Port Colborne’s Community-focused Onboarding

When Annie Beck, Senior Human Resources Generalist at the City of Port Colborne, reviewed the municipality’s onboarding process, she saw an opportunity to incorporate its corporate values in a new way.

“We wanted to really show our new hires our commitment to the community we are part of,” said Annie. The perfect opportunity to do that came with the onboarding of 41 summer students joining the team from May until August. “We thought, what better way to demonstrate our corporate values than to put words into action?”

Through this initiative, new staff assembled just over 300 fully stocked hygiene kits, 100 each for local agencies Port Cares and Community Living Port Colborne Wainfleet and 100 more that will be distributed to agency partners across the region.

The City of Port Colborne and their staff give back to the community in various ways, one of which is through their annual United Way Employee Giving campaign. As an extension of this annual campaign, they invited United Way to present to their new hires and sponsored a hygiene kit packing party during their orientation.

Coming together to do something good for the community is a great way to build camaraderie and foster a deeper sense of connection with the organization. The City of Port Colborne is leading by example. Through this initiative, new staff assembled just over 300 fully stocked hygiene kits, 100 each for local agencies Port Care and Community Living Port Colborne Wainfleet and 100 more that will be distributed to agency partners across the region. Both Port Cares and Community Living serve highly vulnerable populations in Port Colborne and were grateful for the support.

Events like this not only get essentials out to people in our community that need them but we also inspire future change makers. As young people and as employees of the city it is important that they feel inspired and empowered to continue supporting their community beyond just that one event and I think we achieved that.

“We support many people in the community living with disabilities and being able to provide these kits so our folks can take care of their basic hygiene is so needed. Thank you so much,” said Joanna Mataya, CEO of Community Living Port Colborne Wainfleet.

A positive corporate culture is increasingly important as businesses and organizations work tirelessly to improve staff retention. Employees, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, want to feel part of something bigger than their workplace. Beyond work-life balance, employees increasingly aim for work-life integration, where personal and professional life blend together. Good corporate social responsibility can foster this connection, making your organization more attractive to potential employees and allowing them to engage further with the company they work for.

Alyson Montovani-Ozaki, Development Officer and Lillian Wood, Community Impact Coordinator at United Way worked with Annie to coordinate and plan the event. “Annie has played a crucial role in promoting United Way within her team at the city of Port Colborne and fostering a stronger bond between her team and the community. By encouraging staff to take part in volunteer experiences like this, they can see that their personal values align with those of the workplace.  This can help employee engagement and productivity to increase and can also have amazing benefits for our community partners.  It’s a win-win for everyone,” said Alyson.

“I had several young people coming up to ask me how they can continue to help beyond that day,” said Lillian. “There are lots of young people in our communities that want to help, often times they’re just not sure how to get started or who to talk to. Events like this not only get essentials out to people in our community that need them but we also inspire future change makers. As young people and as employees of the city it is important that they feel inspired and empowered to continue supporting their community beyond just that one event and I think we achieved that. They really understood how something that sounds as simple as soap and shampoo can butterfly into all sorts of positive effects. Having your basic needs met can make the difference for things like increased self-confidence, having the courage to reach out and ask for help, or freeing up your mental load to tackle other challenges. Everyone deserves to feel comfortable in their own skin and this act of generosity by the City of Port Colborne helps to get us there. I hope others see what the city accomplished that day and join us in empowering our communities.”

A positive corporate culture is increasingly important as businesses and organizations work tirelessly to improve staff retention. Employees, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, want to feel part of something bigger than their workplace. Beyond work-life balance, employees increasingly aim for work-life integration, where personal and professional life blend together. Good corporate social responsibility can foster this connection, making your organization more attractive to potential employees and allowing them to engage further with the company they work for.

“You can visibly see the teambuilding happening, watching them (the summer students) interacting, working together, enjoying the activity and feeling good about what they are doing,” observed Annie, during the assembly process. “It’s a great way to show our corporate values and introduce this generation to giving back. My goal was for us all to truly understand our communities needs and show that we can all play a part in supporting each other. Partnering with United Way in our onboarding process is an easy way to do that.”

If you are interested in including a United Way element in your onboarding process, we would be pleased to discuss options such as a staff presentation, simulation experience, volunteering opportunity (pending availability) or kit packing event (pending availability). Connect with us to discuss your options!