There has been much discussion on how best to address the challenges that “Generation Y”, or ”Yers”, present to employers who are seeking to attract the best and the brightest into their workforces.
“Yers” are usually defined as those who were born between 1977 and 2000. Fortune magazine claims “Yers” are the most high maintenance, yet potentially most high performing generation in history because they are entering the workplace with more information, greater technological skill and higher expectations of themselves and others than previous generations. According to Time magazine, “Yers” want a work-life balance where every minute has meaning. They are not interested in the work styles of their Boomer parents.
So – what do “Yers” want?
An interesting job with many changes and challenges
Work-life balance
Superior training
Access to cutting-edge technology
Where can they find all that? The Toronto Police Service.
It is no fluke that the Toronto Police Service is positioned to be the employer of choice for ”Yers”. The Board and the Service have worked hard to attain this position. As I mentioned last week, (Employer of Choice) our objective is to be an employer of choice for highly qualified and motivated young people from all backgrounds.
With retirements and a rate of new hiring that is higher than ever in the history of this Service, the proportion of “Yers” in the organization is increasing rapidly. It is estimated that some 18% of our workforce is already made up of “Yers.” In fact, a full 20% of our uniform employees are “Yers.” On the civilian side, they constitute 14% of the employees. These numbers are bound to keep growing.
What do we offer that will encourage members of this group to come to us as well as to stay with us? Here are some of the factors that, I believe, make us an attractive long-term employer for “Yers”.
Employment with Toronto Police Service opens the door to one of the most exciting career opportunities in Canadian law enforcement. Our Service works in one of the world’s most cosmopolitan and diverse communities. Recognizing and embracing this diversity in all its forms is one of our highest priorities in the way we serve the community. Our emphasis on neighbourhood policing, culturally competent services, strong community linkages and preventative strategies, for example, means that working for us offers many opportunities to anyone who is creative and innovative, loves challenges, and is interested in serving the community.
The Toronto Police Service is a large and complex organization with an amazing range of functions that require a wide variety of technical, professional, linguistic and cultural skills and expertise. As a result, people with drive and a desire to try their hand at doing different things can have many different careers while working for the Service. Where else can you move from working with youth in high schools to the Guns and Gangs Task Force to the Community Mobilization Unit to the Sex Crimes Unit to Information Technology Services or to supervisory or managerial positions?
When it comes to career advancement, we value initiative, achievement, concern for community wellbeing, integrity and demonstrated ability over length of service. No longer is length of service the main or only criterion for moving ahead in the Toronto Police Service. Employees who possess those other attributes that I have just mentioned can move up sooner than you think. If moving up is not the thing for someone, but moving around is, the Toronto Police Service is the place to be!
As an employer, we are serious about making changes that will enable our employees to maintain balance between their work life and their family life. Thus, for some members, shift work may assist them to achieve a balance. Others are employed in non-shift jobs and find this arrangement is better. In addition, we also have provisions for alternate arrangements, such as job sharing.
As part of our commitment to a healthy balance between work and family, we also provide pregnancy leave top-up to 80% of salary. As well, members receive generous vacation and other types of time off. Many members accumulate additional paid time off through overtime and court appearances.
As an employer, we believe in the importance of life-long learning. We value and encourage higher education for our employees. Our excellent Training & Education Unit provides many different learning opportunities. In collaboration with one of Toronto’s premier post-secondary institutions, we offer a number of leadership training programs.
Some of the training takes place away from work. Many members choose to upgrade their education in their off hours. We provide certain opportunities for reimbursement of part of the tuition in order to encourage members to upgrade their qualifications.
Policing in general, and the Toronto Police Service, in particular, is fast becoming more technologically sophisticated. Technology is used for many functions, including for investigative, administrative, financial, human resources management, training and education, communication and many other purposes. For example, our child pornography investigators have achieved many successes through the use of technology.
A career with the Toronto Police Service offers challenges that will appeal to any generation – and “Yers” in particular!
“Yers” are usually defined as those who were born between 1977 and 2000. Fortune magazine claims “Yers” are the most high maintenance, yet potentially most high performing generation in history because they are entering the workplace with more information, greater technological skill and higher expectations of themselves and others than previous generations. According to Time magazine, “Yers” want a work-life balance where every minute has meaning. They are not interested in the work styles of their Boomer parents.
So – what do “Yers” want?
An interesting job with many changes and challenges
Work-life balance
Superior training
Access to cutting-edge technology
Where can they find all that? The Toronto Police Service.
It is no fluke that the Toronto Police Service is positioned to be the employer of choice for ”Yers”. The Board and the Service have worked hard to attain this position. As I mentioned last week, (Employer of Choice) our objective is to be an employer of choice for highly qualified and motivated young people from all backgrounds.
With retirements and a rate of new hiring that is higher than ever in the history of this Service, the proportion of “Yers” in the organization is increasing rapidly. It is estimated that some 18% of our workforce is already made up of “Yers.” In fact, a full 20% of our uniform employees are “Yers.” On the civilian side, they constitute 14% of the employees. These numbers are bound to keep growing.
What do we offer that will encourage members of this group to come to us as well as to stay with us? Here are some of the factors that, I believe, make us an attractive long-term employer for “Yers”.
Employment with Toronto Police Service opens the door to one of the most exciting career opportunities in Canadian law enforcement. Our Service works in one of the world’s most cosmopolitan and diverse communities. Recognizing and embracing this diversity in all its forms is one of our highest priorities in the way we serve the community. Our emphasis on neighbourhood policing, culturally competent services, strong community linkages and preventative strategies, for example, means that working for us offers many opportunities to anyone who is creative and innovative, loves challenges, and is interested in serving the community.
The Toronto Police Service is a large and complex organization with an amazing range of functions that require a wide variety of technical, professional, linguistic and cultural skills and expertise. As a result, people with drive and a desire to try their hand at doing different things can have many different careers while working for the Service. Where else can you move from working with youth in high schools to the Guns and Gangs Task Force to the Community Mobilization Unit to the Sex Crimes Unit to Information Technology Services or to supervisory or managerial positions?
When it comes to career advancement, we value initiative, achievement, concern for community wellbeing, integrity and demonstrated ability over length of service. No longer is length of service the main or only criterion for moving ahead in the Toronto Police Service. Employees who possess those other attributes that I have just mentioned can move up sooner than you think. If moving up is not the thing for someone, but moving around is, the Toronto Police Service is the place to be!
As an employer, we are serious about making changes that will enable our employees to maintain balance between their work life and their family life. Thus, for some members, shift work may assist them to achieve a balance. Others are employed in non-shift jobs and find this arrangement is better. In addition, we also have provisions for alternate arrangements, such as job sharing.
As part of our commitment to a healthy balance between work and family, we also provide pregnancy leave top-up to 80% of salary. As well, members receive generous vacation and other types of time off. Many members accumulate additional paid time off through overtime and court appearances.
As an employer, we believe in the importance of life-long learning. We value and encourage higher education for our employees. Our excellent Training & Education Unit provides many different learning opportunities. In collaboration with one of Toronto’s premier post-secondary institutions, we offer a number of leadership training programs.
Some of the training takes place away from work. Many members choose to upgrade their education in their off hours. We provide certain opportunities for reimbursement of part of the tuition in order to encourage members to upgrade their qualifications.
Policing in general, and the Toronto Police Service, in particular, is fast becoming more technologically sophisticated. Technology is used for many functions, including for investigative, administrative, financial, human resources management, training and education, communication and many other purposes. For example, our child pornography investigators have achieved many successes through the use of technology.
A career with the Toronto Police Service offers challenges that will appeal to any generation – and “Yers” in particular!
