and importance at the executive table
• There is unwillingness to seek resources/funding for corporate/internal services

Evaluation

One thing you liked

• Great work dealing with those tech issues. A very productive meeting.
• Appreciate knowing the anonymity of the process

One thing you would change

• I think it would be good to have an anonymous method of providing thoughts that works for FIN employee participation
• More info on anonymity, agreed…
• Like an ombudsman

Appendix Session 4 - Economists

Highlights of the Research

To what extent do the aggregate results align with your personal experience?

On a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), the average is 6.3.

What's behind the drop in employee satisfaction?

• Change in leadership and style
• Poor management at the executive 1 level
• Senior management turnover, *redacted*
• Return to office, unrealistic deadlines, rise in 'urgent' taskings
• The pandemic, the mandated return to work, *redacted*
• *Redacted*
• *Redacted*
• Broad return to office policies. Senior management with ineffective management skills/ policies and unreasonable demands
• The crushing level of work these days!
• Lack of senior analysts leading to worse work-life balance for remainder of team
• Adjusting to the hybrid work arrangement
• Unpredictability in workload and location of work
• Lack of intention at various levels (Department; Executive; Employee) on various topics
• Conflicting messaging (on one hand promoting mental health, but demands/ workload are unrealistic)
• One size fits all policies & feeling of not being listened to with our suggestions. Everything is always urgent.
• Significant increase in workload - pressure to meet all demands
• Much higher workload outside of the standard budget cycle - especially last-minute requests with short turnaround times (and therefore overtime)
• Lots of change *redacted* and return to office, and overall government operating context
• Management - Deputy Minister's Office and Minister's Office unilaterally deciding on policy direction on files
• Inflexible return to office policies
• Budget process dysfunction
• Inflexibility of Work From Home, *redacted* / file management
• Return to office, workload, lack of progressive views in senior management (e.g. use of paper)
• Too many priorities, too few resources
• Failure to adhere to the collective agreement, lack of transparent appointments to executive level
• Inability to disconnect
• Not sure

Workload Management

What are your 'pain points' when it comes to managing your workload?

• Everything being urgent
• Letters and vague access to information and privacy
• Lack of resources/capacity
• Unclear workday boundaries
• Increased requests for input
• Unnecessary revisions
• Too many trackers
• Lack of prioritization
• Lack of time for long-term issues
• No work-life boundaries
• Ancillary work to analysis, e.g. Quality of Life
• Shifting priorities
• Too many meetings, too many trackers
• Reliance on other organizations to complete tasks
• Short-notice "extra taskings"
• Lack of context to "urgent" taskings
• Late/last minute decisions from management
• Lack of predictability in process and timelines
• Some groups overworked/ understaffed
• Frequent revisions between levels of approval
• Shifting priorities in senior management
• "Urgent" files then sitting in Deputy Minister's Office/Minister's Office for long periods
• Excessive wordsmithing bogs down approvals, is demoralizing
• Technology that does not work
• Lack of access to data
• Information management *redacted*. (inputted by participant, full phrase not provided)
• Hybrid = additional meetings
• Lack of recognition of real workload = increased workload
• Too many meetings

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it look better?

• Senior mgmt pushback on requests
• DCU (inputted by participant, full phrase not provided) handling more, and Access to Information and Privacy branch coordinator
• More hiring/tech spending
• Clearly indicating when people log off
• Automating repetitive tasks
• Revise only when necessary
• More centralized/ fewer trackers
• Integrate Gender based analysis &, etc., into analysis
• Management having Excel skills
• Streamline information flow
• Better prioritization
• More proactive rather than reactive senior management
• Respect for employees' time and schedule
• Service standards for decision-making
• Earlier notice of taskings (to facilitate planning)
• Improved system of backups/surge capacity
• Legislated budget date (same every year)
• More equal/flexible distribution of work across individuals/ teams
• Default to less wordsmithing and hair-splitting in revisions
• More proactive communication from Assistant Deputy Minister / Deputy Minister level of views
• Greater willingness by Assistant Deputy Ministers, Deputy Minister to push back on unrealistic or extreme Minister's Office timelines
• Increased access to improved Information technology (IT)
• If additional meetings are outside of working hrs; should be more flexible hrs (not 9-5)
• Identify what data is needed; make tradeoffs to afford access to this data
• Better understanding of workload distribution. Better collaboration between analysis
• Better training on *redacted* (current is not practical) (inputted by participant, full phrase not provided)
• Priority to move information
• Prioritization. Do we have to go to every meeting?

Work-Life Balance

Specific issues pertaining to this topic are you most concerned about? What are your 'pain points'?

• 7.5 hour work day seen as "minimum"
• Pressure to always be on standby (even without notice)
• Always being available during COVID has become permanent expectation
• Unpaid overtime = lower effective wage
• Often unable to take vacation except in summer
• Inflexible with fringe benefits, e.g. childcare if travelling
• Recently, no downtime to offset busy times
• Expectation that partners pick up slack at home for employees
• Has gotten worse with return to office. Worst of both pre-covid worlds
• International meetings (early mornings and late nights) impact balance
• "plugged in" 24/7 makes it easier for managers to reach out for something
• Harder for child-less employees to unplug after work
• Harder to set boundaries, especially for junior employees
• Lack of respect for time that is blocked off in analysts' schedules
• Excessive "urgent" taskings necessitating evening/ weekend work
• Drastic increase in non-Budget season workloads (i.e. off-cycles)
• Fear that prioritizing work-life balance will negatively impact career
• Note that balance varies considerably between teams/ Directors
• Lack of same feedback in 2-3 years not being implemented
• Lack of resources/people
• Constantly changing priorities, without clear prioritization
• Expectations to be connected/available at all times
• Returning to Office has exacerbated the pressure (harder to properly balance while losing additional time to commute, etc.)
• Artificial deadlines (pushed forward b/c management is going on vacation or last-minute scramble b/c comments aren't provided until late in the day)
• Turf wars - reluctant to bring in outside help
• Family-related issues (daycare, etc.)
• Employer not respecting overtime rules
• Lack of respect for health breaks/ needs
• International obligations (off-hours work requirements)
• Parliamentary obligations (committee meetings)
• Unrealistic demands from political level
• Budget-related work
• Lack of predictable senior management responsiveness
• Meetings outside of office hours are a concern
• Not enough resources for back-ups (not enough coverage)
• Recognition that certain periods will be busier (e.g. budget)
• Volume of work is higher than it has been in the past

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it better?

• Manage so individuals can take their vacation, including during Budget
• *Redacted*
• Allow shorter work days/ work weeks
• Clear expectations about when people should be available
• Management push back to establish downtime
• Senior management should model work-life balance, work shorter hours
• Should be no expectation of monitoring emails post-work hours; rather, text or call under specific circumstances
• Consider spreading burden of after-hours meetings
• Management should be more proactive about setting and modelling balanced behaviours
• Management setting clear priorities about what meetings we should attend and what we can leave by the wayside
• Management values work-life balance for all employees (not just parents)
• Timely approval of overtime/ pre-planning of overtime/ consistency in overtime approval
• Respecting blocked off time in analysts' schedules
• Deputy Ministers and Assistant Deputy Ministers who practice what they preach re: work-life balance
• Don't "just act like it's before the pandemic" (esp. Family illnesses)
• Frequent small-group check-ins on work-life balance
• Much greater willingness by Deputy Minister Office and Assistant Deputy Ministers to push back on unrealistic timelines from Minister's Office
• More established processes for annual review of Deputy Ministers, Assistant Deputy Ministers
• If availabilities are needed, make it official with more resources/ overtime
• Greater sharing of resources across the Department (under- vs. over-worked)
• Greater flexibility in terms of work schedule/ return to office expectations
• Clearer guidelines re: boundaries/ right to disconnect
• Senior management better protect employees (push back on unrealistic timeline/ Minister Office expectations)
• Greater flexibility or those with family, children
• Respecting collective agreements
• Respecting need to balance health requirements
• Only work eight-hour shifts on days this is needed
• Pushback by Parliamentary Affairs on unreasonable requests
• Department pushing back on political level requests
• Greater efforts by middle-managers to speed up work flows & provide support and training to achieve this
• Clear expectations from management about work requirements
• More notice at all levels, about everything
• Recognition of overtime
• More flexibility during down periods
• Bring more results-focused/ more flexible around return to office during busy periods
• More resources
• Recognizing hours worked outside of office hours (changing office schedule)
• Fewer meetings

Other Topics to Discuss

What are the top 1-2 issues that impact your workplace satisfaction at Finance?*

*Due to the large session size, input was collected via a digital 'word cloud' - large text means more people entered the topic

The word cloud captured about 50 entries, with return to office/RTO, recognition, training, and culture being the more frequently cited words/phrases.

Return to Office

What specific issues pertaining to this topic are you most concerned about? What are your 'pain points'?

• Inconsistency in messaging (getting regional perspective)
• Lack of space (not enough desks)
• Ongoing concerns re: health and safety of in-office work
• Inconsistent rules between teams and branches
• IT systems are not set-up for return to office
• Lack of substantive rationale for return to office
• Led to negative Quality of Life effects
• Lack of flexibility on what days to go in
• Lack of office etiquette
• No clear reason
• Worst of both worlds, commute and no ability to disconnect
• Technology not working during hybrid meetings
• Lack of flexibility during "off-peak" periods
• Lack of clarity on exact obligations for "in-office" work
• Generally okay with return to office approach taken by Finance branches; especially Tax, Executive Development Board
• Inflexibility
• Pollution
• Housing costs in Ottawa/near work
• Announcement/rollout was top-down
• Having to be in office when just remote meetings
• Lack of forums for employee feedback on return to office
• Commuting
• Lack of guidance on handling situations
• Panic-driven decision-making
• Missing out on in-office activities/ discussions
• Unclear what counts towards in-office
• Lack of options tailored to groups/ depts
• Inflexibility of implementation in brand
• Lack of coordination of days in office
• Impacts on families vs singles
• Unclear work boundaries and expectations
• Lack of flexibility
• Recognition of commuting time
• In-office time isn't optimized- could be taking Teams calls at home

How would it look if it was done optimally? OR What could make it better?

• Ability to work from elsewhere in Canada for short periods of time (e.g., summer, winter holidays)
• Ensuring health breaks between meetings
• Consistent messaging about policies
• Cheaper parking
• Allow on-site just when it makes sense
• Better transit bike lanes
• Business-oriented solutions
• Family-centred return to office policies when needed
• Pilot programs with different scenarios
• Focus on performance rather than presence
• Limit meetings to days in the office
• More technology for hybrid
• Clearer work boundaries and expectations
• Greater flexibility (choice of days in-office, amount of time in office)
• Recognition of commuting time
• Dropping 50% in office requirement down to 40%
• Right to disconnect
• Reliable tech in boardrooms
• Social contract for office etiquette
• Flexibility for individual work, schedules
• Improvements to quiet rooms and board rooms
• Greater flexibility during summer months (and major holidays) for fully-virtual work
• Greater clarity on interaction of vacation/sick days with in-office requirements
• No required "make-up days" due to missing days from sickness/ vacation

Other Advice

Any topics you did not get a chance to discuss today that could help address workplace satisfaction?

• Lack of discussion/ transparency on how decisions are made based on employee feedback & what is implemented as a result
• Seeming unwillingness on part of senior management to hear unvarnished employee opinions, which usually requires an anonymous forum. Management sometimes seems to prefer meetings where individuals do not feel comfortable speaking up, or if surveys are distributed, they do not include questions about topical issues or pain points
• We've had a number of surveys and employee forums on similar issues already, but there's been a profound sense among employees that management doesn't really listen/ act on those comments (especially regarding the return to office rollout, in my view). So honestly, I'm not surprised that employee concerns keep getting worse (and are being expressed more and more bluntly), because I think there is a real sense that this is the only way management will actually take them seriously and act upon them.
• Perceptions & actions of senior management - confidence in senior management dropped more than other areas - why not ask about this? Lack of action on other issues already flagged over numerous years contributes to this decline.
• Change management could be done better - communicate better about why there is changes and how the changes
• We don't have enough time or people to do all the things expected of us - especially this kind of reflection
• How constrained we are in providing " fearless advice" (a decline)
• To add to the comment on fearless advice - perhaps there has also been an increase in the politicization of our advice.
• A budget cycle that has invaded ⅔ or more of the year - not just constrained to February to the end of March
• I know what is expected of me, but not clear on what I can expect from the dept (dev, training)
• Language training - increasing requirements while decreasing access to training
• Employee onboarding as a whole has suffered since the pandemic
• Development programs stopping at level 6 = more non advertised promotion coming up - people dissatisfied & moving

How could managers provide better support for individuals?

• Better appreciation for the intensive work involved in certain tasks (funding tables)
• Take action on comments from employees. Issues raised in recent surveys are the same issues that have been raised since COVID

 If you could add one more program/support to address an area of concern, what would it be?

• Skip-levels- monthly (quarterly?) analyst - director general bilaterals
• 360 reviews would be great
• I'd be careful with 360 degree feedback. Even though they are called anonymous, it is relatively easy for a manager to know who said what. There is a huge possibility for managers to become vindictive… so the process is great for good managers, not so good if there is a bad one. (I've done it 3 times, twice at Finance - including this year for my current manager, and one for another Department - that's where there was the vindictive manager.)
• Move towards more merit based competition and promotions
• Training - using more hybrid tools & trackers, need practical training on these tools
• More clarity on support available for language training

Evaluation

The large size and high engagement level of this group in the topic discussions did not allow time for completion of the evaluation step.

Appendix Session 5 - French Group

The input was recorded in French and has been translated for this report.

Highlights of the Research

To what extent do the results presented correspond to your personal experience?

On a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), the average is 5.1.

What do you think explains the decline in employee satisfaction?

• The impact of Covid
• Lack of vision - unstable culture
• Return to the office and impact on work-life balance and lack of resources
• Poor management of the Minister's office
• Increased workload
• Less interaction with people/ fewer interpersonal relationships
• Back to work policy
• I'd say it's the effect of the pandemic. People no longer have the same expectations and want different things.
• Promotion processes, staff shortages, flexibility
• Professional development, transparency/communication, changing priorities

Workload management

Obstacles or frustrations?

• Lack of resources
• Unreasonable deadlines
• Unrealistic deadlines
• Late decisions
• Changing priorities
• Reactive rather than proactive culture 
• Unnecessary work
• Lack of communication

What could improve it?

• Defining an emergency
• Clarifying what comes from the minister vs. policy
• Recognition of overtime
• Proactive culture
• Fewer portfolios for the Minister
• Clear objectives
• Recognize the importance of risk management

Work-life balance

What would you attribute this very low number to?

• Personal realities
• High expectations
• High workload
• Increased workload, even when less than necessary
• High expectations ("working here is a privilege", "our files make up for the lack of balance")
• Reluctance to hire additional resources
• Family obligations
• Constant connectivity (vagueness)
• Lack of employees/resources (X2)

What could improve it?

• Flexible office hours
• Paying for overtime
• Determining/knowing our limits
• Better planning of employees' work
• Disconnection policy

Other Main Problems

What are the top 3 issues affecting your job satisfaction at Finance?

• Unannounced promotion
• Departmental management
• Clear priorities
• Impotence
• High management
• Recognition
• Political vision
• The vision of Finance
• Colleagues
• Priorities
• Lack of structure
• Work environment
• Management commitment

Culture of the Department

Obstacles or frustrations

• Promotion/appointment
• Lack of transparency in decision-making
• Work environment (hybrid)
• Policy vs. Department → mandate, priorities
• Lack of transparency
• Less communication/ transparency
• Minister's office
• High turnover in senior management
• Disconnection from colleagues (less social)
• Making decisions without really understanding the subject
• Lack of clarity in messages "the socks don't follow the boots"

What could improve it?

• Promotion of services/tools offered
• Improving employee integration
• Communication of senior management
• Social activities
• No "one size fits all" solutions
• Choose a common face-to-face day
• Networking
• Promoting best practices for meetings

Other problems

Problems

• Limited vacations - difficult to regain energy due to family situation
• Lack of training (development and progression)
• Lack of French translation
• Progression program / career plan
• Office temperature too low
• Demonstrated capabilities WFH in pandemic why not now?
• Sense that return to office is to support local businesses, messaging was not good
• Treasury Board Policies equal assumed return to office off the table
• Environmental impact, commuting, traffic, time, childcare

Tips/ideas...

• Townhall priority / Departmental vision
• Set up training programs
• Encourage training for development and programs
• Have an anonymous complaints process
• Introduce mentoring
• Reinstate social activities
• Work from out of country (ex BdC)
• i.e Bank of Canada policy regarding work from out of country (short term)
• 360° evaluation
• Anonymous complaints/suggestions process

Evaluation

One thing you liked

• Post-it notes
• Well organized
• Sharing ideas
• Convivial
• Discussion and interaction with colleagues from other Departments, and the opportunity to do so in French
• Open-hearted discussions with colleagues
• Sharing with colleagues in very different situations (management, roles, etc.)

One thing you would change/ Suggestions

• More time (X2)