Quote of the week
“…[W]e need to find ways in the OPS to lead change, not just adapt to it.”
– Shelly Jamieson, Ontario Secretary of the Cabinet
Editor’s Corner
In a document entitled “Our Values at Work,” the Secretary of the Cabinet in Ontario is telling members of the Ontario Public Service (OPS) to respond appropriately to the ongoing societal changes that are happening around them.
We all know the list of changes that includes examples such as the integration of policy issues, increased demands by citizens for engagement and excellent service, demographic shifts and the growth in social media.
The document is billed as a 2011 “framework for action” and reminds Ontario public servants of the importance of the organization’s values of trust, fairness, diversity, excellence, creativity, collaboration, efficiency and responsiveness.
Not a bad list for a public sector organization. Or for any organization, for that matter.
The OPS interprets these values on two levels. The first refers to how employees deal with the public, variously referred to throughout the document as “clients” or “customers.”
The second refers to how employees interact in the workplace.
The document offers real-life stories from OPS employees about how they have demonstrated the values with a sidebar for each one entitled, “What you can do.” For example, under the “fairness” value, employees are reminded to anticipate client needs and, in the workplace, to be open and non-discriminatory with colleagues.
Perhaps to coincide with the release of this document, for the third year in a row the OPS has been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers based on criteria that include physical workplace, work atmosphere and communications, health benefits, compensation, employee engagement, training and development and community involvement.
When you add both lists together you have an interesting look at how the OPS has been attempting – quite successfully – to integrate a culture of positive values and ethics into a modern workplace environment.
