Our People are at the Root of our Success
Our people are talented individuals with a shared passion for achieving results through teamwork and collaboration. We know that it is our differences that makes us stronger, creating a dynamic and engaging workplace.
Response to COVID-19
When the province of Ontario issued a stay-at-home order in March 2020, OECM seamlessly transitioned to a remote work environment, leveraging existing technology tools to ensure business continuity and excellence.
Throughout this time, OECM has been focused on promoting employee wellness. We provided every employee with an allowance to facilitate work from home ergonomics. We leverage regular virtual staff meetings to ensure employees are feeling confident about OECM’s future, and to maintain interpersonal connections. OECM has also deployed multiple wellness surveys to monitor employee wellness as they continue to work from home.
Between March 2020 and December 2020, OECM virtually on-boarded 21 new employees.
OECM has a strong on-boarding process for new employees that involves cross-functional orientation sessions, staff meet-and-greets, and technology training. Thanks to the flexibility and creativity of OECM employees, remote working had no impact on our ability to deliver a successful on-boarding program.
A unique fact: approximately 1/3 of our employees have never worked in the OECM office!
Transitioning Back to Working from Work (TBTWFW) Committee
Formed in April 2020, this Committee is dedicated to the safe return of employees to the office and is comprised of members from OECM’s Senior Council, Managers’ Council, and the Joint Health and Safety Committee. The Committee monitors the requirements and conditions necessary to ensure a safe office reopening for all staff and visitors. The committee has also developed a return-to-work training guide and an instructional video, which will be shared with all employees, before returning to the office.
2020 People Strategy Highlights
Our Board-approved People Strategy is accelerating the development of our team, growing and strengthening our leadership capabilities, and enhancing our performance through strong engagement. The goal of the People Strategy is to attract, motivate, and retain superior talent, while fostering a workplace culture of excellence, to facilitate the delivery of exceptional customer service.
OECM continues to uphold the five defining pillars of our People Strategy – Total Rewards, Leadership & Talent: Acquisition and Development, High Performance Culture of Excellence, Workforce Planning, and HR Operational Excellence. In 2020, this resulted in our employees enjoying even greater access to a revitalized rewards and compensation strategy, new staff training and professional development programs, and much more.
Workplace Culture
Staff engagement continued to be a priority for OECM in 2020. To that end, a number of staff volunteers formed the OECM Mega-fun Group “OMG” social committee. The first event was held on October 29 where staff participated in a virtual Halloween Costume contest and prizes were awarded for the best costumes. A follow-up event was held on December 17 to celebrate the holidays. Going forward, these activities along with the provision of staff education on wellness will be instrumental in fostering an engaged, motivated and healthy workforce.
