Support RCMP workplace culture initiatives
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One of our key organizational priorities is to be a healthy and inclusive organization, where everyone feels valued and respected, and that both employees and Canadians trust. Our employees and the communities we serve deserve nothing less. A strong organizational culture is vital to the RCMP's excellence as a police service.
Culture is a way of thinking, behaving or working that exists across an organization. It is about how employees feel about and experience their workplace. Culture influences morale, decision-making, and behaviours, including how employees interact with each other and those they serve.
In recent years, the RCMP has been approaching culture change in a holistic way, using the key themes of previous reviews as a guide and an evidence base. We have a long way to go but are proud of our progress to date. Recent efforts — many of which are highlighted on the "Change at the RCMP" web pages — have set a strong foundation for long-term change, including improving governance, renewing our core values, modernizing leadership development and overhauling the harassment resolution process. The meaningful culture change we are striving for will take time. The RCMP is committed to sustained efforts over the long term while building on actions we are taking here and now.
Why it matters
The RCMP acknowledges the need to continue to address harassment, discrimination and systemic racism in our organization, and to demonstrate that we are responding to external reports and reviews in a meaningful way, as part of building and maintaining public trust.
Improving organizational culture at the RCMP benefits all employees and our service delivery in critical ways. It helps us recruit and retain the skilled, diverse employees we need and ultimately drives performance and reputation.
September 2024
Update
RCMP culture change initiatives are supported and coordinated through the Holistic Culture Change Committee, a consultative forum that supports the advancement of overall RCMP culture change through collaboration and the provision of strategic guidance, advice and recommendations. It meets monthly and is made up of representatives from across RCMP national headquarters who lead initiatives and projects that impact culture change.
The RCMP is currently developing a culture change strategy to align and communicate our culture change direction and priorities. The strategy will be rooted in four priority areas:
- strengthening accountability and expectations for behaviour
- promoting a more equitable, diverse and inclusive workplace
- supporting employee health and well-being
- strengthening leadership and training
As part of the strategy, a performance measurement framework is being developed to provide an evidence-based approach to measure culture at the RCMP. This will allow for improved monitoring and reporting on progress toward a healthy, inclusive and trusted culture over time.
The strategy and framework will be developed with input from employees throughout 2024 and is expected to be shared later in 2024-25.
Additionally, the RCMP launched the RCMP workplace culture inbox in spring 2024 to provide a way for all RCMP employees to share ideas, communicate and collaborate on ways the organization can make a difference and help create a modern and inclusive workplace.
August 2023
Update
The purpose of the Organizational Culture Inventory (OCI) project was to better understand the RCMP workplace culture, identify key behaviours that support change, and measure change over time.
The two pilot projects in Prince Edward Island (L Division) and Nunavut (V Division) were completed in December 2022. Employees were encouraged to "turn up the volume" on key behaviours: supporting one another, creating a safe space, and communicating and sharing openly. The results achieved were positive, as employees were more engaged, and the key behaviours were reported as more prominent in the workplace.
Overall, the findings of the Organizational Culture Inventory helped identify priorities to positively improve workplace culture, including better supporting middle-managers and continuing to develop strong leaders.
The key behaviours that were piloted as part of the Organizational Culture Inventory will also be used to support the implementation of the RCMP's renewed core values, as examples of how to make the core values real and actionable.
May 2022
Update
Two pilot projects in Prince Edward Island (L Division) and Nunavut (V Division) are continuing to make progress in improving their workplace culture. Divisional leaders agree that the three behaviours (support your colleagues, create a safe space, and communicate and share openly) included in the pilot contribute to a healthy workplace culture. Promotional materials are being used to engage employees to support this culture change.
Debriefing sessions in both divisions discussed findings from the pilot baseline surveys, progress to date, and what is working and what is not. The baseline survey will be repeated and interviews will be held with focus groups (including front-line employees, family members and others). The results will inform decisions on the way forward.
Further implementation of key behaviours across the organization, including the expansion of the pilot, will take place in 2022-23 and beyond.
January 2022
Update
As part of the ongoing work under the OCI, the RCMP's Policy Committee and front-line regular members in all divisions have prioritized three key behaviours, based on their ease of implementation and potential to positively impact RCMP workplaces. These three identified behaviours are:
- support your colleagues, not only in the field, but also in times of personal vulnerability
- create a safe space by allowing everyone to contribute ideas and diverse perspectives, raise risks, and share lessons learned without fear of negative repercussions
- communicate and share openly and in a timely manner
These behaviours are being piloted in Prince Edward Island (L Division) and Nunavut (V Division). In Prince Edward Island, early lessons learned required changes in the approach and to accommodate changes, the implementation timelines have been extended. The pilot in Nunavut was launched in October.
Both pilots are expected to wrap-up in the spring of 2022 and will be followed by broader implementation of key behaviours across the organization in 2022-23 and beyond.
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