For the third year in a row, the Ontario Public Service (OPS) has had the prestigious honour of being named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers by Mediacorp Canada.
Mediacorp evaluates organizations based on key areas such as physical workplace, work atmosphere and communications, health benefits, compensation, employee engagement, training and development, and community involvement. To understand what makes the OPS stand out from the thousands of surveyed employers, CGE asked “OPSers” to explain why the public service is ranked among Canada’s top employers.
Adrian Mann
Adrian joined the OPS in December 1987; prior to that she worked for the Ontario Arts Council, a government agency, for seven years. She is Director, Stakeholder Relationship Strategies with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.
What initially motivated you to join the OPS?
I wish I could say it was a strategically planned career move, but it wasn’t. I had held an entry-level communications position at the Ontario Arts Council; I wanted to advance my career in communications, and I wanted to work in the public or the not-for-profit sectors. When an opportunity came up to join the OPS and work on publications with the (then) Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, I jumped on it. In fact, I received two job offers – one from the OPS, and another from a non-profit organization – on the same day. After much thought I accepted the OPS offer … and have never regretted that career choice.
In your experience with the OPS, what do you feel makes it one of Canada’s top 100 employers?
Speaking as someone who has worked most of her career in communications, I believe that the variety and scope offered by the OPS cannot be matched anywhere else. Within the OPS I have had an opportunity to work on issues ranging from women’s equality to property tax reform; I’ve done everything from writing and editing employee newsletters to overseeing multi-million dollar advertising and public education campaigns, on issues ranging from student aid to preventing violence against women. I’ve also had the chance to be closely involved, from inception to launch, with signature initiatives like the creation of the Ontario Greenbelt and the Second Career program for laid-off workers.
Working here gives you an opportunity to learn new things, get close to issues of critical interest to the public, and gain a breadth of experience that can’t be equalled.
Mediacorp Canada evaluated organizations based on several key areas. In what key areas would you rate the OPS highly?
The OPS offers a highly competitive benefits package, and there is one in particular that I’ve recently taken advantage of – self-funded leave. This allows OPS staff to defer a portion of salary over time, then use it to pay for an extended period away from work – for education, travel, volunteer work, family time, personal development, or whatever else your passion is.
My year of self-funded leave gave me a year for personal pursuits like music studies, horseback riding, volunteer work and preparing for the trip of a lifetime – walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. It provided me with an extended period of rest, renewal and personal development, all with the security of knowing I would have a job to come back to at the end of it.
Over your ten-plus years with the OPS, what are some changes you’ve seen that may have helped the OPS develop to be a top employer?
Particularly during the last few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the focus on employee engagement. This is happening at the macro level, for example, with the third edition of the OPS-wide employee survey, aimed at building a detailed profile of employees – not just who they are, but how connected they feel with their work, their colleagues and their managers.
It’s also happening at the micro level, initiated by employees themselves. For example, while I was a communications director, staff of the branch took the initiative to create a number of “imperative teams” that zeroed in on priorities they had identified, such as the orientation needs of new-to-government communications employees, and how to attract and retain talent in OPS communications.
The focus on employee engagement is also evident in the priority the OPS has placed on diversity and inclusion, both at the corporate and individual level. For example, the it has launched a diversity mentorship program that matches up ADMs and directors with individual employee partners, in a mentoring relationship specifically tailored to match the needs of both participants.
What keeps you motivated?
In every job I’ve had in the OPS, I’m always learning something new.
Louis-Michel Taillefer
Louis-Michel has worked in the OPS for two and a half years as a Junior Bilingual Communications Resource Officer, within the Communications and Marketing Branch at the Ministry of Community and Social Services. He provides French language communications support and planning services to the branch and assists with the adaptation of English language communications product and strategies for francophone audiences.
What initially motivated you to join the OPS?
Having worked in not-for-profit organizations in the past, I wanted to go back to a career where I felt my actions helped people in some way or another. I needed to feel like the work I did actually meant something more, like it had an impact on my community.
In your experience with the OPS, what do you feel makes it one of Canada’s top 100 employers?
The OPS offers great opportunities for career advancement, with literally thousands of positions and multiple training courses available to help you get these positions. Managers and directors recognize human potential and are supportive to help you become your best professionally.
Mediacorp Canada evaluated organizations based on several key areas. In what key areas would you rate the OPS highly?
As a francophone from Quebec now living in Toronto, I particularly appreciate the efforts the OPS has made to create a positive work atmosphere, especially through the creation of various diversity groups. As a member of OPSPride and FrancoGo, I have met like-minded colleagues and made new friends from various ministries. It’s wonderful to feel like you can be yourself and be respected for who you are, for your beliefs or for your cultural background. The OPS truly is a diverse and inclusive organization that supports all employees to achieve their full potential in a safe and friendly environment.
I also have the opportunity to work on videos for my ministry. This very creative part of my work allows me to travel across the province and meet the Ontarians for whom I consider I actually work. It’s a great pleasure every time. And when I am not on the road, I am planning a tour or working in post-production. So my mind and creative juices never really stop, even after I clock out. And I love it!
What keeps you motivated?
I work with great people.
Siobhan Corr
Corr is the executive assistant to the chief drinking water inspector/Assistant Deputy Minister of the Drinking Water Management Division at the Ministry of the Environment, responsible for supporting the ADM by providing
