The Impact of HRDC's Vision on Employees

Final Report: The Impact of HRDC's Vision on Employees
(Project no. 401/98, July 1999)

Audits and reviews are ongoing management tools used by HRDC to assess how it can improve the effectiveness of its activities and get better results.

• This was a review carried out to assess the impact that HRDC's Vision has had on employees. The Vision speaks of taking an integrated approach to human development, and working to enable Canadians to participate fully in the workplace and in the community.
• In focus groups with approximately 200 staff and managers, most employees indicated that they knew about and liked the new departmental vision. It was also determined that the development of the Vision has had a positive impact on employees' understanding of departmental priorities and directions.
• The review found that over half of the participants indicated that some or all aspects of taking an integrated approach to human development have been achieved, and further that the majority of participants stated that HRDC does a good job of providing quality service to clients.
• The review identified three areas requiring further attention:
  1. The need for better alignment of policy development with service delivery.
  2. The need for better understanding of HRDC's changing role in the community.
  3. Employee concerns about the appropriate alignment of resources to meet daily operational requirements.

Management Response

• A discussion at the HRDC Leadership Conference and subsequently at National Management Board raised awareness of the Vision and led to a commitment by the department to address implementation issues.
• Executive champions for the six pillars of the Vision (policy leadership, prevention, community capacity building, information, highest quality service, and partnerships) began work to develop an integrated approach.
• The following are some examples of the work of the champions:
  • As part of policy leadership, Strategic Policy Branch set up a mechanism to seek regional input in policy development.
  • The new Service Delivery Network reflects the departmental commitment to Highest Quality Service, as is set out in the new Service Delivery Policy Statement.
  • Several workshops were held with staff in all parts of the country to advance the department's understanding of community capacity building, to integrate preventative practices into our programs and services, and to improve the dissemination of labour market information to HRDC clients and the general public.

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