Many city employees don't report workplace concerns, survey finds

The majority of City of Edmonton employees experiencing discrimination or concerning behaviours aren't taking action to address it, according to this year's workforce survey.

Employee services deputy city manager Kim Armstrong said this is an area where the city needs to improve in order to address all employee concerns, no matter the severity, and provide a safe work environment.

About 11 per cent of employees reported discrimination, down three per cent from the 2018 survey results. But 60 per cent didn't do anything to address the situation, with 69 per cent believing it wouldn't make a difference. Another 32 per cent were afraid of retaliation from their bosses.

“We really want to work on giving people the opportunity and encouragement to come forward and talk about what's bothering them,” Armstrong told reporters Thursday morning following the release of the biannual employee experience survey results.

“When we take a look at the reasons why employees are not taking action, it's often the case they did not believe it would make a difference. This is clearly problematic as we all have a role to play in building a respectful workplace, but this starts with the belief that we will take collective action to address concerning behaviours.”

A safe disclosure office was launched in January 2019 as a confidential place for employees to bring their concerns, but only 39 per cent said they were aware of the service. Of those who faced discrimination, 23 per cent said they don't trust the safe disclosure process. Since January of this year, the office has received 198 concerns with 190 of the cases now closed.

To address the concerns raised about speaking up, Armstrong said the city is rolling out an education series for managers to help improve their ability to have important conversations with staff on issues in the workplace.

Unlike in past surveys, employees were asked about 26 specific workplace issues they have experienced to get a better understanding of the types of harassment they're facing. Unprofessional conduct, such as micromanaging, gossiping and interrupting, received the highest response rates around 30 per cent. For more serious issues, one per cent of employees reported experiencing sexual harassment and assault.

In the 2018 survey, nearly one in four employees reported being harassed at work.

For front-line workers, Armstrong said there is a troublesome rise in discrimination and concerning behaviour directed toward them by the public. About 34 per cent of employees faced discrimination from members of the public, compared to 27 per cent in 2018. To respond to this rise, the city is piloting a new approach on how to respond to challenging public interactions.

“Discrimination from the public continues to rise. We recognize these are challenging times for each and every one of us and at the same time, harassment and discrimination is never acceptable,” Armstrong said.

Since 2016, the city has been working to improve its workplace culture after an increase in harassment and discrimination concerns.

But Civic Service Union 52 president Lanny Chudyk said it hasn't gotten any better from his perspective. The union represents about 3,800 city employees and Chudyk said he still hears concerns daily about workplace bullying and discrimination.

About 52 per cent of city employees responded to the survey between Aug. 24 to Sept. 22.