2023-2024 Employee Experience Survey (EES)

Prepared for the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI)
Supplier: EKOS RESEARCH ASSOCIATES INC.
Contract Number: CW2328174
Contract Value: $26,309.23 (tax included)
Award Date: August 28, 2023
Delivery Date: February 21, 2024

2023-2024 Employee Experience Survey (EES)
Methodological Report

Prepared for the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI)
Supplier: EKOS RESEARCH ASSOCIATES INC.
Date: February 2024

This public opinion research report presents the methodology for an online survey of 925 employees conducted by EKOS Research Associates Inc. on behalf of OSFI.

This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes only. Prior written permission must be obtained from OSFI.

For information regarding reproduction rights:
Communications and Stakeholder Affairs
Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions
255 Albert St.
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0H2

Catalogue Number: IN4-29/1-2024E-PDF
International Standard Book Number (ISBN): 978-0-660-70435-7

Cette publication est aussi disponible en français sous le titre : Sondage sur l’expérience employé (SEE) de 2023-2024

Catalogue Number: IN4-29/1-2024F-PDF (Rapport en français)
International Standard Book Number (ISBN): 978-0-660-70436-4

Summary

A. Campaign Background

The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) Canada is the federal regulator and supervisor of over 1,800 financial institutions, including deposit-taking institutions, insurance companies and federally regulated private pensions plans. OSFI regularly conducts a survey of its employees, of which there are over 1,000 currently employed at four locations across Canada. The EES is collected quarterly to gather opinions on employee satisfaction with OSFI as a place to work and build a career, specifically touching on internal communications, performance management, career development, work-life balance, leadership and use of official languages. The information collected allows OSFI management to understand if employees’ needs are being met and to plan priorities for dealing with any engagement and effectiveness issues.

OSFI requires services to conduct one of the quarterly waves of the EES, in the second quarter. EKOS Research worked in consultation with OSFI to review and program the questionnaire, make adjustments to translation based on previous EES questionnaires, conduct the pre-test and survey, clean, weight and tabulate the results, and report on methodology used in the fieldwork and data tabulation.

B. Methodology

A bilingual online survey of OSFI employees was conducted in the second quarter of the fiscal year (Q2). The questionnaire was provided by OSFI in English and French and reviewed and programmed by EKOS. The sample of 1,206 OSFI employees included those who work in one of the four OSFI locations (Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver) and having a tenure of 3 or more months as of September 4, 2023. Following the same sample approach used in previous iterations of the EES, contractors, consultants, casuals, and co-op students were excluded.

The Q2 EES was conducted between September 18 and October 4, 2023, including 51 questions, taking an average of 11 minutes to complete online. The final sample include 925 completes out of 1206 eligible employees, for a response rate of 77%. Since the entire population of eligible OSFI employees was invited to participate in this study there is no margin of sampling error to be estimated or reported. No weighting was applied to the data.

Appendix A provides the details of the methodology for the survey. The questionnaire can also be found in Appendix B.

C. Contract Value

D. Political Neutrality Certification

I hereby certify as Senior Officer of EKOS Research Associates Inc. that the deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the Policy on Communications and Federal Identity and the Directive on the Management of Communications.

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.

Appendices

A. Detailed Methodology

Questionnaire previously developed by OSFI for quarterly administration in-house. It included 51 questions, two of which were open ended. The average time it took respondents to complete the survey was 11 minutes. An internal pretest was conducted by OSFI to thoroughly review the programming of the survey. A soft launch was also carried out on the first day of the survey (September 18, 2023) in order to carefully review the skip logic and data quality following the first 15% of completions in the sample. No changes were made to the questionnaire based on this review, at which time the remainder of email invitations were sent.

The survey questionnaire was programmed to be mobile-friendly and fully accessible (i.e., using screen reader technology). It was also available in English and French with a language toggle as well as a link to the EKOS privacy policy on each screen. The survey was installed on a secure, webserver located in Canada, controlled by EKOS Research. The survey database was mounted using a Personalized Identification Number (PIN), so only individuals with a PIN were allowed access to the survey. The PIN also allowed respondents to exit and re-enter the survey at any time to complete or make changes to their responses before submitting their survey.

Up to four emails were sent including the initial invitation and three reminders, including a final reminder on the last day of survey collection. The email invitation included a description and purpose of the survey (in both languages) along with a link to the survey website. Email invitations included contact information at EKOS. The first email invitation sent by EKOS was preceded by an internal OSFI email.

The OSFI Project Authority was provided with frequent updates on response rates during the course of data collection.

Survey data collection adhered to the Standards for the Conduct of Government of Canada Public Opinion Research—Online Surveys, as well as all applicable industry standards. EKOS informed respondents of their rights under the Privacy Act and the Access to Information Act and ensured that those rights were protected throughout the research process. This included: informing respondents of the purpose of the research; identifying both the sponsoring department and the research supplier; informing respondents that their participation in the study is voluntary, and that the information provided would be administered according to the requirements of the Privacy Act.

Once the survey data was collected, each database was reviewed for data quality and coding of the final question was completed. No weight was applied to the data, given the very high response rate and close resemblance to the population on key characteristics. Data tables were provided featuring unweighted percentages for the total sample. No sub-group results were included. The raw results were provided to OSFI including verbatim responses for analysis. All responses were kept completely confidential, and no responses were linked to individual names.

Response Rates and Non-Response Bias

The response rate for the Q2 EES was 76.7%, using the formula recommended by the Government of Canada: Response Rate = R/(U + IS + R). A total of 1,206 email invitations were sent, with none returned as undeliverable. A total of 925 valid cases completed the survey. No respondents were screened out of the survey as ineligible.

B. E-Mail Invitation

**Table 1: Regional Distribution of Sample**
Designated OSFI office location	Count
Montreal	35
Ottawa	405
Toronto	406
Vancouver	21
Prefer not to say	58
Total	925

**Table 2: Response Rates**
Total Invited	1,206
Invalid	0
Unresolved (U)	233
In-scope non-responding (IS)	48
Responding units (R)	925
Response Rate (R/(U+IS+R)	76.7%

Subject : 2023-24 Employee Experience Survey (Q2) | Sondage sur l’expérience employé de 2023-2024 (T2)

As communicated to OSFI employees on September 14, Ekos Research Associates Inc. has been commissioned by OSFI to conduct its Employee Experience Survey.

This survey is designed to gather your feedback on various aspects of your working environment and experience. We have 30 questions for you on areas such as wellness, workplace effectiveness, and culture, followed by 10 demographic questions to be used for statistical analysis.

Your participation is voluntary. All responses provided are anonymous and results will be presented in summary form only. The collection of survey information is done in accordance to s. 13 of the OSFI Act. OSFI, through Ekos, will be collecting and using your survey responses to help inform policies, programs, and practices, and provides critical input for enhancements to our workplace environment and culture. Aggregated survey results will be disclosed in order to assess and address specific organizational matters in a use consistent with subsection 8(2) of the federal Privacy Act.

The survey will take less than 15 minutes of your time and you can complete it at your convenience. If you cannot complete the survey at one time, you can leave and re-enter the survey at the place in the questionnaire where you last left off.

Your input is important! Please complete the survey by end of day September 29.

Aggregated results of the survey will be shared with OSFI employees later in the fall.

To begin the survey, click on the link below. If the link above does not work please copy the URL into your browser.

Note: This link is unique to your email address, therefore please DO NOT FORWARD this message or your link to anyone else.

If you have any questions about the survey, or encounter any technical difficulties, please contact Jérémie Blanc at jblanc@ekos.com. All contacts will be held in confidence.

Bonjour ______,

Comme il a été annoncé aux employés du BSIF le 14 septembre dernier, Ekos Research Associates Inc. a été mandaté par le BSIF pour mener le Sondage sur l'expérience employé.

Ce sondage a pour but de recueillir votre point de vue au sujet de divers aspects de votre environnement de travail et de l'expérience que vous en faites. Nous avons 30 questions à vous poser dans des domaines comme le mieux-être, l'efficacité en milieu de travail et la culture. Nous aurons aussi 10 questions de nature démographique qui serviront à l'analyse statistique.

La participation est à la discrétion des employés. Toutes les réponses fournies demeureront confidentielles et seront présentées sous forme de résumé uniquement. La collecte des renseignements dans le cadre du sondage est effectuée conformément à l'article 13 de la Loi sur le BSIF. Le BSIF, par l'intermédiaire d'Ekos, recueillera et utilisera vos réponses pour éclairer ses politiques, ses programmes et ses pratiques, en plus d'orienter les améliorations importantes à l'environnement de travail et à la culture organisationnelle. Les résultats agrégés du sondage seront diffusés afin d'évaluer et de traiter des questions organisationnelles spécifiques, conformément au paragraphe 8(2) de la Loi sur la protection des renseignements personnels.

Le sondage vous prendra moins de 15 minutes de votre temps et vous pourrez y répondre au moment qui vous conviendra le mieux. Si vous ne pouvez pas le remplir en une seule fois, vous pouvez quitter et reprendre celui-ci à l'endroit où vous aviez quitté.

Votre participation est importante! Nous vous demandons de bien vouloir répondre au sondage avant la fin de la journée du 29 septembre.

Les résultats seront communiqués aux employés du BSIF plus tard cet automne.

Pour commencer à répondre au sondage, veuillez cliquer sur le lien ci-dessous. Si celui-ci ne fonctionne pas, veuillez copier l'adresse URL dans votre navigateur.

Note : Ce lien unique est associé à votre courriel. Veuillez donc NE PAS FAIRE PARVENIR ce message ou ce lien à quelqu'un d'autre.

BESOIN D'AIDE?

Si vous avez des questions au sujet du sondage ou rencontrez des problèmes techniques, veuillez écrire à Jérémie Blanc à l'adresse jblanc@ekos.com. Toutes les communications demeureront confidentielles.

Nous vous remercions à l'avance de votre participation.

Cliquez ici pour vous désinscrire de la liste de diffusion de ce sondage.

C. Survey Questionnaire

The survey is designed to gather the feedback from OSFI employees about various aspects of their working environment and intended to help us better understand, measure, and enhance the employee experience. OSFI, through Ekos Research Associates Inc., is collecting and using your survey responses to measure its progress and success in meeting the commitments outlined in the Strategic Plan and support the development of human resources strategies and approaches.

The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete and your participation is voluntary.

All responses provided are anonymous and results will be presented in summary form only. Verbatim comments at the OSFI level will be shared for review by the Executive Leadership Team and key HR stakeholders for purposes of HR appropriate response. The collection of survey information is done in accordance to s. 13 of the OSFI Act. Any personal information collected will only be used and disclosed in accordance with the provisions of the federal Privacy Act.

You may save your responses at any time and return to the questionnaire later by using the "Save and continue later" button and following the instructions on the new page.

Q1: OSFI's senior leadership uses inspiration, more than authority, to gain employee commitment.

*A psychologically safe workplace is where employees believe that they will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and the team feels safe to take risks.

Q6: I feel I can speak to my immediate supervisor about mental health challenges or concerns.

Q9: I regularly receive feedback on my performance (i.e. in addition to the formal performance review discussions at mid-year/year-end).

Q10: I am recognized for the work I do (e.g. praise, informal recognition, constructive feedback).

Q12: My immediate supervisor considers my continued professional growth and development a priority.

Q13: I seek opportunities to use my second official language skills while performing my duties.

Q14: I am supportive of colleagues who make an effort to use their second languages skills in the workplace.

Q15: OSFI supports the development and/or maintenance of employees' second official language skills (formally and informally).

Q17: I can speak openly with my immediate supervisor regarding issues or concerns related to official languages in the workplace.

Q19: I have opportunities to provide input into decisions that affect my individual work.

Q23: I regularly see behaviors that are consistent with OSFI's core values (respect, curiosity, and stewardship).

Q25A: I am aware of the behaviours I am expected to model as a people leader/manager as articulated in OSFI's Promises and Commitments.

Q25B: I am aware of the behaviours I am expected to model as an employee as articulated in OSFI's Promises and Commitments.

Our hybrid work model enables me to contribute to OSFI effectively fulfilling its mandate.

Q27: I have the tools and resources to effectively work within our hybrid model.

Q27B: What is missing to support your ability to effectively work within our hybrid work model?

Q28 [1,3]: When working in the office, the activities that I most commonly carry-out are: (Select up to 3)

Q29: When working in the office, my preferred workpoint for conducting individual work is:

Please be as specific as possible however, to respect privacy and anonymity, do not include any personal or confidential information. Your comments will be shared for review by the Executive Leadership Team and a few select employees in HR for purposes of developing appropriate HR-related responses.

OSFI is committed to creating an environment that expressly values the individual, where employees feel safe, involved, connected, and able to bring their whole self to work.

The following questions are for survey analysis purposes only and will help OSFI better understand the perceptions of employees so that we can continue our work toward a workplace that is diverse and more inclusive. Any personal information collected will only be used and disclosed in accordance with the provisions of the federal Privacy Act.

We guarantee that this information will be kept completely confidential. To protect the anonymity of respondents, results will be reported in subgroups of no less than 10 completed surveys across any demographic factor.

Q33C: To what extent have you felt supported by your people leader throughout your onboarding period?

Gender refers to a social and personal identity and may be different than the person's biological sex and may be different from what is indicated on legal documentation.

A person with a disability is a person with any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, sensory, learning or communication impairment, or a functional limitation, whether apparent or not, and permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, that hinders a person's full and equal participation in society when they face a barrier.

For the purposes of this survey, please only identify disabilities that have lasted or are expected to last 6 months or more.

For the purposes of this survey, the term "Indigenous" should be understood to mean persons who are First Nation, Inuk (Inuit), or Métis.

Q39: Do you identify as a member of a racialized group in Canada, other than Indigenous (First Nation, Inuit, or Métis)?

For the purpose of this survey, the term Race is used to classify people into groups based principally on physical traits such as skin colour. Racial categories are not based on science or biology but on differences society has created, with significant consequences for people's lives. Racial categories may vary over time and place and can overlap with ethnic, cultural or religious groupings.

Q39B [1,7]: Which of the following racial group(s) do you identify with? (select all that apply)

Responses to this question will not be used for obligations under the Employment Equity Act, as 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual) are not formally identified as designated groups in the Act. The Government of Canada is committed to equal participation of these groups in the workforce and is requesting this data to better understand representation in the workforce.

Please take a moment and decide if you wish to revisit your answers before proceeding to the next screen.

Once you move to the next screen, the survey will be completed and you will not be able to change your answers.

Those are all the questions we have for you. Thank you very much for taking the time to complete this survey, it is greatly appreciated. Your answers have been saved and you may now close your browser window.

2023-2024 Employee Experience Survey (EES) Methodological Report