Andrew Parr

Andrew Parr, Associate Vice-President, UBC Student Housing and Community Services

Hello SHHS Colleagues,

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the SHHS Staff Survey in October. We heard from 43% of you and learned so much from your responses.

You will recall our commitment to both provide the findings to you and also share with you the tangible actions we are committed to undertaking as a result of these findings. In early 2020 we will share more detailed results along with our People 2025 Action Plan; and in the meantime, we want to provide you with an update on the findings and the process we are undertaking.

Overall, SHHS staff rank the workplace experience at 7.33 out of 10. This rating shows that we already have a positive workplace at SHHS and, more importantly, that there is opportunity for improvement. Thanks to your survey input, as well as the feedback Jen Dowdeswell received during her Listening Tour and World Café events, four themes or areas of focus are beginning to emerge. These are:

  1. Clarity of Purpose / Mission / Vision
  2. Internal Communications
  3. Scheduling systems and processes
  4. Onboarding / Training / Professional and Career Development

Within these themes it is also clear that solutions lie both at the overarching SHHS level and at the unit level. In the coming weeks, each Unit Director will be meeting with Jen Dowdeswell to go over their individual department’s results. Directors will then meet with their own teams to create steps to address specific areas of focus. Additionally, a SHHS-wide approach will be created to focus on opportunities that span across SHHS. All of our actions will align with UBC’s Focus on People 2025 initiative, which you can read about at focusonpeople.ubc.ca.

I am confident that with focus and efforts by each and every one of us in SHHS, we can create a truly exceptional workplace.

With appreciation and anticipation,

Andrew Parr
Managing Director
Student Housing and Hospitality Services
The University of British Columbia