The Future Workplace Strategy (FWS) is shaping the workplace of tomorrow at McMaster. Have a question or suggestion? We’d love to hear from you – connect with us!
As work experiences and employee expectations continue to evolve McMaster is committed to staying ahead of the curve.
Our Future Workplace Strategy is designed to ensure McMaster remains a top destination for talent, while adapting to the changing landscape.
By bringing together faculty and staff from across the university, we’re reimagining how we attract, retain, engage, and support our employees, ensuring McMaster remains a dynamic and fulfilling place to work for everyone.
With representatives from across the university, our project design teams focus on pertinent areas of the Future of Work. They collaborate regularly, bringing forward innovative ideas and forward-looking strategic advice to continuously enhance and evolve how we work.
To achieve our workforce goals, we need to focus on recruiting top talent, retaining our valuable team members, and staying flexible to meet changing needs.
In order to support McMaster’s shared purpose and strategic priorities, we need to ensure we’re attracting and retaining the best and brightest talent.
The Talent Planning team is focused on talent attraction, retention and engagement strategies to ensure McMaster continues to stay competitive.
The team is currently assessing critical talent gaps at McMaster, exploring internal mobility and talent pool opportunities as well as enhancing the experience of employees from diverse groups and looking at ways to better articulate our value proposition.
Key deliverables:
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Ask a question or share your perspective with the team.
Both digital and human skills will remain in high demand as we move forward.
Embracing technology is crucial for innovation and growth.
The Learning and Innovation Project Design Team is focused on building capacity in technology, supporting teams and employees on their learning journey.
Driving this forward, in the short-term the team is exploring the skillsets and learning resources available that support digital literacy.
While generative AI offers promising new avenues, enhancements and efficiencies to the way we work, we continue to approach its integration with thought and consideration. As we do so, we’re also exploring guidance for staff through the development of provisional guidelines.
Employees are looking for meaningful work, strong relationships, and enriching experiences.
At McMaster, we are committed to enabling a work culture that is healthy, safe, inclusive, collaborative, engaging and allows every employee to thrive.
The Employee Experience Project Design team is focused on supporting a positive work experience and culture through new and updated workplace policies, ongoing employee surveys, workplace wellness strategies and enhancing opportunities for cross organizational collaboration.
In the short-term they’re focused on workload management and providing employees with strategies and tools to support successful management of their work.
Flexible work arrangements have become a key part of the evolving workplace.
The way we work is evolving.
The Work Environment Project Design Team is exploring through collaborative discussions ways to enable, enhance and support flexible work arrangements at McMaster, both now and into the future.
While the team is looking at enhancing the university’s flexible work guidelines and resources in the short-term, they’re also exploring new and innovative ways to make the most of flexible work into the future – this includes physical space planning, sustainable infrastructure strategies, and new flexible work models.
In partnership with the Future Workplace Strategy Committee, McMaster University recently released provisional guidelines to help employees use AI effectively and responsibly in their work.
In 2021, the Workplace and Employee Experience Committee (WEEC) was formed to help guide the transition back to campus in a post-pandemic world. The WEEC offered valuable recommendations and reimagined new approaches to support our diverse work priorities.
The Future Workplace Strategy (FWS) builds on these insights, applying what we’ve learned as we continue to shape the future of work at McMaster.
This exciting initiative is a true partnership between faculty and administration leaders, working together to drive positive change.
Matheus Grasseli, Deputy Provost in the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic)
Wanda McKenna, Associate Vice-President and Chief Human Resources Officer
Provides sponsorship and facilitates PVP approval of all activities. Receives quarterly updates for review and required approval.
Under the leadership of our Co-Chairs, the committee meets quarterly and oversees directional planning, prioritization and ensures progress of projects.
Collaborating monthly, the individual teams ensure idea generation, progressive design and implementation of appropriate recommendations.
Provides insight and academic expertise on identified topics to inform and guide decisions. This team meets when necessary.
Looking to ask a question, have an idea or learn about ways you can get involved?
Director, HR Strategic Partnerships & Initiatives
HR Facilitator and Organizer