VIU People Plan Officially Adopted and Ready for Action

By Dan VanderSluis, Associate-Vice President, Human Resources

I am so pleased to announce that the VIU People Plan: You Matter Here has been approved by the Vancouver Island University Board of Governors. This is the final step in the VIU Integrated Planning process for the plan to be officially adopted by VIU.

It was created with the input and advice of many of VIU’s employees. Through the various consultations and opportunities to provide feedback, you shared your views and experiences of working at VIU. You expressed your perspective on VIU’s strengths and also the areas you would like to see improved.

Through this People Plan, the University now invites you to act along with your colleagues to create the positive impact you would like to see. This plan belongs to all VIU employees and it is intended to bring forward positive changes. My sincere hope is that you see yourself within the plan and in three years’ time you will be able to look back and see measurable, clear improvements that flowed from the plan.

How to use the Plan

The first step is to become familiar with it. If you find an Invitation For Action that speaks to you, consider how you can become involved with it. The plan is adopted, and the work to action the plan is now beginning. The changes within VIU that are envisioned in the People Plan will have a transformative influence. Engagement across the University community is a key success factor in bringing about organizational culture change that has a positive impact on individuals within the organization.

We encourage you to bring forward ideas about any of the Invitations For Action. You can talk with your colleagues and come up with strategies you would like adopt. You can connect with your supervisor or someone in Human Resources for advice and support. As ideas come forward individuals across the institution will be supported in making them a reality, and examples of initiatives taking place will be highlighted across VIU. The plan has a few examples of what some of these initiatives could look like and you are welcome to adopt them.

Going Forward

In each issue of VIU Voices, an Invitation For Action will be explored and discussed. These articles will share ideas and initiatives already underway and answer any questions that have come up.

The People Plan microsite is under development. Over time, these pages will be used to highlight initiatives and projects from the institution as well as from teams and people. You can visit it for ideas or opportunities to become involved and more.

There will be opportunities to meet and discuss specific parts of the plan, as well as kick-off events throughout our campuses, which will be scheduled soon. Stay tuned to VIU Voices, the VIU Digest, the People Plan microsite or the events page for more details.

For each Invitation For Action, an icon has been designed. You will start to see these icons on communications, posters, emails, articles and other places that indicate the topic involves that particular Invitation For Action. They are as follows:

• Advance Operational Effectiveness        • Cultivate a Healthy Workplace Culture     • Encourage Employee Well-being  

 • Foster Diversity, Fairness & Truth & Reconciliation       • Support Transformational Leadership & Professional Development

A hard copy of the plan is available at the Human Resources Office in Building 305, Room 280 at the Nanaimo Campus.

I am so excited about VIU’s future when it comes to our people. Thank you for taking the journey with us and providing your thoughts, skills, expertise and passion as we go forward.

If you have any suggestions, questions or concerns, I am always eager to hear from you.