Canadian HR Reporter

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TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT Investing in employees to build skills, engagement – and a top retail brand Canadian Tire introduces two programs to track performance, accelerate learning By Jane Nakamachi C hanges in retail are con- stant, and it is the re- sponsibility of retailers to ensure employees are equipped for their current role, and for the future. Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC) is one of Canada's biggest and most recognized retailers and its employees are key stakeholders to achieving its vision to become the number 1 retail brand in Can- ada by 2022. In the past year, CTC has taken steps to actively engage its em- ployees and invest in them to en- sure they have the right skills to drive this change and enjoy suc- cessful, rewarding careers. To effectively meet CTC's ob- jectives and drive its performance, the company introduced two em- ployee-based initiatives: eVoice, a survey platform that provides a deeper understanding of em- ployees and produces metrics to help track employee performance against CTC's vision; and Trian- gle Learning Academy (TLA), a company-wide program that of- fers employees curated content on subjects across the business to ac- celerate employee learning, based in part on the insights eVoice cap- tures and analyzes. e first year Learning and employee engage- ment are two elements of CTC's overall talent strategy and will en- able the organization to attract, retain and develop employees throughout their careers, while ensuring the organization has the talent to execute its long-term strategy. When CTC announced its vi- sion to be the top retail brand, it re-evaluated its talent develop- ment platform and saw the op- portunity to review learning and employee engagement practices. Previously, CTC used a biennial survey to measure employee en- gagement. e company wanted to engage employees in a way that was more interactive and facilitat- ed connections between leaders and their teams. From a learning perspective, the new platforms enable CTC to better understand the needs and wants of employ- ees, and deliver learning experi- ences for every single employee, from coast-to-coast, to develop the skills required to succeed. Nearly 20,000 employees took part in eVoice surveys in the first year and provided more than 40,000 comments — a wildly successful response rate by any measure — that CTC was able to compile and analyze into themes that could be addressed through senior leaders. In support of employee learn- ing, TLA is focused on the devel- opment of skills for current roles and the development of soft skills that could be used in any role in any company. e programs are designed to be relevant and pro- vide context for the retail environ- ment, while resonating with em- ployees who enjoy hearing from their leaders. The material is tied to the business strategy to anchor the program and uses senior leaders from across the organization as "TLA Deans" who provide input, oversight and approval of courses and course content to ensure it is meeting the objectives of both CTC and employees. rough a combination of on- line content, case studies, chal- lenges and speaker series, TLA is delivering programs that will develop leaders for today and into the future. TLA also launched programs in response to feedback from the first eVoice survey. Employees had indicated they wanted more insight into what was happening across the organization so TLA launched a program called Execu- tive Office Hours — an opportu- nity for managers and individual contributors to get the scoop on where CTC is headed, how the company will get there and what that means for each role. It has quickly become one of the most popular TLA programs. Leaders relish the opportunity to connect directly with employees on a variety of topics and 24 Ex- ecutive Office Hour sessions were delivered in just four months to more than 2,500 registrants. In addition, through programs offered by business schools — such as the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and the Rotman School of Manage- ment at the University of Toronto — as well as online programming and in-house-developed content, courses focus on themes, such as communications, management and data and analytics, helping to provide the skills that prepare employees for the "jobs and joys of life" at CTC. In 2019, access will be enabled for store employees at CTC's Mark's and Sport Chek chains. CTC is committed to ensuring employees are challenged, en- gaged and equipped for success, and is investing heavily in its workforce as a demonstration of that commitment. In fact, plans are in progress to secure a dedi- cated site for TLA — to expand the facility and course offerings. Today, CTC is offering employ- ees every opportunity to advance their careers, and employees are taking advantage. In TLA's first year, more than 50,000 individual learnings were delivered to em- ployees, generating a net promot- er score of 69 per cent. eVoice and TLA are continually being refined as CTC tests what works and adjusts accordingly. As retail changes and CTC evolves, the company requires employ- ees to evolve with it and to drive it forward. To do that, employees need a strong understanding of the journey the company is on and a context that exists beyond its walls. TLA and eVoice are working hand-in-hand to deliver content that is relevant and responsive to make CTC home to Canada's top talent — today and tomorrow. Jane Nakamachi is senior vice-presi- dent of talent at Canadian Tire Cor- poration (CTC) in Toronto. Nearly 20,000 employees took part in eVoice surveys, providing more than 40,000 comments that were compiled into themes to be addressed. Credit: Sarah Dobson

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