Corporate Climate and Culture Employee Survey

Final Report

Prepared for Canada Revenue Agency

Prepared by: Career Joy

Contract Number: 2021000484

Contracted Value: $17,628.00

Award Date: July 14, 2020

Delivery Date: March 2021

Registration Number: N/A

For more information, please contact: media.relations@cra-arc.gc.ca.

Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français

Corporate Climate and Culture Employee Survey

Final Report

Prepared for: Canada Revenue Agency

Supplier Name: Career Joy

March 2021

This report presents the results for the Corporate Climate and Culture Employee quantitative study conducted by Career Joy, on behalf of the Canada Revenue Agency. The quantitative study was conducted by an online survey with employees in the Canada Revenue Agency’s Scientific Research & Experimental Development Directorate. The survey was administered February 17 – 26, 2021.

Cette publication est aussi disponible en français sous le titre:
Sondage auprès des employés sur le climat et la culture d’entreprise

This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes only. Prior written permission must be obtained from Canada Revenue Agency. For more information on this report, please contact Canada Revenue Agency at: media.relations@cra-arc.gc.ca or at:

101 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K2
Canada

Catalogue Number: Rv4-148/1-2021E-PDF

International Standard Book Number (ISBN): 978-0-660-38670-6

Related publications:
Catalogue Number: Rv4-148/1-2021F-PDF (Final Report, French)
ISBN: 978-0-660-38674-4

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of the Canada Revenue Agency, 2021

Executive Summary

CareerJoy
Contract Number: 2021000484
Contract Award Date: July 14, 2020
Contracted Cost: $17,628.00

Background and Research Objectives

In 2019, the SR&ED Program had undertaken significant work and consultation to better understand the needs of claimants. In response, the SR&ED Program Strategy 2020-2023 was developed to outline a claimant-first vision and strategic priorities for the next three years (i.e., Clear Eligibility, Service by Design, Efficient Operations). The present circumstances (Covid-19 crisis) have reinforced the need for the type of service-based transformation contemplated by the Program Strategy. More specifically, the next 6 to 12 months provide a unique opportunity to accelerate the implementation of key strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing business confidence in submitting claims for eligible work and improving claimants’ overall experience with the program. In turn, this will encourage businesses to undertake more SR&ED, contribute to technological innovation and build economic resiliency.

In February 2021, the Scientific Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED) Directorate conducted an online staff engagement survey, through CareerJoy, in which 302 employees (45% of staff) responded to a series of questions – designed and directed with input from the Program Transformation Office (PTO), the SR&ED Senior Management Committee and CRA’s Public Affairs Branch (PAB).

The objectives of the research were to support the CRA’s Service Transformation Strategy in the SR&ED Directorate by:

• Gathering information around employees' understanding and reaction of the Program’s vision, as it has been communicated so far. The survey will provide a gaps analysis so that SR&ED can plan for necessary training, communications to help with change management. It will also look briefly at underlying themes around the efficiencies and work-from-home sentiments.
• Capturing the current state of mind of employees – 6 months into Covid-19 era
• Testing employees’ resilience to change and/or appetite for change
• Gathering feedback regarding their knowledge of the SR&ED Program Strategy 2020-2023
• Identifying other themes that may evolve through consultation with SR&ED
• Support to Change Management Strategy based on the survey’s feedback

The report that follows presents all results, as received, anonymous and privately, in a series of categories, as discussed and approved in advance. These categories breakdown the results into manageable segments for review and provide a picture of employee sentiment around different themes. A note about reporting methodology: staff were given a choice of five responses - Strongly agree, Somewhat agree, Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat disagree, Strongly disagree. In addition, they were encouraged to share open-ended response feedback which has been summarized into key themes.

Research Methodology

The target audience for the survey were employees of the SR&ED Directorate of the CRA. An email invitation containing a link to participate in the online survey was sent by CRA to all employees with 302 completed responses. This results in a response rate of 45%. Fieldwork was conducted from February 17-26, 2021.

The online survey was programmed by CareerJoy in both English and French, using Simple Survey. The survey was tested to ensure question order and skip patterns were properly programmed.

One reminder email was sent from SR&ED PTO general mailbox on February 24, 2021.

No weighting was applied to the data and the dataset was cleaned of incomplete responses that provided no useful inormation.

Additional details on research methodology can be found under Appendix B of the full report.

Key Findings

Category 1 - National Discussion Forum Feedback

In brief, the forum format was deemed to be an effective method for sharing information and engaging with the employees. The topics were relevant, employees took advantage of opportunities to pose questions and generally believed it was a format they would like to see repeated. Suggestions for improvement, such as adding more question formats (anonymous, advanced, etc.) were made.

Category 2 - Understanding the Three Priorities

Based on the results, there is a strong degree of understanding of the three individual priorities, and respondents recognize the need for change. Roadblocks to the implementation were gathered and included areas such as needing more clarity around policy, technology, training and addressing the gap between HQ and regions in terms of information flow.

Category 3 - Implementing the Three Priorities

In terms of implementation, the vast majority of respondents believe the three strategic priorities will support the overall service transformation underway at CRA. While there are areas that will need to be addressed (similar to the roadblock noted above), suggestions were offered around specific training initiatives that could be undertaken.

Category 4 - Communications

Communication issues were identified throughout, with the majority focusing around gaps between regions, and hierarchical levels. A snapshot of tools revealed email and managers were the two vehicles most relied upon for gathering information on the transformation initiatives.

Statement of Political Neutrality

Political Neutrality Statement

I hereby certify as Director of Government Solutions of CareerJoy (legal name 1101417 Ontario Inc.) that the deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada and Procedures for Planning and Contracting Public Opinion Research.

Specifically, the deliverables do not include information on electoral voting intentions, political party preferences, standings with the electorate, or ratings of the performance of a political party or its leaders.

Signed
Erin Patchell
Director of Government Solutions
CareerJoy

Detailed Findings

Category 1: National Discussion Forum Feedback

The National Discussion Forum was delivered to SR&ED and FMTC as an opportunity to educate staff regarding the three Strategic Priorities: Clear Eligibility, Service By Design and Efficient Operations. The Forum also allowed Senior Management and PTO to solicit feedback in order to inform change management plans and understand which tools and learning priorities are most important for SR&ED and FMTC staff in order to change the way they work to support these priorities.

The purpose of the first series of questions was to gather specific feedback about the recent (2020) National Discussion Forums. This feedback is intended to be used to inform future events.

Though not everyone who completed the survey (34.6%) attended one of the ‘National Forum’ events, they were all informed via email of the planned changes around the introduction of the Strategic Priorities. This meant that respondents were answering the questions from an informed point of view.

Of the 302 responses, approximately two-thirds attended one of the feedback forums provided to inform employees of the planned changes, and to solicit input from employees.

Based on the responses from question 1.1, the majority of respondents felt there was adequate time at the events (53.65% responded with 4s and 5s), and the majority of respondents of question 1.2 saw a direct connection between the information shared about the Strategic Priorities and their particular role (67% responded with 4s and 5s).

However, there is still more work to be done in this area. This starts to become evident in the results around the forum providing the information they ‘hoped’ to receive and is clarified in the open-ended remarks provided in this area.

Additionally, from a format perspective, how questions are handled in future should be re-examined. Since part of the objective during the session was to allow for interaction, it should be noted that in question 1.4, almost 20% reported feeling uncomfortable asking questions. Almost the same percentage (20%) felt the questions posed were not sufficiently addressed.

From the open-ended responses, and the responses about the format of questions, it appears that two things are important to employees. First, there is a desire to protect individual identity - with respondents preferring to submit questions anonymously. Second, employees would prefer more time to consider questions in advance and submit for response at the forum. These two things in combination could improve the perception that leadership is open and transparent around the roll-out of the priorities. In addition to using Slido, chat was noted as a preferred method for participants to ask questions.

I attended a National Discussion Forum in 2020

1.1 I felt there was enough time to cover the material that was presented.

1.2 I believe the topics discussed were relevant to my work.

1.3 I believe the Forum provided the information I hoped to receive.

1.4 I was comfortable asking questions.

1.5 I believe the questions that were asked were sufficiently addressed.

1.6 At future events, I would prefer to:

Category 2: Understanding the Three Priorities

The purpose of this category was to determine the respondents’ level of awareness and understanding of the three priorities, Clear Eligibility, Service by Design, and Efficient Operations (via email and the National Forum events) and the impacts they will have on both their work and the overall organizational goals.

In all cases, the majority of respondents reported to understand each of the three priorities - with 1 in 4 respondents providing a rating at the highest level (5 - to a strong degree) in response. At first glance, questions 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 show a favourable reaction, however, these should be read in conjunction with the open-ended replies, which outline the areas that may still need to be addressed. Similar to the results in Category 1, there is work to be done to fully explain the rationale for the changes with 1 in 5 indicating a weak understanding (response of 1s and 2s) at this point in time.

Interestingly, questions 2.5, 2.8, 2.9 around “change” revealed that most employees see the need for changes presented, are willing to change the way they work, and know they have an important role to play in implementation.

Importantly, respondents believe that management is committed to these changes. More in this area will be revealed in Category 3. Similarly, communication issues emerging in question 2.7 will be addressed in conjunction with results in Category 4.

Two open-ended questions in this section are summarized by themes below.

2.1 I understand the strategic priority: Clear Eligibility.

2.2 I understand the strategic priority: Service By Design.

2.3 I understand the strategic priority: Efficient Operations.

2.4 I see the need for the changes associated with the three strategic priorities: Clear Eligibility, Service by Design, and Efficient Operations

2.5 I believe management (at all levels) is committed to SR&ED's and Film and Media Tax Credit (FMTC) program transformation.

2.6 I feel that the rationale behind the three strategic priorities was clearly explained to me. Priorities: Clear Eligibility, Service by Design, and Efficient Operations.

2.7 I believe communication in the SR&ED and FMTC Programs is open and transparent.

2.8 I have an important role to play in achieving the strategic priorities.

2.9 Based on my understanding of the three strategic priorities, I am open to making changes to the way I work.

2.10 What is one thing you believe could be a roadblock to achieving the three strategic priorities?

7 major themes emerged from the open-ended question include the following:

1. The most noted roadblock of particular concern can be summarized as “lack of clarity around the policy (policy is vague).” This was mentioned most often in the responses, sometimes coupled with lack of clear direction and mixed messaging. There appears to be some concern about consistency and applying “clear” eligibility, in particular.
2. Management distance and difference between the regions and headquarters was also noted as one of the top themes. Many respondents mentioned resistance, tension, a feeling of HQ being ‘out of touch’ with the reality of program delivery as a top barrier.
3. Training regarding the three strategic priorities, particularly “clear eligibility” was noted as a concern, with mention of previous sessions providing conflicting or confusing direction.
4. There was concern about changing or conflicting priorities at the most senior levels/government level that could prevent the implementation.
5. Resources - specifically human resources - were noted as a potential roadblock, with teams feeling under-resourced, lacking adequate staff complements to implement effectively.
6. Some attitudinal barriers were identified, including the willingness (or lack thereof) to actually put clients’ needs first, low trust in those implementing, lack of ‘buy-in’ or willingness to change, and low trust in management.
7. Technology infrastructure barriers were also identified in this section, as well as other parts of the survey, particularly around use of telephones, cell phones, email, other tools needed to implement etc.

2.11 Considering the current telework environment, are there specific tools, information or training you would like, to help you in your role to deliver on the three priorities?

Responses to this question included the following, grouped by themes.

1. Secure, approved technology - with telephone technology mentioned most frequently with suggestions for landlines (telephone) and cellphones. Email was also noted as an issue (something claimants would like to use).
2. Secure platform for client meetings (given Protected B environment).
3. More specificity around the guidelines for the policy.

Training topics that emerged include the following:

• Eligibility criteria, consistency, application
• Conducting remote reviews - techniques, guidelines
• Guidelines for exchanging electronic financial info to-from claimants
• MS Teams, WebEx training
• Onboarding & training regarding Integras
• Format-wise, respondents mentioned more scenario-based training, case studies
• Soft-skill training

Category 3: Implementing the Strategic Priorities

This category unpacked areas related to considerations around implementing the strategic priorities, including the alignment to vision, and views around leadership’s role

The vast majority of respondents believe the three strategic priorities will support the overall service transformation underway at CRA. Moreover, based on the responses to questions 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4, there is evidence that employees believe the leadership can be trusted to lead the organization through the changes needed. The level of trust noted across the various levels of management is not notably different and should be read as similar across the employees surveyed.

Importantly, and key to the implementation, approximately 45% of respondents believe the three strategic priorities will help shift the SR&ED and FMTC Programs’ focus to delivering service to claimants, not just evaluating claims. Another 30% provided a neutral response (and the open-ended remarks bring greater clarity in this area.

Improving service standards and speed are of key concern to respondents. It is interesting to note in the open-ended questions in this section that similar themes emerged from the roadblocks. This information can be helpful in guiding next steps pertaining to action plans and areas of focus for future investigation, training opportunities and follow up. The summary of themes emerging in each open-ended question is shown below.

3.1 I believe the three strategic priorities position the SR&ED and FMTC Programs to support the CRA’s service transformation.

3.2 I trust the Director General and Directors to lead the organization to future success.

3.3 As a regional employee, I trust our Regional Management Team to lead the organization to future success.

3.4 As an employee at HQ, I trust our Managers (MG-06) to lead the organization to future success.

3.5 I trust that employees will receive support when required during the implementation process of the strategic priorities.

3.6 I believe the three strategic priorities will help shift the SR&ED and FMTC Programs’ focus to delivering service to claimants, not just evaluating claims.

3.7 The SR&ED and FMTC Programs are improving their service delivery to operate at a speed that is more in line with what businesses expect. What is one thing that can help the programs improve their service standard?

Improving service standards is a common concern across the respondents, and several key themes arose that are similar to other areas of feedback. They include the following.

1. Improving communication tools, (cited most often email, cellphone, secure video conference tools) were mentioned most often in response to addressing service standards.
2. Internal resource issues were mentioned including such things as balancing unreasonable workloads, assigning priorities, and delegating more autonomy around decision making.
3. The ‘reporting burden’ was noted as a key theme - with respondents commenting on this requirement as a key barrier to the service delivery.
4. A service standard review was suggested, which could encompass an examination of the timeframes (mentioned innumerable times), and documentation processes. The key concern was around consistency in application and rollout.
5. In terms of direct changes impacting claimants, it was noted that there could be improved digital tools, online portals, and improved efforts to solicit more supporting information to speed up the process.
6. In many instances, the speed issue was noted to be connected to better collaboration between the regions and HQ (also noted in an earlier section), and several comments around micromanagement from leadership.

3.8 We recognize that the SR&ED Program needs to adapt to the current needs and expectations of claimants, and the evolving global R&D environment. What concerns or excites you most about this?

Concerns raised included the following:

• Relaxing requirements or perception of loosening eligibility criteria
• Devaluing the skills of RTA’s
• Management are not all aligned “on same page”
• Compliance will suffer
• Too much control will be in the hands of the claimant/preparers
• Overall integrity of the SR&ED program

Areas that excite include the following:

• Needed change
• Adopting Lean processes
• Modernization of software
• Focus on innovation without the ‘floodgates’ being opened
• Engaging with claimants with a partnership mentality

Category 4: Additional Feedback

The final category was designed to elicit feedback on ‘communications’ (both general sentiment and specific tool usage) around the transformation initiative. Question 2 provides a snapshot of tool usage, with email and direct communication from managers cited as the most used method of finding information.

One open-ended question was posed. A summary of key themes is below.

4.1 Open communication between Headquarters and the regions is important. What one thing would you suggest to help improve this effort?

Respondents raised the issue of disconnect between HQ and regions repeatedly, noting the gap is widening, and is obvious. Concerns were raised that it will impact the consistency of program rollout.

This is exacerbated by the feeling that HQ messaging is not coming directly to teams but is being channeled down through several “chains of command”. In some instances, this has created a sense HQ is inaccessible with several respondents noting that even if needed, communication with HQ was discouraged, at best, and avoided, at worst.

Suggestions to improve communications included the following.

• Flatten communications and allow HQ messaging to flow directly to all employees simultaneously, thereby reducing inefficiencies, mixed messaging and confusion
• Publish or design a ‘who does what’ directory
• Addressing frequency of communication (monthly, quarterly) for major updates
• Venues for communication were noted with respondents suggesting more National Forums, perhaps with smaller groups, and tailored conversations (ie. dialogue sessions)
• Additional surveys

4.2 Which sources do you consult for information about the SR&ED and FMTC Programs’ transformation initiative?

Respondent profile

1. Regardless of where you are physically located, which region do you report to?

2. Years of Service in the SR&ED and/or FMTC Program.

3. Are you in a management position (any level)?

4. Please select your Team.

5. What is your role/classification?

Appendices

Appendix A: Email Announcement to SR&ED & FMTC Staff

Please forward this e-mail to all employees

Dear colleagues,

We appreciate you making time to complete this feedback form pertaining to the SR&ED and FMTC Programs’ strategic priorities. The responses will be compiled independently from the Canada Revenue Agency by a third-party survey company. All feedback will remain confidential and anonymous. The SR&ED Directorate has taken every reasonable measure to ensure no individual responses will be traceable to any one person. Results will be tabulated and shared in aggregate.

The feedback form is expected to take 10 - 15 minutes to complete. Activity code 057 should be used to record the time you spend completing the survey. If you are unable to complete the form in one session, you may "SAVE" your progress.

The feedback form will be open for ten days - from today, February 17th 2021 to February 26th 2021.

Link to the feedback form --->https://questionnaire.simplesurvey.com/f/l/CRA2021

We encourage you to express your honest opinions. If you have any further questions, please review the Frequently Asked Questions document attached. You may also contact Heather Filiatrault (heather.filiatrault@cra-arc.gc.ca).

All information collected by the Agency is protected under the Privacy Act. CareerJoy is a third-party vendor under contract, with permission to collect and compile this feedback. All information collected will reside in Canada.

Thank you for being an important part of this effort!

Jean-François Goubet, MBA

Manager – Program transformation Office – Scientific Research and Experimental Development Directorate
Compliance Programs Branch - Canada Revenue Agency / Government of Canada
jean-francois.goubet2@cra-arc.gc.ca / Cell: 343-548-6192

Appendix B: Survey Methodology and Requirements

CareerJoy certifies that this employee survey complies with Standards for the Conduct of Government of Canada Public Opinion Research – Telephone and Online Surveys.

Research Methodology

The target audience for the survey were employees of the SR&ED Directorate of the CRA. An email invitation containing a link to participate in the online survey was sent by CRA to all employees with 296 completed responses. This results in a response rate of 44.1%. Fieldwork was conducted from February 17-26, 2021.

The online survey was programmed by CareerJoy in both English and French, using Simple Survey. The survey was tested to ensure question order and skip patterns were properly programmed.

One reminder email was sent from SR&ED PTO general mailbox on February 24, 2021.

No weighting was applied to the data and the dataset was cleaned of responses that only included a demographic response and no response to survey questions.

1. CareerJoy worked together with the Program Transformation Office (PTO) in order to understand the scope of work, goals for the project and security & data protection requirements and submitted a project outline for approval.
2. CareerJoy developed a set of customized demographic questions and survey questions based on the identified goals, which went through several iterations of feedback and revisions before receiving final approval from SR&ED senior management.
3. CareerJoy developed a communications plan in order to confirm confidentiality and build engagement with the diverse population of survey respondents:
   Why? → The purpose of the survey.
   • Why CRA is doing this survey?
   • How the responses will be used?
   • What solid steps will be taken after the survey?
   
   How? → The survey process. Clearly communicate:
   • A 3rd party organization is managing the survey
   • Confidentiality is a key priority. Individual responses are absolutely confidential. The results will be shown in aggregate reports only
   
   When? → The key deadlines. Clearly communicate
   • The survey timeline
   • How their participation is very important, and how their feedback is key to achieve the organization's goal
   • There will be reminder emails to increase the participation


4. CareerJoy programmed and tested the software tool and provided access to PTO to live-test and confirm all requirements were satisfied
5. CareerJoy informed respondents of their rights under the Privacy Act, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and Access to Information Act and ensured that those rights are protected throughout the research process. This includes: informing respondents of the purpose of the research; identifying the sponsoring department/agency or Government of Canada as a whole; that their participation is voluntary, and that the information provided will be administered according to the requirements of the Privacy Act, the Access to Information Act, and any other pertinent legislation.
6. The survey was deployed by PTO on Tuesday February 17, 2021 and closed on Friday February 26, 2021 at 11:59 pm.

Use of Third Parties and Location of Data

“CareerJoy”, a third party, was contracted by the CRA to administer the survey on its behalf. CareerJoy selected“Simple Survey” as the online survey tool of choice in delivering this survey. All information and data gathered will remain in Canada. To find out more about the privacy practices associated with the tool, refer to: https://simplesurvey.com/canadian-hosted-survey-software/

Maintaining Respondent Confidentiality

CareerJoy protects the anonymity and confidentiality of respondents in a number of ways:

• Using a generic survey link was decided as the best approach to ensure anonymity and confidentiality regarding respondent feedback
• If there are fewer than 5 respondents in a specific demographic (e.g. location, department, etc.) then the results are not broken down and displayed for that specific group
• Only CareerJoy (the 3rd party consultants) has access to the original raw data
• CJ will provide aggregated results, and no identifiable results will be shared
• CRA is not interested in the individual responses, and they would like to see the overall picture by location and team
• Demographic information was requested but not mandatory

Questions Methodology

1. Best Practices - CareerJoy employs standard industry best practices for employee surveys in order to ensure the best possible information is received including:
   • keeping questions short, clear and avoid double-barrelling
   • creating separate sections for each question theme
   • keeping the survey shorter, with fewer than 40 questions in total in order to avoid “survey fatigue”
   • using a 5-point likert scale for rated questions with ppropriate use of open-ended questions to go deeper into perceptions, feelings and recommendations of respondents
2. Demographics - Please see addendum A: Survey Questions
3. Language Requirements - This survey was conducted in both English and French

Survey Results

CareerJoy will provide a complete copy of the data tables and raw data in .CSV format with all personal information/identifiers removed from the dataset.

CareerJoy will provide a subsequent final report and will endeavour to include the elements of the POR Final Report Checklist (1.12). CareerJoy will work with CRA to the best of our ability to ensure its completeness and accuracy.

The entire report, including the French and English executive summaries and all relevant appendices, will be provided in .DOC format.

Appendix C: Survey

DEMOGRAPHICS

Regardless of where you are physically located, which region do you report to?

1. Atlantic
2. Pacific
3. Prairies
4. Quebec
5. Toronto-Center
6. Toronto-West
7. HQ

Years of Service in the SR&ED and/or FMTC Program?

1. less than a year
2. 2-5 years
3. 6-10 years
4. 10-20 years
5. more than 20 years

Are you in a management position (any level)?

1. Yes
2. No

Please select your Team:

1. HQ
2. Workload Management Team
3. Review Team
4. FMTC
5. Other

What is your role/classification?

1. AU
2. CO
3. SP
4. SU
5. MG
6. EX
7. Other

NATIONAL DISCUSSION FORUM FEEDBACK

I attended a National Discussion Forum in 2020

1. Yes
2. No

I felt there was enough time to cover the material that was presented.
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

I believe the topics discussed were relevant to my work.
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

I believe the Forum provided the information I hoped to receive.
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

I was comfortable asking questions.
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

I believe the questions that were asked were sufficiently addressed.
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

At future events, I would prefer to:

1. Ask questions anonymously using Slido
2. Submit questions in advance that would be answered at the Forum
3. Other, please provide details

UNDERSTANDING THE THREE PRIORITIES

I understand the strategic priority: Clear Eligibility
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

I understand the strategic priority: Service By Design
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

I understand the strategic priority: Efficient Operations
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

I see the need for the changes associated with the three strategic priorities: Clear Eligibility, Service by Design, and Efficient Operations
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

I believe management (at all levels) is committed to SR&ED and FMTC’s program transformation.
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

I feel that the rationale behind the three strategic priorities was clearly explained to me. Priorities: Clear Eligibility, Service by Design, and Efficient Operations
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

I believe the communication in the SR&ED and FMTC Programs is open and transparent.
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

I have an important role to play in achieving the strategic priorities.
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

Based on my understanding of the three strategic priorities, I am open to making changes to the way I work.
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

What is one thing you believe could be a roadblock to achieving the three strategic priorities?

Considering the current telework environment, are there specific tools, information or training you would like, to help you in your role to deliver on the three priorities?

IMPLEMENTING THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

I believe the three strategic priorities position the SR&ED and FMTC Programs to support the CRA’s service transformation.
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

I trust the Director General and Directors to lead the organization to future success.
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

As a regional employee, I trust our Regional Management Team to lead the organization to future success.
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree or N/A

As an employee at HQ, I trust our Managers (MG-06) to lead the organization to future success.
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree or N/A

I trust that employees will receive support when required during the implementation process of the strategic priorities.
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

I believe the three strategic priorities will help shift the SR&ED and FMTC Programs’ focus to delivering service to claimants, not just evaluating claims.
Rate from 1 to 5: 1 - Not at all to 5 - a strong degree

The SR&ED and FMTC Programs are improving their service delivery to operate at a speed that is more in line with what businesses expect. What is one thing that can help the programs improve their service standard?

We recognize that the SR&ED Program needs to adapt to the current needs and expectations of claimants, and the evolving global R&D environment. What concerns or excites you most about this?

ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK

Open communication between Headquarters and the regions is important. What one thing would you suggest to help improve this effort?

Which sources do you consult for information about the SR&ED and FMTC Programs’ transformation initiative?

1. Wiki-page
2. Infozone
3. E-mail
4. My manager
5. Regional meetings
6. National Forums
7. N/A