Sustainable Development Employee Survey

Prepared for the:
Sustainable Development Division
Canada Revenue Agency
February 2011
POR# 060-10
Contract #46558-111482/001/CY

Prepared by:
Ekos Research Associates Inc.

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Executive Summary

Background and Methodology

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has tabled four Sustainable Development (SD) Strategies in Parliament since 1997, with the most recent one covering the 2007-2010 period. The 2007-2010 SD Strategy aimed for 95 per cent of employees to be aware of SD at the CRA. To determine whether the target [Footnote 1] of 95 per cent was reached by the efforts of the SD Program made during 2007-2010, the CRA conducted an SD Awareness Survey in November 2010.

This is the third SD survey conducted by the SD Division. The baseline survey was conducted in November 2004, and the first follow-up survey was administered in November 2007. The surveys have been spaced three years apart. Data and results from the 2010 SD Awareness Survey will be used to enhance the content and delivery of the SD Program.

The survey was conducted online. There were 3,762 responses to 7,614 successfully received e-mail invitations. The response rate was 49 per cent. The questionnaire design, sampling, and survey administration were all organized and carried out by the CRA. EKOS Research Associates was retained by the CRA to tabulate, analyze, and report on survey findings, and to make comparisons wherever possible with the 2007 (and 2004) results.

The cost for completing this project was $20,424.21 (exclusive of HST), and $23,079.36 including HST.

Outlined below are the key findings from the survey. The remainder of this report describes survey results in more detail.

Survey Findings

Familiarity with SD and Participation in SD Events

Survey results suggest that familiarity with both SD in general and with SD as it relates to the CRA have increased since these questions were last asked in 2007. Currently, 98 per cent of CRA employees say they are familiar with SD in general (up seven percentage points since 2007), and 97 per cent of employees say they are familiar with SD as it relates to the CRA (up eight points since 2007). These results suggest that the CRA has met its target of at least 95 per cent of employees being familiar with SD efforts in the CRA.

Compared to 2007 [Footnote 2], participation in SD events at the CRA has increased among those who express at least some familiarity with SD [Footnote 3]. Over half of CRA employees (52 per cent) currently say they participated in Earth Day (up from 36 per cent in 2007). Roughly the same proportion (53 per cent) say they participated in Environment Week (up eight per cent since 2007), and a slightly larger proportion (58 per cent) say they participated in Waste Reduction Week (up four points since 2007).

Those respondents who indicated they did not participate in any of these CRA SD events were asked, from a prompted list, why this was the case. Employees mostly mentioned a lack of interesting/ engaging activities (24 per cent), or a lack of awareness of the events (16 per cent).

The SD Website on InfoZone

Survey results also reveal that visits to the SD Website have declined somewhat since this question was last asked in 2007, although a majority of CRA employees familiar with SD say they have visited this website (57 per cent, down from 60 per cent in 2007). Looking at these results by region, Quebec employees are particularly likely to say they never visit the SD website (51 per cent). Conversely, HQ employees are the most frequent visitors, with more than four in ten (46 per cent) saying they visit the website at least once a year.

Those who indicated they visited the SD website were asked, from a prompted list, what would make the SD website more interesting. The two main suggestions were increasing the site's visibility, and adding more interactive features like quizzes and games. It is also noteworthy that a fairly large proportion of these respondents (about one in three) felt no improvements were necessary to make the website more interesting.

Employer Support for SD

CRA employees were also asked to rate CRA managers and colleagues in terms of their support for SD in the workplace. Survey results indicate that the proportion of employees who feel CRA managers support SD efforts has increased significantly since 2007. Almost half of employees (45 per cent) now feel that senior management at the Agency level support SD in the workplace (up from 27 per cent in 2007). In addition, over half (55 per cent) feel that senior management at the branch/local level support SD (up from 34 per cent in 2007). Two-thirds of CRA employees (65 per cent) feel their immediate manager supports SD efforts (an increase of 15 percentage points since 2007), and two in three (65 per cent) also feel their colleagues are supportive of SD (up from 55 per cent in 2007).

Changes in Behaviour in Line With SD

Survey results further reveal that roughly eight in 10 employees familiar with SD (81 per cent) indicate they have changed their behaviour at least somewhat as a result of CRA SD knowledge or information. These results have remained largely stable since we last asked this question in 2007.

Those employees who indicated they had changed their behaviour were asked in what way CRA SD knowledge/information has changed their behaviour. As in 2007, the aspects of behaviour that have changed the most are reduced printing/copying, reduced energy consumption, and increased recycling. It should also be noted that with the exception of reduced travel by air and car, the majority of these respondents indicate their behaviour has been impacted in a positive manner by the CRA SD information.

SD and Business Travel

CRA employees familiar with SD were asked how often they travel for business. Almost half (47 per cent) say they never travel for business; about one in six (15 per cent) say they travel at least once a month for business reasons.

Those who indicated they travelled at least sometimes (i.e., they did not indicate "never") were asked, from a prompted list, to identify any changes they had made in their business travel behaviour over the past year. Among the travel behaviour changes examined, increased video/teleconferencing (54 per cent) and increased use of public transportation (48 per cent) were identified most often. A fairly large proportion (40 per cent) of employees also indicate that they have reduced their travel by air and car over the past year.

SD and Commuting

CRA employees were also asked about their commuting behaviour during the fall/winter months, and during the spring/summer months. Results reveal that most employees commute to and from work by car, primarily on their own and, to a lesser degree, in a car pool (these results are consistent regardless of the time of year). Only about one in four employees use public transit (and again this is consistent regardless of the time of year). Results also reveal bicycling/walking almost doubles when the weather improves (May-September). These results are largely similar to those found in 2007, although the proportion who drive alone is up somewhat.

Profile of Survey Participants

Looking at a profile of survey participants familiar with SD, the results for their work location are largely consistent with those in 2007. The vast majority of respondents work inside a CRA location (94 per cent). In terms of the regional distribution, the 2010 sample contained a higher proportion of employees who worked in Ontario than was the case in 2007. Conversely, the proportion of respondents from the Pacific region and Headquarters decreased in 2010. As in 2007, Information Technology, Assessment and Benefits, and Taxpayer Services comprised more than half the sample of Headquarters employees who responded to the survey. Results also reveal that just over half the 2010 sample indicated that their job involved dealing with the public (53 per cent, up from 49 per cent in 2007). Conversely, the proportion in policy/program development, as well as the proportion whose job involves frequent travel is somewhat lower since 2007.

Volunteered Comments or Suggestions About SD

At the end of the survey, employees were given the opportunity to make any comments or suggestions they might have about the SD program. As in 2007, the main comments centered on improving awareness of the program (15 per cent), and paper reduction (14 per cent). A fairly large proportion also mentioned that the CRA should encourage people to work at home as a way of improving SD in the Agency (9 per cent). It should also be noted that many respondents felt that the CRA was doing a good job promoting SD (13 per cent), or is on the right track in terms of SD (6 per cent).

Supplier Name: EKOS Research Associates
PWGSC Contract Number: 46558-111482/001/CY
Contract Award Date: 22/10/2010
To obtain more information on this study, please e-mail por-rop@cra-arc.gc.ca

Recommendations

Survey results suggest some recommendations/implications from the research:

• Familiarity with both SD in general and with SD as it relates to the CRA has increased significantly since 2007, and results suggest that the CRA has met its target of at least 95 per cent of employees being familiar with SD efforts in the CRA. Just over eight in 10 employees indicate they have changed their behaviour as a result of CRA SD knowledge or information, and this has remained relatively stable since 2007. These findings suggest that the focus of future SD communications should transition from raising awareness on SD to promoting behaviour change.
• The proportion of employees who feel that CRA senior management supports SD (at both the Agency and local level) is up since 2007, however, a large proportion of employees did not respond to these questions, suggesting that senior management's support of SD should be better communicated to employees.
• Effort should be given to developing more interesting/engaging SD activities as this was mentioned most often as a barrier to participation in CRA SD events.
• Visits to the SD Website have actually declined somewhat since 2007, suggesting more effort needs to be made to increase employee awareness of the national SD website. The two main suggestions for improving the website involve increasing the site's visibility, and adding more interactive features like quizzes and games.
• Efforts should be made to change CRA employees' commuting behaviour. Most employees continue to commute to and from work by car, primarily on their own (and this has actually increased somewhat since 2007). Perhaps some sort of incentive (e.g., carpool gas allowance, public transit subsidies, improved facilities for cyclists) could be provided to CRA employees to encourage them to carpool, use public transit, or walk/bike more often.
• A majority of the employees who travel for business indicated that video/teleconferencing has increased in usage over the previous year, and this should be further encouraged as a way to improve employees' SD behaviour.

Footnotes

[Footnote 1]

Target 3.2.1 of the 2007-2010 SD Strategy.

[Footnote 2]

Please note that in 2007 these questions were only asked of those who expressed familiarity with any of these events in a previous question (not included in the 2010 survey).

[Footnote 3]

Please note the remainder of the survey results described in this report are based only on those who expressed some familiarity with both SD efforts in general and SD efforts in the CRA.

Date modified:

2011-06-14