Bringing Out the Best in Our Team

Our unwavering dedication to delivering high-quality services is rooted in our commitment to our Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA). This fiscal year, we took meaningful strides to create a welcoming and collaborative environment that celebrates diversity, eliminates barriers to accessing our services and values the right to belong.

In November 2022, Surrey Place’s Director of Community Partners & Innovation hosted a foundational EDIA training for members of the Leadership Forum, which consisted of staff at the Manager level and above. This interactive workshop focused on expanding participants’ knowledge around implicit and explicit biases, power dynamics, privilege, and microaggressions. The objective was to effectively equip leaders with the tools needed to drive positive change within the organization.

To continue to raise awareness and enhance competency levels within our organization, an impactful strategic plan was developed by our Director of CPI and Manager of EDIA that focuses on implementing continuous education and training programs.

A EDIA framework was developed in a collaboration with the Anti-Racism Black Consultation and Training Group, our Indigenous Consultation, and the Working Towards EDIA Group. The framework serves as a structured communication process and provides a tangible system for data collection, ensuring our progress is measurable.

The group also developed several new policies with an EDIA lens, including the Anti-Oppression and Cultural Safety Policy and the Conflict Resolution and Trust Building Policy. These policies reflect our commitment to fostering an environment that values and respects individuals from diverse backgrounds.

In the fall of 2022, Surrey Place conducted an Employee Experience Survey with the third-party provider, Mercer. The survey allowed staff to provide valuable feedback on their Surrey Place work experience and help identify areas for improvements and organizational opportunities. With a participation rate of 68%, we achieved an overall Employee Engagement score of 73%, which aligns with the benchmark average for healthcare organizations in Canada. Our highest scoring areas were Immediate Manager Effectiveness, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility and Agility and Innovation.

While we are proud of the survey results, we recognize that there’s always an opportunity to improve. To help address the areas of improvement, we formed an Employee Experience Task Force comprising of non-management and management staff from across the organization. The working group will analyze our recent survey results, make workplace improvement recommendations, and implement them in the coming year.

In January 2023, Surrey Place retired its Navision platform and Employee Center and transitioned to ADP Workforce Now, a best-in-class human resources and payroll solutions provider. This move enabled the organization to operate within an integrated system, streamlining processes and enhancing the employee experience.

Subsequently, the recruitment tool and new Career Center were released in February 2023. This tool introduced new user-friendly features making it easy for staff to apply for positions through the Career Center, track applications, manage statuses and send and communicate through a single platform.