The Centre de santé Saint-Boniface (CDS) is a unique organization that offers French-language primary care and other health and social services to Winnipeg families. In a health care system that is often overburdened and asks staff to carry heavy loads, CDS stands out in another way: it has higher-than-average staff engagement, a key indicator of a positive work environment and committed employees.
The employee engagement survey, administered by Metrics@Work to over 30 health care facilities across Canada, explores areas within organizations that are shown to directly correlate with how employees feel about their jobs. The results of the most recent survey, which is conducted every two years, indicate that 76% of CDS staff believe senior leadership can be trusted, compared to a national average of 53%. When it comes to health and wellness at work, 79% of CDS staff feel supported, compared to a national average of 58%.
Stephanie Roy, the Executive Director of CDS, was heartened by the survey results, as they align with the type of working environment that leadership and the CDS board are striving to create for their 60 staff members. “One of my most important jobs here is to make sure that staff feel happy, safe, and supported at work,” she shares. “They are busy providing quality care, which means it’s my job and my responsibility to take care of them while they do so.”
Julie Belley, founder of Rebelleyus HR Consulting, notes that maintaining high employee engagement has become even more challenging in the post-pandemic world. “Globally, across industries, the numbers show that for every three employees, two are not engaged, which is a pretty alarming statistic,” she explains. “Before COVID, people stayed in a job for an average of seven years. In some areas, that number has now dropped to two years, especially in sectors that attract younger workers. The work world has changed, and it’s become very clear that organizations must invest in their employees, and that leaders need to truly lead people, not just manage them.”
Roy and the leadership team at CDS understand the importance of trust and open dialogue. “Our leadership team is really amazing,” she says. “It’s a bit like a big family—we argue sometimes, we discuss openly, we also have each others back; we do it all together. And that extends to the staff, because we need to be listening to them too. We ask them what they need and what they want in order to do their jobs in a way that makes sense for them. The team is growing in ways that feel authentic and true to our values.”
Belley adds that the CDS team has tapped into another critical component of staff engagement. “We often hear that alignment with an organization’s mission and personal values is worth more to people than salary alone,” she explains. “Staff want to contribute in real and meaningful ways at work, not just perform. I would assume that for many staff in bilingual organizations, there is a strong commitment to French-language services that feels both important and rewarding.”
Offering staff autonomy, input, and opportunities for professional development is a strategy that continues to work well for CDS. “We’re always succession planning here, looking at the strengths and skills of the team and how we can help develop them,” Roy concludes. “Our student interns often decide to stay on and work with us permanently, and we routinely take time to learn, grow, and be present together as a team. While it may not always be easy for leaders to let go of control, that’s how a team grows. I’m really proud to be part of this organization.”