Human Resource Strategy for Alberta’s Community Rehabilitation Sector: AN ACTION PLAN FOR BUILDING PEOPLE CAPACITY

1. Human Resource Strategy for Alberta’s Community Rehabilitation Sector: AN ACTION PLAN FOR BUILDING PEOPLE CAPACITY Presented at HR Forum #2, sponsored by the Alberta Association of Rehabilitation Centres Calgary, Alberta, 1 December 2005

2. The Vision…and How to Achieve It By the year 2010, the Province of Alberta will have a well-trained and stable community rehabilitation workforce recognized as professionals providing valued service. The Human Resource Strategy is a provincial action framework that will enable us to achieve this Vision.

3. Workforce 2010 suggestions for workforce development: Building future leadership capabilities and expanding the pool to draw on. Raising the qualifications of direct service workers, who comprise over 80% of all staff. Ongoing staff education and training opportunities accessible at agency, regional, and provincial levels. The HR Strategy broadens and deepens these kinds of initiatives within a framework for coordinated action. Consultations during and after Workforce 2010 have identified many of the issues and solutions proposed in the HR Strategy. Workforce 2010 set a course for the future

4. Forum #1 perspectives on key factors that will help attract and retain qualified staff • Better wages, benefits, and job security • Professional career and credentials • Positive image and recognition • Training and development opportunities • Better recruitment processes • Improved work environments and quality of work life A comprehensive, long-range Human Resource Strategy will help agencies, and the sector province-wide, take action on these and related issues.

5. Building on momentum to achieve better results COMPLETED OR UNDERWAY: • Workforce 2010 • Fair Compensation Committee • Workforce classification system • HR Forums • HR tools (job evaluation, employer of choice self- assessment, turnover template) • Training and development • Branding and communication strategy NEXT STEPS: Human Resource Strategy implemented at the provincial, regional, and agency levels RESULTS: • Strengthened people capacity • Improved Quality of Services • Sector sustainability

6. “Within the rehabilitation field, recruitment and retention of skilled workers has been a long-standing issue. Turnover in community-based services for adults with developmental disabilities has hovered around 30% since at least 1999, primarily due to low wages, high caseloads, demanding work conditions and significant compensation discrepancies between community-based services and government operated facilities—all co-existing within the context of more attractive jobs in other industries.” Source: Nilima Sonpal-Valias, Trends, Issues and Best Practices: A Synthesis of the Labour Market Intelligence About the Rehabilitation Field in Alberta. The Vocational and Rehabilitation Research Institute, 2005: 43-44. There are major risks to the sustainability of the sector. A comprehensive, proactive HR Strategy is not optional for the sector. An HR Strategy is the best way to reduce major risks to the organizational capacity to deliver future services. It is the best way of reducing risks to individuals receiving care. Why the sector needs an HR Strategy • A long-range, comprehensive HR Strategy will: • Build future people capacity • Proactively respond to Alberta’s competitive labour market • Help ensure the sector’s sustainability • Improve service quality • Reap benefits of common solutions

7. Contributes to repositioning and strengthening the sector for the future. Employees, and HR practices, drive service quality. Advocating for individuals receiving care also means advocating for employees. Without stronger HR capacity, we can’t reposition the sector. Without this repositioning, HR problems will only worsen, threatening the viability of the sector. HR capacity is an prerequisite for meeting individuals’ needs in the future, which in turn is a key contribution to creating the kind of communities and quality of life that Albertans need and want. MAKING THE CASE: It is crucial to link the sector’s mission to the quality of its HR practices at the political level, finding champions within the provincial government’s cabinet and caucus. Point out the costs to individuals, families, and communities of NOT supporting this sector. Emphasize how Alberta’s economic boom has reduced the ability of this sector to recruit qualified workers. This is a hidden cost of prosperity. How the HR Strategy contributes to the sector’s mission

8. CURRENT REALITY: Approximately 17,000 jobs are provided in Community Rehabilitation in Alberta. Predictions of 10% annual increase, and about 3000 new staff are required annually to address growth and turnover. Workforce 2010 predicts that 2000 new staff will be needed annually. Community-based rehabilitation services have an annual turnover of 32%. Government rehabilitation services have a turnover of 10%. FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY: The HR Strategy will help the sector take a proactive, effective, and coordinated approach to averting what could be an even greater human resource crisis. The current labour market trends in the sector threaten its sustainability. The current HR approach is reactive, and this needs to shift to a more proactive and long-term focus. The HR Strategy is all about making investments in people for the future, but also taking immediate steps that will show fast results. Sustainability • GOALS: • Reduce the turnover rate in community-based rehab to 15% by 2007, and to 10% by 2010. • Calculate the costs savings of reduced turnover and build this into the budgeting process. These savings can go into staff recruitment and development.

9. The sector values dignity and respect, quality of life, developing human potential, and citizenship for individuals receiving care. The same values also must guide its human resource practices. Increased and sustained investments in supporting, developing, and engaging staff are indispensable for excellence in service delivery. The quality of life for individuals who receive care and employees’ quality of work life are closely linked. Agencies must apply the code of ethics to their people practices. The Code of Ethics: respect for the dignity of persons responsible caring integrity in relationships social responsibility best standards of practice In HR terms, these ethical principles translate into: respectful relations in workplaces caring for the whole employee, supporting work-life balance management integrity responsibility and accountability for valuing employees using best HR practices Championing the sector’s people-centred values and goals

10. Employer Branding • Link employer and sector branding, connecting contributions of employees with agencies’ contributions to individuals receiving care, and communities. • This requires a clear description of what front-line workers actually do for clients, families, and communities. • Find meaningful language for linking employees to the mission, and use this consistently and frequently in communication. • Use testimonials from employees and their clients, communicating the valuable contributions that employees make to individuals, families, and communities. • It is important, however, to convey that a goal of the sector is to provide low-profile and often invisible services that help individuals with disabilities integrate into the community. This requires a focus on citizenship, rather than specific individuals receiving services. • Enlist the support of self-advocates in communicating the brand to funders and the public.

11. FOUR PILLARS: Recruit Develop Engage Retain RATIONALE: This approach is based on leading-edge HR management practice. It strengthens and diffuses HR practices already used in the sector. It addresses the major HR challenges identified in Workforce 2010 and in HR Forum #1. It also aligns with the Alberta government’s provincial labour market development strategy, which helps to support funding requests to the government for HR initiatives. Framework for the HR Strategy

12. The continuous cycle of building people capacity These linked HR activities build and maintain the people capacity that agencies need to achieve their mission. Sector’s mission

13. HR Strategy guiding principles • The Human Resource Strategy (HRS) is an opportunity to revitalize the sector for the 21st century, building on leading HR practices already in use within the sector and on the momentum created by Workforce 2010. • The HRS contributes to a redesigned service delivery system and redefined relations with individuals who receive care and with other stakeholders. • The HRS enables a refocused mission on a core of person-centred services, with stronger links to families and communities. • Changes in the sector’s service delivery model are needed in order to leverage new investments in staff development. • The HRS is a framework that facilitates coordinated actions at the provincial and regional levels, also providing the flexibility agencies require to take innovative steps that meet their particular HR needs and fit their local contexts. • Cooperation at the provincial and regional levels and follow-through on HR actions at the local level requires a strong commitment from agency Boards and Executives. • The HRS also is an opportunity to strengthen governance within the sector, giving the AARC a lead role in workforce renewal and calling on regional and agency boards and agency executives to advocate for new investments in the sector’s human resources. • The HRS promotes continuous learning and improvement when it comes to people practices, which directly supports continuous improvement in client service quality. • The HRS is closely linked to improved internal and external communication, which needs to provide clear and consistent messages about how the sector values people—individuals receiving care and employees—and strengthens communities.

14. Dissatisfiers Low pay Perceived inequities in pay Lack of benefits No where to grow and go Satisfiers and Motivators Decent wages and benefits Good quality of work life Feel valued and respected Opportunities for learning and development Challenging work that gives a sense of pride and accomplishment A total rewards approach HR practices must tip the balance away from dissatisfiers toward satisfiers and motivators.

15. Creating higher-quality work environments THE APPROACH: • Address the underlying causes of turnover, stress, burnout, low morale, and lack of commitment by focusing on the work environment. • Wages and benefits are dissatisfiers. Focusing on these alone will not increase employee satisfaction and engagement to the levels needed. • Other aspects of jobs and the work environment provide intrinsic rewards that contribute to satisfaction, engagement, and retention.

16. A HIGH-QUALITY WORK ENVIRONMENT VISION: Challenging but not overworked Trust, respect, and fairness Mutual commitment Adequate job resources Job autonomy and decision input Learning and development opportunities Support for wellness and work-life balance Effective supervision Open communication Recognition for contributions ACTIONS: Make this the Vision of an exemplary workplace in the community rehabilitation sector. This defines an ‘employer of choice,’ which is an outcome of effective HR policies and practices. Focus on positive HR goals, such as improving the quality of work life for staff. A vision and actions to improve work environments and the quality of work life

17. A client-service case for improved total compensation • The Fair Compensation Committee (FCC) needs to take a more aggressive approach, developing a political action strategy that builds support for increased funding at the governance levels. • Emphasize that previous funding increases have barely kept up with population growth and have not gone into wages and benefits. The sector has spent years struggling to ‘do more with less,’ which is not sustainable. • The sector needs champions and advocates among community leaders, MLAs, and the provincial cabinet. • Sequence this to leverage other work the sector is doing to reposition, rebrand, and strengthen HR. Demonstrate a commitment to improving HR practices and outcomes, by taking decisive actions in this direction that yield early successes. • This is a carefully thought-out strategy that will ensure the long-term viability of the sector. Use wage comparisons within Alberta and benchmarks for similar jobs in other provinces. • Given the low level of education and qualifications of many front-line staff, link overall wage increases to increases in training and development, which ultimately benefits clients and communities. • Seek advice from political supporters on how best to position the request for increased compensation. • Link this with the sector’s communication strategy, but it must be more than a communication strategy. • Learn from what has worked in other jurisdictions. • The next step is obtaining adequate resources for the FCC so it can succeed. • The most compelling arguments for increased compensation revolve around individual services and sector sustainability—not fairness. The name of the committee will change to reflect this strategic focus, emphasizing that the future of the sector depends on providing competitive compensation.

18. 2006 Goals: Obtain a clear mandate from agencies to develop a total compensation model that includes pay scales, shift premiums, incentives for educational upgrading, career progression, benefits and support for education and training. Define industry comparators and benchmark wages for new job classifications and benefits. Identify biggest gaps, developing targets and timelines for increasing the entire pay grid, with greater proportional increases in front-line positions. For example, 2010 target could be entry-level pay set at 85% of provincially-operated agency average. Targets will set higher floors, with individual agencies encouraged to exceed these minimums. Document cost savings and expected improvements in operational and client-service outcomes from making these investments. Create a funding request to provincial funders and build political support for this. Develop a communication plan for employees and external stakeholders that supports long-range compensation goals, positioning this as vital for client services and sector sustainability. 2007-10 Goals: Secure additional base-budget funding for compensation, integrating this into a new funding model. This could be the first piece of a new funding model. Better align staffing and funding models, consistent with HR Strategy goals. Implement improvements to wages and benefits sequenced over four years, so that by 2010 a new system is full in place. Review the role of the Fair Compensation Committee, considering how to hand off responsibility for rolling out the new compensation system to AARC through the new provincial HR Council, and agency boards and executives. Fair Compensation Committee

19. The Professionalization Process Strive for greater professionalism within the sector: • Professionalism refers to the attitudes employees have toward their clients, the services they provide, and their careers. Professionalism needs to be reinforced by the culture of each agency. • Professionals have work environments that support the attainment of excellent professional practice outcomes. • Professionals view their work as a calling and a career, not as a ‘job.’ • Professionals are valued and respected by their employers, clients, and the public. • Professionals provide tangible outcomes for clients, using recognized skills based on educational qualifications, certification, and experience.

20. Professionalization Goals Professionalization goals for 2006-07: • Develop high levels of education and skills, be accountable through ethical practices and client outcomes, and commit to client service. • Meet independently and rigorously assessed qualifications and outcomes. • Raise the minimum educational requirements, setting standards for ongoing training and development, providing career paths and opportunities. • Professionalization should not detract from or diminish the contributions of existing front-line staff. The emphasis should be constructive and positive, focusing on continuous improvement and capacity building for the sector and personal development for the individual. • The short-term focus of professionalization must be on raising educational levels and skills for front-line staff and on leadership development—neither of which require a professional association to succeed. • Membership in professional associations is voluntary, unless the association is legally mandated for certification (as in self-governing professions such as law, medicine, nursing, and teaching). This latter model is not appropriate for the community rehabilitation sector. • AARC and the new Human Resource Council will promote opportunities and activities that reach out to all employees—in short, that are inclusive. Professionalization goals for 2008-10: • Investigate creating a voluntary professional association that provides ongoing professional and leadership development, which could feed into a new certification model for front-line workers. This association would need to have strong partnerships with post-secondary institutions. A professional association is only one mechanism for facilitating the professionalization process, and does not in itself create a ‘profession.’ • Collaborate with post-secondary partners to identify the most suitable qualifications for workers in this sector. • Build stronger alliances with related fields, such as social services, child care and education.

21. Human Resource Council: Mandate • Develop sector capacity at the provincial, regional, and agency levels to proactively address human resource challenges. • Provide expertise and leadership on HR practices and strategy. • Promote high standards of people practices, integrating these standards over time into accreditation. • Develop the position of HR Consultant for the sector and recruit for that position. • Document and disseminate exemplary people practices. • Track and report relevant labour market trends. • Launch an HR Best Practices Network to share knowledge, lessons, and experiences. Create an HR page on the AARC website for this Network and other HR information and resources. • Coordinate sector-wide employer branding and recruitment initiatives. • Further develop partnerships with post-secondary institutions for continuing education and professionalization. • Develop, disseminate, and support the use of HR tools. • Work with agencies to help close IT skill and equipment gaps, with the medium-term goal of providing all staff access to web-based resources. • Launch a quarterly provincial newsletter, available on the AARC website and in hard copy, which showcases the sector’s employees and their contributions, and features best people practices across the sector. The goal is to document the positive outcomes of valuing employees.

22. Human Resource Council: Governance • The HRC reports to the AARC. • Council membership is comprised of one representative from each region, two ‘young leaders,’ an AARC representative (new senior administrator), provincial funder representative, and post-secondary education representative. Members will be selected based on relevant experience and a passionate commitment to improving the HR capacity of the sector. This is an opportunity to build stronger relations with partners. • Four in-person meetings will be held annually, with virtual meetings as needed. • Major initiatives will be pursued through HRC Committees, which are an opportunity to involve other individuals and agencies. The Fair Compensation Committee will report through the HRC. • AARC will provide administrative support for the Council. • AARC will seek provincial government funding, or foundation funding, for the activities of the HRC. • Quick Response Team HR-related activities will be rolled into the work of the HRC.

23. Employee Communication: A Major Gap • Workforce 2010 surveyed service providers, with 76 agencies responding. This was used to create a profile of the workforce. • However, the perspectives and experiences of the workers themselves is needed. • This is a necessary building block for a long-range HRS and is a way of tracking progress. • A successful HRS at the agency level requires ongoing employee input and feedback. • It is essential to develop multiple formal and informal channels for communication, and employee surveys are a powerful tool in this regard.

24. Actions to document employees’ perspectives and needs • AARC will develop and administer a survey that agencies can voluntarily use for their staff and that assesses QWL, training and development needs and activities, employee engagement, workplace relations, among other issues related to recruitment, retention, development, and engagement of staff. • An employee survey template that agencies can adapt will be used. This includes a standard methodology, core questions that can be used as key performance indicators for accreditation, reporting templates, guidelines for follow-up actions, and accountability to funders. Agencies can add their own indicators, within limits. Pooling resources will reduce unit costs and provide sector benchmarks and trends. • Ideally, this survey will be conducted annually. However, there will be a 24-month period between the first two surveys to enable agencies to get a system in place. • Examples of what this survey could measure include the quality of the work environment, opportunities for training and professional development, supportive supervision, co-worker relations, work-life balance, communication, workload, stress, safety, engagement, satisfaction, and pride.

25. The need for HR performance measures • Need performance measures for people investments. • These must be process and outcome based. • These measures will tell managers that these investments are paying off, can be reported to funders, and can be built into accreditation standards. • These accountability measures can be part of an agency’s commitment to employees and used in employer branding.

26. Examples of HR Performance Measures • Voluntary turnover, excluding retirements. • Qualified job applicants for each vacancy. • Incidence of training and number of training hours per employee. • Evaluations of quality and usefulness of training. • Absenteeism. • Key indicators from employee surveys. • Percent of employees who upgraded their educational credentials in the past year. • Percent of employees who received a performance appraisal from their supervisor in the past year. • Participation in and satisfaction with employee health promotion or wellness programs. • Recognition and awards given to employees. • Participation in leadership development and evaluations of quality and relevance of these programs.

27. Strengthening the Front-line Service Providers THE CHALLENGE: • 80% of employees are Community Support Workers (CSW), the front-line client service providers. • It is at this level that recruitment problems are greatest, turnover highest, and skills and educational levels most in need of upgrading. ACTIONS: • Expand and diversify sources of recruitment. For example, tap into older and experienced workers, persons with disabilities, and males. • Track these workforce characteristics and set realistic targets annually. Document and disseminate best practices. • Support educational upgrading (high school completion, enrolment in sector-relevant post-secondary programs) by subsidizing tuition. • Accommodate the needs of diverse groups in the delivery of education and training programs. One size won’t fit all. • With the help of the HR Council, design a smooth transition process from the old job classifications to the new system developed by Workforce 2010. • Create more opportunities for career mobility. As workers acquire post-secondary credentials, move them into the Community Support Practitioner (CSP) position. Also add several levels to CSP and CSW positions. • By 2010, aim to have more than 50% of workers in CSP positions. • As further incentive and support for career development, create three levels (based on a combination of responsibility, experience, and credentials) with corresponding pay increases.

28. Leadership Development • Leadership development is a key component of succession planning. About 10% of the sector’s workforce is over 55 years of age, and 19% are between 46 and 55. • Create a provincial leadership development training program, a more efficient way to pool resources and raise the bar for this dimension of human capital development. Regional trainers will be used, providing experienced staff with a career development opportunity. • Identify best practices in the sector internationally, and emulate them, striving for ‘world class’ standards in leadership development. • Base this on clearly defined and strategically aligned core competencies that are needed to lead agencies, and the sector, into the future. This is leadership development for the 21st century. • Communicate to all stakeholders, including front-line employees, a commitment to leadership development. • Take an inclusive approach to leadership: there needs to be “1001 leaders” in the sector, and this will be supported as broadly as possible. • This initiative also contributes to retention of current ‘young leaders,’ and can be implemented prior to what likely will be a longer and more gradual improvement in salary levels.

29. Funding for Leadership Development • Leadership development could be an attractive investment for the corporate sector. • It fits leading corporations’ commitment to training and leadership and is clearly linked to community needs. • It meets corporate social responsibility goals. • It shows innovation and initiative on the part of the community rehab sector. • There is growing recognition in Alberta for the need for cooperation and partnerships to address labour market development needs, so the timing is good for pitching a corporate funding request. • Government may be prepared to co-fund this sort of initiative.

30. Developing organizational capacity must actively involve the Boards • Board members are a vital component of the sector’s human resources. • Develop the organizational capabilities of service-provider Boards to lead changes required to meet a more complex and broader mandate, including HR. • Increase the level of awareness and understanding of Provincial PDD and Regional Board members about HR challenges and changes.

31. Actions to strengthen Boards’ contributions to HR goals ACTIONS: • Develop a communication strategy for Board members so they understand and support the HR Strategy and can contribute to its success at the local level. • Strengthen links between boards, partners, and funders. • Identify the training required to strengthen this role. • Strengthen networking and information sharing across Boards to generate shared learning on HR issues.

32. Integrating HR within Accreditation • Include HR practices, the quality of work life and professional development as accreditation standards • Support agencies that take initiative and show leadership in people practices through annual awards and other forms of recognition. See CCHSA accreditation process for a more rigorous approach and how QWL is evolving. • The way to approach this is to strengthen the HR component of the Organizational Framework standards for Creating Excellence Together (CET) certification standards and combined CET/SFQ accreditation standards. • Now, the four standards (37-40) are vague. Expectations and criteria must be made explicit, supported by examples of best practices. • Set this up as a pilot in several organizations in 2006—as was done for the Leading Excellence Together standards pilot—evaluate and refine, then roll it out over the 2007-2010 period. • Strive to bring 75% of agencies under this accreditation umbrella by 2010. • Integrating a robust HR component into accreditation could go some distance to enhancing funding for workforce initiatives.

33. Measures for continuous improvement and accountability • Any new HR initiative must have measurable goals and clear timelines. • Evaluation and measurement will be a funding criteria, with accountabilities for who is responsible for acting on this information. • Key HR performance indicators will be developed and built into annual reports, funding requests, and stakeholder communication. • Goals and timetables will be set for including HR goals into agencies’ performance management systems for managers and executives. • Build awareness and address skill gaps at board, executive, and management levels in areas of organizational performance evaluation and continuous improvement. • This will be part of the new service delivery model, linking HR performance indicators to organizational outcomes.

34. Implementing the HR Strategy is a shared responsibility

35. Community Partnerships • Put out the challenge to Chambers of Commerce to help find jobs for persons with disabilities, modeling in the agency how these individuals can contribute to workplaces. • Pursue 50/50 government and private sector funding for those initiatives that are most saleable to business’s sense of social responsibility. The leadership development is ideal in this regard, and expertise may be gained from a leading corporate sponsor in addition to funding. • Continue to develop and strengthen relationships with post-secondary institutions that offer diploma and degree programs in community rehabilitation. Aim to offer complete diploma programs in community rehabilitation, disability studies, or human services through eCampusAlberta. Encourage a learning culture within the sector by supporting educational upgrading in any related discipline. • Build alliances with related professions such as education and social work. Explore the possibility of sub-specialties in these areas rather than competing with these professions for workers.

36. Steps for developing agency HR Action Plans • Use the HR Strategy as a framework, adapting it to local needs. • Communicate the agency’s commitment to developing and implementing an HR Action Plan to staff and stakeholders, the timetable for doing this, and their roles in the process. • Use the HR Strategy to assess current HR practices and plans, building on strengths and addressing gaps. • Identify three or four HR priority actions, link these to the mission, and integrate them into the business plans for 2005-06 to 2009-10. • Assign responsibility for coordinating agency actions with regional and provincial HR initiatives. • Engage Board and staff members in pieces of the action plan, ensuring that everyone understands the ‘big picture’—why the plan is needed, what needs to happen for it to succeed, and how it contributes to the mission.

37. Aligning workforce skills, service delivery, and client needs within agencies • How can workers be supported to provide better services? • How can the service delivery model anticipate and meet changing client needs, which are expected to become more complex? What reorganization is required to achieve this goal? • What new competencies will front-line workers and managers require in order to provide more efficient and value-added services? • How can funders reduce the administrative burden on agencies in order to free up time to implement HR changes? • Can additional tasks be carried out by volunteers? Who will train and supervise these volunteers? • How can agencies involve more high school and college students into service delivery, or internal support roles (e.g., IT, HR, research) through co-op placements, summer jobs, practicums, job shadowing, and research partnerships? • How will the above initiatives be linked to the rebranding and communication strategy? • It is important to emphasize that the sector can make a significant contribution to developing community service values, citizenship, respect for diversity, human relations, and more. The following questions need to be answered by agencies and their funders:

38. Who Does What? — A Coordinated Action Planning Checklist

39. Highlights of HR Strategy Implementation Timelines JAN 2006 Q1-2 2006 Q 3-4 2006 Q1-2 2007 Q3-4 2007 Q1-2 2008 Q3-4 2008 Q1-2 2009 Q3-4 2009 Q1-2 2010 Q3-4 2010 DEC 2010 HRS launch - HR Council - HR web page - Best practices dissemination - Branding and communication - Redesign funding/delivery model 2010 VISION ACHIEVED! - Leadership development - Post-secondary opportunities - Expanded and strengthened partnerships - Professionalization