JULY 2015
EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER
Serving up tap water
Employee Development
Lean on Sunnyside for tips on efficiency
Children’s Groundwater Festival holds water The 20 th annual Waterloo Wellington Children’s Groundwater Festival took place from May 25 to 29 at the Waterloo Region Museum, where more than 6,000 students, teachers and parents learned important messages about water. The festival featured hands-on activities that help teach students from grades 2 to 5 about water in a fun and engaging way. The activities covered topics from water conservation to water protection, and were staffed by high school students, community volunteers and professionals. A big ‘shout out’ to all the volunteers who helped make this year’s Festival a great success!
connections@regionofwaterloo.ca
Serving up tap water
Welcome to the team!
The Region’s Water Wagon program is back in action! On May 9 th, the Water Wagon attended the Waterloo Regional Police Services Open House. It was a very successful, warm day filled with lots of fun and activities for attendees to enjoy! Anja, our Water Wagon event coordinator this summer, is seen here with Sparky the Fire Dog enjoying the Water Wagon! The Water Wagon is a mobile drinking station with fountains for a quick drink while on the go, taps to fill up your reusable water bottle, and even a dogwatering bowl for our furry friends like Sparky! Make sure to check out the Water Wagon at our events throughout the summer. Events include the City of Waterloo Service Centre Open House, the Cambridge Tour de Grand and the KitchenerWaterloo Multicultural Festival. To find more events and information, visit: www.waterontap.ca. Anja Gorrie poses in front of the Water Wagon with Sparky the Fire Dog.
Remember to use your reusable water bottle this summer and enjoy a drink from of fresh municipal tap water!
Ambassador for Green Bin at GRT In March, the Region’s Ambassador for GRT, Irene Bradshaw, hosted a presentation on the importance of the Region’s Green Bin program to over 100 drivers at the GRT garage in Cambridge. The colour coordinated Irene is seen here beside the Green Bin display she created for her fellow drivers in Cambridge.
Working in the community with the United Way In the fall of 2014, I had the opportunity to work at the United Way K-W as one of two sponsored employees from the Region of Waterloo. For 15 weeks I worked alongside United Way staff, supporting many different companies and government agencies with their workplace campaigns. The experience provided an opportunity to meet people from a wide range of organizations and become involved in projects at various levels and stages, which was a great experience. Working with the campaign coordinators gave me the chance to get out into the community and work on
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my public speaking, and also the chance to see why so many people work to support the United Way K-W.
Among her many accomplishments, Carolyn provided leadership on the establishment of an integrated intake model for Social Services at Halton Region. The integrated model provided new efficiencies for the Region, and also improved the client experience by reducing the retelling of client histories to each of the different program and service areas. Carolyn holds a BA in Sociology, an Honours Certificate in Public Administration and an Honours Diploma in Human Services Administration. Carolyn joined the Community Services Department in April at 99 Regina Street South, Waterloo. Please welcome Carolyn to the Region of Waterloo and the Community Services team!
Strat Chat and staff engagement events
Memorable moments include the day the fire alarm sounded at the start of my presentation as well as the day I presented with an impact speaker at the corner of Weber and Queen Street, which took public speaking to a whole new level for me! The Region works with so many agencies in our community that rely on the United Way for help. By supporting the United Way, you not only help your neighbours, but also live our Regional Values.
Please welcome Carolyn Schoenfeldt to the Region of Waterloo as Director, Employment and Income Support within the Community Services Department. Carolyn’s career includes 25+ years of devoted service working to meet the needs of vulnerable people in her community. Previously, Carolyn served as Manager, Client Services for the Ontario College of Trades. Prior to that Carolyn worked with Halton Region as Manager, Social Services.
Sarah and Patti rise to the challenge
Beverly Balzer, Seniors’ Services
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Sarah Legendre and Patti McCauley from Provincial Offences Court overcome all obstacles at the First Canadian Rugged Maniac Mud Obstacle Race at Chicopee Ski hill in May. This was the first race of its kind in Canada and Sarah and Patti highly recommend it for the challenge, overcoming fears, and good clean fun.
The Region’s strategic planning process is entering Phase II of public and staff input gathering. Phase I of the process resulted in a set of draft focus areas and objectives as identified by Council. In Phase II of the process, the Region will be working to engage with staff and the public to develop actions to achieve Council’s priorities. A series of integrated planning workshops are planned over the summer. Staff can find details including dates, locations and times as well as a link to RSVP for each of the workshops on the “Staff Input” page of the Portal (under the Strategic Plan tab).
connections@regionofwaterloo.ca
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Kristen Dajka on Leadership Waterloo Region Leadership Waterloo Region (LWR) combines academic study with real world experiences to create an opportunity for participants to explore leadership styles and develop leadership skills in a group setting. Applicants to the program come from all backgrounds, public sector, private sector and social enterprise units. Curriculum topics centre around leadership development, project management, personal branding, systems thinking and understanding social profit governance to name a few. In addition to exploring your own personal leadership style, participants are also challenged with applying their own industry expertise and skillsets within a smaller group setting with a local community organization with
Employee Development
a specific business challenge. This group experience, in combination with the individual learning opportunities, are the foundations of this program. I have been very happy with the experience this learning opportunity has provided and would strongly recommend it to others at the Region who have thought about applying. I gained valuable experience, both work and personal, and met insightful and passionate people who are working collaboratively to make Waterloo Region a better place to live, work and play. I am grateful to have been selected for this opportunity by the Region and I look forward to applying my new experiences and understanding to both the work environment and to our local community partners in the social profit sector.
Last June, a former Cadet pilot and I spent 20 minutes soaring over the region in a two-person glider. This was both exhilarating and terrifying and probably the last time I will 4
Employee Development
The TALK approach supports continuous employee learning and development. Two-way development conversations between supervisors and employees are foundational for clarifying employee development needs and interests, setting goals, and identifying resources that will help to achieve goals. T – Take the time to have two-way performance development (PDP) conversations. A – Ask employees about their development interests and help them identify development needs. L – Look and listen for opportunities to identify and support employee development. K – Know where to go for tools and resources to support development. Through TALK, employees identify their aspirations and supervisors gain an understanding of how they can support employees to continuously learn and develop.
Kristen Dajka, Supervisor, Corporate Publishing has recently completed the Leadership Waterloo program.
Starlene Hancock soars as a volunteer As a volunteer with Waterloo’s 530 Havoc Squadron Air Cadets, I have the great honour to work with youth as they challenge themselves and develop skills that will last a lifetime. Recently, I had a chance to experience a small part of what they do at the 530.
TALK
try gliding – until my son Jaden receives his pilot licence. We are very proud of Jaden, as we are of all the cadets at the 530. They are outstanding members of our community and remind me of our Region Values in so many ways: from the poppy drive in support of Legion members and Canadian veterans, to the integrity and respect they demonstrate every day, and even in the way they care for their uniforms.
connections@regionofwaterloo.ca
For more information contact your Organizational Development Consultant.
Don’t miss out – Register NOW! Sunnyside Foundation Golf Tournament Monday, September 14, 2015 Rebel Creek – $145 per person
• Includes green fees, golf cart, lunch, dinner, gift and $35 donation receipt • Live and silent auctions To register, email: bschmidt@regionofwaterloo.ca Last year was sold out and there was a waiting list!
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Print Strategy Thanks for your hard work to date! Lean on Sunnyside for tips on efficiency With over 400 staff, Seniors’ Services is the largest division within the Community Services department. Seniors’ Services provides community programs and services to support older adults and operates Sunnyside Home, a 263bed, long-term care home located in Kitchener. Sunnyside Home is a pioneer in the area of Lean service improvement. The Lean services philosophy uses a continuous improvement methodology to identify and eliminate waste, or anything that adds costs but not value to the end user or customer. The philosophy is founded on a respect for people, both the customer and the employee and operates on the assumption that the knowledge to fix problems and eliminate waste can be realized if we allow staff to cultivate what they already know. Sunnyside Home has seen success in several distinct areas using Lean
principles. For example, washcloths are no longer folded and stacked in resident washrooms but instead stored in handy washcloth bins. Once fully implemented, this change in routine will free up 15 hours of Personal Support Worker (PSW) time per day for more important activities like providing direct care for residents!
Plan) are in the process of being standardized, making it easier for full-time and part-time staff to work across different kitchenettes. Efficiencies were realized by determining the optimal placement of equipment within the kitchenette and by reducing the amount of time staff needed to spend searching for items.
In another example, a study determined the root causes of delays in the process of filling vacant beds. The Social Work team implemented changes to reduce the delays and these changes have meant that beds are now filled faster, which benefits people on the waitlist and provides cost savings through more efficient use of bed space at the home.
Seniors’ Services has also saved over $35,000 by outsourcing transportation service for the Cambridge site of the Community Alzheimer Program (allowing staff to spend more time with clients), and is conducting a pilot to reduce ‘motion waste’ by providing PSWs and Resident Home Assistants in one of the home areas with phones so that they can more easily locate each other. The projects within the Seniors’ Services division are good examples of how Lean can reduce waste and improve services for our customers.
In yet another example, the five kitchenettes at the home in which resident meals are plated (according to each resident’s Care
The Print Strategy was initiated to address the lack of centralized metrics on Regional office printing, to develop environmental efficiencies and to address staff concerns, highlighted through the budget survey, regarding inefficient printing and the copiers not working properly. While challenges throughout the implementation of this program have occurred, significant improvement has been made. The Region now collects a standard set of metrics that can be used to rationalize the purchase of print equipment and address financial and environmental efficiencies. Some of the key efficiencies to date are: • 19% reduction in the number of print devices • $120,000 in toner savings from PrePrint Strategy state (2013) to 2014 • $6,280 paper savings from PrePrint Strategy state (2013) to 2014 • 227,655 lbs. e-waste, equivalent to removing 79.5 vehicles off of the road for one year (new program, no pre-state numbers)
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Kathleen Brockenshire Food Services Assistant
Tami Dinsmore Food Services Assistant
connections@regionofwaterloo.ca
When you fly from home you have more time for the things that matter.
Thank you for doing your part every day by “thinking before printing” For additional information on this project, please contact Kristen Dajka at kdajka@regionofwaterloo.ca or at ext. 4722.
• • • • The Sunnyside Wellness Centre has everything for your pain management and rehabilitation needs. We offer services to individuals with private insurance, extended health benefits and WSIB.
Kristina Wania Food Services Assistant
Travelling for business or pleasure has never been easier.
Physiotherapy Massage Therapy Foot Care Hydrotherapy
519-896-0805 247 Franklin Street North, Kitchener Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Region of Waterloo employees are welcome! connections@regionofwaterloo.ca
The Region of Waterloo International Airport is owned and operated by the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario (Canada).
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In our day-today busyness, we sometimes lose sight of the tremendous progress the Region is actually making. In May and June, Council made a number of significant decisions that will provide long-term benefits to the community. I wanted to highlight just a few of these: • They approved a settlement of the outstanding OMB appeals to the Regional Official Plan (ROP). The ROP was originally approved by Regional Council back in 2009, and has been the subject of complex and lengthy appeals and litigation since then. The settlement confirms key elements of the ROP, including greater protection of the environment, policies to encourage greater intensification,
improved integration of transit, and the creation of new strategic employment lands. It provides a solid foundation for the region’s future development and prosperity. • They approved a significant increase in GRT service, including the creation of another iXpress route in Kitchener. This five per cent increase in transit service in 2015 means the Region has increased transit service by over 25 per cent in the last five years! • They approved a new approach to curbside waste collection, which will start in 2017. Moving to bi-weekly garbage collection while maintaining weekly blue box and green bin collection will result in more waste being diverted from landfill, which will extend the useful life of the landfill, save money, and reduce environmental impacts!
• They approved the names for the 19 stops along the ION LRT route. Once the ION is up and running in 2017, these stop names will become familiar landmarks within the community. Council also approved an approach for creating public art at an initial seven ION stops, which will provide a further legacy for future generations. I want to thank everyone who was involved in bringing these initiatives to these recent significant milestones. These are just a few examples of the tremendous work that Regional employees do every day, and I want to thank all of you for the positive difference that you’re making in Waterloo Region. You should be very proud of the community that we’re building together!
Do you have a question for Mike? Send it to connections@regionofwaterloo.ca
Media monitoring pilot program The Region monitors stories in the media with Region of Waterloo content and provides an electronic clipping service to interested employees. A pilot program is currently underway that allows the Region to monitor and gather stories from a broad geographical base (all of North America), as well as broader range of media types, including trade publications and social media. Providing a consolidated news clipping service on a twice weekly basis helps keep staff informed on stories in the media with Regional content. To subscribe to the Region’s eClippings newsletter, contact Carl at cnattrass@regionofwaterloo.ca.
connections@regionofwaterloo.ca