Greater Toronto’s Top 2022 Employers; The City of Vaughan is business driven and people focused

Canadastop100.com; issuu.com
Dec. 3, 2021

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A major benefit of working for one of Canada’s fastest-growing cities is there’s no shortage of initiatives to be involved with.

“There are so many lines of business, it’s almost like you’re operating 20 or 30 companies under the same umbrella,” says Christine Gianino, Chief Human Resources Officer for the City of Vaughan. “There’s a variety of opportunities and, from a public service perspective, the work is meaningful. You’re making a difference in the community.”

The tagline in Vaughan’s HR department is “Business Driven, People Focused,” and that permeates everything the City does. “The focus is on citizens first through Service Excellence and recognizing that it’s our staff who are key to achieving our strategic goals and vision for the organization,” Gianino says.

For such a large operation, the City’s culture is an open one, according to Wendy Law, Deputy City Manager of Administrative Services and City Solicitor. “We are empowered to come up with our own ideas about what we can do to make our lives better as employees,” she says. “And employee ideas are always encouraged.”

This year, for example, the chair of the City’s United Way Greater Toronto campaign had an idea for doing things differently. For the organization’s “Week of Caring,” every department was mobilized and delivered more than $10,000 in-kind goods and donations to those in need. “We want to bring our staff to the place where they’re not just contributing in their work lives, but have that balance of contributing to the community,” says Law. “Those are the kind of initiatives we really encourage.”

Before she even started working for the City, Law was impressed with its opportunities for personal and professional development. “Vaughan has a huge employee curriculum that is very structured,” she says. Course offerings run the gamut from an Excel improvement course to a master program in leadership. In addition, the City of Vaughan has partnered with Western University to offer a program on public administration to staff.

Education takes many other forms as well. For the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the City’s Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Zincia Francis, hosted a learning session. It included videos of residential school survivors and their families speaking about experiences, and the continued impact of residential schools on Indigenous children, families and communities. 

“It was sobering,” says Gianino. “For many, listening to survivors was deeply emotional and impactful.  I, like many others, was moved to reflect on my personal commitment to the Calls to Action”.

Another recent initiative is the Emerging Leaders Succession Program for employees who are interested in leadership opportunities throughout the City. One stream is targeted to those who are interested in becoming supervisors or managers; the other is for aspiring senior leaders.

Each of the roughly 30 people chosen to participate will be given a customized development program consisting of classroom and online learning, as well as on-the-job stretch assignments. Participants will also be provided with a mentor for the duration of the 18- to 24-month-long program.

The City used the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to do even more for staff, evident in a new wellness strategy focusing on an employee’s total health -- mental, social, financial and physical.

In addition, the City is implementing more flexible work arrangements, with the potential for shifting work hours and remote work. “At the end of the day,” Gianino adds, “happy employees deliver good customer service.”